# Advice for the First Fall



## breezy17 (Mar 21, 2011)

What advice would you give to a newbie rider regarding their first time hitting the ground?


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

Don't, it hurts!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Get it over with so you won't worry about it so much. Once you are at that point of no return, where your balance is beyond recovery, you will have a milisecond of terror, then you hit the ground. The thing is, once you are beyond recovery, there is no point worrying too much. It happens fast, so your actual experience of fear is very short.
Try to stay relaxed as possible. MOST of the time you just roll of the side of your horse and boink on the ground. Brings back memories of childhood when you would be running full speed and trip and hit the ground and knock the wind out of you. If you survived that, you will survive MOST falls.
Also, you get great stories to tell other riders!


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Don't even think about it  If you're constantly thinking about falling, then chances are, you probably will fall. You'll make yourself nervous, then the horse will become tense and hence - you fall. 
Just take each ride as it comes and when you fall, you'll probably know whether you're gutsy enough to make it as a ride or whether to pack it in because you're terrified of getting back on.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

After you find out that nothing's broken, get back up and get right back on that horse. I won't lie to you and tell you that it doesn't hurt, because it does. However, it isn't anything that is unbearable or something to be feared. It's kind of like getting a papercut. Right when it happens you are like "Yeouch, that HURT!!" Then the initial stun wears off and after that it's more of an annoyance than anything.

Also, don't feel ashamed or embarrassed if/when you fall. It happens to everyone, even the best of riders come off sometimes. Just laugh it off and keep going.


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

LET GO OF THE REINS!!!

I know it's hard to do and you'll have to catch your horse, but think of your horses mouth. I've done this too even though I hated it. We were miles from the stable, but I did as much as I could to not let it pull on the horses mouth. He spooked, jumped sideways and off I went.

Also, don't brace for the fall. Tuck and roll but try to not tense up. When you try to brace with your arm as you hit, there's a lot of force when your hand hits the ground. That's where you'll break your wrist or arm. If you tense up, more likely you'll pull some muscles.


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## phoenix (Jun 7, 2010)

I agree with trying not to think about it too much. i have a friend who falls all the time for some reason and she just brushes it off like it's nothing, she's completely used to all of a sudden being on the ground. Unfortunately i didn't fall for the first few year i rode and when i did it was pretty big ( i wasn't hurt too badly it just seemed like a huge fall) and did put me off for a while, i got back on but there was always this nagging feeling and i stupidly carried that around with me. Now i don't think about it and i have more fun because of that.

I also agree with trying not to be tense, i have another friend who tensed up when she fell off her TWH and she shattered her wrist and is now terrified of falling ff him so she makes him all crazy with worrying.


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## Cali (Feb 4, 2011)

Get back on. Really, it makes a difference. I don't fall off a lot, but my first "big" fall was on the road and I ended up with cracked ribs, sprained knee and ankle, fractured wrist, and road rash. I got back on because we were a couple miles from home, and I needed to. I didn't suffer any fear issues from that. My most recent fall was only a couple months ago, and I physically couldn't get back on (I hit my hips/back on a railroad tie coming off a huge horse). I was on bed rest for a week but didn't break/fracture/sprain/crack anything. It took me until yesterday to get on a horse again for any length of time.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## myyky (Sep 8, 2010)

My first fall was stupid, and I have it on video. We go over a 30cm jump, and I fall off 2 strides later, no idea how. 
It was only about a month ago hahah 
You don't have time to think about curling into a ball, letting go of the reins, or not tensing. One minute your up on the horse, and the next the ground is zooming towards you.. 

Luckily I was riding in sand at the time, so I wasn't even winded. BUT I always wear gloves now.. The only thing I hurt was my left hand because the reins gave me rope burn and I sprained my finger.. Haha 

I didn't get back on that day because of my hand, but had no problems getting on a few days later, when it was a bit more healed. 

Just don't think about it. 

And whatever you do, DON'T blame the horse. Unless it was deliberately rearing or bucking because of respect issues. But even then, by the time you get up and over to the horse, it is too late to punish.


