# YOUR WORST FALL?



## Salty_alydaR

i think that you havent accutally 'ridden' until you've fallen..so i want to know, what were some of your guy's worst falls? 

i'll start: 
i was riding a pony with my jacket on and i started to get hot. i was taking it off but it was nylon so it made a lot of noise and it spooked the pony and she bolted. i had no reins and for some reason, only one foot was in the stirrup. i lost my balance and fell off, but my foot wouldn't come out of the stirrup so i got dragged for a couple of feet and a mouthful of dirt. & now i look back on it and laugh :lol:


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## FoxyRoxy1507

well i'm a trainer so i'v had everytime of fall there is, my specialty was training abused and rescued horses so yea... bout those falls...

One of my horses she was an abused TB and she was scared of everything, but i had moved her to a new facility near a road and a semi went by and spooked her and she took off and before i knew if i was smacked right into a tree and i went somersaulting off the back of her and landed on my neck! i got a real nice concusion and scraped all the skin of my arm from my wrist to my up to my shoulder, still have scars from that.

another one was a friends horse i was getting ready to show and we were jumping 3 foot courses, well my mom decided to come in the ring to watch and we were coming around a corner as she came in the gate, the horse saw her out of the corner of his eye and freaked out a little cuz we almost ran her over so i jerked him and he side jumped a BLUE BARREL that was sitting there which threw me off balance and i flew off into a fence, got thrown underneath the horse from bouncing off the fence, the horses back foot kicked me straight in the face as he bolted off, (and he had back shoes on) and yea well he broke my nose and it bled for 11 hrs and i also have a deviated septum so if i sneeze too hard i get a nose bleed! 

i have tons more if u still want to hear more stories.


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## jumping' jimmie

i would like to hear more storys lol..ouch!!! My worst fall was with me appendix tatonka, he took of bucking ( for no reason) and i started leaning back trying to stop him...and fell of the back and he kicked me in the face while i was falling off) Craked a cheek bone and lost a tooth...lol.....Also i saw someone fall off in a barrel race...her horse went over backwords and split her face with the saddle horn and while her face was hanging off her foot was caught in the sturip and got dragged


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## Mira

I saw that show, jumpin jimmie. Scary stuff lol Kinda her own fault, though, in my opinion, because she just kept jerking on the horse's face. Anyway...

My worst fall was a year ago. My parents and I were riding around the block and we were in a field. I was on Montana, and it was probably his 2nd time out on the road and stuff. So my parents are in the lead and we were going up a hill. It wasn't very steep, but their horses decided to canter up. At the time Montana wasn't very balanced in the canter. He'd give a few bucks whenever he started, but then would smooth out. He saw the other two start to canter away without him and bam. He took off and through in his famous beginning buck, but it wasn't a small one like usual. I flew over his shoulder, landed on my head, then kinda.. rolled onto my back. 

I got the wind knocked out of me, and I remember like.. squirming around and thinking to myself 'wow i must look like a fish out of water or something squirming around on the ground like this' lmfao. So my mom and dad were by me a few seconds later and I finally caught my breath. My back was killing me. Luckily, we were by a friend's house and she was a nurse, so she drove over to us and said I should be taken to the hospital. That was my first (and only so far) ambulance ride. I knew I wasn't severely hurt or anything, but they were all insisting on being sure. So I was in a panic because I am extremely afraid of needles. I kept asking the ambulance people if I had to get an IV or shots or anything and they said probably not, so I was okay. lol

But yeah, that was probably the worst. A week ago I went off of Gizmo and landed on my tailbone and couldn't ride for a few days but it wasn't serious. Still hurts sometimes though.


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## chelssss(:

hmm well i have had many of falls in my day ; but the worst fall ive had was ;;
well i was at a show, doing 3 feet on my pony, a few years back, and shes done this show, well shes been to the farm that holds the shows PLENTY of times. And the jumps are all the same, nothing really changes .
and we were almost finished with our course, NOTHING went wrong, we were doing great actually, [she wasnt the greatest jumper ; but she knew how to and when she put her mind to it she could jump the moon] and anywaysss ; we were coming up to the last diagonal line, and she has a certain way of telling me shes not going to jump it, and that time she wasnt showing it to me, her ears were up, just like they always were, and she jumped, but not over the fence, she jumped before the fence, landed right infront of the fence and basically kicked me, well bucked me over the fence and i landed ontop of the jump. She trotted over to the other side of the jump and nudged my shoulder and tried to pull me up, thank god i wasnt hurt because everything fell ontop of me.


lets just sayyy im a truee rider now haha


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## chelssss(:

ohhh and another badd time ; well it wasnt too bad, but i guess watching it [not being me but outside of the ring watching it must have been a bad site to see] i wad riding a new thoroughbred at a show, and i was in the warm up ring, and the day before it had rained so it was a little muddy so i was keeping my distance from everyone and everything ; and this lady, rudely opened an entrance gate when i was trotting infront of it without me knowing and my horse, backed up, and i threw the reins forward because i didnt want her slipping in the wet sand ; and well she did just that. The horse that was coming in the gate kicked back at her, my horse reared up, i was still up and about to do an emergency dismount, but her back feet slipped from behind her and i fell and she fell ontop of me, full force, but luckily, the sand was really thick and wet in the area that i was in, so when she fell and rolled ontop of me, the sand pulled me in.

I got back on, and of course changed my breeches, and during our jumping, and flat classes when we were showing, i ended up getting reserve champion


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## amandaandeggo

i was riding in a smaller arena with quite a few people . . . eggo didnt like that . . . so he started rearing . . . at first it was only little hops every few mins . . . then they started getting bigger . . . until he drug me off the rail and went totaly vertical . . . like the white stallions you see all the time . . . except i was far form enjoying it as much as they do . . . i had been taught to loosen my reins and lean forward and grab some mane and wait for the worst to end . . . mind you i had been riding for a year and a half and this was my first horse . . . well while i was panicing i grabed his mane and i thought i had loosened my reins . . . but i didnt i pulled him backwards and off balance . . . it was all my fault . . . he was falling over backwards . . . i fell off hit the ground rolled up into a ball and layed there stuned as i helplessly watched my horse fall over backwards . . . my horse being the wonderful horse he is some how managed to avoid flattening me . . . thankfully he was fine other than being a little sore the next day which was easily fixed with some stall rest and a bute tablet or two for the day.


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## Kirsti Arndt

years ago my sister and i were riding her QH's down the road a couple miles to Helvatia Tavern (oregon) for a hamburger =best ever =(she would go in and i would hold horses Zsa Zsa and Hazer then we would eat outside on the steps-anyway just so you know we didnt tie our horses up and leave them-

on the way down the hill a dump truck came through and did his jake breaks-Hazer handled it fine until he was right next to us and she reared -back of my head took out his mirror. good thing he was almost stopped-knocked me out and Hazer smacked her knee cap into the foot thing on the side of the truck-she had to have quartazone (sp) shots for 6 weeks which my big brother made me help administer because i was stupid. poor driver thought he killed us =didnt ride on the road anymore! Zsa Zsa was a huge palamino with an attitude and Hazer was a darling young chestnut, loved those two!!!!!!


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## Gimme A Dream

A few weeks ago, I was riding my Standardbred filly. When she broke into a canter, I rose in the stirrups so not to come down hard on her back. She spooked to the right and I fell to the left. I had the wind knocked out of me and broke a rib, but I got back up and completed her lessons.
Being a Standardbred racer I can only assume that she thought I would beat her for breaking stride. It was our first day faster than a walk.


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## Vidaloco

Last November I fell off Vida and broke my back (3 transverse processes) 3 months of hobbling around, or flat on my back. I'm sure if I had been younger I would have bounced, but I went splat. 
No major horse involvement it was all user error. Typical scenario, going to fast, lost my balance and whoops! Off to the emergency room.


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## SkylarkandWinnie

A few years ago I was trail riding Sky out behind some paddocks and she hit a patch of ice (this was during the winter). She fell onto her side and we slid down the hill we were coming up. I panicked and twisted my way out from under her so I was left sitting about halfway down the hill while she got up at the bottom. I tried to stand and couldn't so had to slide to the bottom of the hill, and pull myself up using the sturrip while my friend ran to go get help. Sky was ok but I couldn't put any weight on my leg. So after someone came out to help me I finally managed to hobble back to the barn and I tried to get back on her, and then I tried to untack her despite not being able to walk....and I really don't remember most of that day..haha My leg ended up not being broken, but I did twist the bone in it, and that was pretty painful.


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## ScarlettPompey

Ok - two of mine that stay with me:

First (definitely my fault). Cross Country training on a Welsh X that had a few behaviour problems (basically abusive handling when he was little). Anyway, we'd been doing quite well, so I gave him a long rein at cool down and took my feet out of the stirrups... AS SOON as he felt me relax he was cork screwing around the field! I (inevitably) came off, flipped and landed on my...er...'butt'. I had my arm caught in the reins though, so he dragged me a bit before running off. Thought I was going to die (and had been riding for some time by this point - so not a stranger to falling off!) Turned out it was a fractured coccyx. I had to a have a donut cushion, which of course the boys at school just loved!

My second was just a bit unfortunate. A farmer was keeping llamas in a field to guard his sheep (evil things!) They charged at me and my sister and our horses. Mine fell down a small gully and rolled over me, but my sisters managed to jump down. As they jumped over me, her horse landed on my leg! Seeing as they were heading for a main road I managed to get after them. But it was chaos. Plus, I had a hoof-print hole in my leg for 6 months. I like to think the scar will bring me luck!


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## Fogged-In

The barn I started riding at was an awful, un educated, un safe!, and awfully run. The barn owner and her daughter ran the place and they were total money hungry, didnt care about the horses- excuse my language (losers).... 

It was the only farm I could go to ride- I lived in the city and it was the only one around. So I sucked it up.. and did my best for the horses while i was there.... I was only 6yrs- 14yrs old while there.

ANYHOW... The daughter wanted $$$ so there was this pony that was a very difficult pony to ride- down right mean. Would buck and rear till you came off, almost like a game to see how fast she could dump you...


I was told she was worked with and better.. And I had no one to show that summer so the daughter :evil: offered me to ride her in the show... again $$$ for her...

I rode her the first time for practice. What do you know she takes off bucking and rearing, I go flying and used my hand to break my fall. Crushed all the bones in my right wrist! AWFUL!! Needless to say I did NOT ride her again!:roll:


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## TwendeHaraka

In the last six or seven years or so, I have fallen off of my horse and others too many times to count. Most of them have been minor and nothing really happened because of it, but I've had two where I wanted to cry becasue they hurt so badly...

My very first fall was when I was eleven. I was jumping my trainer's horse, and over one of the jumps, I didn't bend my knees, and I bobbed right off. The jump was probably a two and a half foot verticle and it was really close to the wall. I went down... My foot was caught in the stirrup and my arm in the reins and I got dragged against the wall. Ouch. Nothing broken, just a few bruises and a cut/rub burn on my back that is a scare now.

And one more...

My horse hasn't been off the farm much in the last few years, and I started practacing with him at the fair grounds with my 4H. HE's great at home, as I was telling my people, and at the first practice ride, he bucks, but I sat it and took him into the warm-up arena where he proceeded to...do SOMETHING like a mix between a budck and...somethign else, threw me a good foot into the air and down to the ground. Just got a huge bruise on my knee and just below it that laster for two months.

Whew.


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## ChestnutEventer

my worst fall was while show jumping a young in-experienced paint mare. we were approaching a double combination, she looked at something to the right, and jumped to early, pulling a rail and putting me off balenced. we landed, i lost my stirrups. She scooted one stride to the left, i managed to put my left leg on, and pushed her over, but it was to late she ran out to the left, and i was flung off her right side taking down the jump wing with my HEAD diving first, and poles landed on top of me. i got right back on her and we got over it in one hit. But the owner didnt look very impressed with the mare! lol
when i look back at it i think i would have more experience to ride her better and reacting quicker to the situation now that im older.
since then i havnt fallen off...2 years now i think? lol pretty lucky ive got a good show jumper/eventer horse now.. lol


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## highlander

my worst fall isn't to bad. was cantering (standing) a tb up a slight hill to a lighthouse, but i was slightly to long in the saddle so as this lad was a buck he put in a buck. my foot came out of the stirrups. i manged to stay on but in quick conseesion he repeated the same while my foot was out and i came off over the front. hit my head hard on the road that ran beside the glass paths, i was dragged underneath him and that dragged my body protctor up so my back was badly bruised.
sadly the worst thing was i was wearing my mum's old helmet which is now as good as a hole in the head. horse was enjoying himself so much he didn't seem to reliese he was riderless. went to the top of the slope and stood and watched me.


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## Stilton

I've not had really bad falls *touch wood *. So i'll explain my last fall. I was doing a dressage test in the indoor at my yard (so my pony knows the arena really well!). Well the test went reallyreally well apart from the final halt and salute at x. We trotted down the centre line just fine, as i asked for halt he slammed on suddenly and did a massive rear, flipped over backwards (by this point i was falling backwards with him). I landed on my back and he landed on his side, then he got up and galloped off bucking and enjoying himself. There wasn't even a reason for the rear! He didn't spook, there were no loud noises, he'd never actually done a big rear like that with me before either. Silly pony.


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## PG'sGal4ever

I was Jumping my pony and we were going down the ring and she decided to change leads and give a big buck and I was not paying attention and I flew over her head and she ran over me, Last thing I remember seeing was her hoof coming towards my head and it just glided over my helmet and one of her many other hooves hit my back and I was pretty blue for a few days.


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## Wallaby

My worst fall was at my camp 2 summers ago. The person leading the ride was an idiot and went down the trail that she knew had bees on it, and since I was the other person "in charge" I couldn't leave and save myself. :-( We start getting to the part with the bees and all the horses are bucking and rearing like mad but still following each other because they're herd-bound.
I was really dumb and backed out at the last minute and tried to get my horse to turn around which caused him to buck harder. I went over his shoulder, in a western saddle, so the saddle horn went straight into my pelvis, then he jumped over me and kicked me in the head. Yay for helmets!
I was the only one to come off. *rolls eyes*


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## Kiara

Luckily I myself hadn't had too bad of falls, I somehow always manage to roll away :lol: Even though I fell off the same horse twice in a lesson (was known for his attitude...), almost against the wall, but I still rolled. *keep rolling yeah!*

Anyhow, I will tell the worst one I've seen. So I was at this stable, taking a trial - 10 lessons. The stable never let the lesson horses out other than for lessons-NO pasture!!! Only for privately owned horses. So lesson horses were either in the stall or in a lesson... Anyhow, so I have a lesson with like 8-10 other people. One of them is this little girl riding this large horse (somewhere between 17 to 18 hands). The horse is a little crancked up (can you blame it?). Either way we are going around the arena in a line, just on the outside in a walk. The horse decides to spook and ran full speed into the middle of the arena where it did a dead stop. Little girl flies over the head, does a salto and lands FLAT on her back... I heard later she was ok, but it did look like she could have gotten hurt bad.


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## Equuestriaan

I'm lucky to not have had any horrible falls. As far as injuries go, I sprained my finger when I put out my hand to break my fall when Ricky threw me. I had a brace on my finger for a few weeks... lol. Then recently he threw me again and I got a mild concussion.


