# What was "that fall"?



## evilgreen1 (Mar 15, 2016)

I have been very fortunate to have not experienced, "that fall." I've had my share of falls of course, but always got up and back on with minimal scrapes and bruising. My favorite fall--yes I said that--was when my Soldier dropped me versus going over a jump that I was totally off balance for. I know it would have been worse if he'd gone over the jump, but he dumped me right between the jump's footing and a solid flower box, flat on my back in the sand. It has been a couple years since my last fall, actually got thrown , but I'm riding much more often now and know that increases the possibility of a fall.










I use to never worry about falling, but having a kid changed that a bit. 


So my question for the group is, what was your worst fall? Did you go on to continue riding? What would you have done to avoid hitting the ground if you had it to do over again?


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

Hmmm...my worst fall was on a lesson horse. I was taking jumping lessons and this particular horse had a bad habit of bucking. He took to bucking and I managed to stay on for the first couple, but lost it and came flying off. Don't really remember much, but had a massive bruise on the inside of one of my legs, so I'm thinking he may have clipped me with his foot. 

I don't recall if I ever got back on that horse...and I believe he was retired from being a school horse. But I did continue my lessons. 

I don't believe there's much I could have done at that time to avoid coming off...maybe if I was a better rider I could have pulled him up, but I wasn't very experienced.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I suppose I technically have 2 "worst" falls, one had worse damage and the other had worse pain.


When I was 9, I was riding a horse on trial for a family friend. He was thinking of buying it for his daughters. My brother and I were loping down a dirt road when we passed a lot with trees on it and something spooked him. He sucked back to the left and I didn't. When I landed, I broke my fall with my left arm....breaking both bones. 2 fractures in the radius, 3 in the ulna, then all the pieces got shoved down amongst the carpal bones in my wrist. 3 surgeries, 4 screws, 1 pin, and 3 months in a cast of one sort or another before all was said and done. Doctors said I would likely never have use of my last 3 fingers on that hand (middle, ring, and pinky) due to nerve damage. Thankfully they were wrong. I do have pain and limited range of motion, but it's functional enough that I can type, play guitar, and ride with no issues other than some pain if I hold it wrong or stress it too much. Overall though, the entire experience didn't hurt all that bad that I remember. I don't know that there is anything I could have done different except just not trialed the horse for the guy.


The second is the one with the worst pain. About 4 or 5 years ago, I was breaking a big stout mare for a customer and had taken her out to the country for the first time. I've been starting colts since I was 14 and I have _never_ before had one just vanish out from under me the way that mare did. One second we were just jogging along quietly and the next I was hitting the ground; I never felt her move or tense up or anything. Moderate concussion, knocked my neck and back out of place badly, dislocated collarbone, 2 broken ribs high up in my chest, cut over my right eye and road rash all down the upper right side of my body. I am still having pain from that one and now my collarbone pops out of place at the drop of a hat. I couldn't move my neck at all for weeks without almost peeing my pants. It took me a while to work up the nerve to go to the chiro and he actually made me cry when he adjusted my neck and popped my collarbone back in place. I sure felt better the next day though. That one, I should have been paying better attention and I might have seen it coming...maybe. You can never afford to be complacent, even on old horses.

Anyway, I am still riding, though I don't train outside horses anymore and I take things a LOT slower than I used to. I'm not all that old, only 32, but I have noticed that the ground is a lot harder now than it was when I was 16 LOL.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Well, my "worst" fall injury wise was the one that gave me my broken knee and femur.

I was trail riding up a hill with friends. The horse in front of me decided he didn't like my mare, so he abruptly stopped and ran backwards to kick me. I tried to get out of the way but ended up getting hit anyway. I could hear the crack. Selena jumped sideways, I fell off on the hill, but thankfully didn't roll far - She stopped right away and I used her to stand back up. My leg was numb but I thought it was just shock. I sat down for a bit, but then it became very clear that something was wrong, because there was a growing wet spot on my pants - The kick had not ripped my jeans but there was a quarter sized chunk missing from my knee and it was bleeding profusely. 

I got back on Selena and we rode back. I soaked my whole leg and blood pooled in my boot. I couldn't bend my leg at all. Thankfully my partner at the time was good in those situations and he bandaged it up. I was in total shock and didn't realize it. I was throwing up constantly, and was light headed, and I bled through four good sized dish towels and then some bandages and a polo wrap - But stubbornly stayed in camp. I continued to ride. Even at times leaning off the side of Selena to throw up. lol

It was actually getting better. By the second day of camp I could bend it a little bit so I thought it was no big deal. Bleeding had stopped. Thought maybe the swelling just had to go down.

Went home, showed the wound to Mom, she said we should just go an get some antibiotics just in case. So I wrap the knee up all nice in a light bandage and go to the ER. We wait for hours. Nurses didn't take me very seriously. Well when they finally took me back and were looking at the knee, all the color drained from the nurse's face and she immediately apologized for not seeing me sooner, etc etc. After all was said and done though, they told me that staying in camp probably didn't make it any worse, and that I did all the right things otherwise.


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

My worst that still effects me both physically and emotionally was when I was riding a polo pony warming up for practice. The pony got going a little too fast and wouldn't rate for the corner. It was a covered arena with sand over a clay base. The rain was coming in sideways so the far corner was slick. The pony lost his back end and fell. It happened too swiftly for me to react and I ended up getting rolled over on. I heard a few "pop"s as it happened, but once the pony was clear I gingerly sat up and did a self-check. Nothing was broken, nothing was bleeding. Another player got to me and helped me up, and I could barely bear weight on my left leg. I didn't hurt, but it was kind of numb. My shoulder was also feeling strange. I did a few stretches and hopped back on. 


The next morning I woke up in excruciating pain. When I went to get out of bed, I collapsed. I looked at my left leg and was shocked. From my hip to my ankle it was swollen like a stove pipe. I skipped classes that day and instead drove to the student health department. Turns out I dislocated my ankle, sprained my knee (not total dislocation but very close), and inflamed the tendons in my iliopsoas and sacroiliac. Plus 3 bruised ribs and a partially dislocated shoulder. Nothing broken or fractured miraculously! 


But I now deal with arthritis in my left side and loose joints, and worse, I lost a fair amount of confidence. I still get a little wigged out when a horse won't rate in the canter.


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

I can think of three bad falls I've had. Not sure which was worse.

The first I was 7 years old and riding a lesson horse. It was my first lesson trotting off the lunge line and she just bucked hard and I went over her head and stuck my arm out to catch myself. I tore the ligaments pretty badly in my wrist and fractured it. 

One was on my steady as can be, dead broke Arab gelding who was 33 at the time. We were just walking around the yard, relaxed when he tripped and went down to his knees. I slammed the horn and flipped over his head, somehow landing between his legs. He stayed on his knees until I rolled out from under him and then got up and stood over me while my mom came running over. I had a broken rib and screwed up my wrist again, plus a minor concussion. 

The latest was riding my grandfather's green mare. I was cantering her when she just dropped her right shoulder, spun to the left and then bucked hard. I went flying, she took off running, leaving me two cracked ribs and a concussion. Thankfully she got home way before me and my grandfather headed out looking for me so it was only a 2 mile walk instead of the 6. 