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

myyky said:


> ...And whatever you do, DON'T blame the horse. Unless it was deliberately rearing or bucking because of respect issues. But even then, by the time you get up and over to the horse, it is too late to punish.


 Even then it's still not the horses fault that we haven't taken more time to gain it's respect. Lacking respect means lacking in training, and that's our fault. Yes you want to correct it but not blame the horse.


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## Haylee (Feb 2, 2011)

I fell off for the first time last week, and I sprianed my ankle and bruised my ribb. lol, but funny thing is that I laughed, and got right back on... didnt really hurt till I woke up the next day, and Im already better. Well... for the most part, my ankle is still in a brace, and I have a cut on my side from falling on my glasses. It really sounds worse than it is. Falling wasnt all that scary, except for the split second before, and right after because I was ticked to see my horse running off (well the blur in the shape of him anyway...I lost my glasses :/) He made it back to the stable, and I took his big turd back in the ring and got right back on him.


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## EmilyandNikki (Sep 7, 2010)

Falling just happens. I was watching a lesson about 2 weeks ago, and one girl who is a good rider(her seat is good) was on one of the best (behaved) pony's in the barn. They were practising getting the horse to switch leads in the canter. She got the horse to switch leads, they took the turn on the circle they were doing. Something happened, she was thrown a little off balance before the turn or something, she wasn't quite sure, but flying off the horses back she went! She wasn't hurt but it was a freak fall. So don't worry about falling, if your going to fall it's just going to happen.


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## kcscott85 (Jul 28, 2010)

You have to fall off at least 7 times before you can be considered a real rider. My first fall was at age 7 in the warm-up ring at my first show and I was pretty down about it. My instructor told me that meant I was on my way to becoming a real rider and only had 6 more falls to go because falling meant I was challenging myself. Boy, I'm definitely a real x 1,000 rider!


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## Haylee (Feb 2, 2011)

Why 7...


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## ErikaLynn (Aug 3, 2010)

If you ride, you're going to fall. Getting up, brushing yourself off, and getting back in the saddle is what makes you a good rider.

It doesn't matter how many times you fall off


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Do NOT ride with "I may fall off" attitude. Just don't. It'll set you for the fail because your mind will be set on it! If you are a beginner you will ride beginner horse, which will take care of you. Just be brave and relax!


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## ptvintage (Feb 12, 2010)

What ErikaLynn said. 

Also, don't fear it, most of the time, you don't actually get injured, except for your pride. 

There's no set amount of falling that makes you into a real rider. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it was something you could control, sometimes it wasn't. I've discovered that alot of the time, I fell off because I was acting stupid. 

Practice emergency dismounts to feel better about it.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

usandpets said:


> Even then it's still not the horses fault that we haven't taken more time to gain it's respect. Lacking respect means lacking in training, and that's our fault. Yes you want to correct it but not blame the horse.


I am going to disagree here.

There are horses that know exactly what to do to put their rider on the ground. I have a mare that does a very dirty shoulder drop. EVERY time one of my friends rides her, the friend ends up on the ground.

It's not nasty or harsh, friend does not get hurt and my mare stands there and I swear grins. Has nothing to do with respect. She simply doesn't want that friend riding her. I have another friend my mare has never tried the trick with.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Falls are mostly self fulfilling prophecies. As soon as you commit yourself to falling, you're coming off. Consequently, if you are hell bent on staying on when you lose your balance, most of the time you'll be able to recover and stay on. 

When gravity does finally take hold, unless you're out in the open, let go of the reins and tuck and roll as you hit the ground. If you land in a thump, you'll increase your chances of getting hurt. Rolling distributes the impact better. Some will disagree on holding onto reins, but I have a now "bad" shoulder from a horse I tried to hang onto and instead had my arm torn out of it's socket. 

Finally, don't worry too much about it. It's really not a big deal. I've fallen off as some very upper speeds and didn't so much as have a bruise.


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## lilia (Mar 21, 2011)

This thread is really funny, only because I have just recently started falling off my horse, accidently, of course. I have fallen three times in the last week! All I can say is that you have to try to isolate the problem. For me, I was freaking out right before the canter, so I would lean forward, and when the horse stopped, I toppled right over the shoulder. All you can do is figure out why you might fall, and try to fix the problem!