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## Sullivan17

Wallaby- I have had an exp. with bees too! except none of us expected it!!... there were about 7 of us... we were riding threw a hay field going cross country, when my pony stepped into a ground bees nest.... they went all up her legs... her stomache.. it was horrible... shes highly allergic to bee stings now... but everyone went running due to the fact we were being chased by the bees... thank god my pony was smart and ran instead of bucked... my one friend had her pony too... she had a bee after her.. jumped off and RAN and beat her horse and all of us to the edge of the feild!... we had a HUGE laugh about it afterwards.. and still due... whats amazing.. is everyone els got stung but i didnt.. and my horse is the one who stepped in the nest!!! lol.... 




But for my worst fall.. i would say when i fell off Jet my 16.2 hand Arab/TB 
We had just gotten back from a trail ride and were heading home on the road... our friend lives right down the road with a bunch of trails... but we were cutting through the hay feild... and there were some pine trees... and a bike laying in the trail that one of the kids had left there... Jet was freaking out about... once we got past it and he settled down a little.. i let my guard off, and someone stepped out from behind the pines and he JUMPED sideways like it was nobody buissness.. sent me flying through the air.... some how i managed to put my arm out to catch myself but landed on my elbow and broke it... i passed out on the ride home... (mother made me get back on... of course.. ) but i was also riding bareback... i have really bad arthritis in my elbow now too... the doctors say ill have to go in for sugury and get it re-broke so it can heal right... it will suck : (




Heres my bad fall.-
Me... being a stupid teen.. went out and grabbed my mothers 3 yr who hadnt ben ridden yet that spring ( this was last spring ) saddled him up and took off down the road alone... hooked up with my boyfriend and we went out on the trails.. he had his pony... but.. we were back there and out of no where... he Reared straight up.. all i could feel was him falling backwards so i leened forward to try and keep him from going over... he came back down and bucked and i went right onto the ground landed on my head and neck... i had road burn on the side of my face... and passed out laying on the ground.. my first intention was to get back on since thats all that i have ben taught but my boyfriend wouldnt let me since i still didnt even no what was going on... 
he put me on his pony which i basically passed out on him and he just walked home.. while my bf lead my moms horse back.. he reared 3 more times on the way back.. we never really did get along... but it was my stupidity... but i coulnt move my neck at all... so i had to get x-rays of my skull and spine and everything... FUN! lol...


woah.. that was alot of writing!!!!


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## gothy06

i ve only ever had 1 fall and that was riding in a schooling ring , the lesson so far had been alfull and my horse was being naughty , when it came to my turn i started to trot behind a more ford horse than i was riding just as we both got in to canter my horse ran to the middle jumping and bucking until i fell off i landed on my hands and knees , i got fricton burns on my jodpurs rubing across the sand and got blodd every where but me and the horse wee both fine , i havent riden that horse since but i still adore her


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## Pinto Pony

My worst fall was many years ago when I was 10 and riding my QH named Blaze. He was about 15hh and I was a midget on him but he was so calm and laid back my mum just saddled him up and let us go. So I was riding the trail around our paddock when a neighbours kid started throwing rocks at Blaze, one got him on the rump and he was not happy, he took off with a buck back towards the house and I just went up and then down, he wasn;t under me and I went smack on the ground. I was winded so bad and bruised my tail bone. I couldn't even cry when I was winded  it is so painful, I will never forget it 

As for the most embarrassing fall, I was at a rather big show in the pony derby class and there was about 20 ponies and we were jumping about 80cm. Two pinto's had gone before me, one was my sister, and the riders both fell. So I go in and the commentator made a joke about pintos being bad luck so i was rather determined to get around and I got to jump four, Kai skidded to a stop and I went flying over and landed smack on my face on the other side, butt in the air. Kai cantered out of the arena, jumped the side fence which was about 1 metre and waited for me in the warm up ring while I walked out to a laughing crowd!!!


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## Gillian

I got thrown off O'Sage, a notoriously difficult to ride barrel horse who I always choose whenever I go up to the ranch during the summer. We were cantering along bareback all nice, calm, and collected, practicing some slow patterns and it was a really nice ride when all of the sudden one of the horses gets loose and streaks across the field. O'Sage spooked, spun, and reared up in the air. I fell on my hip on the really hard clay and couldn't walk for something like two weeks. Still rode though of course. Ha ha.


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## my2geldings

one of those where I need to pull out some x-rays eh. I've had to many falls to count. I don't know that any of them were really bad per say. They all seem to hurt just as much :lol: no stories for me as I have to many but a few pics to get your minds going. I'll save you the gross bruising, bleeding and incision pics 
http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp61/my2geldings/480F3A3B-1.jpg

http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp61/my2geldings/48503206-1.jpg

http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp61/my2geldings/xray2.jpg

http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp61/my2geldings/DSCF1667.jpg

http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp61/my2geldings/DSCF1665.jpg


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## LadyAshen

I was 17 and riding my quarter horse mare. 

We were riding in the pasture and I was wearing my favorite hat. It was an ugly thing made of straw and "embellished" with lots of red synthetic fur all over and a white floral hat band!

Why I loved that hat I do not know. Anyway, I was an excellent rider and I could ride that cranky mare well. Every time we can to a certain spot on the trail, she would spook and buck. 

That day, she spooked and bucked and I could feel my hat coming off. Dumb me dropped the reins and grabbed my hat. Off I came and hit the back of my head on a rock. Family and friends found me lying there unconscious. I don't remember much about them getting me home, I had a concussion.

The spot my head hit the rock began swelling in a solid lump growing very slowly over the years. It is now the size of the bottom half of a large jumbo hen's egg, just sticking out of the back of my head above my left ear.


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## PoptartShop

Luckily, I haven't had any really bad falls. But a few years ago, I was on a trailride with my old old horse, Cody.  He loved speed, & trailriding was his favorite. We were trotting, & we came up to a huge branch, right? Well, he didn't stop because we were going so fast (silly boy!), so I slid right off the saddle (the big branch slid me off!) & went OOMPH! Right into a STICKER bush...ouchies, right?! :evil: Most of my right arm had little cuts on it from the bush; it hurt.  Sadly enough, I ended up leading Cody back to the barn, as I didn't want it to happen again! :lol: Talk about ouch!


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## anrz

I'm thankful that I haven't had any bad falls yet... I've only had a few. I never really got hurt, just annoyed (in a good way) that I had to go and catch Raspberry since they were all outside. I'm quite good now at doing somersaults over Raspberry's head .


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## DixiesPaintedNova

Well i didnt get thrown off or anything i got ran over. 
I was out in a pasture with about 15 other horses. I was just out givin them treats a few yards away from the gate. One Buckskin morgan that was about 2 years old kept gettin really hyped up and throwing tantrums. I wasn't paying any attention like i should've been and all the horses scattered. I heard some hooves coming from behind me. And i got hit and landed on my elbow. I popped right back up and said "ouch" thats it. Later i went to the E.R. and found that i snappped my elbow joint in two. So i had surgery and had two, two inch pins put in my elbow.


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## danastark

I can't remember how many falls I've had, my neck does remember though! Gets out of whack several times a year but my worst fall was a couple years ago. I was riding a 4 yr. old gelding in a lesson and when the instructor asked for a canter my gelding stumbled and went down on the first stride. Unluckily, I didn't fall off and went he hit the ground and rolled over on his side, my foot and leg were trapped under him and it pinned my foot up against my shin. As it was happening, I knew my foot/ankle shouldn't be bending like that. I sat there for about 5 min. getting myself together, then walked the gelding out of the arena to wash off his skinned knees. To add insult to injury, he stepped on the side of my injured foot and broke my toe on the concrete. Once I took my laced up boot off, my foot inflated like a balloon. Turned out I had crushed my foot and ankle, spent months on crutches, cast, etc. Still hard to get my heel down on that side!


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## x3ethx

aha my worse fall: it was a reli funny night ii was riding this 16.2hh who ii kinda like owned cuz ii was the one who basically looked after her  anyway we got on so well and ii was jumping one night in the field down the road and 2 other mates were there with me ... one of them was ridin my other horse ! n we were all jumping 1 after another and my horse went a bit loopy and belted it across the field fly bucking all the way and then chucked me into a wooden jump wing lol ! and then ii got on my other horse and ii went to jump but ii was a lil bit light headed and her cud feel this ( cuz he knew me inside out ) and he stoped ever so gently and ii kinda just did a slow motion roll off him lol..! ii got back on and jumped again n i was fine.. ii got back on the first horse and as we got onto the road to go home she gallpped off with me and it headed into a main road so ii was crappin myself lol then she just slowed to a stand still ^o) weird night


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## eclecticstar

When I was about 7 years old and just starting my horse addiction, I decided I wanted to race my mother down the trail back to the house. Now picture a very tiny girl on an Arab and that little girls legs not long enough to reach to the sides of the horse, tearing off to a full gallop from a slow walk. Well, I held on just fine until the horse decided to go left when I thought we were going to stay straight. I flew off the horse, bounced three times (each time a different body part hitting the ground), and landed on a tree stump. There was a branch still attached to the tree stump that went through my left thigh. So, I layed there, hunched over the tree stump, branch still attached, in my thigh. Somehow, nothing got broken. They pulled the branch out and my mother made me get back on the horse to get up to the house, bleeding and crying and screaming and all. I still have quite the scar on my thigh. 

However, I'm quite happy my mother made me get right back on my horse. If she hadn't, I would never had ridden again. Plus, when things get tough in my life, I think of that and it motivates me to "get back on the horse" and quit cryin' about it (whatever it is).

Then when I was about 16 years old, I was going through a tight opening between a fence and a tree. Again, branch on tree right up my thigh starting at the knee. Only this time it was my right leg. Stopped me dead in my tracks. I was on the horse and had to have the horse back up to pull it out. Hopefully, I won't be doing that anymore. lol


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## danastark

One word-OUCH!! You win the prize for most original injury Eclectic!!!


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## eclecticstar

Thanks! However, your injury is right up there too. I have had 12 reconstructive foot surgeries, so I know the pain you went through. And the work it takes to start walking again. I also have problems with my feet in the saddle. Which is why I prefer bare back. I feel your pain on that one!


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## kershkova

I have to falls that I would consiter my wourst falls the one was my first time falling of a horse. I was cantering Champ and i was going arond the corner and Champ got unbalanced and stumeled but kept cantering so when he stumbled i preety much did a sumer salt type cart whell thing of him and albost hit a barrel set up in the ring. Champ stoped when he saw me and walked over two me and licked my face. But i was fine just took in some dirt and was brused, The second won was like this we had 6 people in the indoor and we cantered three horses at a time and the others stood in the midle. It was my turn to canter and there was a barrel at the end to keeep horses from cutting the corner. So i whent 2 lapps and my trainer got their because it was his birthday party that day and i was cantering around the barrel and when he walked in champ bucked me off and i hit the barrel and cutt my arm.


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## brookvillequine

I have many worse fall stories..... but I will just share one! I was stupidly gallopping my horse through the fields, I say stupidly cus I wasnt wearing a helmut (long time ago) she somehow, not sure cus I dont really recall, threw me off over her head, then proceeded to run me over. I woke up lol on the ground of course she took off, I adventually walked home. lets see broken collar bone, broken nose, hair line fracture to the head, maybe even a couple of fractured ribs...... always wear a helmut!


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## shmurmer4

fell 45ft, got up ran 2 miles and 100m w/ no more than an ear above the water... took combat boot off, it finished exploding, i went into shock.

rushed by tactical vehicle and medic to hospital.


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## Walkamile

Worst fall, Walka was 2 and just starting under saddle. However, because I felt the saddle was too heavy for poor little darlin Walka, I rode bareback. So here we are, in the field, me bareback and that particular day I remember he had more energy than normal. Well, nearing a tree, I used my leg ( forgot who I was riding) on him to move him over and WHAM! off we went. My butt shifted back and now he started bucking too! Made a quick decision to bail so as not to scare the little darlin more and landed horribly. Broke three bones (lateral processes) in the back and learnt my lesson but GOOD! Remember who your riding and use a darn saddle, little darlin or not!

Good thing about him, after fleeing, came right back to me and stood there as though he was protecting me!


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## happygoose123

its was a bit over a year ago, its not as bad as some of the stories on here but still the worst pain i have ever felt!!!!!!!!!!!! I was cantering on chucky then all of a sudden without any warning what so ever he took a really quick sharp turn for no reason. I am good at staying on when a horse does this but i was wearing loose joggers which fell off, the saddle was loose and slipped and as soon as he turned he sped up. i was hanging off the side with no stirrups, the only thing keeping my up was 1 rein and leg strength. it all happend so fast and he was going at a gallop. i just let go and landed on my right hip then my head bounced off the ground. I sat up and no one thought i was hurt. i coulnd say anything, nothing would come out but i managed a loud groan. mum came running. My head was spinning so much and i felt like i was about to just pass out then and there. i went to get up not aware that there was anything else wrong and as soon as i put weight on my right leg i fell agian. Then i was in massive amounts of pain!!!! i was in so much pain i could hardly breath!!!! I couldnt move at all. I also had deep grazes up my side and on my elbow which stang!!!. But my hip was the worst pain i have ever felt by far!!!!! I was on crutched for ages and to this day my hip still hurts! Never figured out what actually got dammaged tho.


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## justjumpit

I was riding a lesson pony named Brandi one afternoon. She had a really round jump that could unseat easily if you didn't press into her neck and put your weight in your heels. I was only 10 at the time, though, so I didn't know quite so much. I rode her a lot, though, and we learned how to deal with each other. We did well in the show ring, and I appreciated her for that, even though she was a BRAT.

Anyway, one afternoon she was acting pretty funny and just being a bit looky but I didn't say anything because I was 10 and dumb. So I jumped an oxer with her, and got unseated, and she bucked and bucked and bucked. I still had glasses at the time, not contacts, and when I fell my glasses slammed into my face. I had a terrible bruise on my nose and the nosepiece came off the glasses, and the raw metal cut where my nostril connected to my face, leaving a flap of skin kind of hanging off. I also did a bit of a flip and rolled from my head to my back, and got bad whiplash.

I got back on her and jumped another little cross rail, then asked to call it quits, partly because blood was running down my face.

To make matters worse, I had to wear a bandage on my face and explain to my dance teacher why my neck and shoulders hurt too much to do all the stretches at camp the next morning.

Oh, memories.

Shortly afterward, for the record, Brandi bucked off a number of kids and was retired. She is now fat and happy on a farm in Kentucky.

I have a teeny scar on my nose, but, other than that, just the memory.


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## IheartPheobe

Well, I fall alot, but..
I was training this paint horse for a while, and what'd you know, it was my birthday.
We were doing great, but he'd just gotten a hackmore and I was nervous, as I was trying it out for the first time.
The first time we cantered he'd gone really fast and so I was pretty scared the next time. I was giving him mixed signels- canter and stop at the same time.. obviously, I didn't really want to canter after our last time around. 
As soon as I released and asked him on again, he took off at full gallop, jumped a 3'0 verticle and reared and bucked. Obviously, off I go. I landed hard and was knocked out for a minute.. I sprained a finger and had really bad bruises, but I was okay.