I never did figure out what set her off.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

The one that I can't actually remember where I ended up in hospital, unconscious with a fractured skull, broken nose, damaged eye socket, some loose teeth and an open wound around the side of my head from just below the eye, barely missing my ear and stopping several inches behind it
Just walking quietly along through some scrub, horse tripped and that's as much as I can recall
Yes I did ride again, I was out hunting a few months later when the season started but I am more careful on uneven ground or places where I can't see the footing


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

The worst I've had is getting the wind knocked out of me. I hate that! 

Hated that more than breaking my tail bone when I landed on a small rock.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

I've had far too many falls to count. So far I haven't been kept off horses by falls, just by several kicks and a broken nose. I practice falling off on occasion, and I feel it helps prevent some types of injuries like broken wrists and collarbones. 

I've learned not to lean too far forward if I plan to gallop my horse up a hill...if the horse in front kicks out when taking off, your horse might fling her head back and smash you in the nose. A broken nose isn't too painful. I only regretfully had to go in to have it fixed because it was leaning to the left. 

I've also read that the most common way to break your leg by a horse is from following the horse in front too closely. My horse spooked into the other horse's hind end, but we were in thick bushes so the front horse panicked and kicked my horse in the chest and me in the shin. Thankfully that tibia is a thick, hard bone so I only got a bone bruise. But it kept me from riding for a couple weeks.

I also have had two good kicks from horses loose in the pasture on different occasions that gave me a huge hematoma each time. I have some torn muscles in my left glut and thigh from those occasions, and a dent in each spot. But the muscles are fully functional. Again, it kept me from riding for a couple weeks each time. 

Something I've learned is that you can prevent many falls but there are many you can't. Whenever I've been kicked badly it's been due to things I didn't know, such as a horse having Tourette's and kicking out as a tic with no warning, or a normally docile horse very upset from being suddenly put on pasture board and not getting fed hay or grain.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Mine is pretty tame. There's only been one time I couldn't get back on. 

I leased a way too green horse who had a bad attitude and terrible work ethic. I was too young to know better. He was being really antsy and sassy but I went to get on him anyway. Mounted up and he wouldn't stand, after a second of trying to make him stand he exploded bucking and I got tossed to a side. My saddle then slipped sending me backwards off of him. Broke my radius, still rode that horse for another two years. Same horse previously sent me to the hospital by double barreling me in the gut. What a charmer, that one.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Far too lazy to type all this out, so this is a cut and paste of a thread I posted when I got hurt in THE fall three years ago


> My name is Golden Horse, and I am an idiot. Currently I'm a broken battered and bruised idiot, you know that phrase, "Green on green equals black and blue"? Yeah, well I am the current poster child for that one, black, blue, and casted and in a sling.
> 
> On July 1st my life changed, fortunately all the damage will heal, broken left arm, smashed right clavicle, multiple rib breaks on the right, and a collapsed lung, and then extensive bruising, scrapes, cuts, etc. I spent 19 days in hospital, and am now home again, still living on morphine, and it will be a while before I can take care of myself again. I tell you this not to garner sympathy, but to explain the reality.
> 
> ...


BUT there is more, he wasn't confused, he was learning, the very first person who came to try him after I advertised him, with full disclosure of the facts as I knew them, he was being a total love bug with her, the ground work she did he was being great, all was fine, then she went to get on, and he did the same thing I believe that he did to me, like a bronc coming out of the chute, he went up, he plunged forward, he bucked, then slipped his shoulder and she was gone. I was so relieved that she wasn't hurt, I was unlucky, she and I were lucky.

Re advertised him with total disclosure and at a much reduced price.......I really hope that he is doing OK in life now..


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

Golden Horse said:


> Far too lazy to type all this out, so this is a cut and paste of a thread I posted when I got hurt in THE fall three years ago
> 
> 
> BUT there is more, he wasn't confused, he was learning, the very first person who came to try him after I advertised him, with full disclosure of the facts as I knew them, he was being a total love bug with her, the ground work she did he was being great, all was fine, then she went to get on, and he did the same thing I believe that he did to me, like a bronc coming out of the chute, he went up, he plunged forward, he bucked, then slipped his shoulder and she was gone. I was so relieved that she wasn't hurt, I was unlucky, she and I were lucky.
> ...


Every time I read this you amaze me with your willingness to try again, and how that trying has gotten you to where you are now.

You go Golden!


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Wow, some of these falls sound scary!  Glad you guys are OK and recovered. Never know what can happen.

I can't say I've had a REALLY bad fall *knocks on wood*. I did have a kinda bad fall at a show years ago. I was riding Trooper (I had posted pictures of him on here from the show that day). Wasn't my usual horse, who then was Daytona. She had an abcess so I wasn't able to take her to the show.

However, he refused a jump abruptly and I fell off pretty hard. Whew, I hit the ground hard, but kind of landed on my neck a bit weird. He almost stepped on but me stopped luckily. Nothing major. I had a helmet on, which really saved me! I did have a few neck aches afterwards, but all is well! I got right back on, even though I screwed that round up. Lol, things happen.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I was riding a 25 mile endurance ride, with a gelding that did not have a ton of experience. 
My riding partner and I came to a closed gate. She got off to open it. 

My horse looked down, and then I was trying to figure out why I felt like I was falling, but still sitting in the saddle!!! He was a spinning, bucking bronco, I was sitting on thge ground. Finally , the buckles on the breastcollar gave way, and when the whole thing fell off of his neck, he stopped.

I got him, and the saddle, and riding partner, trying to figure it out. 

The conways on the girth had rotted....he looked down because the girth hit his leg, but the breast collar held it on.

I tied the thing together and we continued on our ride....


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## KLJcowgirl (Oct 13, 2015)

I'm much like you OP. I have really never had a bad fall. I've been "bucked off", if I can call the dainty flailing my gelding did as a 3 year old bucking, I was 13 and had never been on a horse that bucked with me before.

I also had a mare I was borrowing to show when I was about 14 rear up and come down on me and pined me to the ground for a moment, but no ill effects from that. Made me nervous to ride her, but I grudgingly finished out my year with her.

The "worst" one I can think of happened on my first show mare. I would have been about 7 or 8 (maybe, I can't remember if I had started showing her yet) and I was riding while my dad and cousin were moving pipe. Well they came to pick one up by the arena fence and scared the crap out of my mare and she ducked sideways and I flew the other direction. I landed hard on my side and gave my ankle a bad sprain. I couldn't stand up and my mother and grandpa came and helped me stand and walked me to the house. I cried and said I was never ever getting back on as my grandpa rubbed my ankle and foot with Absorbine. He proceeded to tell me about all the horses he was thrown from and left. That fall did keep me off for a while (couple weeks, I was an every day rider in my younger days), and I was quite scared the next time I got on, but I did it!

I hope and pray I don't ever have a devastating fall, though I'm positive one day I will, I've just been very lucky.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

boots said:


> The worst I've had is getting the wind knocked out of me. I hate that!
> 
> Hated that more than breaking my tail bone when I landed on a small rock.


