# Got Pitched and Ditched Today



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Well, I haven't been tossed in over 2 years. Guess I was due. I was cooling my horse off from his workout with a nice 10 minute ride through the woods. He had a biting fly in the middle of his face and couldn't get it off. I stopped him and brought his head around so I could get it off for him. Right as I get into a forward compromising position, a rather large deer springs up out of nowhere. I'm guessing he was asleep in the tall grass. Anyway, my horse who already is not fond of large wildlife proceeds to produce his patented rear/spin/spook/bolt maneuver that he's got down cold. Gravity takes over and off I go, luckily onto a nice soft spot of dirt narrowly missing a few rocks and rather large oak tree. Landed on my nice mid 40's butt, so I got away without a scratch. 

So my sweet horse stands there about 20' away, waits for me to get up and check for all my body parts, and then takes off for the barn which was just around the corner. Jack**s!!!! While it's lovely to watch a TB in a full graceful gallop, I didn't appreciate it in that particular moment. I don't hold onto the reins if there's no danger involved, but would love to hear anyone's suggestions about possibly training a horse to stay put when the rider comes off. I thought about teaching him ground tying, but technically that doesn't fit since when I come off, the reins are still over his head. Thoughts?


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I will love to hear about this, haveing been spin dumped like 5 times by Mac. Fortuneately, he doesnt' bolt off home, and I always retain the reins. I am not doing it by choice but by instinct.
I can hardly imagine what Mac would have done if a deer jumped out. He spins with NO obvious stimuli.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Bless your heart. I feel so bad for you. That must have hurt!!! Biscuit dumped me once like this when a horse ran from his shelter towards us, the two next to us spun and ran and so did Biscuit. DUMPED my butt but thank God he didn't run off! I got back on and rode to the barn...that was a red letter day for me...I'd always said I'd quit riding if I came off but I was riding this morning. 

Some horses are just spookier than others. Don't have any training advice but sorry you were dumped and ditched!


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Gosh, so glad you are OK, I feel sorry for your butt, soft landing or not!

As for the tearing off back to the barn part, reins over the head, can you teach him to come when called? Even so, in the heat of the moment you can never tell if they will listen or not. My grey girl would come when called unless she had just thrown me in which case she usually felt a victory lap was more appropriate :roll:

I prescribe a long hot soak in the tub tonight, with a glass of chardy.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

sarahver said:


> Gosh, so glad you are OK, I feel sorry for your butt, soft landing or not!
> 
> As for the tearing off back to the barn part, reins over the head, can you teach him to come when called? Even so, in the heat of the moment you can never tell if they will listen or not. My grey girl would come when called unless she had just thrown me in which case she usually felt a victory lap was more appropriate :roll:
> 
> I prescribe a long hot soak in the tub tonight, with a glass of chardy.


Yeah, he wasn't in much of a thinking mode at that point. I think I could have been standing there holding the world's largest carrot and he still would have bailed. Think I'm just going to hang onto the reins next time and hope he doesn't rip my shoulder off. 

That's funny about the victory lap!

Tub and booz will have to wait for Friday...stuck at work tonight.


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## pintophile (May 18, 2011)

Ouch. Glad you are okay! I have never been pitched on the trail, though I did do a rather ungraceful plummet into the mud this past spring as the saddle rolled off the side of my chubby little pony :lol:

I'm interested to hear some of the replies, as I don't know how to teach a horse to stand after falling. Every time I've fallen, I've managed to hold onto the reins, but it would be neat to teach them to stand. I've heard that it's just something they either do or they don't.


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## cakemom (Jul 4, 2010)

I find the best treatment for 40 yearish backsides that have been landed on too harshly margaritas. 
I have been thrown 10ish times this year, danged green mare. I'm almost to the 40 mark, hurts more now than it did at the 20 mark. Mine doesn't run off, she stands over me and gives me the what are you doing down there stupid look.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Day Mares (Jul 16, 2011)

Ha ha MyBoyPuck, glad you're okay. I too have reached the age when I don't bounce so well anymore . 

On the down side I fall from my new girl more often than not (she is just so fast and hard to steer) but on the upside the landing is generally soft and she always stops and waits for me


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## BoxT (Jul 17, 2011)

As I read the above post I began to wonder....Why didn't you teach your horse to "spook in place"? There is a fix for that particular problem. Yes horses are flight animals but it is very possible to teach a horse (without pain) to stand when frightened.