The other week I was schooling this MFT, Gonzo, whose a rescue. He hadn't been ridden in 1+ months, and I was just going to trot him and walk him, no big. Well, we were trotting around and for the second time that lesson, he took off, jumped to the side and started twisting, and off I went. It was a bad fall per say, since he's tiny, but I twisted my leg bad and had a huge burise


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## kershkova

i just rembered another one i was lopeing outlaw and he looked over at the cows and started to throw his head up and down and being his clumbsy self me stumbeld and i was not preparded so i slip to the side and my sweat shirt got stuck to the horn and i was hanging of of him by the sweatshirt he keept going and would not stop so ashely had to cut him off. That left a big cut above my belly botton and one on my back from the sweatshirt digging in my skin
.


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## CJ82Sky

Ironically my worst horse injuries didn't involve a fall.

One was teaching on the ground, and horse bolted, I ran to shut the ring gate (another student was on their way in a few feet away but I didn't want the horse out of the ring), and the horse bolted THROUGH the metal gate and me. I ended up with a bruised spine, hips, back, landed upper body face down lower body face up so severely pulled back muscles, and knocked about 20' out of my shoes, with one shoe about 10' behind and the other 30' in front. Deep laceration on my left heel, and twisted my foot around nearly 180° damaging the achilles tendon. Road rash on hands, face, hips, back, and legs, and the friction burned my pant leg in a few spots....that was - simply put - hell. I couldn't lie flat b/c of all the spine bruising, but I couldn't lie on something soft b/c my back was totally in spasm, and I couldn't walk b/c the achilles and foot damage, but I couldn't use crutches b/c my back would give out....ugh.

The other I was riding my QH bareback on a trail with my mom who borrowed a friend's mare. I told her to get the mare away from my horse, b/c I was afraid she was gonna kick me. Sure enough....shattered leg, complete, compound, complex fracture, but I didn't fall off. I had to dismount and WALK away from my horse in a blueberry field in S. Jersey in 100 degree weather and 98% humidity and wait 45 min for an ambulance, and another 45 min to get to the hospital (which was teeny and scary...). They couldn't do surgery b/c of the severity of the break - it spiderwebbed, and I kept from passing out by counting the layers of skin/muscle til I got to bone....talk about being in shock. Then it was a lot of morphine and a 3h car ride in the back of my mom's station wagon home, and another abulance crew to get me OUT of the car into the house. It was three days til I could sit up (and yes was in the same nasty clothes for the whole time...) and a week til I was able to even think about using crutches. And I was in a full leg cast with 4 stitches underneath for months.....I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

I've had my fair share of falls, incl tearing my knees up and needing surgeries, but nothing compared to those two injuries, neither involving falling. Go figure....


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## LeahKathleen

I think I have been fortunate, nothing worse than scrapes and bruises from falls.

The first time I fell I was riding Shorty bareback (a BIG palomino QH) and we were cantering. He side-stepped to dodge something in his path, and I got off balance and fell. He stopped and looked at me like, "What are you doing down there? I thought we were riding..." I fell off him again while a friend and I were bareback racing down the side of the road (she lives way out in the country, and there's a big wide shoulder with little traffic.) Something similar happened, and I just slid off. He took off down the road and my friend had to chase after him. A pick up truck saw the whole ordeal and pulled onto the shoulder of the road to block Shorty's way so I could grab him. Needless to say, it was embarrassing... -.-

The ONLY time I've ever fallen off my current mare, I was being stupid. I decided to let her run back to the barn after a trail ride (she's not barn sour or anything, I just asked her to run because I wanted to.) Well, she took a 90 degree turn into the open barn door, and I kept going straight, lol. It was pretty funny.

While my falls haven't been bad, I have been kicked in the ribs while lunging a horse that wasn't mine. I was SORELY misinformed about his abilities and was told that he lunged well in the round pen, off the line. Just FYI, he doesn't, heh. I was asking him to canter, and he said, "No thanks, I don't want to work right now," and nailed me right in the ribs. I had a rib broken in two places and a hoof-shaped bruise for a few months.

Daisy has also stepped on my feet a thousand times, lol.


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## ShowJumpLife

I dont llike to talk about my worst fall cause it still urghh..
lets just say.. 500 stitches 16 breaks in a bone (pretty much shattered) Screws and plates, 3 operations and atleast 3 weeks in hospital later lol.

but i fell off today and it was pretty funny.. now have a sore head neck back ankle and a green knee from the bruising.


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## IheartPheobe

Ooh! I have a funny one..
I was riding this really eviiil pony, HorHay [I'm aware it's spelled Jorge, but no one ever knows that! xD] for three weeks this Summer. I liked the challenge, plus riding tiny ponies is fuun. I did everything on him- no stirrups, no saddle, my first verticle, my first full course, my first ride in the field.. and my first day in the advanced level at my barn.
So we were having a great time- he loved the open space of the show ring we were riding in on the first day in advanced. I was taking him around at a trot and lost a stirrup. He, being the naughty pony he is, decided he didn't want to ride anymore and jumped to the other side, causing me to loose my other stirrup and off I go. Way to make a first impression..


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## ReadyToRumble

Haha. 
My friend brought home this gorgeous dappled gray Welsh pony (I was, like, 12 back then) and I was a gray-fanatic. I begged her to let me ride the mare, and finally she agreed, though she warned me that Cheyenne (the mare) could get a little unruly. I tackled the challenge with enthusiasm and remember smiling to myself, thinking I was 'all that' as I tacked up the horse for my first ride. Major mistake. I should have waited for the mare to settle in some before mounting.
Everything went well for the first twenty minutes or so. She had the smoothest trot and I was very, VERY enthusiastic about cantering. So I nudged her with my heel when my friend stepped outside with our riding instructor, and WHAM. She took off faster than a bullet. I hit the top two rails of a jump, and managed breaking my right arm landing on top of one. I also had some pretty bad bruises. 
In the end, I mounted the mare again two years later and we moved on with life. We hold no grudges for one another (;


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## wordstoasong

Well, Sue (coach) said that my "falls" aren't really falls as I could have saved myself from them. 

Anyways, one I can say that would be called worse (for me anyways) was during a jumping lesson. Kelly, was abit high-strung and acted too excited for jumping. So we went over a cross-rail, me forgetting to keep my heels down, and Kelly took off at a great nice canter STRAIGHT into the loping shed. Well, thoughts in my head were: try heels and steer him away, or fall off with style. I fell off in style, landing on my side (same side I had fallen onto after Betsy tossed me) and completely knocking the wind outta me. After sitting up and telling Sue I was alright, I walked around the ring for abit and then got back on Kelly. No more jumping after that, just some circles and such. Doctors told me I brusied my ribs, and best thing for me was to hug a pillow.


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## xeventer17

I've fallen wayyy too many times to count and have had an array of injuries from them including cracked ribs and everything. My worst, however, was...

When I was 13 I was training my first horse (I'd helped train before but never fully trained a horse by myself). Everything had gone well so far and I had had him out on the trails a few times before. Well my friend and I decided it was a good day for a hack and everything was going pretty well at first, though Roo was being a little high strung. Well just my luck a magestic-like deer (yeah right) sprang out from one side of the trail and scared the crap outta Roo. Roo freaked and took off, I almost had him back under control but then he threw a HUGE buck and off I went...straight into a tree. Broke my upper left arm completely in half. The break was so bad that the corners of my bone cut through the muscle and tendons. And it was in a place where they couldn't put a cast so I literally had my arm strapped to my body for months.


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## Kianne

I've only fallen once so far *knock on wood*, i hang on pretty well, lol. Luckily all i got was bruised legs and butt.

I was in lessons, and we were all riding bareback, on our way back from a trail ride. It was me, my instructer, and another girl riding her pony. We were on the side of the rode, coming around a downhill, icy corner. And this truck with a big dog in the back comes up behind us, and the dog starts barking like crazy at the horses. they don't usually spook at dogs, but the car was going _really _slow, and right beside us. I was having trouble keeping my horse from bolting, and one of the other riders puts their horse in front of mine (to get out of the rode), making my horse last. usually the horse i was riding doesn't mind being last, but she was already freaked out, so she bolted forward, and into the ditch, and I flew forward, landing on my back right in between two bolting horses. lol, as i was coming off i was all i was thinking was "avoid their hooves!". Luckily i didn't get stepped on, but i felt her tail brush my face. The other girl riding fell off too, except she landed on the road. :shock: Everyone was fine though, including the horses.


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## zurmdahl

The worst fall I had was I was taking jumping lessons at a barn before I got Flower because Ace gets really stiff and sore if he jumps. So I was riding this tiny pony, mabye twelve hands, who got in these moods sometimes were he would put his head between his knees and buck like a bronco until you fell off. Well he was in one of his moods and we were in the indoor, he had already bucked a few times but my instructor took us outside anyways to the outdoor. He always got more wound up outside. After trotting for a bit we started to canter and he was crazy, so my instructor made every one stand in the middle while I cantered. He went maybe five strides and then turned sharply to the middle and bucked at the same time. I went flying and landed hard on my shoulder. 

It hurt for a week or so but I never went to the doctors, I probably should have. I got back on and we did jump, but not the whole course my instructor had set up because he was still being a pill. But then when I went to summer camp I rode him for the week and we did the 'show' at the end of the week and won  When he felt like it he was such a perfect little pony.

My most embarrasing fall was when I was riding Ace at show and he was really, really lazy the entire day. I have no idea why, he'd never been so lazy at a show. We were doing a two stride and after going over the first jump, he decided he didn't want to do anything any more and stopped. I went over his head and fell right onto the jump and managed to break the jump cup lol.


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## IheartPheobe

haha, nice.
My most embarresing fall? Oooh, this ones a good one. hehe. Well, I have two.

I was riding this super cute pony, who I used to school every week when I was just starting out. He got really excited whenever you cantered, because he was a beginner horse most of the time and they don't canter. Soo, yeah. We were cantering and he put his head down and off I went. My instructor was just like, "Oh come ON!" lol.
Another one would be... hmm. Well, I was riding this pony Gonzo and he threw me twice.. And the second time, my instructor totally didn't watch and just stood with her back to me and I'm like "HELLOOO." and she's like, "Oh. AGAIN!?" xD


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## Aliboo

My worst and second fall was today. I was jumping with my new lesson gelding for the first time. It was just a small jump, but he over jumped it, and since i was just posting with his trot it threw me off balance. He started cantering and I fell onto his neck. So then he speeds up, and Im riding around on his neck for a whole lap on the arena. He walks, my instructor comes and holds him, and i slide off his back, onto my feet. Oh am I sore.


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## ditzydoo

my worst fall so far i dont actually remember ive just bee told what happened by my sister who saw it happen

but according to her i came round a corner and my horse got unbalanced and she slid on the wet grass fell onto her knees and accidentally rolled right over top of me as she stood up she kickd me in the head and troted off i got knockd out and dont remember any of it , i manged to do a comp the next day for my pony club then wasnt allowed to ride for two weeks. . 
the accident wrecked my should it pulled all the muscles through it and i still have troubles now with it and the accident was 2years ago


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## cherriebark

Having ridden for 20+ years I've had more falls that I can count. I've been bruised and broken a few bones. But, the worst was last fall.

I was riding my appaloosa/quarab gelding. He was 4 years old at the time, and he had been started late so he was still VERY green. I had him saddled and I was getting ready to mount. I always used a mounting block with him because he is SOOO round that the saddle tends to slip. I had him positioned at the block, and I was about to get on when he stepped away a few feet. Well, I decided I would be lazy, and instead of repositioning him, I took a flying leap and tried to land in the saddle. Well, I landed behind the saddle. This horse is a spooky nutter. He completely freaked out and took off at a gallop. I held on, behind the saddle with one hand on the reins. There was no way he was going to stop, so I tried to scoot into the saddle. Well, halfway around the arena he started bucking, and I don't mean crow hops, I mean rodeo bronco style bucking. He had a really bad bucking habit. That was about all I could take, so I let go. But, I had so much momentum from the gallop that I hit really hard, and smacked me head on the fence on the way down. I fractured my spine and my helmet had a HUGE dent in it. I laid in the dirt for four hours before I could contact someone on my cell phone to get me to the ER, then spent 4 months on bedrest.


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## barrelracingchik101

the worse fall that i have had would be when i got a new horse(i had him for like 5 months) we were riding with my friend ans we decided to pick up a little canter and there was this huge pile of trash i did not think anything of it and he got scared and took off running.. i lost both of my stirrups and lost balance and fell on shell rock on my HEAD!!!!!!! and i did not let go of the reins so he drag me o couple of feet. and i have to go to the hospital and it was sooo scary because i chipped off part of my hip bone and they needed to cut me open an get it out


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## Tennessee

I haven't really had many bad falls *knock on wood*. Perhaps my worse one so far was when I was about 6. I got my first pony and my dad and uncles' had already explained to me that she was a little wild and might try to pull something. I was fearless, so I was riding in a back pasture behind our house by myself and she randomly took off galloping. I held on perfectly, but then she stopped dead in her tracks(with a somewhat of a reining stop I might add, you go little pony) and I head butted her, except it was like the back of her head that I hit. Next I know she is sitting down and rolled over on me. When she got back up she took off cantering and my foot was still in the stirrup. My dad saw me from inside the house and ran out and stopped the horse. It took me about an hour to stand up. I wish he would have put me back on that horse so I wouldn't have so many fears now.


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## horseoffire

My worst fall was friday i was riding a 3 year old im training so it was his first time jumping 4` and when he whent over snaged his foot on rail and put his head down sudenly so i flew off of him and i broke my right leg in 6 place and my right arm in 2 places and i fractured some bone in my neck. the lovely part of training younge horses you never know what they will do on purpose and not onpurpose.