Oh god. Like my Dad always says "all that good Texas air and you can't get any of it" LOL. Makes you think you're gonna die a slow and horrible death.


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## Incitatus32 (Jan 5, 2013)

I've had one of those falls and a not fall but still equally terrifying. 

The fall that made me feel the worst was when I was warming up a 'kid broke' horse at a demo. As soon as my foot was in the stirrup he was off at a full bolt. I managed to plonk down in the saddle (still no stirrups, loose rein) and guided him into a very large circle to get my bearings. We went round and around until he threw in a couple of bucks so I took him in tighter circles to disengage his hind. He slowed down to a trot and we met up with another rider, but before they could grab the rein to let me dismount safely he bolted again. We went around at a full gallop with him slipping and tripping, then bucking like a bronc for about fifteen minuets. My boss said I made her proud because it was fifteen minuets of everyone watching a rodeo and me saying some pretty profane words. Long story short I came off, hit the ground, got kicked on the way down and was winded. Got up, caught the horse, screamed at it for a good five minuets, walked back to the trailer, and stumbled around like a drunk. I have no memory of the next two days, and in retrospect I probably should have gone to the ER to get checked for a concussion. I do remember I felt horrible those days, for a month I could barely walk and talk and I had a lot of trouble feeling my toes. 

The only other time a horse has scared me to death was a re break that I was helping to do. We were showing the owner how far the horse had come (this was a horse that 'flipped his lid') he had put three people in the hospital by flipping over backwards and bucking/bolting in a mean spirited way. He hadn't acted up in months so I got on to take him down the lane. I got on and he instantly took off so I figured I'd ride his energy (I ride saddleseat horses so I was taught to turn energy into something positive and constructive). We got to the end of the lane, had a bit of a fight turning but nothing bad and he was calming down so I rode him around the barn and then he bolted back down the lane. We got about halfway there when he saw the fence was down and decided he was going to go through it and run in the 10 acre field to join the herd. So I disengaged his hindquarters and he started to put his head down to buck. So I pulled his head up, then with his head up he decided to rear, so I gave him the reins and clocked him between the ears to get his head down, whereupon he started to try and buck. 

This vicious cycle of buck and rear attempts were also joined by him circling to get closer to the downed fence and surging forward intermittently. My boss was hurrying to get to us, the owner was in tears and I was basically stuck on this horse because there was no safe time to get off. If I would let go of the reins he would have bolted through the downed fence and if I went out into the field with him bolting I would be injured, if I stayed in his mouth he would rear and flip over on top of me. I noticed some roundbale nets strung across the ground beside us and decided that we were NOT going through the fence even if it broke both of my legs. So I jerked him as hard as I could into that net and he tangled himself up. I'm convinced that it saved my life because he tangled himself up in it just enough that he couldn't go forward and bolt and with each rear attempt he would jerk himself to his knees, that gave my boss time to come head him and for me to get safely off. He was a little scraped up but nothing major and we cut him out of it and led him back for some hard core groundwork. 

I'll never forget being stuck on that horse with no way to get off safely. It made me very cautious of when I got on horses and made me trust my gut. I could have ended up crippled during that debacle, but I went with my instincts and it saved me. I was shaken up for a while and was extra extra cautious with all of my rides for the next few months. The owner was a good soul about it, kept the horse in training a few more months to give it a second chance. Unfortunately he never did come out of it, despite ours and other trainer's efforts.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Jeez, incitatus, I'd have bailed in the first paragraph of your description. I'd be picking my landing spot, for sure!


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Compared to a lot of your posts, my worst fall was nothing. I think most of the damage from mine was psychological, not physical...

When I was a teen, I, like many horse crazy girls, wanted a horse of my own. I'd always been the type to ride any and every horse, even a couple of green ones here and there. I thought I was tough and I liked my horses big and fast, so when my grandparents (who knew almost 0 about horses) brought me home a scrawny two year old pinto mare one summer, I was thrilled. She had only been backed a few times, but I was confident that I could whip her into riding shape. (God, we're all so stupid as teenagers!)

Anyways, from the start she and I were never really in love. She was very aloof on the ground, not the type of horse to seek affection. I owner her for about three years or so and she slowly got worse and worse. I was able to ride her, but she took to spooking at nothing just to test me as a rider. Every time she spooked I got more and more angry that all of the other girls at my barn were out riding on the trails or competing in 4-H while I was stuck with an unsafe, barely green broke horse.

One day my grandparents came out to watch me ride. I got on her, walked and trotted around for a while, etc. Then my grandparents called me over, so I turned her around and picked up a lope to head back to that side of the arena. She bolted off to the side when I wasn't expecting it. I fell off and wasn't hurt (I distinctly remember my mom calling out to me and me shouting some choice words and telling her to grab my ******* horse before she killed herself), but it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I was so humiliated and furious that I gave her away to a family friend (who ended up sending her to a trainer) and quit horses for 5 years. I was convinced I'd never get on another horse again. (Yeah, that didn't work out.)

I only recently started riding again, and I've found that I'm comfortable on very different horses now. I currently lesson on a 13.3hh pony that can be stubborn and has attitude, but that I can trust to _never_ run off with me. The big, energetic horses that I used to ride make me nervous now. I always joke that when I came back to riding I'd somehow gained a sense of self-preservation—how infuriating when I can't stop ogling the giant sport horses!


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## budley95 (Aug 15, 2014)

My worst fall was walking off after a lesson. Bud was walking round on a long rein with me, I was being told what to work on for our next lesson by my instructor after a really good lesson. 8 years later I still don't know why but Bud started broncing. Not a little one. Full on fly bucks, rears and twisting so they could see me on the yard over the stables behind the school. He dropped a shoulder and whipped round the other way, I came off taking the bridle with me. He then trod on my leg and crushed my femur, growth plate and knee cap. Bud then jumped out the school and started heading to the main road. My instructor had to go and get him whilst I waited for someone to walk up from the yard and bring me my rucksack so I could call my mum and an ambulance. Nobody thought I was hurt as I didn't cry or scream at all. Too much adrenaline. I got taken to hospital and was in surgery for 4 hours and had to have a blood transfusion as the bone just got my femal artery. I also needed a pin to hold everything together. 

I was in cast for 4 weeks (it was supposed to be 12, but only being 16 I healed very quickly and they had to re x ray me when I got mrsa in the wound so I came out of cast early). I came out the cast Wednesday morning, got back on Bud that afternoon, admittedly with draw reins on as I was a bit scared. I then jumped him in the open at the local show the following Sunday, 4 days after coming out of cast. 


I still have Bud. Admittedly I'm not as brave as I was. Weirdly I stopped doing xc until late last year and only took him for a proper gallop again a week ago. I also now wont jump or hack without a body protector. In fact I only just started doing flatwork without one 2 months ago.

You can still ride after an accident, you can be confident, it may make you a little bit more wary and careful but focusing on the accident wont help. You need to set yourself goals and achieve them. Everytime you get on a horse you take the risk but there's nothing to say you can't get through a riding career without any major accidents.