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## danastark (Jul 17, 2008)

Ouch! Different horses are different, for sure. My eventing gelding would dump me and run home to graze on the neighbor's lawn...... me marching miles home, gritting my teeth, thinking up horse burger recipes.......

My draft cross looks so startled like "What are you doing down there?" but so far sticks around.

Surprisingly, my riding buddy's gelding dumped and ditched her and me riding my gelding who is his riding buddy.... never had a horse leave another horse behind. Usually they stick around.....

I usually try to hang on to those reins. I do agree 40+ year old butts don't bounce as well as they used to........


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Danastark, my sister's name is Dana Stark!!!


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I don't know if you can teach a horse to not run away, especially when they are in their "flight" stage mentally. Interested to hear if you can. You can try the ground tying, but as you said, not much help there when the reins are still over the horses neck.

I just hold onto the reins. I've come off of Nelson a few times thorughout our years together - moments when he spooks, lol. Somehow, I manage to have him in my hands still. To be honest, I don't even think about it, it...just happens.


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## pintophile (May 18, 2011)

MIEventer said:


> I don't know if you can teach a horse to not run away, especially when they are in their "flight" stage mentally. Interested to hear if you can. You can try the ground tying, but as you said, not much help there when the reins are still over the horses neck.


I have heard you can, by circling them (a lot) every time they spook. If you make them do little tiny circles every time they spook, they learn that it's more work to spook than just to flinch or stand there. I personally have never tried it, as I've never had a lot of opportunity, but I was told by a buddy that it's worked for them.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I damaged my hand once due to hanging on to the reins when being thrown. I think that if you are on the way off, it is probably better to just let go and walk back to the barn. Be thankful for that extra padding. Now I don't feel guilty for that bowl of icecream last night that added to the size of my 50 + year old butt. Glad you are ok.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

^ THAT is why I ride in gloves if I'm riding a horse that's likely to ditch me. Because I know that I always try to hang on to the reins because the only riding around here is on/around roads and the last thing I need is for some motorist to sue me because they hit my loose horse which technically I am responsible for and therefore technically any accident resulting would be my fault through negligence for allowing the horse to get away from me.

I have never damaged my hands from coming off and hanging on to the reins beyond blisters when I forgot to wear my gloves. I have been pulled along because I wouldn't let go of the reins but the horse never went far, it would be like 1-2 strides and then halt because there's 50kg hanging off his mouth.

I have, in being dragged because I wouldn't let go of the reins, suffered some superficial abrasions. But better I have some minor injuries than my horse runs into the road in front of a car, gets killed, and potentially kills someone in doing so.

And yes, I have almost been hit by a car when I was riding, and yes, it WAS my fault. I am bloody lucky the person driving the car was horsey and could see that the horse was being stupid, and she slowed down. I am now 100x more careful when riding along the roads, and if horse is being stupid, I dismount. More leverage when you're on the ground, therefore more control, and less chance of an accident. Plus Monty listens better if I'm on the ground, I think it's something to do with how strict I am with ground manners. He has some mental issues that cause problems when I ride him wrong (due to past crappy riders) and I'm still learning to ride him right (aka FORWARD if there's a scary thing rather than hauling back on the reins, 10 years of habit is hard to break) so if there are issues it is much safer for both of us if I just get off.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I always wear gloves when I ride, and I have yet to hurt my hands when I come off. Now granted, Nelson doesn't buck or go out of his way to get me off, most of the time my dismounts are due to he spooking and he going one way when I go the other, or vice versa - but still, no hand damage.


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## wetrain17 (May 25, 2011)

At least your horse waited to see if you were okay? I think I would have been calling him some choice words as i watched him take off.

I've fallen twice on a trail. Once by my OTTB and he ran about 5 strides, stopped, looked back at me and then came walking back. Thank goodness because I was alone and miles away from home! 

The other time was with a warmblood and i landed on a stone path. He thought about running, but didnt. I was not far from home, but it would have been an all up hill walk back. and i'm talking about really steep hills, in tall boots. I'm so glad he did not run.


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## eowyn (Jul 24, 2011)

I'm glad you started this thread..I was wondering the same thing! The last few times I've fallen I've tried different things. The first time I held onto the reins I was dragged through a thorn bush. Ouch. Then the time I let go of the reins, my horse spooked and ran to the barn which was a few acres away lol. Either way if I had held on or not, I still probably wouldn't have been happy in either case.