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## MIEventer

*My most memorable fall - #1:*

Whomever reads this whole post, gets a box of chocolate chip cookies.....

~~~

Out of all the years I've been riding - I've fallen off 3 times, and they were all horrible.

I was schooling CC with my coach to prepare us for our first USEA Recognized Event. I spent a good 30 minutes out there working Ski Ramps and working on Coffin Canters and such n such. When the time came to work on the Trak fence.

What is a Trak, for those who don't know - here is an idea: 

http://www.hunterjump.co.uk/imgs/356/trakehner_sm.jpg 

*Picture that jump set over a ditch. 
*
Well - anyways - Nelson and I approached it for our first time at a trot. *I mean, he's gone Prelim - so he knows the question that was ahead of him, but I didn't* so we went over it at a trot. Pat his neck, good boy, and looped around to do it again. 

Approached it at a trot, and again, it was good. 

Alright, coach said to approach it at a canter. Alrighty then, fine - okee dokee. 

Moved into a canter, approached it in a Coffin Canter and at that moment, I, for some reason, decided to look down at the big open space between the pole and the ditch, I let my leg off and VWOOOP Nelson lobbed the jump at a sharp right in mid air - which lobbed me out of the saddle upwards. 

Because he was going to the right in mid air and while I was going upwards, when gravity set it - there was no horse below me on my way down. 

I shouted, OH MOTHER @#$#@ and due to the toss upwards, I managed to get my right foot on the ground when I touched ground, but low and behold - my left foot was still in the iron. 

And - we can all guess what happened next........... 

My foot was stuck. I was OH MOTHER @#$# allot at that point, while I was standing on the ground with my right foot, hopping WITH Nelson's motion as he quickly realized that I was NOT in the saddle anymore and he was FREEEE - I was reaching out trying to grab my reins, and when you apply the physics to the matter, I am not faster or quicker than my horse. 

Down I went, being dragged across the CC course. 

Luckily for me, there were volunteers there today, helping to work on the CC fences putting up the Red and White flags and decorating the jumps - because if it weren't for the fellow who ran out with all his might and grabbed Nelson, I probobly would of ended up in his stall way up at the barn. 

I got up, I brushed myself off, and of course - knowing me - the first thing I said was "I'm getting safety stirrups" 

I of course had to go back and do the jump 1 more time, but I did it at the trot. 
I got a good lecture from an Older, much more experienced rider - who has been a Fox Hunter for years and can ride like no tomorrow - he watched the whole thing and forced me to ride it correctly. 

So - this is where I had another "light bulb" "eye opening" experience. 

He said to me *"If you don't trust your horse, how is your horse supposed to trust you? When a Rider looks down at that jump, at that moment, they are telling their horse *I don't trust you to find that distance*" It is YOUR job to ride your horse to the base with confidence and trust, it is your horses job to jump it.* 

He also said, "So what if you come off! So long as you trusted him, that's all that matters." 

I sat there with my mouth dropped - OMG - YOU ARE SO RIGHT! 

He continued to say " A rider who is confident in their body language on approach to the fence and who does not look at that jump, is telling their horse *I trust you* and therefore, the horse is confident to get the job done" 

"Now - get your *** over that fence and show Nelson that you trust him!" 

*So that is just what I did!* 

I circled the jump first, thinking about everything said to me, heart was pounding and when I got to the point of where I had to line him up I heard him shouting "Sit up TALL, RIDE CORRECTLY, where is your focal point?" and I totally forgot what I was supposed to be worrying about....AND WE WENT OVER IT SMOOTHLY, STRAIT and BEAUTIFULLY! 

I broke out in tears again. 

He then said "See! YOU TRUSTED NELSON and the result was positive!" 

I jumped off and hugged him! I was in tears! IT FELT SO GOOD!!!!


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## ponyz

Well, it is not as bad as some of the stories on here, but I was running home from a practice barrel run, my mom timed it, we had a 21. I was planning on stopping him into the fence, since this is still when he was in training. He wanted to keep running so he took a sharp turn to the right and off i go. I fell 1/2 way through the fence(I was dangling on the bottom rail of the fence) and could not breath. So Jasper ran over to my mom and i layed of the ground for a bit longer, the got back on and ran other patterns. When I was washing him, I saw my finder was about 2 times the size as my others(my middle one ) and i could not bend it. I was not broken, but hurt like @#%. I was proud of Jasper for running a good time though =]


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## jadeewood

i have astory, and a gross picture, 

I was at a competition one day on my 15.2hh thouroghbred gelding. he is 19 years old but still acts like a 3 year old. I took him in to a clear round like i always did. and it wasnt nothing to much it was a 1m course. anyways he was going really really good and jumping water trays fillers gate planks perfect(which he normaly hesatates at but he didnt this time) and there was a paralle and it was red and white no fillers or nothing. he was coming round to it nice and collected and allof a sudden stopped and reared up and i was like i ant having this i was so frustrated so i smaked him on the but so hard and he jumped the jump with out me getting my reins back and i lost my balance and he jumt left it i came off over the other side and as he came down he landed on me and crussed all my muscle in my leg. 1 week later went for a scan and that nothing broken luckerly but there was something wrong in my knee so have to have a pin put in. and have to have my carlage cleaned and scrapped every year now. 


SO HERES THE BEST BIT, THE PICTURE. NOT FOR THE FAINT HARDTED...

2 WEEKS AFTER MY FULL, GETTING BETTER.
AND MY LEG ANT THIS FAT ITS WHERE IT WAS REALLY SWOLLEN.


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## IdahoCowgirl

NICE pictures. Those are some gnarly bruises

Okay worst fall ever

Was breaking in a buddy's colt for him in an aluminum barn. It was seriously windy that day so it was kind of noisey in there but not too bad. It was the first time up on him and we were walking fine. Until something came crashing down on the top of the barn (found out later it was a huge tree limb) I have never seen a horse freak out so bad.

despite my efforts to hold on I ended up being thrown into the side of the barn and falling against the jumps that where lined up against the side for storage. That was bad enough I THINK that was when I broke my hand, but this colt decided I was the devil and proceeded to stomp the living crap outta me. I rember my chest getting stepped on (which resulted in broken ribs and a punctured lung) and when I rolled to try and get away my back got it (which resulted in the broken back) and then I kinda blacked out.

Woke up that night in the hospital sporting, 2 broken hands, 4 broken ribs, punctured lung, broken back L3 & 4 (if I remember right) and a cracked femur. Tooks lots of therapy and drugs to get me back in shape and I still walk kind of gimpy from it.

There have been a few other broken bones and wrecks along the way but that was the most severe, it was lets see 13 years ago now.


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## Sunny06

When me and lil pony were jumping 2'9, he decided he'd had it and swerved to the side, I think bucked, and I somersaulted, hit my head, get sand in ever crany of my body


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## QHDragon

Well I don't have any nasty pictures, kinda wish I did.

Senior year of high school (3 years ago) I was working at a WP barn after school mostly cleaning stalls, lunging horses, grooming, etc, but on occasion I did get to ride. One of these rare occasions was an older gentleman was having some issues getting his two year old stud colt to settle down before his lesson. He was just getting over back surgery so he was a little hesitant to get after his horse in case he decided to be stupid. Well silly me offered to work his horse a bit to get some of the energy out of him. Got on, was going around really well when the colt suddenly froze. Tried to turn his head, knock him off balance, get him to move, anything, but instead he decided to go up. I ended up sliding off over his rump to right, but my left foot got stuck in the stirrup. It was one of those really weird slow motion falls where you can actually think "hm, this might hurt." Sure enough I could hear and feel my left knee pop. 

Fell off and I couldnt feel my leg, cue panic button. By the time I could call my aunt to come pick me up to take me to the closest hospital about 45 minutes away my knee was the size of a volleyball. Had x-rays, MRIs, the works, found that I seperated the muscle above my knee from where it attaches to the bone and turned the end of my febula (sp?) into a nice mush. Took 3 months for me to recover and surgery to reattach the muscle after the bone started to heal. Took me another two months to get back on a horse (in fact I kinda had planned not to, but my bf at the time made me and I'm glad he did). 

To this day I still have pain in that knee from time to time, it's hard for me to mount a horse, or climb steep stairs, climb on chairs, etc with that leg. And if I step on it just wrong my knee will kinda move left or right (instead of forwards and backwards like it should).


Sorry for the long post....


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## HaleStorm

Wow. Well compared to a lot of these stories my falls are pretty weak...:lol:

I haven't fallen off that much...maybe 7 times, but I have two falls that are the "worst" for me.

One of them was when I was riding one of my favorite horses, Snidely. We were in a lesson and cantering to a log pile when we got an odd distance and Snips tumbled over the jump! I sailed over ahead of him and landed on my face (literally eating dirt) while his hoof nearly missed my head and he lands on his back. Fortunately we were both OK. We both walked away with a few scratches and ended up finishing the course.

The other fall was with Jedi. He's a spooky guy and sometimes the first few jumps go so well that I forget that side of him. We were working on broken lines and my trainer was having us jump a Swedish oxer. The jump was high and uneven (as they should be) and contained fake rocks underneath for a higher scare factor. I started to prepare myself for a departure when at the last moment Jed stops and swerves to the left. I land on his neck which frightens him even more and he takes off galloping along the rail, while I lose both my stirrups. I can't let go because I will tumble down a steep hill onto concrete or land on the fence so I hold on until the fence is gone. I finally let go and land hard on my head (and my new helmet ). I was completely fine afterwards though and only suffered a minor headache and slight dizziness. I ended up getting back on and we jumped the Swedish several times!


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## xLaurenOscarx

ive had literrly a million differnt kinds of falls!

ive never broken anything while falling off *touch wood*

I had a fall when i 1st got my horse. he had jst got shod. i took him out 2 the arena and warmed him up and strted jumping with a placing pole in front of the jump. we wer coming 2 the jump in trot when oscar tripped over the placing pole and somersaulted over. we both smashed threw the cross pole. as i fell i could feel oscar at my back but luckily he missed squishing me. I was terrifyed as i thought oscar was badly hurt so i jumped 2 my feet and oscar got up and strted trottin away. i called his name and he stopped and came trottin over 2 me. it was cute! my poor mom was watching my fall and nerly had a heart attack! i got back up and walked and trotted him round 4 a bit. we wer both fine xcept i had a huge cut dwn my nose lol.

another fall i had with my horse oscar.
we wer doing show jumping competition and i was coming up 2 this jump after losing 1 stirrup. i thought id be able 2 get the stirrup back b4 the jump but i couldnt. ive jumped 1.20m without stirrups b4 and ive jumped a course with 1 stirrup so i was grand going up 2 the jump with 1. Oscar took a huuge jump over it and i was unseated and landed on his neck. then oscar got confused as which way 2 go as we reached the fence so he went 1 way and i went striaght in2 the fence lol. as soon as i fell oscar stopped str8 away and stood there with his head dwn. i sat there laughin coz i thought it was funny and the course builder came in 2 make sure i was ok. he thought there was something wrong as i was laughing and i had hit my head so i wasnt allowed 2 keep going in the jumping as soon as i was out of the arena i jumped back on and rode round 4 a bit lol.

one fall i had was on this real quick pony called star. she was quite hard 2 ride but i loved the challenge. i was about 9 at the time and we wer jumping. cant remeber exactly what happened but i fell off anyway and my foot got caught in the stirrup and i was dragged around the arena. i twisted my ankle but pretended nothin had happened and hopped up on star again and popped over the jump lol

another time i was riding star and i was warming up for the show jumpin competition at my riding school. id say i was about 9. we wer warming up in the field and there wer a few logs lying around. i popped star over a cross pole and thought she was ready 2 go in. But star didnt. after we did the cross pole she took off flyin over a huuge log. she jumped it perfectly but i wasnt ready and i just went splat. obviosly i got straight back on and jumped my show jumping course ****! 

ive had a few more wer i was kicked falling but 2 tired 2 write them dwn! lol


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## xLaurenOscarx

another fall that was bad was off a riding skol pony called bobby.
bobbbys famous 4 stopping at jumps and not jumping but i wanted a challenge as oscar was out lame and he jumps anything i point him at
so bobby stopped at the 1st fence and i turned him round and jumped him again then coming up 2 the 2nd 1 he ducked his shoulder and bucked at the same time. i fell but landed on my feet and went str8 in2 the cup that holds the pole in the wing. the cup went straight in2 my hip and thats the 1st and last tym i couldnt get back on after i fell off purely bcoz of the pain! id fallen off another horse bout half an hour b4 this so my head was a bit out of it! i couldnt ride for a weeek!


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## Clementine

I've been riding for nearly 7 years, and I've had two falls *knock on wood* so far. The first was about two years after I started riding...I was taking a lesson on a very sweet, dependable pure Arab mare named Petrovna. We were jumping this teeny tiny cross rail. So we jumped, she started cantering on the other side, and I started to lose my balance, and fall over her shoulder - and Petrovna, sweet as can be, felt me leaning over, and bucked me off! LOL! I flew about six feet away from her, and rolled to a stop on the ground. I was pretty shaken up (hey, I was only 10!), and I had some bad whiplash, but otherwise I wasn't hurt at all. I got right back on. 

The second was on a haflinger pony named Teddy. We were jumping logs out in the pasture with a friend. This friend had never ridden him before, and she wanted to try him, so we switched horses. Suddenly, Teddy stopped jumping. He kept trying to run out around this log, and she couldn't get him over it. So we switched back, and I trotted him up to the log - he ducked to the left. I backed him up, and then trotted him in a circle back up to the jump. I raised my left hand to block him from running out, and kicked him hard with the left leg (after all, it's NOT okay to run out!!!) Unfortunately, I forgot the other important step when using this sort of drastic riding: Hold mane. He jumped, and, what do you know, my left hand is still up in the air, which totally threw me off balance, and I quickly found myself falling on the ground. I jumped right back up, caught him, got back on, and jumped him over some other, smaller logs. What's funny about that fall though (besides the fact that I fell of a tiny, gentle pony when I've ridden out the bucking/crow hopping fits of a 16.2hh big boned TB!) is that when I was falling, I felt myself holding onto my left rein, and the thought "just let go - you're already falling - don't pull on his mouth - just let go" went through my head. I let go. LOL.


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## kedar my buba boy

my worst fall was wen i was on a pony and i was bearback and i wen ova a jump and she desided to blot and she tock me u der a tree beanch and coathangered me and i got nocked off half way then she started bucken and threw me off....... that was my fall


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## Susan Crumrine

Last September my 3 yo stud colt got stung and bucked me off, he landed on my left leg and fractured my tibia and fibula, my leg was backward at 90 degree angle.
I have a titanium rod and plates and screws.

My husband has a promise not to ride any more stud colts....


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## EquiSmart

Big show. 17 h warm blood. First time doing 2'6". The ring was a mud pit. Napoleon hit warp speed down an outside line and took off way long. Caught me off guard and off balance. No one captured the actual fall, but I think this pic says it all. Unfortunately, it was at a rated show. Fortunately, we somehow STILL pinned well.


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## cowboy

I guess you have never ridden a horse, unless you have been tossed.
My story goes like this; I came into work on March 28, 2008 and there was a ride waiting to go out, an older man and his about 10 yr old son. I was feeling rushed and my normal guide horse was not available on that day. A few days earlier my boss asked me to start riding Mex, so I got him out and started saddling him up. Right from the start I had a bad feeling. One, I could see he was not happy about my saddle. Two, He was unfamiliar with me.
As we went out the gate he was acting up and I almost said forget this, but alas I didn't.
I had dad on Daisy a big Percheron and son on Snip a QH, Daisy and Mex never got along. When we got to where we start a trot I asked If they would like to. Pop said we will try it, so I turned forward in my saddle and didn't give a kick.
Mex took off like a bolt lighting running and bucking. I was going to ride him out until I saw what Daisy was doing. She was about a half led behind trying to keep up. My riders had no experience and writing reports on accidents is something I do not enjoy doing.
I picked a spot and bailed, almost got my target to, hit on my back as planed but over compensated on my roll and wound breaking my left wrist (goose neck break) and dislocating my left shoulder. OH PAIN. But me? I jump up and grab Daisy and clam her while at the same time I am trying to us my left hand to call the ranch for or safety rider. I could pull the radio from my belt with my left hand, but I could push the button to call.