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## evilgreen1 (Mar 15, 2016)

Whew, some of those falls made my heart fall. I think I'm the most anxious for my horse falling on me. Maybe it just needs to happen so I can move past it--kidding!


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Wow...just read more of the falls, goodness gracious you are brave souls!


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

sarahfromsc said:


> Every time I read this you amaze me with your willingness to try again, and how that trying has gotten you to where you are now.
> 
> You go Golden!


Aww thank you, but it took a team, the medics, physiotherapists, two different trainers and one FANTASTIC horse, each of them played a part in the journey, as to me, well that's what happens when your addiction is actually stronger than your fear, you keep taking steps,


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I'm one of the lucky ones, who has yet to have "that" fall. I've fallen so many times that I got to feeling that falling was perfectly 'normal'. and that's good in the sense that you think of it as mostly a surviveable event. yesterday a friend of mine took a fall in the arena, with his horse dodging hard one way and a too loose saddle sliding over and dumping him. it was a lovely slow motion fall , with him rolling like a Judo champ. and that's how a lot of falls are. he jumped up, laughed and remounted.

however, others are violent and scary, and painful. and I know that just because I haven't had the one that breaks my bones yet, doesnt' mean I won't. I'm less and less confident in surviving unscathed any fall. but what am I going to do? quit riding????


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## HeroAndGunner (Jul 25, 2016)

I've luckily not had any physical damage from a fall. Just the usual soreness and bruises. I've had quite a few falls so here's the one I least liked.. lol I'll go with that.


It was when I moved my TB to our current place. It was our first ride at the new place. He was nervous and tense. I could tell, I just had him going in a slow trot that I just sat and kept making him do circles, serpentines, figure 8's, whatever to make his mind think. But he still was a nervous wreck. 


My angel of a horse at my old place was a dragon at the new place. We were doing a slow trot down by the gate that was closed but gives access to the road. My dad's dodge truck was sitting there. So I suppose when we came by that gate and Hero saw the big black truck he spooked. But he did something he has never done. He reared up. Which was all fine and dandy. I'll just hold on through the rear.. but then he darted right. By then I was in mid air from the rear and had no horse under me after he darted out. SO I went ahead and fell to the cold ground. It was October. I seriously think I didn't get any injuries because I was wearing my big fluffy Carhartt because it was cold, and it help break my fall.


But I still got the wind knocked out of me and my ego bruised. I hopped back on him and continue to make him work until he chilled a bit.


My least favorite falls are when a horse trips. I don't know that just tends to make me a bit nervous thinking of when the horse is going to trip again, but then I get over it and remind myself to sit deep.


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

I've had a few nasty falls with serious injuries, and many more not-so-serious. My worst that still effects me physically and emotionally was ~5 years ago off my saint of a mare. I had started her undersaddle probably 4-5 months prior, and had just moved barns. I had her on full board and only made it out a couple days per week, so long story short I was under the impression that I was receiving what I paid for. Found out after my accident and after all trainers/staff at the barn told me to "sell her, or better yet, give her away" because "she'll kill you", that I was actually not receiving what I was paying for at all, thus my mare was stressed to the max at this barn (thankfully up until our accident, and each day after until I left that barn she remained such a quiet horse). 

So one day toward the end of November I tacked up and hopped on per usual. She was fine for half the arena. We were walking, warming up. Halfway around she bolts and starts broncing. I did an emergency dismount, knowing things would be much worse if I did not. I wound up landing directly on the top of my head, and cracked my helmet right open (so bad concussion). The pressure from that compressed my spine and broke two vertebrae along with a slipped disc, and spraining my neck. Due to how severe my concussion was, I actually have permanent hearing loss. 

I wasn't aloud to ride for 3-4 months. When I did, I got right back on that same mare, and I cried, I was so scared. I went from starting all the greenies and handling the babies, to crying if I had to be in a stall with a horse or even groom a horse. I couldn't handle it mentally. For months I stayed on the lunge line in very, very tiny circles around my trainer at the time. I had panic attacks every ride, and every time I had to handle a horse. Thankfully my mare is a saint and has never offered to misbehave in the slightest before or after our accident. It took a long, long time for me to be "okay" again. 5+ years later I still have moments where I'm downright terrified, but I am okay 9/10 times as long as I am on my own mares. I am still not yet at a place where I can comfortably handle or ride other horses again. I have ridden a handful of other horses since my accident in the past 5 years, and have had a panic attack each time. There is 1 pony that I am alright on, but he is 12.2h, dead quiet, and yet I still need trainer to stay in the arena with me and talk me through everything, but as long as she is there I can handle walking him around, maybe some trot, otherwise it's a huge no-go just mentally I am not "there". It's hard. I'm 10x better than I was, but that accident put me in a very dark place and I'm honestly not sure I will ever be 100% how I was before it all happened. But it gets better.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I had many falls, the first where I hurt myself was show jumping. The pony, Pixie, hated show jumping, brilliant cross country but not in an arena. I was told that if I could get him round the course then I could compete on a dofferent pony next show. 
I threw my heart over every fence. I kept him to the centre of every fence and kicked like heck into every jump. The last fence was a double, I rode with every bit of determination I had. Over the first fence he tri d to stop and next thing I was sailing through the air over the rail but this was different, I was still in the saddle but no pony under the saddle! 
The girth strap running under the seat of the saddle had snapped, I was badly winded and that hurts. I just couldn't breathe. I was being carried off on a stretcher heaving for air. 
As we were nearly out the arena I got my breath back. I got off the stretcher and vaulted onto Pixie who was being led out the arena behind me. I took him straight back amd jumped him over both parts of the double with no problem. 

As I left the arena there was a man stood there calling out loudly "Bravo, bravo!" this embarrassed me and I turned to tell him to be quiet. I was later informed that it was Sir Malcom Sergent, a famous conductor.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Another time I was riding a big young horse show jumping. This horse had a lot of ability but had been allowed to go long so was in the habit of taking the top rails off.

I just concentrated on holding him together, making myself very aware to keep a strong leg on and keep him in my hands. He jumped really well, and going into the last I thought "Yes, a clear!" I dropped my contact and he dived to the side, I would have stayed on top bar for the fact he stumbled as his foot caught the foot of the wing. I went off to the side and caught by the seat of my jodhpurs on the jump cup. I was literally hanging there.

So much for for friends, they were all laughing so hard that it was ages before someone came to help free me.


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

I'm another who has had plenty of falls, but no major injuries so far. The worst injury was my last rodeo, back in the early 1980's. I still carry a dead spot about the size of a half dollar in the small of my back from this one.

At this rodeo, I drew a bronc that had a reputation for blowing up in the chute. The tactic I was advised to use was to get a good grip on my rig, drop onto the horse, and give the ready signal. I wasn't quite quick enough. I got a good grip, and dropped onto the horse's back. He sat down and tried to roll. The ground crew knew they had to do something, or I'd be turned into sausage. They opened the gate. The bronc exploded up and out with me still attached. It only took him a couple of strides to shake me loose. 