Also, immediately get back on a finish on a good note!


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

mls said:


> I am going to disagree here.
> 
> There are horses that know exactly what to do to put their rider on the ground. I have a mare that does a very dirty shoulder drop. EVERY time one of my friends rides her, the friend ends up on the ground.
> 
> It's not nasty or harsh, friend does not get hurt and my mare stands there and I swear grins. Has nothing to do with respect. She simply doesn't want that friend riding her. I have another friend my mare has never tried the trick with.


 My post was about when a horse does something from lack of respect. Since you horse isn't doing it out of lack of respect, then my post does not pertain to you, right? Have you tried correcting your horse to not do this? If not, wouldn't that be your fault that she continues to do it? You say it has nothing to do with respect? When a horse decides to behave badly because it doesn't like something, isn't that disrespect? Even though you friend hasn't been hurt YET, how would you feel when he/she does get hurt? I have had a friend get hurt on one of my horses and I felt terrible. Maybe that's just the way I am.


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## Sarahandlola (Dec 16, 2010)

myyky said:


> You don't have time to think about curling into a ball, letting go of the reins, or not tensing. One minute your up on the horse, and the next the ground is zooming towards you..
> 
> 
> 
> And whatever you do, DON'T blame the horse. Unless it was deliberately rearing or bucking because of respect issues. But even then, by the time you get up and over to the horse, it is too late to punish.



Exactly! You don't really have time to think about anything! My last fall I was hanging off the side trying to land comfortably but the horse was still cantering and fell in front of her..She somehow avoided me. And I hate to admit but I was hanging on with the reins. I did not want to fall lol..

And when I fall of and it is not something the horse did on purpose I seem to be ok. But if the horse rears, bucks etc I am more scared bout getting back on.

ETA ..I usually jump right up after a fall and laugh it off or something. But the first time I fell off I couldn't really move so my instructor told me to just lie there for a minute XD To avoid embarrassment just jump up and say you are fine. I don't get embarrassed when I fall off. There is this one guy who was showing off then his saddle slipped and he lay on the ground for 20 minutes because he was so embarrassed. XD Funny stuff...


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Both of my falls came when my horse bolted during a dismount. There wasn't time to think about anything. I was dismounting, then I was on the ground. The first time was over 2 years ago, and my lower back still aches.

I made the mistake of learning by buying a rather spooky Arabian. We're getting there, but it was a very dumb buy on my part. Get a horse that matches your ability. If that means renting a horse for a year, do that first.

Use a saddle that matches your ability. English jump saddles don't offer much security, although in my case a 5 point harness wouldn't have helped.

Plan on staying on. Cars and cliffs are about all I would bail from because the ground around here is so rocky. In my first fall, Mia had bolted, she had stopped, but I was afraid she was about to bolt again over rocky ground. And she did, when I was part way thru the dismount. If I had to do it over, I'd grab some mane with one hand and try to turn her around (and disengage her) with the rest of me. I would have planned on staying on. Don't know if it would have worked, but by chance I landed a foot away from 12-18" rocks instead of on them. Had I landed on them, I'd probably be in a wheelchair now. Oh - and with what I know now, I'd have dismounted about 5 minutes earlier since she was obviously spinning up and getting scared...


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

usandpets said:


> My post was about when a horse does something from lack of respect. Since you horse isn't doing it out of lack of respect, then my post does not pertain to you, right? Have you tried correcting your horse to not do this? If not, wouldn't that be your fault that she continues to do it? You say it has nothing to do with respect? When a horse decides to behave badly because it doesn't like something, isn't that disrespect? Even though you friend hasn't been hurt YET, how would you feel when he/she does get hurt? I have had a friend get hurt on one of my horses and I felt terrible. Maybe that's just the way I am.


Are you serious?


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## Azman (Feb 27, 2011)

breezy17 said:


> What advice would you give to a newbie rider regarding their first time hitting the ground?


If you do not suffer of any injury, get up and climb back again to your horse. It helps you to gained back confidence both for your horse and rider. Thanks.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

Delfina said:


> Don't, it hurts!