All in all I got the safety out and he took the ride on out. In the mean time I found mex and started back to the ranch on foot. They sent out a helper to take mex and I walked on back.
When I got back I ran some cold water on my wrist and said I guess I will be missing work for a month or so, got in my truck and drove the 45 minutes to a hospital that had an E.R.
End of story is that I have a 4 inch scar that looks like I tried to do
my self in. Had to have surgery to my should also and it is for the most part healed.

BUT WHAT CAN I SAY!!!! I'M BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN.
my wife thinks I am nuts and makes sure my life insurance is paid up.


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## bubblegum

ive had a couple of really bad falls and i blame none of the horses or me for that matter. my first fall was in my very first lesson. not mentioning the riding school. they decided i could ride a 16h tb at the age of 13, (tall for my age) and up i got. then they decided i could canter, (no lead rope or anything) and they cracked a lunge whip behind my horse and he freaked out, managed to stay on for like 9 strides then i went flying through a window into the observation room and fell on the floor, the ball of my shoulder had popped through my skin and snapped off my humerous and rolled along the floor, i spent 6 months in hospital and 4 operations later i was let out. fixed. also broke my shoulder blade and all my ribs in this fall. well the horse actually died the next day due to an unknown brain tumor, poor thing. so when i was better i got back on a horse and he freaked out too, (was on a lead rope this time) and fell off again and did the exact same injury to myself on the other side, oops, (horse got spooked by gunshot) then last year i had a loan horse who i was told was fully broken and bombproof and took him out on a hack and he turned out to be just backed and only 3yrs old, he turned into a bucking bronco and i fell off and broke my back dont know how i managed to ride him home at all but spent another while in hospital, (thank god for free health care) so now im slowly getting back in the saddle but am a nervous nellie and so got two colts who im going to train to drive, am i stupid or what



LONGEST POST EVER


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## cowboy

bubblegum said:


> ive had a couple of really bad falls and i blame none of the horses or me for that matter. my first fall was in my very first lesson. not mentioning the riding school. they decided i could ride a 16h tb at the age of 13, (tall for my age) and up i got. then they decided i could canter, (no lead rope or anything) and they cracked a lunge whip behind my horse and he freaked out, managed to stay on for like 9 strides then i went flying through a window into the observation room and fell on the floor, the ball of my shoulder had popped through my skin and snapped off my humerous and rolled along the floor, i spent 6 months in hospital and 4 operations later i was let out. fixed. also broke my shoulder blade and all my ribs in this fall. well the horse actually died the next day due to an unknown brain tumor, poor thing. so when i was better i got back on a horse and he freaked out too, (was on a lead rope this time) and fell off again and did the exact same injury to myself on the other side, oops, (horse got spooked by gunshot) then last year i had a loan horse who i was told was fully broken and bombproof and took him out on a hack and he turned out to be just backed and only 3yrs old, he turned into a bucking bronco and i fell off and broke my back dont know how i managed to ride him home at all but spent another while in hospital, (thank god for free health care) so now im slowly getting back in the saddle but am a nervous nellie and so got two colts who im going to train to drive, am i stupid or what
> 
> 
> 
> LONGEST POST EVER


Glad to here you are doing better. Hang in there and have some good rides.


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## gypsygirl

i have two...lol

the first was with my old pony, a 14.2hh stock paint mare. she was either really perfect or a total *****. this was a few yrs ago btw ! i was in a dressage lesson & doing my last turn on the forehand of the day. the pony wouldnt halt so my trainer took the rein & gave a little tug, not big deal right ? wrong...she reared really high & i leaned forward but she lost her balance & flipped over on top of me...i was unconcious for over half an hour & my helmet spilt into two peices, i had to be helicoptered into the city...i had a severe concussion...the docs thought i might have brain damage, but i dont [as far as i know !] i was grounded for 6 months [ICK] but i survived

my second story is from 5 weeks ago ! i got bucked off & broke my left radius & 4th metacarpal [ring finger bone, the part that is in ur hand] i had to get plates & screw on both bc they were so badly displaced =/ im not supposed to ride right now, but ive been getting on my older horse anyways =] hope to be back in the saddle for real by nov 5th =] it totally sucked bc it wasnt even that bad of a fall, but i landing in a spot weged between the ground and the wall [if that makes sense !!!!}


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## cowboy

gypsygirl said:


> i have two...lol
> 
> the first was with my old pony, a 14.2hh stock paint mare. she was either really perfect or a total *****. this was a few yrs ago btw ! i was in a dressage lesson & doing my last turn on the forehand of the day. the pony wouldnt halt so my trainer took the rein & gave a little tug, not big deal right ? wrong...she reared really high & i leaned forward but she lost her balance & flipped over on top of me...i was unconcious for over half an hour & my helmet spilt into two peices, i had to be helicoptered into the city...i had a severe concussion...the docs thought i might have brain damage, but i dont [as far as i know !] i was grounded for 6 months [ICK] but i survived
> 
> my second story is from 5 weeks ago ! i got bucked off & broke my left radius & 4th metacarpal [ring finger bone, the part that is in ur hand] i had to get plates & screw on both bc they were so badly displaced =/ im not supposed to ride right now, but ive been getting on my older horse anyways =] hope to be back in the saddle for real by nov 5th =] it totally sucked bc it wasnt even that bad of a fall, but i landing in a spot weged between the ground and the wall [if that makes sense !!!!}



Yes it makes sense, I have enough metal in my wrist to start a hardware store.
Hope you are back in the saddle soon and no more falls.


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## gypsygirl

cowboy said:


> Yes it makes sense, I have enough metal in my wrist to start a hardware store.
> Hope you are back in the saddle soon and no more falls.


ugh its no fun is it ?!?!

my rehab has been pretty hard bc of the placement of the incisions & the fact that they told my they had set my arm when it hadnt set [i had to wait to get surgery bc they didnt believe that i could feel the bones grating against eachother for dayssssssss]

hopefully no mores falls !! im the 4th person at my barn to break an arm or leg in the past 3 months...we are cursed ! either that or we all suck at riding haha


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## mandik92

Well i use to have this TB and i got him for free from my vet. He got caught up in straight wire and the previous owner went to my vet and sked if they could put him down, so i told my vet id take him. anyways i doctored his leg for 4months. After his leg healed i started lightly riding him and then got more and more stronger riding. But little did i know he has never been up the mountain before on trail rides. so I took him on a trail ride with 2 other friends. we were trotting along and i had one friend infront of me and one riding behind me. well we got a little bit ahead of the last horse and so she came ripping around the cornner and scared me horse. my horse(ben) reared up and came back down but then he reared again and jumped at the same time and i fell off and landed ontop of a VERRYYY prickly bush. and my horse reared up again and his back legs slipped under his feet and he became airborn. He fell down and landed ontop of me, the saddle and his body crushing me. and he was so big that he had troubles getting up, so he rocked back and fourth ontop of me and the bush, as he was doing that he was crushing every rib. i listened to them snap. he eventually got up and i layed there then got up. and with EVERY rib broken i had my friend boost me back up onto my horse and we finished the trail ride wich took another 2hours (trotting and all)


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## Icrazyaboutu

Well, I think I top all of you because a lot of people know my horse for his bucks. Thats right, my ex-horse was... the one... the only... *BUCKING TATER*!!! I really dont want critques about my position or anything like that because I was always trying to be ready and look at that! I only fell off him twice and there was a lot for that horse. Most of them not recorded though. I'll tell you the three worst.

1) My FIRST buck- I was so excited, it was my second time at 4h and everyone loved my horse and he was the second biggest(bart- still have him- is a 12hh pony and was always the smallest.) Well we started off with main drill and everything was going great until... We were cantering past the bleachers following the horse in front of us and all of a sudden he kicks out at us and Tater freaks! It was Tater's biggest buck and I didnt know what was happening. He jumped up and did a vertical rear then did a big buck(classical Tater) and I went right over his head and landed laying on my back and I look up to see his front feet right over my face and then I feel a shooting pain in my theigh. Well what do you know? The next day I had a hoof print right there on my theigh. 

2) We were in the warm up arena after our third or fourth 4h practice. We were cantering and he reared up vertically then came down bucked(i was on his neck at this point) and took off at a full run and pinned my cousin's semi-green mustang into the corner of the arena. Then I proceeded to fall off and he stood there looking down at me as if asking why Im on the ground.

3) Our first attempt to sell him- Well the lady didn't live too far away(just across a field and down a street) and she wanted to trade Tater for a mare that was worth $4500 and had great bloodlines. Once I met the mare I wasn't intrested but I was being polite and gave her a chance to see him. He did fine got a little bit excited when the mare broke her halter(dumb people hooked her up to the trailer and expected her to stand fine when a strange horse came up to her house) and came running towards us. Tater started doing what I call his naughty trot(something bad always follows the naughty trot. If you watch the videos carefully you can spot it.) and she said he was too much. So we naughty trot to the opening of the field and continue until we are 3 quarters of the way across and then... he bucks! He bucked and reared and backed and ran and naughty trotted and I was so scared. I had a helmet and a bareback pad with my younger brother walking with me. Well, I threw my phone and told him to call dad he did but my dad was lazy as usual and told us to get all the way up the driveway then he would grab him and lead him in. We got to the edge of the field and yet another buck comes. I fell off and grabbed the reins. I don't know why but I got back on(with my brother's help) and walked all the way to the gate with scared tears running down my face the whole time. To tell the truth I was scared I was going to die or never be able to sell him. Either way I was scared. We got to the gate naughty trotting the whole way then my dad grabbed his reins and lead him into his stall so I could go inside and cool off.

I am soo glad we found someone that he loves and that loves him.


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## Plains Drifter

I was out in Montana riding on some family's land (middle of nowhere and riding bareback) and about a mile and a half from the farm, my horse spook and I went right over his/her head. I hit the ground and wouldn't let go of the reins cause I was a long way from home. Being a good horse with something in front of her..(used for cattle) she backed and backed and backed some more. I was unfortunate enough to be drug through cactus. I had catcus from my shoulder down to my feet. I had to get back on the horse bareback, ride back to the homestead and then drive 20 miles on a dirt road to go home. I spent a miserable night having my mother pluck cactus from my sore body. It was something I'll never forget!


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## trIplEcrOwngIrl

wow! and i thought i have had bad falls! well, you all will think these are wimpy compared to yours but this was problably my worst fall...

I was on my old qh racing my bro on his ottb, and what we thought was going to be a straight course started to veer on to the bottom of a hill so my bro starts turning away with me right behind, and I lose my balance and can't gain control of my gelding, so the wind starts knocking me back and next thing I know, I have done a back flip of my galloping qh and am on my back with the wind knocked out of me! Ouch! luckely nothing was broken. My parents just come running through the field and Im back up on my old boy!


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## equine fanatic99

I have fallen off loads of times but its crazy because... i never hurt myself! The worst time was probably with Crystal...
She was a chestnut Riding Pony and she used to take off or buck or shy a fair bit and every time I would find myself sitting on her withers in front of the saddle almost hangging off her. I would just be about to an "emergancy slide-off" before she could buck me off when someone would say, "its ok sam, its ok! just sit back up and get in2 the saddle!" so I would.
But there was this one time when she bucked and bolted, and ofcouse there i was again sitting on her withers waiting for someone to tell me that she was slowing down now.... nuh. No one said nothing. So as she was galloping along i just.... slid off expecting pain... and what do u know, i was standing on my feet looking like an idiot!!
Yeah, pretty bad fall right?


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## Hunter

I was riding a 16.3 arab quoter horse back from the feild for his shots, he was pretty old, I had ridden him lots and he was a good horse, he was just in a halter that I made it seem like reins, and the other horses started stampeding, My cousin was on her horse who always giving little bucks, so he threw his butt up and took off, but I was behind her and My horse saw that and started bucking like crazy, I was on for almost a minute and then fell off, landing flat on my back. He jumped over me and kept running. I didn't have a helmet on and I passes out for awhile.. I went to he hospital and turns out I fractured my neak. Im fine, still ride lots, this was two years ago.. and yea.. haha not the funnest time.. he still gives me the stink eye when he see's me though!!


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## Cheshire

My story is not nearly as horrible as some of yours. :shock: 

My most _painful_ (and subsequently my first) fall occurred in my early lesson days. I'll just mention that my instructor then pretty much had me on a different horse every week, sometimes on rotation. Annnnd...I'd only call two of those horses full-on gentled and of lesson quality. Well, today he had me on this brand new lanky chestnut jumper who had been appropriately nicknamed "Pig". Thinking back, I have no idea why he thought it would be safe to put a green rider on such a difficult animal. Pig was ill-behaved, very nearly green himself, and sensed that I was underconfident and took advantage of it. Once in the outdoor arena, Pig almost immedietly started veering to the right, attracted by the horse in the adjacent field which shared the fence. I couldn't control him and was starting to panic, but my instructor insisted on letting me figure these things out on my own and simply stood nearby giving me encouragement. Ha. Didn't work. Pig reached his head out to touch noses with the other horse who had walked up to us, and before I knew what was happening ZAP -- and I was on my back on the dirt!

Apparently my lovely teacher had forgot to turn off the electric fence. lol(he kept stallions on the property...)

My tailbone was quite bruised, but I got back on and continued the lesson...albeit somewhat shaken! Thankfully he never put me on Pig again. Although what he did was dangerous (and not just with this particular horse, either), my instructor was, regardless, really quite good and I trusted him. He taught me a lot...I had to work with soooo many different personalities that I quickly learned how to remain confident in any situation, and I have to admit that I am glad I had this opportunity at such an early stage in my rider development...as frightening as it was at times. :lol: Ah, memories...


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## Mickey4793

I've only had my new horse for about four months and the only time I fell off him was my worst fall ever.
Now I've fallen many times, once even so bad I couldn't walk or even sit for 2 weeks. I had to stand or lay down, but nothing compares to this.
I'm Kind of an eventer, I do lower level events, and I was training my new horse for cross country over tiny logs. He is VERY comfortable walking and trotting and cantering the fields and woods, and he was doing very well over logs. Well he was beign very good that day, jumping very smoothly, so I took him to the fields and did one log that's very tiny log located in one of the side fields, and landing off of it, completely out of the random he bolted, letting out the most violent and rough bucks I have evcer felt, I lost my seating and flew up into the air, and smashed my head into the ground. The impact was so hard that the last 2 hours after I hit the ground had to be explained to be by my boyfriend who witnessed it:
Apparently I slammed into the ground head first, bounced, and laid on the ground for a few seconds and as he ran over, I sat up, screamed my horses name (as he galloped towards the barn) three times, then fell back to a laying position. He helped me up and I kinda wobbled around so he steadied me. I was sobbing, asking if I broke my neck. He kept saying no no no you wouldnt be walking. An instructor teaching a lesson in a ring near the barn grabbed me horse and my boyfriend walked me over there. As I approached her she asked what happened and I screamed "He let out a rodeo buck!!" and chuckled. She asked if I wanted to go back in the ring and jump him and I insisted otherwise, she gave me a leg up and I walked him back to the barn and put him away, then my boyfriend bathed him while I help him. As he was being bathed I was crying hysterical going " I cant rememebr I cant remember what happend what did i do today what was i doing I cant remember.. "