The judges decided that I didn't get a fair shake, and awarded me a re-ride. The second time around, I told the ground crew to open the gate as soon as my butt touched the horses back. The re-ride was anti-climactic. I stayed on the eight seconds, but I was on my way off when the buzzer sounded.


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

My most spectacular spill happened in 1980 or '81. At the time, I was assigned to the First Cavalry Division Horse Platoon at Fort Hood Texas.

When we weren't on the road with our demonstrations, we were training﻿ back at Fort Hood. Of course, we practiced our drill, but we also played a variety of horse mounted games. This improved our horsemanship, our confidence between mount and rider, and in each other. This particular day, we were having a type of relay race in the training arena behind the barn. We had to start dismounted. At the signal, one trooper from each team mounted, and raced to the end and back. Then the next in line did the same. We couldn't cross the start line until we were fully mounted, with feet in both stirrups. I was riding Chuckles, my primary mount for most of the time I was there. Chuckles, for some reason, never stood still to be saddled or mounted. She was otherwise a superb mount. We simply found ways to work around her peculiarity. 

When my turn came, I tried to get my toe into the stirrup rather than jump into the saddle. Had I jumped on, Chuckles, being accustomed to rescue drills, would have blasted off, and I would not have been "fully mounted" when we crossed the start line. With all the excitement, She was more fidgety than normal. No matter how I danced around, I couldn't get my foot into the stirrup. So, to keep her off the start line, I crowded her into the fence corner behind us and jumped up. Keep in mind that this was well over thirty years ago. In those days, I could leap directly onto the back of a fairly tall horse. (These days I've grown fond of short horses.) 

I sprang up, expecting to settle into the saddle, find the stirrups, and go. Instead, the saddle came up to meet me. Chuckles was trying to jump the five foot tall fence from a standstill. We went up, and up, and then, her front feet caught on the top rail. Her head disappeared from my view, and the saddle shot me forward. Everything seemed to switch to slow motion. I arced ahead of the somersaulting horse, and planned my "tuck and roll". I hit the ground rolling, but the horse was bigger than me. She rolled faster. As we tumbled along together, I saw grass and dirt, then sunshine, then grass and dirt, then her belly and hooves, then grass and dirt. When I stopped rolling, Chuckles had rolled over me, regained her feet, and was high tailing it for the barn. 

Remarkably, I was untouched, but I lay there, working each joint in turn. By the time the other troopers had gotten to me, I had found that everything worked. I got up, and we went to check on Chuckles. She had escaped injury the same as me. Later inspection showed that the antique saddle had come through unscathed as well.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

utterly horrifying!


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## DannyBoysGrace (Apr 6, 2013)

My worst fall is pretty tame:
I was jumping Danny and he took off weirdly or else refused, can't remember. I have terrible balance due to a disability and just went over. Landed on the wooden poles flat on my back. The disability caused me to develop scoliosis (spinal curvature) so my back is already really weak. The sound of the fall attracted the land owner, she came running over and helped me stand up. Was trying to convince me to come up to the house to recover from the shock before untacking him! Had none of that! Ever since then, my back has been worse.

My luckiest fall:
We switched horses in the lesson, I ended up on a tiny pony and had to jump. He was so small that he just went from under me. I landed on the top of my head (and I believe that my disability helped me here as it makes my joints flexible) and the fall should have at least broken my neck, my instructor was really surprised.

My most fun fall:
I was sat on Dannys back relaxing while dad got a water bottle when suddenly Danny grabbed my foot and put it in the air, I went over the other side. We put it down to flies as he kept getting bit by horse flies.


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## Iridescent (Sep 8, 2016)

Mine was really bad. My lesson horse spooked at a loud noise and I ended up in the hospital for a week. I fractured two thoracic vertebrae and from my left elbow up was all broken bone and most of it shoved up into my shoulder. So broken back, elbow, arm bones, and shoulder. I had to have surgery to get it all back in place with the help of a plate and pins. Had lots of leg and hip bruising too but nothing compared to the pain elsewhere. Had a back brace, sling for the arm and then did physical therapy for six months.

It took 3ish (gosh i cant even remember) years but I finally decided to ride a horse again. I'm proud of myself but tbh it's been very challenging. I honestly wouldn't have tried if I didn't have such a supportive therapist to help me work through it. And thankfully I met an instructor who can relate. I find myself having to start with the basics all over again. (plus I now also deal with chronic back pain.)

I find myself terrified at the trot, even on the lead. Since I fell doing that same thing it makes sense but it's very frustrating. I thought that trotting every lesson was the way to go, so I'd get over it faster, but it was making the fear worse, not better. So I'm following the good advice of finding my connection with the horse again. That is going to be my focus, lots of time walking, steering and working on finding the right rhythms again, posture, leg work etc. And grooming and just being around horses again helps. I just gotta build the trust back up. So no trotting for me for a while but I think once I do find that trust again it won't be an issue and at the least I will have a seat that's good enough to help me out. Fingers crossed anyways lol. I'm taking it one ride at a time.

I'm so proud of anyone who's fallen or had bad scares and kept at it. And to those that stayed off..Its nothing to be ashamed of, it's okay. I'm proud of you for doing what you need too. Sometimes you just gotta take care of yourself.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Something I find annoying in novels and movies is when the hero "just" breaks a couple of ribs and then climbs a wall, chases down a bad guy, fights him, and wins! I read this thread about all those falls, many of them including broken ribs. Gosh, when I broke my ribs (twice), I couldn't even roll over in bed! I had to psych myself for 40 minutes just to get to the bathroom, the pain was so bad.

I am so impressed with so many of you who had such terrible injuries and have soldiered on! 

My big fall happened when I was just an adolescent (actually I had many other big falls later in life, but none affected me like that big fall). I belonged to a riding club with 8 horses that you could ride. One day, when I went to ride, all the easy gentle horses were taken, and I had to ride a tough one called Romeo. I had ridden him several times before and didn't much care for him. He had a mouth of iron. In those days we rode on a racetrack, so I took him out to the track, and as soon as he hit the track, he bolted with me. I couldn't stop him at all. I figured in time, he would just get tired and stop on his own. After all, it was just a racetrack.

Next thing I knew, the stable manager was carrying me in his arms, and setting me on the gentlest gelding, a sweetheart named Bon Bon. My friend Cathy was there, and said, "Let's canter!" I have no other memory between Romeo in a dead run, and coming to in the arms of the BM. I told Cathy, "I don't think I can canter." I had a splitting headache and a huge goose egg on my head. (I don't think helmets had even been invented at that long ago time). Cathy said she had come to ride and saw me running with Romeo. He went far to the inside of the track,stepped in a low spot, and flipped. I took Bon Bon back to the barn, and waited for my mom to come take me home. So much for getting back on the horse to eliminate your fear. It didn't.

I was so scared to ride after that that I could never eat lunch. I didn't dare tell my parents that I was afraid because I knew they would say that was the end of riding for me. They'd say, "Oh, good, you're afraid, then we don't have to pay for it any more." Every day around lunch time, I'd start feeling sick with fear because I knew I was going riding after school. I never told anyone that I was afraid. I just couldn't stop riding. It was so weird. I never missed a day of riding, and I was completely terrified.