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## FoxyRoxy1507 (Jul 15, 2008)

one of my trainers taught me to do the emergency dismount and grab the reins at the same time when you are coming off and plant your feet when you land.. you start off doing it from a walk and then a trot and hopefully by the time you get to the canter they have progresses and understand that as soon as u come off they stand. ive taught both of my horses this and they have stood every single time ive ever come off. 

im stressing to start from a walk for a while tho so that way you really arent pulling on the horses mouth very much when you land just enough to say "hey stop i came off' this has really helped with my horses in training beginners bc they know that if "i" get unbalanced they are supposed to stop so i dont have to worry about my beginners getting bounced off or coming off and the horse taking off. 

let me know if u need a little more explanation.


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## Oakley Eastern Miss (Aug 10, 2010)

Sorry to hear about that glad to hear you are ok though, nice hot bath always helps those bruises!!

Nice idea though FoxyRoxy about emergency dismounts, I hadn't thought of something like that. I think I panic far too much when I fall off and i'm another one who hangs on to the reins instinctivly. If I am facing home though and I came off I honestly wouldn't bet my life on her waiting for me, she would be off to her dinner like a shot - no matter how much training I had done! :lol:



MIEventer said:


> most of the time my dismounts are due to he spooking and he going one way when I go the other


Haha I prefer dismounts to falling off, makes it sound better! 

Sorry to hear about it though and glad to hear you are ok.


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## Freda (Jun 26, 2011)

Teach him to ground tie. Ride with the lead rope on him, put your end of the lead tucked under your leg, if you go off the lead falls free. No promise it will keep him from bolting, but he will step on the lead stopping himself and give you a chance to catch up. he may stop and start a few time, but eventually just stop because he's fighting himself. Works for my flighty ponies.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

pintophile said:


> I have heard you can, by circling them (a lot) every time they spook. If you make them do little tiny circles every time they spook, they learn that it's more work to spook than just to flinch or stand there. I personally have never tried it, as I've never had a lot of opportunity, but I was told by a buddy that it's worked for them.


I also use this method and it has been successful with a wide range of horses. It doesn't work for all of them and I have ridden a couple that it made worse, but it is a nice tool to have in the tool box.

I work on teaching my horses to stop and stand when I get off balance in the saddle or go to step off. What I do is start at the walk and combine stepping off with a "whoa" and a light backward tug on the reins. If that doesn't stop them, I immediately back them up 10 or 12 steps from the ground as soon as I have both feet down. 

It's similar to the training that a calf roping horse goes through except it's much milder than a jerkline. Once they are stopping hard at the walk whenever I start to slide off, then I move up to the trot, then to the lope. I practice this out on the trail as well as in the arena. If you do this consistently, paired with teaching him to ground tie well, then freezing his feet will be his first instinct whenever you leave the saddle (for whatever reason). This has saved my butt more than once, both from being injured and having to walk a few miles back to the house LOL.

Of course, I won't guarantee this will work for him because we all know there are no guarantees when it comes to horses but it might help.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

wetrain17 said:


> At least your horse waited to see if you were okay? I think I would have been calling him some choice words as i watched him take off.


My horse's name is Puck, so yes, I came up with many possible substitutions for his name at that particular moment. I did find it funny that he waited until I got up to take off. He does have a good sense of humor I suppose. 

I did think of practicing slipping off emergency dismount style so he gets the idea of standing when I come off, but he's 16.2 and I have a not so great knee. As is it, I have to slide off slowly to not cause it too much shock. Maybe I can wrap the snot out of it and give it a try. 

Luckily his moments are few and far between. This one was just really wrong place at the wrong time. Stupid deer was sleeping just a few feet from us. He scared me as much as my horse when I was already leaning forward to get the fly off his face. Oh well. We just went XC schooling a few days ago and there were about 6 deer watching us nearby. He didn't even look at them, so I think it was just the surprise of the whole thing.

Thanks for the ideas guys and gals.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I did some emergency dismount work with Monty and progressed from walk to canter within the one session. I think Monty already knew about emergency dismounts though, really I was only training myself. Also, he is VERY smart, typical part-Arab, picks things up incredibly fast.


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