My mom was getting ****ed cause I was hysteric. I got home about a half an hour later.
I remember eating chicken pot pie.
I got such a bad concussion that I can't even remember anything until I was home and eating. I was in tremendous pain and bruised all over. I love my horse and the incident remained isolated, and I forgave him for it. But it was the most terrifying fall I've ever had.


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## heyycutter

ive only had my horse for about 4 months, and this fall was my second ever and the worst by far. cutter was cantering, and there was a hidden 1 foot fall ledge i couldnt see when i was on him (odviously people dont stare at the ground when riding) and cutter tripped, and fell. his front went down and his backend went up, and at the last second i fell off to the side, and he fell next to me. i dont remember too much of the fall, just what the neighboors who saw it told me. but i do remember sitting in the grass next to him crosslegged and seeing him standing next to me with my bridle completely shredded, his galloping boot off, and a bloodycut on his leg. and for me, i looked down and saw litterally a thin stream of blood pouring off my face onto my halfchaps. i couldnt figure out where it was bleeding from(i was shocked) but i thought i must have gotten my lip pericing ripped out or a tooth knocked out. but the niehgtboors came running down yelling (your face is covered in blood im taking you to the ER!!!!) but i demanded to take care of cutters leg first and get his tack off then i went, and i had a HUGE hole in my chin, chipped teeth and a badly bruised hand, but no broken bones, i just got a bunch of stitches in my chin and i was all set. and cutter was fine too, only my bridle suffered. lol


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## DisneyCowgirl1901

I really only have two that have affected the way I ride. 

The first was just a couple years after I started riding. I was riding my mare, Bella, on some of the back trails around Valley Center (CA) I was very young (9/10) and I was all for speed, and Bella, being a young Arab, was too. We had just had a lot of rain an the ground was very soft. We were in a great gallop, both enjoying ourselves, we came over the hill, and I had barely saw this HUGE ditch (made from all the rain) Bella tried her best to stop, and I had taught myself to ride, so I didn't know what to do... She hit the ditch, and I pulled the rein... I ended up pulling us INTO the ditch. Bella had me pinned to the ground and she was stuck. The most amazing thing happened then... she didn't freak! She wasn't stunned, she was very aware, but she wouldn't move... She was propped up on the side of the bank, and I was able to squirm out, only then did she flip herself over... She was fine, just sore. I was bruised, including my ego. It was a miracle neither of us were hurt. Before that day, I would ride, and she would listen, we did not have a bond. She wasn't affectionate towards me, and she was just a "pet". After this day, we were more in-tuned to each other than I ever thought possible. She became my very best friend after that, and she taught me how to actually ride. After that day, I committed myself to her, she was "MY Bella". I have owned Bella for 15 years now, and that was the only time we ever had an accident. 

The second time was when I was training Bella's filly, Emmy. We had only had a few under-saddle training sessions off the line. We were trotting around the arena and she was doing VERY well. Our landlord had been working at their barn all morning even during our ride, and Emmy had done great. I wasn't paying attention to what our landlord was doing! He had hooked a standing pipe corral to his truck and was preparing to PULL it apart! We had just started towards the "barn" end of the arena,when he pulled it apart... there was a loud CRASH and before I could understand what was going on Emmy was straight in the air.... I bailed. As I did, though, she turned into me to bolt so I ended up flat on my back and all I could see were Hooves! Bella (who was in the arena for moral support) whinnied and the next thin I knew Emmy trotted off in the other direction... This all happen within an eye blink. My dad who had been standing there told me that when I went off Bella (who was sleeping in the corner) ran at Emmy, whinnying and that made her spin to the other side so she would trample me! I was speechless, and so was my dad! Emmy walked back over still a little edgy. But I got back on and finished the ride, noise and all. Emmy did fine, and Bella walked with us.


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## lacyloo

I haven't really had any bad falls but at the start of summer My QH mare started acting up and reared up and smacked me in the head and we flipped back wards,I landed on an old barbwire fence and the saddle horn hit me in the ribs.Luckily nobody was seriously hurt and I rode the crap outa her after that.But I guess my adrenaline was pumping because I didn't realize that I had cracked a few ribs till after I came in the house and sat down.It was sooo painful.I really wish I had it on video. :/


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## Smarby

I've never had any bad falls. The worst of the lot would be when i was walking down a forest track. Dougal started napping an spun round really fast. But where he went to place his front feet, there was a massive ditch so he fell head first into the ditch and i went catapaulting over his head onto my face. Ow.

The worst fall Dougal has suffered was actually with my friend. He was napping really, really badly, and she got on him to see if she could get him to go. He suddenly went beserk and reared up so high he flipped over backwards. Luckily my friend fell off before he hit the ground. It was really scary though. Neither of them were hurt luckily.


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## flamingauburnmustang

My worst fall that I had, which wasn't that bad at all, was when my mare Stoeka was going towards a jump and the whole time I could feel she was attempting to refuse, but I got her straight. At the very last minute she turned out and I went flying into the wing of the jump. I hurt my knee quite badly, but it wasn't fractured luckily.

A few funny falls I have had was when the horse was galloping full speed towards a stable. I tried slowing but to no avail. Suddenly he did a sliding halt, and I did a graceful somersault over his head and onto my butt.

The other funny fall was off my other mare Night Heat. She kept refusing at this one combination. For the first jump she jumped abit awkwardly which unseated me, then for the second jump she jumped really big, which sent me to the one side abit. I held on for a few strides, but then I came off and did a slide on my knees as if I was praying. My instructer said I must have been praying not to fall off. It must have looked so funny...LOL

Sorry for the long post. = D


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## paintluver

Well, maybe a week ago, I was riding Pinto Bean and my mom was riding Romeo. Romeo and mom went up the trail (Me and Pinto had before this) and started to lope a little. And Pinto saw this and he got EXCITED and wanted to run. . . .But wait. Pinto doesn't know how to run with a saddle! So he stared to BUCK HARD (First horse that has ever 1)Done this to me 2) Gotten me off) and I jumped off (Mom told me too) and I landed in mud on my tail bone...... It still hurts! lol

I got back on and everything was a-ok.


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## TwisterRush

Never really read the thread lol, so much to read ! 

So i will tell you mine,, 

Was taking my last horse back riding lesson at the time and i was 10 years old and riding an arabian, ( because i owned arabs as my first horse and at the time, they gave me the same arab all the time her name was twila, i absolutely LOVED HER ) 

She went and spooked, probably from one of the people watching the lesson that made a bang in the viewing room above us. 
Well she spooked and i couldnt pull her back like the first time, so she went in a Full Gallop/ Canter/ Lope lol whatever you like to call it. 
Well i was trying to control her the best i could and my saddle was slipping left so i was on the side of the horse and was heading toward and arena wall, i just decided to let go and fall, so i fell and rolled around on the ground for awhile, i landed in a ball lol ! 
So she still spooked and was running everywhere and i had someone walk beside me while riding her again for the rest of the lesson because i was afraid she would spook again.. But i miss her she was great !


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## ChingazMyBoy

I've got three the first one was when I was jumping Chinga one day and we were going through a set of jumps in a row and Chinga was having great fun and so was I. So I fell off on my first jump and my second jump hit me in the head because my foot stayed in my stirrup and he was dragging me and then on my third jump he tucked his legs up and he hit me in the chest then dragged me 1.5 acers.

My second one was my first canter bareback and I slid to the side and went under Chinga, luckly his feet missed me. I didn't get hurt but it was very scary, I got back on and did it again, without the falling off part.

Then my third fall was when I was jumping Chinga and he went spazz bucking, so I flew over his neck and badly hurt my tail bone and got concussed. Been a while since then and my tail bone still hurts alot.


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## iridehorses

*A little long so cookies for anyone who finishes!*

2007:
On the last day of August, 2007 I went to look at a new horse, a 15 year old Arab gelding. The girl who owned him rode him in an English saddle and he did pretty well. We brought him over to my truck to fit him with my Western saddle and I asked if he ever had one on. The owner said "sure, the last owner rode him in one ..... I think" - That should have been my first clue. 

He was acting nervous as I saddled him up so I took my time and showed him everything first then walked him down from the parking lot to the grass field that I was going to ride him in. I cinched him up again and as I went to mount him I jokingly said "The last thing I want to hear is 'gosh, he's never done that before'." 

As my right leg brushed his back while I mounted him, he broke free from his holder and bolted. He went full throttle up to the parking lot and bucked on the stone driveway. I couldn't keep seated since I didn't have my leg in the stirrup yet and got thrown. 

The long and short is that I’m told that I was unconscious for about 5 min. I ended up with a cracked pelvis, broken ribs, a concussion, and various bruises. I even had to sleep in a recliner chair for over a month since I couldn't lie down. 

The next day, with the help of some meds from my doctor, I hobbled around at a horse sale and bought a pretty nice mare. It was over 2 months before I could ride her though. 

It was the worse crash I had had in over 25 years of riding and it took over a year to get some of my confidence back. I've got a great little gelding now that I've been riding nearly every day but the fear is still there and shows up now and then, although little by little it’s subsiding. Gone are the days when I had no fear of getting on a strange horse or even riding at full gallop on any of my horses. In the months following the crash it took all I had to saddle up. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the nerve I once had but my love of the animal is still as strong as ever. I've taken a few falls and I’ve been thrown a few times since then but nothing like that big one.

2009: 
Although I had to go through a few horses – and bucks – and being thrown – I finally have a horse that I have complete trust in even though he is a true sports car to ride. After all the really well bred horses I’ve owned, it has taken a grade gelding to bringing me back. I have no qualms about getting on him and riding the way I used to. Over the past two years I’ve even gotten back to working horses for others again but I don’t think I’ll ever fully be back to the way I used to be - maybe it’s OK to be a lot more cautious at my age!


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## BaileeJJMommy

Iride- The same thing pretty much happened to me 2 weeks ago on my new appy mare. As soon as I swung over, she took off full speed bucking like a bronc. I made it about 30 sec,before she threw me. I couldn't move for about 2 or 3 minutes.Then I got up and somehow got back on her just long enough to show that I wasn't going to not ride her because she bucked me off. Then I unsaddled and had my husband take me to the hospital. Internal bruising down my spine. 
I rode her Sunday, and my nerves were so bad I was pure shaking. She did really well though, but you can just tell if somthing makes her really nervous, shes the type that is going to have a melt down. I am still on the fence about if I should try to sell her or not.

It seems like ever since my gelding died, I have had the worst time with horses. I had a paint gelding that I had only had a month before Dakota died, and (I know I shouldn't say this) I couldn't help but think every time I saw him that it should have been him. So I sold him because it just wasn't fair to him to be thought of in that way. Now I have this mare, and man, shes something.

Anyways sorry about this being so long!!haha but I think that has been my most painful fall!


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## savvylover112

Hey iridehorses you owe me a cookie lol


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## iridehorses

For SavvyLover and anyone else who read the whole post!


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## savvylover112

Yay I got a cookie wooooohooooo thank you sooooooooooooooo much I have been starving for days lol


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## flamingauburnmustang

Mmmmmm. Nicest darn cookie I have ever have. Did you bake it yourself? LOL


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## ilovemymare

Okay well; i was on my first horse.. An Arab cross (The Owner Before us said he was an ideal First pony..But she drugged him the first time i rode him so of course we baught him cause he was "Awesome") After 6 months of owning him, he had finally learnt to trust me. Man he had some killer Pigroots and Bucks.. But after an arena ride i took him into a big paddock for a relaxing fun ride. We were in a FAST gallop and the bridle broke.. Which made the bit come down and smack on his front teeth, but now i had nothing to hold onto cause the rains done nothing.. But he stopped Dead on the spot and so of course i go flying over his head and land on my head, then doing a front flip and landing on my collar bone. But then i was worried about my horse so i got straight up and of course i got way to quick and ended up back on the ground. My Horses teeth were hurting but instead of worrying about his owner on the ground not moving he was eating lol.


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## WelcomeStranger28

well... My horse has an old sore on his back, and me not noticing just put the saddle on and got on to ride. My horse hadn't been ridden for 3 days so he was sure to be lazy. But when i got on and asked for the trot, I got a buck, a black, a sore shoulder, and a lot of tears!!! my saddle was touching his sore on his back and hurting him and making him bleed he was only trying to tell me that what i wanted him to do was help! someone else got on and he was still bucking, it was only when we took the saddle off that we discovered the promblem!! i was soooooooooooooooo worried and i felt sooooooooo bad that i had finnished cry from my injuries and started to cry for his!!!! it hurt and i was sooo scared it would happen again that I myself didn't ride him for 2 months!!! some one else did for me as i was to scared!!!


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## horsesroqke

*M**y worst fall was only bout a week ago, me and My tb were just plodding rounf the paddock, but we were in just a halter and tied lead rope(BAD idea!!) She was trying to turn back and get her own way, but it turned her sharply, but the tye came undone of the lead rope and i let go of it!! I was bareback and i lent forward like a jockey and she BOLTED! LOL i stayed on for a few metres, then fell on my wrist. I Broke 2 bones in my wrist, and it has to stay in a cast for 6 weeks. No riding!! ): ): ):


LOL so yeah thats my worst fall O:
*


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## Indyhorse

Well, I guess I have two that I would count as worst falls for me. The first I can't entirely count as user error, because I was very young (8 years old) and didn't know what I was doing. I was riding my cousin's horse, a normally docile older arab mare, around their barn in circles. My aunt got bored and went into the house and left me to it. I don't remember all the circumstances, but they stallion they had in one of the paddocks started jumping around and squealing, I guess the mare I rode was in heat, anyways she jumped up to give a sideways kick in his general direction, and I flew off her, and landed in a pile of landscaping bricks my aunt had dug up. Broke my wrist, collarbone, and had to have reconstruction on my cheekbone/eyesocket. Thankfully I have little memory of it all.

My worst fall since actually knowing what I was doing was about 4 years ago. Pretty much completely my fault. I was working at a trail-riding facility where we gave guided trail rides, and I did the finishing work on a lot of the young horses they raised up to be string horses. At the time I was working a half wild halflinger pony, and I decided to go out with a group ride. The group going out at the time was a bunch of girl scouts, and I figured if I kept the pony back enough from the group it would be a good chance for her to just follow and learn the trails. Most of the ride went fine, the pony was nervous as hell but responding well to me and seeming to just take it all in. As the ride came closer to finishing, the pony got more uppity as we came in sight of the barn, but I thought it was fine, she was just a pony for goodness sake. 

Well, about 100 yards from the barn front, she bolted on me and ran up alongside the trail group, I got her head around and got her circling, and she happily circled for a minute or so, I was laughing about it to the trail guide when wham! she planted her front feet. Having been "leaning into the turn" while she was spinning, centrifugal force just flung me off, and the pony snorted and hightailed it to the barn. I stood up cussing a blue streak and looked into the faces of 12 grinning girlscouts. Nothing was hurt but my pride, in that circumstance, but being thrown from an itty bitty pony infront of a crowd sure topped my life's embarrassing moments. 

I gave up dignity when I got horses though, right?
Ah, thank goodness for horses teaching us humility in the most embarrassing ways they can devise.


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## Romantic Lyric

I got thrown into a concrete and thick wire fence. My hip hit the concrete post and my arm got tangled up in the wire. Luckily, when I fall I go limp like a rag doll, and I didn't break anything. Just a cut up and bruised arm and I bruised my hip bone pretty badly. It took me months to completely heal, though I actually rode the day after...