Finally, that summer, my parents decided I could get a horse of my own. I looked at every horse for sale in 100 miles. I probably looked at 50 horses. Somehow I knew that once I found the right horse, I would lose my fear. Oddly enough that "right" horse was a barely broken 4 year old filly. But as soon as I got on her, I knew she was "the one." She cost a whopping $50. Within a week, I was riding confidently again. She was an amazing horse.

But, even today, 60 years later, when a hard mouthed horse takes off galloping, and I pull back, and get no response at all, I can feel the panic still surging up inside me. I've probably fallen off 100 times since that terrible accident, but I still get scared when I pull on a horse and get a wooden mouth.


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## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

I am thankful that I haven't had very many or really any serious falls for someone who has ridden for 15 years *knocks on all the wood* but I have had a couple.

The one that sticks with me the most was a few years ago, at a hound walking. We decided to take a second trail with jumps after our lunch, and I was quite nervous, having not jumped Navigator (or any horse) in a long time... and especially nothing as big as the coops out there! But I agreed to go with the jumping group. At the first coop, Nav and I were the last horses to go over, and I knew we weren't ready, the jump was way too big! We had a poor take off, and I was launched over and to the side of Nav. I didn't see it, though I feel lucky that I wasn't under him at all...I hit my head, and all I remember seeing was Nav galloping down the trail after all of the other horses. After he was caught, my mentor walked us back to the trailer, and we cooled out as the others finished the ride.

Some of you have had some absolutely awful falls! I truly hope I never get into a situation like that, but if it ever does happen I hope I can be as strong as you were!


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## SeaBreezy20 (Aug 7, 2016)

I had a "clothes line" fall when I was around 12 or 13 years old.

We were out on a trail ride and decided to canter along the grass on the side of the road. It was late in the evening, around sunset time, so the lighting wasn't that great. I went to steer my horse around one of the telephone poles and failed to see the guide wire jutting off at an angle from it. Didn't notice it until too late and could only watch in horror as my horse passed underneath the wire and I got swiped off of his back by it. I think I blacked out for a few seconds because I thought I landed on my feet, but everyone else said I fell on my back.

Funny thing is, I was totally fine, no harm done other than a few red marks on my chest. My mom freaked out of course (her being a nurse, she probably expected the worst) and she called the ambulance. The paramedics had a good laugh about the whole scenario - they said it sounded like something out of a cartoon. 

I've had quite a few other nasty falls but have somehow avoided breaking any bones. I'd have to say this fall was my most memorable though, lol


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I have had several falls - way to many to count, most when I was much younger and riding really naughty ponies. It taught me many lessons, mainly 'how' to hit the ground. Now nearer 70 than 60 I would say that a fall could do serious damage though the other day out walking the dogs I tripped and went face first flat on my face. It not only surprised me but also the two friends I was walking with that I never had a scratch or hurt myself at all. (It was a flint road) I guess early lessons are so engrained I automatically took the brunt on my arms but allowed my elbows to flex as the weight came onto them. 

One of the worse falls I ever saw was some years ago out fox hunting. We were jumping into a forest. There was a 5' gate and at an angle to this a style, about 3'6" these formed a shallow V. An older couple who kept theor horses at home were both out. These two horses were married to each other and neurotic when they were out of sight of each other. He jumped the style and she was back several horse behind. Her horse saw her companion disappear in and charged the gate stopping dead. The woman went off at considerable speed, she looked just like a human cannonball - arms flat on her sides several feet off the ground, she face planted on gravel and had she not had a well rotting hunting cap could well have been killed. She had very little skin on her face and luckily was knocked out cold. She made a full recovery which surprised everyone.


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## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

I fell off and got bucked off many times but I never got seriously hurt at all. So my worst fall would be the most embarrassing one.

It was summer and I was out in the forrest on my own. Now, what you need to know is that I'm a very nervous and twitchy novice. But I was riding my favourite mare (an OTTB) and I was feeling brave. So I was trotting, cantering, going up and down steep hills, jumping fallen branches...it was unbelievably good.

On the way back, I was going along the bottom of a small ski slope. Along the top there were a bunch of restaurants, full to capacity as well as a whole bunch of people just sitting on the grass enjoying the sun. Kids running around, dogs frolicking, the works.

I decided to canter uphill and walk back down. As you can imagine, all eyes were on me. "Look, mummy, a horsey!". "Whaaaahh, I waaant a horseeeey!!!!"

Got triumphantly to the top, feeling glorious. Started walking back down, after showing off some leg yielding to my adoring audience (not that they would know a leg yield if it bit them) ----- saddle starts slipping over my mare's neck and I'm stuck sitting around her ears. Can't get down because there is nothing to brace my leg against so every time I start getting off, I just start pivoting around her neck. Eventually, I just let go and hit the ground like a sack of rotten potatoes. Cue laughter from my "adoring" audience, there must have been two hundred people there. "Whaaaaah, I don't want a horseeeey!".

That mare is an absolute saint. She stopped dead as soon as she felt the saddle slipping and never moved a muscle until I got up and caught her.


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## Kaifyre (Jun 16, 2016)

My most painful fall was on my mare Mirage, in my front yard. My parents' house had a large grassy front yard bordered by railroad ties, and I trained Mirage to stay inside the ties to the point where if I wanted to, I could leave her there as long as I wanted. She would only walk outside the ties if I led or rode her across. I was taking her back to her stall in the backyard and feeling lazy that day, so I simply jumped on her bareback and bridleless (I rode her "naked" like this frequently) and moved her off toward the backyard. Just as she went to step over the railroad ties, a bevy of quail erupted out of my parents' dumpster and scared the bejeesus out of Mirage, who promptly tucked her butt down and squirted right out from under me. I slid off her hind end and landed flat on my back on the railroad tie. 

It took a long time for me to begin breathing again, and it was almost 10 minutes before I could move. Mirage, bless her heart, turned around as soon as she was past the dumpster and stood beside me (not grazing, just standing there) for nearly 30 minutes until I could stand up. Every few moments she would sniff my face, as if to check if I was all right. I had to use her neck to pull myself up. Every movement sent a shooting pain down my back. Mom came home from work almost an hour later to find me still attempting to hobble the 100 feet to the backyard. Mirage knew something was wrong and wouldn't take a step unless I tried to walk. She stood next to me and held me up the whole time. I think that fall took me 4 months to recover from, the doctor said I was lucky I didn't break my spine. I've needed monthly chiropractic visits ever since, and I now walk with a slight limp/waddle as it messed up my hips and one leg is 1/4 of an inch shorter than the other now.

-- Kai


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## equinesmitten (Sep 5, 2010)

I have had so many "good" coming off stories! I have been very fortunate in that in 9 years of almost daily riding and riding many different horses, I have not yet had "that fall". (I can't imagine I'll escape it but hey...ya never know!) I have not been seriously injured. I took one in VA that sent me to a chiro. My "favorite" falls are the ones that come out of no where. Like, there is 0% riding involved. One minute you are posting trot on a woodsy hack and the very next, your horse is no longer under you and you're sailing over a shoulder. Once, I lost my phone on such a fall and it was in three pieces, each like 10 ft from the other when I went back to find it!