****!
When you start falling don't try to hold onto their neck, my friend did this once on my old horse(he bucked a few times in a row and she started loosing her seat) so not your normal everyday occurrence, but make sure you fall to the side, you don't want to fall in front of them because then they can run over top of you, which is what happened to my friend, so when you start to fall and there is no where left to go but down just push yourself off to the side away from their hooves...i haven't fallen off in a few years, so i'm due to come off soon, almost happened in my lesson today lol


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## Ali M (Mar 28, 2011)

Get back on right after (if you're able), but I think that it's important to get your confidence back a little if you were shaken up. If you climb on right away and do the exact same mistake because you're scared of falling now, you didn't really do much to correct the original problem. You're just sore twice over! Whenever I fell I'd always get back on right away, but I'd walk around the arena a few times to catch my breath. I'd do a few circles, some trot and canter, and THEN go back and try the jump or whatever I was doing. If I tried it again right away I always made the same, sometimes a WORSE, mistake because I was tense and expecting the same result. It might not be the right advice for every person, horse, and situation but a fall was usually just my silly mistake.

And never get embarrassed! Everyone's been there.


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## Lonannuniel (Jun 13, 2008)

Falling gracefully is an art in my opinion. I've always been amazed by the equine gymnasts and acrobats who somehow manage to land on their feet lol. 

I think every one else has covered the concept of falling, I'm still struggling with the social aspect of it ( i don't mind getting hurt, I'm just nervous about responding to the ' ARE YOU OK?!? ' that gets screamed at you when your on the ground ^-^'') anyway... Whatever happens, try to end on a good note. Get back on ( if you aren't injured of course ) and if nothing else go over a jump ( if that's what your doing) both you and your horse are confident about. If you aren't too shaken, go over the jump you had troubles with, making sure to learn from your previous mistake. If you aren't jumping, just continue on with your ride as if you hadn't fallen, take it easy if you need to, and stay relaxed.

You'll probably feel the force of the fall the next day. So if your the type to skip school, its a very good excuse ( joking...don't skip school =D ). Ice packs and hot baths both help to sooth sore muscles. ( ice reduces inflammation, heat relaxes tense muscles)


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## kathryn (Jan 16, 2009)

If you are determined not to fall off, you can make some pretty impressive saves. I managed to land on my feet twice in one lesson haha. Alot of times if you just try hard you can even stay on, or arrange your body to land on your feet.

Falling isn't a huge deal, its part of riding. I always jump up and hop back on, and so far I have always been able to. Its important to get back on to keep your confidence.


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## SPhorsemanship (Apr 5, 2010)

My advice: don't think about it, just chill. Falling off will make you better and more confidant if you get yourself over that fear. When you do fall, get back on! Try to stay on if you loose your balance or the horse/pony is misbehaving but at the point where you know you are falling off, don't try to stay on(like when you're hanging off the side-doesn't always happen though. Sometimes you just get shot into the air or to the ground). If you try to stay on you might land to close to the horse. You want to land as far away as possibly without holding the reins(unless you fall off balanced=on your feet) because you don't want to pull the horse on top of you.


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

I had heard something about if your foot gets caught in the stirrup. I'm not sure where I heard it or if it really works. Supposedly, if your foot gets caught, you should roll towards the horse and your foot will come loose. If you try to roll away, it will stay stuck. I know the best situation would be breakaway stirrups. Maybe someone else has heard or done this?


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## corporate pride (Feb 23, 2010)

my first fall was on my first horse, she was 16.3hh LOL we went over a HUGE 20cm jump and she cantered out, i hadn't cantered her yet so i lost balance with that and the jump ("self taught") i landed on her neck and slipped off, i landed on my feet infront of her, i ran backwards until she stopped, i still hade the reins in my hands.

i have a good record of falling off on my feet then my butt, also the most comical, most witnessed, most often and the most stupid way LOL also the best ones for staying on

i had have injuries from falling, my horse slipped and we both went down and slid across the arena, unfortunalty i was on my face...i dislocated my jaw. i didn't get back on that day. i did the next day.