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## Amlalriiee

My worst fall wasn't as bad as some of these! I am crossing my fingers not to get trampled/dragged/kicked in the face. OUCH. 

I was taking lessons about 4 years ago at a farm near my house. I'd been working with a 3yo stallion at the time, he was a GREAT horse, but he did have energy and was still learning a lot. I was working with him on his canter, and made the stupid mistake of forgetting to check the girth.....should have known better. we picked up the canter, and he just went all out....hadn't really learned how to collect and canter at any speed other than GO yet. Well, we swung around a corner and of course, stupid me, my saddle slips onto his side, and I fly off onto a set of bleachers. Luckily, I was okay, but very shook up. My right arm didn't fully bend or extend for a few months...something in that elbow was swollen or sprained. And THANK GOODNESS I WAS WEARING A HELMET! When I landed, my head hit the edge of a bleacher step and the helmet snapped in half....it was a quality helmet....I just fell hard. We kept that helmet kicking around the barn to show people who said they didn't need one. I will never ever ride without one.


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## HowClever

sheeesh my worst was like 10 years ago now, i was riding my first ever horse (dennis haha) at a nice serene walk around the paddock (he was an ex-racer thoroughbred, so knew how to be a bit of a spare at times, in hindsight not the best choice for a 10 year olds first horse! haha) anyway, our paddock was right next to an industrial yard of some description which had never been a problem until that day when someone decided to left off an air rifle as i passed that side of the fence. Dennis spazzed and bolted, i fell off the back with my right foot still in the stirrup, he dragged me from one side of the paddock to the other. I was on crutches for 3 months after that one! haha


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## SorrelHorse

Been in a lot of bad ones...


Worst one, i think, was my first ride on Annie. We were out on the trail and she was stung by a bee and went nuts, bucking and kicking everywhere. I tried to get off when i noticed something was wrong but I couldn't get my foot out of the stirrup, because I was pinned against a tree (It was a narrow path) so I ended up yanking my foot out of my boot and twisted up my ankle (It wa spurple for days) then I ended up under her and all I could think of was "Cover your head" so I did. Got stepped on once but luckily I wasn't hurt too bad. Just really shooken up. I've been injured worse but nothing was that scary before.

I had a friend who's horse actually went over backwards on her. Over-bitted, sadly. But she bailed before she could get rolled on. Never made the same mistake twice.


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## xoSonnyLove1234

I really havent had many falls. Just two. The worst one was while jumping. I was self taught (BAD) and i was going ahead of my horse. Or behind...cant quite remember. But he took off about 2 strides early and i flew straight up, over his head, and on the ground. Thankfully, when i fell he jumped right over me as well so i wasnt badly hurt. Sonny was standing right next to me on the ground. Just got a bruised back. Didnt stop me from riding 2 days later


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## Nature2horses

I was riding the little pony I was breaking. I was in the arena by now and I was practicing some little jumps (literally 10"). The horse trainer that had been helping me train him a few times was in the ring. It was a line of jumps, 1 stride, 1 stride. The pony walked over it the first time and then I trotted up to it and he stopped. He wouldn't trot through it and would only walk so the horse trainer came up behind him and urged him on (trust me I was too and BTW there were no whips). He reared up and hopped over the first jump and then plunged to the next on and jumped it like a three foot oxer. I wasn't ready for this so I was way out of balance and leaning on his side. Then he cat jumped over the last one(jumping it like a 3' oxer again) and that was it...he sent me flying into the air and I did a full front flip in the are and face planted into the ground getting dirt in my nose, mouth and eyes. I then got up and got back on him. All I had was a few bruises! After that I started wearing a jumping vest.

Another one was off little pony that was being a brat for a little girl-it wouldn't canter. So I got on the pony and cantered it around the the arena. She was going well but was very obviously angry. So, at one end of the arena she stopped and bucked at the same time sort of...it's hard to explain and I went head first into a wall.

I've been riding for three years and I've had a lot of falls. I've lost count but I'm at around 15-20.


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## Iseul

hmm...well, I haven really had any injuries due to horses. I've only fallen once, but I think it was more of just a semi-disgraceful dismount lol
I was riding Toby (first time I rode a horse that wast one of the trail horses at another barn I ride at) and we took him to the round pen beforehand. Drew ran him a few times, and I could have swore I saw him tighten the girth back up again..but apparently he didn't.
I walked around once, trotted around twice and then Drew had him go into a canter, slower than his faster canter, but not his slow canter...(can't really explain it well...) andthe saddle started slipping to the left (the side the pen part of the roundpen was) and we were coming up on the gate; I didn't wan to smack my face off of the gate poles that stick up higher (couldn't really move the saddle back a this point because I freaked during te time that I could) and so I half jumped off, letting him canter under me, and ended up hitting my shoulder on the pen..I landed on my feet..and then fell to my bum. XD
but yeah...that was the beginning of last year when I started seriously riding..and I haven't fallen/got thrown from a buck/rear/bolt/spook since. :3 hopefully I won't get any bad falls when I try(not sure if i'll be allowed to or not..) working with a high strung horse at the trail stables lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Bek

Mine was a month or so ago. I was trotting my horse and out of no where he bucked. As in a full on rodeo buck. (My parents were watching, so its not just me exaggerating). I landed straight on my bottom. Thought I had just got some bad bruises, but ended up breaking a vertebrae. No riding for the rest of the year


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## Private

I want to get into the chat forum!


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## Private

*hellos*

sorry to waste space


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## Private

just a few more and I will delete them all


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## Private

I'm getting there


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## Private

Hello there.


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## USEF

Back in 09 I was riding my horse and we had just finished a course and I was waiting for my trainer to tell me what to do next. I was walking him around on a loose rein and he tripped over his own front feet. I got stuck between him and the ground. Thank god he did not step on me when he got up. I was ok in the end but he walked away with a cut on his eye and almost needed stiches and it was the day before he was ment to horse show. 


Over the summer I was jumping my connemara pony gelding over a cavalett when he tripped and fell and I busted my lip open and cut my arm up.You can still see the scars on my arm. Lucky for him he just cot two scratches and is fine.


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## LoveStory10

Mine was a while back... I was jumping Love Story, and we came to a combination. She got a bit excited and overjumped it, and my legs accidently came down hard on her, which basically meant "jump higher". So she takes off too early at the next one, so has to jump really huge. I lost both my stirrups, but knew that if she jumped the last one ok, Id stay on. She turned out really sharply... I hit the upright, fell off, bruising my back, got dragged abit, scrapping my back, then got my foot out. Love Story had no idea what was happining, so reared cause she was scared. But as she reared, she turned, and as she came dpwn she landed on me, spraining my wrist, giving me a nose bleed, and knocking me out 

It wasnt her fault, was completly mine... I look back now and laugh, but at the time it hurt alot and was pretty scary :lol::lol::lol:


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## Kaioti

My worst fall was ALL my fault of course ^_^. I was starting a very quiet and willing 2 year old quarter pony, about 14.1hh. I had ridden him 30 times or so about 50/50 saddled/bridled and bareback/halter. Like I say, he was awesome and happy and fun, and I was dumb. 

So, I'm riding him in the yard, bareback/halter, and my stupid non-horsey mate at the time was working on something in the barn. We were plodding along quietly going through the cues when my mate comes out of the barn behind us flapping a tarp. He knew I was riding and I had given him MANY safty instructions btw.

So pony does a short jump forward, i didn't see it coming and slid into his hips. He gave a little buck, I poped up but was over him, so when he gave a second little buck he bounced me higher and I opted to bail. I thought "hes short and Im not in trouble, I'll just land running...WRONG! I landed uneven on one leg and tore darn near everything in my knee.

All I've got to say is if you are coming off, TAKE YOUR FALL. Don't play cowboy, lol. I was on crutches for 6 weeks. Bright huh?


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## JustLeaveIt2Mya

i was on this beautiful Belgian named Roxy(rip) and she was barn sour, and i was going on a trail ride and i was aware that she was barn sour. i had a little bit of a problem getting her down the trail but i finally got her down it. there is a meadow i rode some of the horses at on the trails, which was were i was at, when out of no were she whipped around and started galloping or FAST CANTER back home.

well i tried the bring the horses head around with one rien, but she was much stronger than me and this did nothing...then i tryed the see-saw the riens it slowed her down and she was listening again, until she saw the barn, she took off again.

it was spring time so the snow has been melting and there was this one area on the trail that has like a like ice thing were water was flowing under it i attempted to stear her away but she reisted stepped in it and she fell sideways, i got pitched over the top of her head fell in the ice water, hurried up and scuffled to the side and was inches from being crushed!!
i stood up and she got back on her feet, doing a stupid hyper wwalk as she didnt have a care in the world she just FELL! 

i was shaking and got her home and untack her and she didnt have any injuries and she wasnt even sore! me on the other hand **** was i ever feeling it the next day!


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## Tyler

I was riding my horse shortly after I got him, and before I mastered the art of putting the saddle on him. I was warming him up in the pasture, when he spooked and took off in a gallop. This was when I realized that the girth wasn't as tight as it should have been... I realized this because the saddle started slipping under my horse. Thankfully I slipped off the saddle to the ground before I went under my horse. Ever since then, I've made sure to have the girth tight enough.


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## RidingBareback

My first fall wasn't that bad... I guess I have something t look forward to xD
It was two weeks ago. I was cantering when the horse I was riding tripped and went all the way down(he was . I went over his head and he scrambled up to leap over me, kicking my arm.
I ended up with a scraped up face and a bruised arm... but it could have been much, much worse.


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## JekkaLynn

My worst fall was also my most embarrassing. 
I was riding my 23 year old Arabian/Quarter Horse bareback with just a bridal showing off for our neighbors while the hubby held my 3 year old Quarter Horse and stood with them explaining what I was doing. I was walking, trotting and doing little canter circles. I wanted to show his speed so I started cantering him towards a stretch of dirt road. 
Instead of turning right he veered left and almost ran onto a busy road. I was so embarrassed that he chose now to act up. Turning him around I made him try it again this time he took one good stride right then ducked his shoulder, spun and cantered left....
Sadly I kept going right....I got launched off his shoulder. Years of riding on spunky ponies had me tucking and rolling while I got launched straight into the gravel road. Sadly I was going so fast I didn't have time to do a complete spin and landed on my hip/lower back. I laid there for a minute while my hubby reassured my neighbors that I would be fine. Me I wasn't so sure about that. 
But hubby is a smooth talker and convinced them I was just catching my breath. I jumped to my feet and spun to face Sunny. You should have seen his face. I've never seen a horse so clearly thinking, "Uh, oh...I'm in TROUBLE!!!" He started backing up away from me. Head up in the air, eyes rolling. "Stand!" I barked giving the reins a tug. He planted his feet and stood shaking while I ran flipped the reigns over his neck and called hubby over to give me a leg up. 
The neighbors where horrified. "She is getting on him again! He just threw her! She could get hurt!" 
My hubby just smirked while giving me a leg up and I muttered angrily to myself. Turning Sunny I forced him to canter the path then to canter several figure eights. When we where done and had talked for a while I turned him back towards the road to cross back onto our property. Normally I dismount and lead him across roads. That day I told Hubby to grab the reign and lead him across. We got to our place and after turning and waiving back at my neighbors I rode him out of site behind a barn and collapsed onto his neck moaning. Hubby broke out into hysterical laughing and put away our 3 year old then came back and helped me off of Sunny and half carried me to the house. Sunny walking along behind head hanging as though in shame but his eyes where twinkling like mad. He wasn't feeling guilty he hadn't had so much fun in ages!


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## sarahver

Back in the days when I would get on any horse for anyone I jumped on a beautiful big black TB (16.3hh) that had just come back from the horse auction. Started working him and he was going beautifully at the walk and trot. Not one to waste time I asked for a canter and he promptly stopped and flipped on top of me. He landed right on my pelvis, slightly to the left rupturing a few ligaments/tendons in my hip but no broken bones thankfully. It is the only time I haven't been able to get straight back on. Interestingly, his owner jumped on after me instead and the horse did exactly the same thing to him, clearly not the first time he had tried such a move on people.

Horse went back to the auction the following week. I still have a stiff hip on that side to this day from it although I suspect the horses fate was much worse than mine.


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## AtheistForever

I was doing an easter camp this year.We got split into groups.I was in group 1.In groups we had to do a jumping course.I was last.We started off.We were jumping three jumps in a line.I think we started cantering over them and I think Bob was going too fast.I fell over one of his shoulders,landed on my back and rolled forward.I was on my hands and left knee.I had my right leg sticking out.i moved it and felt some pain so I stayed the way I was for a few seconds,untill my instructor came over.I hurt some part in my butt.


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## Brithorse1996

My worst fall (I got scared after it happened) is when i was cantering around the arena in a lesson and we were doing jumping and i forgot to post when i was jumping (silly me) so my head was about 8' in the air and i fell. I thought i would bellyflop the ground but the momentum sent me spinning and i landed right on my neck and thankfully my good young pony stopped right next to me as i started investgating the sky. I got straight back on though.  but my shoulders and neck were aching slightly.


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## JumperStride

I was schooling on my guy Scribbles, big sturdy paint with a hell of a jump in him. He'd been kind of lagging with his speed and the last show we couldn't get higher than like 5th cause of the speedy little TBs. It was mostly our turns, too big a little cautious. So we were doing some pretty tight turns and one of the barn dogs I guess ran by the fence while Scribbles was mid-turn. He tried to spook away but the turn had put him off balance (my fault, wasnt supporting him) and he ended up falling over, pinned my leg from about knee down. My natural instinct when a horse falls is the duck and roll, not realizing I was stuck under him in my attempt to roll away I ripped my knee out of the socket. Notttt fun. Scribbles looked down once to make sure I was alive I guess before chasing after the dog on the fence line lol. I've got some arthritis issues in the knee now but nothing a little Aleeve doesn't...alleviate lol


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## wildberryxX3

Luckily, in my 8 years of riding I have only fallen off a handful of times! I attribute that to sheer luck!!

The worst fall I had was about a year ago. The barn I was riding at was terrible. The outdoor was some strange shape.. not a square, not a circle, not a rectangle, nothing. I called it a blob. The groud was really hard and had lots of sharp, large, rocks jutting out and random bushes and trees. Also lots of broken bricks. Unfortunately, it was the only place to ride. I was riding a percheron mare I had been leasing for about 2 years at that point. We were cooling down, and I was completely spacing off. It was entirely my fault. Feet were out of the stirrups and reins were loose. We walked past a bush and it must have brushed up against her. She took off and I flew forward onto her neck. I almost got her calmed down and collected before she launched forward again. At that point, I realized I had just better let go now! I fell over her shoulder and faceplanted into the dirt/rocks! I broke my nose, wrist, and had a concussion. Lots of scrapes on my face too. Thank goodness the barn owner and farrier were there and I was wearing a helmet!


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## Shadow