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

My worst fall was not actually me that fell. My sisters and I have always had horses. Raised by a Mom who rode horses and donkeys as a child. All 3 of us were little Indians - riding bareback, halter and lead rope. We all rode in 4-H as well. 

Easter break my sister's Sr year of HS (my JR year) I had just ridden my horse around our country block and was nearing home. I saw my older sister and a friend riding toward me and heading for our lane. I see my sisters horse start to trot and her bend down toward his head. Then I see her do a complete somersault off of him. As I raced toward her (to catch her horse) here friend starts screaming. My sister had fallen onto the road hitting the back of her head - blood was coming out of her ears, nose and mouth. She lay there not moving. My parents had been working in the yard and heard the scream and saw a loose horse running down the lane - they came running. Both of my parents were volunteer EMT's for our local rural fire dept. I watched as my Dad and Mom worked on my sister - sobbing the entire time. My Dad ran down the road toward the fire dept (we live in a rural village) to get the ambulance. As he and the other volunteers came back they all tried to make my parents and I move away. My sister was blue by this time and struggling to breathe on her own. My Dad got right down there and worked on her - let his training take control. They rushed her off to the hospital where she was helicoptered to a trauma unit in a larger town.

My sister spent 6 weeks in a semi coma - she had fractured her skull in 3 places and due to the swelling lost the ability to speak and move. Her short term memory was poor. My parent lived at the hospital those 6 weeks - as she learned to talk again, learned to hold a spoon, learned to walk. Her dreams of joining the Air Force were shattered. She did go to college and is now an air traffic controller. When she is very tired the left side of her face still droops a little.

The accident happened because her rein had broke and she bent down to grab the end still hooked to the bit. Her shifting weight had caused the horse to stumble - and when he stumbled she was already leaning down and his stumble caused her to fall.

She has ridden since the accident -and has no memory of her hospital stay or the accident. That was 30 years ago - but I can still see it like it was yesterday


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Now Equine Kitten if that isn't tempting fate I do not know what is! 

I had moved back to run the riding school I had learned at. I had only been there a couple of days and on the Saturday morning there were four children booked in for a jumping lesson. I didn't know any of them and one girl, Laurie, was riding a Hackney X TB pony, Mars, that my sister had competed on very successfully some years befor. When she was out of juniors Mars continued to compete but never with the same enthusiasm he had before. 
When the girls arrived Laurie was only nine and tiny on the 14.2, her stirrups were only just below the saddle flap but she begged and pleaded to be allowed to ride him and promised she had done so before. 

Laurie, although several years younger than the other three was way better than them. The lesson was fine and at the end of it I told them they could pop over a cross country fence out of the arena, this was about 2'6" but the landing was in a dip and then immediately onto a hump and then downhill through the woods and out into the field. There was one path that went straight into the field and another where there was a tree trunk between two trees about 3'6. I stood on the humo so I could see both fences. The three came over and cantered down the track straight into the field. I had told them to wait there but they didn't and carried on up the field. 

Laurie helps Mars back and when she came into the fence Mars jumped as he had with my sister, big and bold. He cantered on and Laurie took the left track over the tree trunk. Mars took off a stride early and ballooned over the fence, Laurie was jumped out of the saddle, I well remember her stirrups being above the saddle! 

I think she would have been OK but on landing Mars put in a whooppee buck, catching her straight up the butt and catapulting her off. She flew through the air, like a cannon ball, she was kicked out of her jodhpur boots,. All I could see were her white socks and this mass of hair, her plait having come loose. She missed the field and went over the fence into the hazel trees which had been recently coppiced. I was terrified that she had been impaled. There wasn't a sound from her.

When I looked over the fence there was this little girls sat with her legs splayed looking around for her boots, tears running down her cheeks. The moment she saw me she said, "Bring him back and I will do it properly."

The other riders brought Mars back and she remounted, I gave the other riders a rollicking for not stopping as they had been told, Laurie took Mars back to the jumping arena and did both fences, Mars was much more sensible and didn't attack with such gusto and the other horses being where they should have been also steadied him. 

From that moment on I started calling Laurie Hair, and that name sticks even today, some 45 years later! 

I am no runner but I mad that distance in seconds. I really thought that


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

Now I've had falls that affected me worse, but the fall I'd call the worst happened when I was nine. My dad and I were pushing cows. I was riding a nice 4-year old mare with a lot of cow sense and go. This Hereford bull decided to break back and I took off after him.

I couldn't get him to turn. I was trying my best but we were pretty far away from the herd at a dead run when the mare stumbled. I don't remember the fall, but when I woke up she was laying on top of me passed out and I remember thinking that horses weighed a lot less than I would have figured. 

I looked up and the bull had stopped and was staring at us. She woke up then and got up, surprisingly never stepping on me although my youth didn't have me worried about that. The bull took off and so did she after him. All I could think then was that my dad was going to kill me because I lost the bull, the horse and my saddle.

I was really tired, but I was in high sage so I thought I should crawl to the rode before I fell asleep so that he could find me. As I reached the rode he came running up. He asked if I was okay and took off to get my horse. The bull crashed through a fence further down and she didn't. I rode the rest of the day. I guess Dad had been yelling for me that I couldn't get the bull turned, but I must have been out of hearing range.

As far as damage went the mare was fine, the tree in the saddle broke and the bit had bent. I am pretty sure I had a minor concussion. To this day I hate dealing with bulls. Lol


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## Katz1411 (Jul 31, 2014)

When I was 11 I had a horse rear and fall over on me. I was starting to come off but my lower leg & foot were under her. The real problem was that we were in the boonies & had to go to this small county hospital. They x-rayed me and said it was just a bad sprain. Back home & several days later I still wouldn't even touch my foot on the floor so off we go to the hospital. Turns out my ankle was broken. Of course at that age all I wanted to know was when I could ride again . Now I have arthritis in the ankle and one of the few things that really bothers it is riding - it locks onto the heel down position. So when it flares up I drop stirrups or throw on the bareback pad. 

I came off my horse a year ago - never saw what spooked him but he did a 180 at a mad gallop, he went one way, I went the other. I landed first on my butt/hip (ok that's fine it's the most padded part on me) then my side and upper arm. Thought I was just bruised until I tried to lay down at home and couldn't breathe - broken ribs. Recovery sucks and takes longer now at my age! I've seen some of the lesson kids fall off & they're back up immediately, they practically bounce!


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

I've fallen off a few times since getting back into horses but they have all been the kind where my horse spooks to one side and I fall off the other, onto my butt. I prefer no one to be watching . . . My mare is not the kind to try to get me off; although she has thrown in a few crowhops at times when cantering she is just expressing her feelings. 