i've cometed up to 95 cms in show jumping and i recently fell off at 60 cms!!

i've been riding in the arena and i lose my stirrup the next thing i know i'm cartwheeling over my horses head and no idea how or why. turned out by me losing my stirrup i kicked my horse in the flank and he's sensitive there.

don't worry about falling, it will happen ready or not, just when you get to that point that you know your going to fall...fall clean, let go and relax.

i've had some epic falls, but i'm always determined to get back on and get over it. makes you a bolder rider 

when you fall, get pictures and post them


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## ridingismylife2 (Nov 4, 2008)

Don't fear falling off. It belongs to riding. 
I've fallen many many times but have only hurt myself once. We were jumping bareback and after a jump Maestro decided to attack another horse and I lost my balance and tumbled off. Got whiplash, I think I bruised my ribs, hurt my jaw (which still hurts when I yawn), hurt my back and got winded. My ribs hurt for a few months, but I'm now all fine (except the jaw). This happened a few days before christmas 2010.
I got right back on and re-jumped the jump. Maestro decided to bolt after it but I was prepared and stayed on. 
Like said, don't blame the horse but correct it if it was being naughty.


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## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

> *Falling gracefully is an art in my opinion*. I've always been amazed by the equine gymnasts and acrobats who somehow manage to land on their feet lol. ​
> I think every one else has covered the concept of falling, I'm still struggling with the social aspect of it ( i don't mind getting hurt, I'm just nervous about responding to the ' ARE YOU OK?!? ' that gets screamed at you when your on the ground ^-^'') anyway... Whatever happens, try to end on a good note. Get back on ( if you aren't injured of course ) and if nothing else go over a jump ( if that's what your doing) both you and your horse are confident about. If you aren't too shaken, go over the jump you had troubles with, making sure to learn from your previous mistake. If you aren't jumping, just continue on with your ride as if you hadn't fallen, take it easy if you need to, and stay relaxed.​
> You'll probably feel the force of the fall the next day. So if your the type to skip school, its a very good excuse ( joking...don't skip school =D ). Ice packs and hot baths both help to sooth sore muscles. ( ice reduces inflammation, heat relaxes tense muscles) ​


AMEN!

I am so clumsy and my body just knows how to fall by now. So I fall...but I fall GRACEFULLY, darn it! :lol:

I would NOT worry about it. If you get too nervous, you have a better chance of falling.

I would read up on falling safely. Although there are many falls were you will not be able to plan your fall, there are also the slow-motion falls were you can conceivably stop yourself from falling or at least impress everyone with your mad falling skills.

I have landed on my feet, been bucked off and gotten complimented on falling "just the right way", etc. Most falls will hurt your pride more than they hurt you.

I've also had quite a few almost falls where I was 100% certain I would be eating dirt. I would slow down and think of ways to stop myself from falling. Heels down, relax, go with the movement, slow the horse down...etc. It worked well for me!

As for getting stuck in stirrups. The best thing for this, as with falls, is prevention. Wear boots with a 1" heel. DON'T wear boots with a big tread. If you are afraid of this, purchase some "peacock" (safety) stirrups. Learn where to place your feet in the stirrups so that if you do fall there's very little chance you'll be caught and dragged. I'm not so sure about the rolling towards the horse thing, though. To me it sounds like asking to be stepped on or trampled, but that's just my opinion.

When you do fall, rest in the knowledge that you will belong to the TIDFTWC. (The Totally Intentional Dismounts for the Win Club!) AKA as the TIEDFTWC (The Totally Intentional EMERGENCY Dismounts for the Win Club). xD


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## welshies rule (Feb 7, 2010)

hmm feet stuck in stirrups.... when that happens mostly it hurts... a lot so I ride in safety stirrups and I dont care who says what I find them safer. but the majority of the time... roll/land on your feet/bum and dont scream at the horse it never helps... ALWAYS GET BACK ON unless of course your so badly hurt you can't then cry and then laugh.. laughing is the best policy it expells tension. and if you can laugh about it you will be okay x


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## rum4 (Feb 28, 2010)

Don't worry about it, when it happens it happens. My 12 yr old son just fell off for his first time and he has been riding for 5 yrs now. He wasn't hurt or mad but did make the comment that it was his fault not the horses....... jsut remember it ain't the fall that hurts, it the sudden stop when you hit the ground. Dust yourself off and get back on.....