Moose hunting last September, about 4 miles from the nearest road in very rough terrain riding my 4yr old and ponying the wifes 23 yr old. Going through a tight spot in the timber stepped over a ground hornets nest and the bomb went off. The 4 yr old lurched forward and ran me into a tree knocking me backwards and off balance. I had actually started a ORS and she spun and slingshotted me off the side. I landed shoulder into the ground hard. We got stung up pretty bad also. Rt arm was absolutely useless. The 23 yr old plow reins and the 4yr old neck reins pretty good. Although I wanted to there was no way I could ride the 23yr old and pony the dominant 4yr . I didn't have a choice with only one arm so I tied the 23yr to the 4yr britchen and rode out. The 4yr old did awesome and I was in alot of pain. I ripped a couple tendons in that shoulder completely off the bone and one of the bicep tendon in half. First surgery at the end of Oct. The second surgery 2 days before Christmas. $80,000 for both. Thank the good lord for insurance. Needless to say the 4yr old got a long layoff and was way fresh this yr. Under the circumstances the four yr old did awesome. Just one of those really bad deals and thank the good lord it wasn't worse. 

Shadow


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## ellygraceee

The worst fall of mine was a few weeks ago. I was schooling Toby in the backyard. Yep, smart idea to school the nutcase horse in an arena without a fence, but there was cows in the paddock next to ours and Toby is terrified of cows. I'd already gotten a nose bleed from the crazy thing spooking at the cat and rearing, so I plugged my nose up and was doing 10m figure 8 circles with him. I'd been doing sit-trot all afternoon to prep him for Novice tests we'd be competing in the next day and I'd decided that I'd do a stretchy circle in rising trot. A horse float going past clanged a bit changing from the bitumen to the dirt and Toby caught me mid-rise, rearing, bucking, twisting and pigrooting. I landed on his neck and he put his head down. I slid off onto my chin and snapped forward. I ended up in hospital with suspected broken neck, back, shoulder and chipped knee. Thank god I only ended up with a hairline fracture in a vertebra in my lower lumbar (broken back). Did I ride the next day in the competition? **** straight I did, subbed horses and ended up with Reserve Champion Dressage and qualified for States. My back hurts like crazy each time I do a huge ride, but I'll get over it.


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## LoverofHorses

I've had many falls over the years but my worst would have to be 2 years ago when I was riding our flighty TWH Chance.We were walking in the ditch along a gravel road and just as we were passing a large bush a pheasant popped up out of the bush brushing against chance's nose so of course, easily spooked chance freaked out. I managed to get him under control but just as I was relaxing he bolted again, leaving me bruised and sore after landing in the middle of a gravel road. I was very sore for days after. I did get back on after I caught him, that was a very long ride home. Lol!


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## SavvyHill

I've never taken a particularly painful fall (despite the fact that I've taken my fair share of falls), but in my second year of riding, I was in a lesson on this gray Quarter Horse named Mint (I'd already fallen off of him like, six times xD), and we were trotting over poles that were in between standards, and we had just gotten over the pole, when a bird (or something) flew out and spooked Mint, and he took off. Well, it was right around the time when it had been raining a lot, and there was a puddle in the corner (swimming-pool-puddle) and Mint galloped straight for the puddle. He looked like he was going to run through the fence, and I was already half-way off, so I figured, "what the heck? I'll just get off!" And I did. And I took a swim while I was at it. xD


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## Pinto

Oo ouch! Some of you have had some bad tumbles! 
I haven't really had any 'bad' falls *touch wood*. Thankfully I've been very lucky and have only had mild falls where I've been able to brush myself off and get straight back into the saddle. My friend says I should be a bull rider because I somehow manage to stay on when horses go crazy, haha. I've only fallen off twice in my seven years of riding. Once when my horse refused a jump and I went flying over his head. It hurt like heck because I fell onto (well, rolled over) the jump poles. Luckily I came out with only a few bruises. The other time when I was on a horse that spooked in a canter and darted off to one side and I wasn't expecting it so I fell off. Thank god for squishy sand arenas, haha.


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## Heatherloveslottie

I think the worst fall I had was about a year ago. I was riding Lottie around the field and Tazz was in the same field. For most of the time he was minding his own business and just eating the grass down the other end. So I cantered Lottie over the jump and next thing I knew Tazz had cut across Lottie and she had to pull up sharp and I somersaulted off the back. Not really hurt except for a chipped tooth, although I have absolutely no idea how I managed to do that!


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## AngelWithoutWings54

About two years ago I was doing a grid on a relitively green horse. She bucked in between each jump, and then three times after. I fell off of her and landed awkwardly, breaking my pelvis and my arm. Yippee.


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## leonalee

My first (of two... knocking on wood RIGHT NOW) fall was when I was 8. I was visiting family in Washington, D.C. and my cousin had two horses whom she competed in dressage, jumping and 3 day eventing. I was a super-excited and horse-crazy 8 year old with absolutely ZERO experience on anything other than a pony ring, but she agreed to take me to visit the horses. The BO of the place she boarded had a shetland pony that would have been lucky to clear 12 hands... she snapped some lead ropes on each side of his halter and let us go to town with him. I was having great fun riding the pony around the pasture, so they left me and went in to tack that "big" horse for us to ride next. I hadn't mastered steering yet, obviously... sooooooo, pony and I were trotting along and I basically ran the poor guy into the electric fence - he reared and I slid off of his butt into a pile of manure. In my disbelief, I jumped up and ran to the big barn and left the poor pony running around the paddock with two lead-ropes attached to him and said "I FELL OFF!" :-/ When I got on her "big" horse, I panicked when I realized the saddle was not the "cowboy" saddle that I thought all saddles were - no "handle"! I'd like to think I've come a ways from that day ;-)


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## babymama2

I have only fallen off a horse twice,

My first and worst fall was on a rescue American Saddlebred Named Shadow, who I took lesson's on for over a year. I was 8 years old and didn't know allot about riding well it was during horse camp, I was told to go tack my horse and then we were gonna eat lunch then ride. Okay well I tacked my horse all up and he was good. So I thought...
When it was time to go ride in a huge group, I saddled shadow who had a big o attitude towards anyone and I put his bridle on. well By my mistake I crossed the reins. I started riding Shadow in the arena and we started off at the walk and my trainer was yelling at me to get over so I tried but shadow wouldn't go and my trainer keep yelling at me. Well I kept tugging on shadows mouth left right left right and my trainer then realized what was wrong and told me to lead shadow over to her. On my way to her Shadow just had enough and went charging through the arena full blast and I 65LBS of small terrified girl on top of his trying not to fall. Well we went around the arena one whole lap of him charging and me crying and him not stopping. He then stopped when my trainer ran in front of him and I flew off him 5 feet. and when I landed I broke all my ribs on right side and sprained my wrist and my body was covered in bruises head to toe.
My fall made the newspaper it was so bad. 
My trainer in the paper said "when she fell my heart stopped, I thought she would need to go to the Emergency Attention ASAP"

The only good part was, I didn't have to go to school for two weeks until I was able to move.

My 2nd fall was a joke I jumped off a horse while training because the stallion got out so I jumped and dove to close the stallions stall.
I have never fell again. I think my first fall was enough for my body.:lol:


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## SavvyHill

The trainer should've seen that your reins were crossed the minute you got out there.


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## Brithorse1996

Hmm not a very good trainer there


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## LeosAmericanShadow

one time i was jumping my pony blue. we landed a jump then out of nowhere he galloped to the fence, came to a dead stop, and i flew over his head. i landed on the fence... i had to get stitches under my arm and i broke 4 ribs haha


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## cozmo

when i was younger i was at a riding school but on a new pony that hadn't 'learnt the tricks of the trade yet'. i joined in on a jumping lesson but only wanted to canter past the jump as i wasnt able to jump yet. so this pony decided to swerve and over jump the small pole on the floor and then took off and swung me off into the side of the arena. The Owner of the RS had to replace the fencing as i had come off at some speed i nearly went through it. Ohh the next day i was going on holiday, so i went with all of one had black & blue.


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## ridingismylife2

I can't remember my worst fall, but my most embarrasing one happened during a jumping lesson. I was riding a Fjord named Unda who has a dendency to do dirty stops, so I was cantering to a fence, everything seemed fine, the canter was good, I was pushing her forwards and I was going straight. Then all of a sudden she refused the jump and I wasn't ready. I fell **** first into mud while wearing my beige johds. I had to go with the bus back home with a muddy butt. lol...
Atleast it didn't hurt. haha... my instructor just laughed at me and helped me get back on Unda.


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## aussiegirl1989

I have 3 all on (or should I say off) my 14hh pony  I swear ponies are harder to stay on then horses! 

First: Doing serpentines in the park, Molly bolted and I came off and got dragged for a good 50m. Nothing was hurt except my confidence for a few weeks!

Second: was riding in a circle out in the park. She got bored and went on a bucking spree - I fell off and stupidly held my arm out to break my fall. I ended up with a compression fracture.

Third: in the round yard riding bareback with no bridle/halter (including a helmet!!! Never again ) Asked for a canter and got another bucking spree. I landed on the rails going around the yard. Luckily my back took the fall and not my head. I had 3 fractured ribs but it could've been a LOT worse I imagine.


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## Starlet

My worst fall was at a show. i was doing the barrels and the arena was too watered and around the last barrel, my horse lost her footing and she fell on me :shock: (that knocked the wind out of me)
and being a barrel horse, she was going to finnish the pattern, rider or not, and my foot was caught in the stirrup so she dragged me a good 15 feet and nearly stepped on me :shock:. 
let me say, it is no fun to finnish the barrel pattern on foot, with a foot fracture and brusied hips.


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## Lovehorsesandrunning

Oh my gosh! those are all owww, haha ive only fallen off, once id say and it was bad at all! i was riding Sages horse and it was western for the first time.. and we were in a feild and his minature horse friend luulu decided to gallop so he cantered, and i had no idea what i was doing so i held on until his saddle sliped and i just went *plop* but i didnt get hurt i was just FREEZING since it was snowy.. 
haha and then i was sitting on Sages minature pony.. Lulu and she wasnt doing any thing but she went into a trot and bucked once and i fell off hahahaha


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## Magnum Opus

Yikes, you people have had some crazy falls!

My worst fall was when I was about 16, and I decided to stay home from school with the flu. I wasn't lying, either -- I really did have the flu. But that didn't mean I wasn't going to use my newfound freedom to ride!

I was, however, too lazy to use a saddle. I was riding bareback at a trot, just starting to realize that I was perhaps too dizzy and feverish to properly canter, when he got stung by a bee! At least I think that's what happened. There were a few of them buzzing around. At any rate, he spun suddenly, flinging me onto the road from the direction we'd come. Then he bolted back toward the barn -- you know, the direction I'd just landed in. Luckily, right as he was about to step on me, he seemed to realize it and half-jumped. One hoof hit my helmet (WHICH IS WHY I ALWAYS WEAR ONE) and the other planted firmly in the middle of my back, luckily not with his full weight behind it. I still had a pretty impressive hoofprint on my back.

And when he arrived back at the house without me, I was SO busted for riding while home sick! (I was only supposed to be saying a quick hello to him.)


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## eventing101

I was riding my old quarter horse and he took a jump huge and early. I was flung up to where i was sitting in the middle of his neck and he went into a crazy bucking fit. He dumped me in front of him but didnt hit me thank god.
My pony also dumped me twice yesterday when we were going cross country. The first time he refused a pile of hay and i went over the jump. I got up and chased after him and made him jump it. Then next time was like five minutes after the first and he spooked at some branches in the middle of the trail and did the whole 'i go this way and you go the other' fall routine. I landed on my side and being stupid i forgot to let go of the reins and got dragged a few feet before letting go. I was fine both times but i got really nauseous after that and mom had to put him away


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## eventing101

A girl at my barn was going cross country at our barns schooling show without a martingale on her horse who has never had a problem with throwing his head. They were going over a short and no very wide hill and her horse thought it was a jump, so he leaped it and tossed his head. Since we were taught to go cross country in a standing two point he hit her staright in the jaw and knocked her teeth out. Next thing we see shes on the ground and her horse is a few feet away from her and then she clambering up onto his back and walking straight to us with a hand over her mouth and blood all over her and her horse. We could barely make out "he hit me, he hit me". She went to the emergency room and she had had her whole jaw shattered. She has to get some of her teeth replaced and braces on again. It really proves to people that even if your horse doesnt particularly need a martingale you should always use one when your going cross country, trails, or jumping just in case. Yeah now my barn is really huge on running martingales


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## Frankiee

I was riding this mare that was still green and out of no were started bucking like craazy. I lost one of my stirrups somehow and before I could poll my reins up the saddle horn got me right in the chest and nock the wind out of me so I fell off and manage to roll out of her way before her hoofs got to me. The funny thing is when the saddle horn hit me in the chest it actually riped my shirt!!!!! lol


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## Requiem

I got thrown off a two-year-old stud colt into an electric barbed wire fence. It's weird to see him placing in the pleasure classes now, having ridden him bucking and throwing a fit.


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## jumpit22

When i was about 9 my old trainer thought i could handle this particular school horse. She ended up being an ex barrel racer, which i didnt know at the time. We started with a cross rail, and i couldnt stop her. First my stirrup leather fell off and i hit the wall. I was fine, and got back on. I did the jump again since i was told to and i couldnt stop her. Everyone tried to do horse baracades, but it didnt work. I fell off, hit the wall, and broke my upper arm. Kinda painful since the bone was broken right through. not fun


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## HollyBubbles

well Ive only fallen off twice haha, but the first one wasnt nice.
We were having a decent day (i lie it was horrible) bubbles was pulling on me 24/7 and i was fighting back, dunno what was up her bum but boy was she havin a crabby day. She packed a mental after jumping a teensy 30cm jump n i lost a stirrup, she swung left, i swung right, held onto her for all it was worth and then was around her neck legs dangled down, when she kicked my leg which sent me to the ground and underneath her, she ******ed off down to the gate after running me over completely. Shattered my helmet, dropped me in the only mud puddle in the **** paddock (funny how that happens) and broke 4 of my left ribs. Well i was ****ed off as you can imagine, after a few minutes of swearing my heart out and yelling and screaming at her i got up, covered in mud head to toe on my right side, got back on and rode and worked her harder till she behaved and nearly tripped up cause she was so exhausted.
Didnt figure out till after 6 weeks of painfull moving, excrutiating pain when sneezing and coughing, that i had done the ribs in.. oops. didnt go to school for 6 weeks it was that bad. not cool.

The other one was your simple "oh i'll swing on indian style bareback" bubbles=BUCK... me "uh yeah head first into the dirt" that didnt last long did it. lol.


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## Smarby

My worst fall [not counting the one where Dougal reared up and fell over backwards with my friend on board...] has to have been when I was riding in this very large field on Dougal. He had a history of being very naughty in this field - taking off and throwing big bucking fits. He was getting a lot better and was finally starting to behave in the large feild. I went out for a hack one day and there was a tractor ploughing the neighbouring field, partially hidden by some trees. Dougal seemed ok, until we got closer to the neighbouring field. He suddenly exploded, bolted and had the most humungous bucking fit. I stayed on for about 4 before getting completely catapaulted off, landed on my head and flipped clean over onto my back. Dougal went galloping off down the field without me. 
It was so, so, so painful. I was still hobbling about over a week afterwards.
That is defintly the most painful. He's fairly crafty. He managed to buck me off twice in the space of 5 minutes the other night. Maaan, he can throw a big one. >.<


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