When I was kid falling was pretty much a way of life. We all fell off regularly and thought nothing of it. Probably my two most spectacular falls were when I asked my hard-mouthed Appy gelding, Arod, to slide down a bank into a meadow. I gave him a loose rein so he use his head and neck, and with such a favorable angle he took the opportunity to deliver some tremendous bucks, which sent me flying like a bird. I was told I did a complete somersault in midair. I hit the soft meadow grass and immediately realized I had lost my glasses. That's the main thing I remember about it -- groping around in the grass for my glasses while my friends laughed themselves silly at how high I flew. 

The other dramatic fall I took was also on Arod. An example of just how hair-brained we were. This was at a loosely-organized unofficial 4-H gymkhana/picnic. The game was for a mounted rider to race to the far end of the arena, sling their waiting partner up behind them and race back. Arod was our fastest horse, so we used him, and I was a puny little kid so I was the one to be slung. There were two problems with this. One, we hadn't ever practiced doing this -- I'm not sure we even knew about the event until we got there. Two, it wasn't really an arena, it was somebody's pasture with a sagging barbed wire fence around it. 

When my sister slung me up behind her, Arod just bolted for the territories running as hard as he could while bucking the whole time. He could be neither slowed nor turned. We stuck on but as he approached the fence, we thought he was going to run right through it. Nope, he slid to a stop and we both went sailing over it. This was a very public fall. But I don't remember getting hurt at all. In fact through all the times I was rubbed off, lain down with, bucked off, reared with, and once even fell into quicksand, the only times I got hurt were when my horse stepped on my foot while I was cleaning his stall in beach thongs, and broke my toe, and when a sour old mare double barreled me in the stomach when I turned her loose. But even that just knocked the wind out of me. I guess I led a charmed life.


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## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

I have had many involuntary dismounts in my day, my mother always said my dream job was that of a crash test dummy. I was the guy you called if you had a bucker, I was rodeo hand for years, and a general all around knuckle head. For reasons that are not germane to this tale of heroic stupidity, I had been out of horses for several years. My best friend since the 3rd grade moved back to Texas and all sorts shenanigans ensued, not the least buying 2 horses that were brother and sister. Now Clay's idea of a horse requires height and color nothing else, so he took the gelding and I got the mare. The gelding turned out to be a plug, so good on him. The mare not so much, I could ride her 10 times and she would be perfect, but on the 11th she could be mistaken for an NFR bronc. You never know when it would come either, no indication, no hump, she would just swallow her head and turn inside out. 
So, instead thinking hmmm maybe there is something wrong? My solution was to ride the **** out of her everyday, go roping, sorting, penning, and if I couldn't accomplish that, well I'd take her for a 10 mile lope down the side of the road. 
She was getting better, she'd still throw a buck every once in a while, but it wasn't a wild west show . It was more like her saying "I can still do this, you know!" So one day I am sitting on her in the arena, just sitting, talking to the lady who owned the place. When she just swapped ends, and reared, and when I say reared I mean straight up vertical, one foot on the ground, pawing at the sky, kind of rear. I lost a stirrup, she came crashing down and I went over her head. Then she came after me, she grabbed be by the shirt and slung me down, then struck out at me, then ran over the top of me, and cowkicked me behind the ear to boot! _*Hey isn't riding horses supposed to be fun?*_ Had a concussion and 16 stitches to put my ear back at the correct angle, and while it didn't stop me from riding, it reminded me that (at 36 or 37 or so), I didn't have to prove anything to anyone by riding snorty horses. Plus I was plumb goofy for a couple of weeks, and stuttered like Porky Pig for months (still get a little stuttery when stressed or tired).
So if you read all of that :cheers:


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

6gun Kid said:


> I have had many involuntary dismounts in my day, my mother always said my dream job was that of a crash test dummy. I was the guy you called if you had a bucker, I was rodeo hand for years, and a general all around knuckle head. For reasons that are not germane to this tale of heroic stupidity, I had been out of horses for several years. My best friend since the 3rd grade moved back to Texas and all sorts shenanigans ensued, not the least buying 2 horses that were brother and sister. Now Clay's idea of a horse requires height and color nothing else, so he took the gelding and I got the mare. The gelding turned out to be a plug, so good on him. The mare not so much, I could ride her 10 times and she would be perfect, but on the 11th she could be mistaken for an NFR bronc. You never know when it would come either, no indication, no hump, she would just swallow her head and turn inside out.
> So, instead thinking hmmm maybe there is something wrong? My solution was to ride the **** out of her everyday, go roping, sorting, penning, and if I couldn't accomplish that, well I'd take her for a 10 mile lope down the side of the road.
> She was getting better, she'd still throw a buck every once in a while, but it wasn't a wild west show . It was more like her saying "I can still do this, you know!" So one day I am sitting on her in the arena, just sitting, talking to the lady who owned the place. When she just swapped ends, and reared, and when I say reared I mean straight up vertical, one foot on the ground, pawing at the sky, kind of rear. I lost a stirrup, she came crashing down and I went over her head. Then she came after me, she grabbed be by the shirt and slung me down, then struck out at me, then ran over the top of me, and cowkicked me behind the ear to boot! _*Hey isn't riding horses supposed to be fun?*_ Had a concussion and 16 stitches to put my ear back at the correct angle, and while it didn't stop me from riding, it reminded me that (at 36 or 37 or so), I didn't have to prove anything to anyone by riding snorty horses. Plus I was plumb goofy for a couple of weeks, and stuttered like Porky Pig for months (still get a little stuttery when stressed or tired).
> So if you read all of that :cheers:


Guess she really didn't like you that much.


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## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

Avna said:


> Guess she really didn't like you that much.


 That was my guess, after the incident I had her chiro'd, he saddle checked, her back and legs x-rayed.....nothing. She was just wired wrong I guess. The guy who has her now, has never had a problem with her, rides her 3 or 4 times a month as his back up roping horse.


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## evilgreen1 (Mar 15, 2016)

These stories are all great, some in not such a good way. 


I took a tumble last Saturday when some deer spooked Soldier. I had the time to direct some expletives at the deer before pushing my-barely-hanging-on-self away from him. Like a good boy, he stopped and let me catch him, adjust my saddle as I was hanging on with one foot in the stirrup and we had a lovely ride.


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## InexcessiveThings (Oct 22, 2016)

I've only had one really bad fall that happened a couple years ago. I think I'm just really lucky that I have escaped from much serious injury from my falls though. I was at my trainer's barn with a good friend. She was riding in the outdoor arena, I was jumping out in the cross country field. My horse has this habit of giving a little buck or kicking up his heels when he's excited or feeling good, especially after jumps. In this case, he decided he was going to try and run away with me as well. So here I am, starting to pull him around in an emergency stop when he decides to give a little buck and both hind feet go up in the air. I just happened to be in the perfect position to go flying off sideways. Normally, his little hop would have been negligible, but my position for the emergency stop put me just enough off balance that he threw me. I'm told I looked quite graceful, flying off my horse sideways (hah!) but I told said friend who witnessed this incident that it by no means felt graceful. I almost landed on my feet, but rolled when I hit the ground and ended up with a badly sprained right ankle. I was then on crutches for a few weeks by doctors orders (not that I could have walked on it anyway), and now I have a nice and stiff ankle that doesn't always do great with riding for long periods. Doesn't stop me from riding often anyway.


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