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## luxurylife88 (Apr 3, 2011)

Oh no! No falling! I take (formal) lessons just recently but I don't think about falling. Yoga (good balance) helps : )
(hello everyone I am new at the forum) : )


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## WildAcreFarms (Apr 6, 2011)

try to think about tucking your arms near your body and roll as you hit the ground. that helps to roll off the energy of your falling and really helps ease your fall. *MOST IMPORTANTLY DO NOT stick out your arm/hand and try to catch yourself you'll only wind up breaking your arm!* Ask me how i know this LOL
it's really no big deal everybody falls just get back up and ride the horse at that time if your not badly hurt which you prolly wont be. it's important mentally to get immediately back on the horse that threw you so that you want be afraid to ride in the future.


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## WildAcreFarms (Apr 6, 2011)

just remember everyone that rides falls. your pride will be hurt but everyone watching has been where you're at. I fell off my horse in front of a bunch of folks at a show when my horse refused a jump that he'd never seen before. He put his head down to me (I'm in the dirt at this point) like "hey what r u doing down there?" it was really cute that he put his head down to me to see if I was OK. I had a lady at the show offer me 5000. for him then and there and she said that "That horse has more heart then anything i have in my barn" i think i paid 1200. for him but no matter i didn't want to sell him for any price even on that day when i was totally embarrassed for falling. they stopped the show and let me make the jump i had been thrown off at when my horse refused. that's what i call nice


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

I agree with what everyone else said. Just relax it's over in literally 2 seconds. My friend recently told me she's had her horse for 6 yrs and has never fallen off so she's scared of what he'll do. I told her to go into the round pen and to try "practice" falling aka emergency dismount at a walk, trot, and then canter when she got used to it. She did it and now feels more confident if she ever were to fall off of him during a show or what not. 

I don't know about anyone else but I have those slow motion falls where I can see the ground coming ,slowly, and I can think like a million coherant things at once then when I'm on the ground I'm like well that sucked. Anyone else fall like this or do they normaly have the "blackout falls"?


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## DieselPony (Jul 26, 2010)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> I don't know about anyone else but I have those slow motion falls where I can see the ground coming ,slowly, and I can think like a million coherant things at once then when I'm on the ground I'm like well that sucked. Anyone else fall like this or do they normaly have the "blackout falls"?


Yep, I think! First time I fell off my current mare I remember her bucking, me being pitched forward onto her neck, thinking that I should pitch the reins and push off to the side. But I didn't follow through, I got to the point of my hands on her neck ready to push, but then I just grabbed mane. Second buck she turned so the piece of ground I was aiming for was now a fence and as soon as her hind end landed I pushed. I still remember the fence getting closer to my face and the thought "smart plan, now you're out-stretched out arm is going through the fence and you're gonna break it" I did manage to turn and just crash into the ground shoulder first instead of my arm catching me on the fence. I had some gravel in my arm, but nothing worse than any of the many times falling at the school playground growing up. I didn't get right back on as it was her first time having someone on her back (my ground helper let go of her before I was even all the way on, and silly me was taking his advice over my gut instinct of stepping down one more time before swinging a leg over. I didn't stand a chance). I went back to something she was good at before mounting up again, which was successful the second time around.

And falling off does give you interesting stories, and no reason to be embarrassed. I was riding the beginners pony one day in a lesson (my normal riding partner was lame and he was the only thing not yet used that day). So I was 17, riding for 11 years at this point on the kid-perfect Shetland pony, just trotting around the arena not paying attention and talking to the instructor. Well apparently he wanted my attention so he ducked his head and bucked once than stood perfectly still. I did a perfect somersault over his head, landing on my butt in front of him with my reins still in the my hands. I've never laughed so hard in my life.


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## luxurylife88 (Apr 3, 2011)

^ learning a lot. : )


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