# Emergency dismounts



## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

I had never encountered this idea til I moved to the US, it's very possible it exists in the UK but I was not familiar with it. 

Personally I think it is not a good idea, unless you are 1'' from a brick wall. I feel that you should be riding your horse and trying to control it and minimize the damage at all times. If you are in a situation where there is little you can do, I think you can still do something to prevent injury to your horse. 

What's your thoughts?


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## Clair (Jun 7, 2010)

They make a rider feel mentally more safe, knowing you can safely dismount and remount efficiently. (Usually they are practiced in tandem. Its good training for the horse... I've mostly read about it for when a horse trips and goes to its knees, or is otherwise compromised by human weight.

I've personally never had to execute one, but I feel safer knowing I could if I needed to. Especially like on a trail ride.

But I agree most situations are not helped by just getting off.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I think it's a waste of time. As the above said, in most situations it would not be ideal to just get off. Ad why should we have to be taught? It's just getting off with a quickness. 

I think you should just not ride a horse that is out of your league. Problem solved. Even if something ridiculous happens on a well-trained horse, the good training will enable a decent rider to quickly regain control, you know?


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

While I think the idea comes from a well meaning place I don't think they are a good thing to drill in to people, especially kids. 

My 11 year old cousin took riding lessons for a while and the first thing they taught her was the emergency dismount. It was always made a huge deal of that if the child felt unsafe at all to do an emergency dismount.

Now, if she is riding out on a trail and her pony starts to trot without being asked, she jumps off. She is inadvertently teaching every pony that she rides that if they break gait she will get off. 

And this is a kid that has sat through a horse bucking in the arena!


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## Clair (Jun 7, 2010)

Huh. That's weird. I read about it in horse&rider magazine, which seemed to praise it. I think its supposed to be more about accidents than control. Like if your horse stepped into a hole or fell or something you can't honestly do much to help and are just endangering yourself and your horse by staying on. They do those kind of drills for trail all the time. Sounds like its being used in the wrong way.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

I have had moments of being out of control despite many many years of riding experience. 

For example I took Lucas out on the trails planning to ride him to my house, there was one section of road it was about 200' at the most. He is fine with traffic, used to trucks and all that. However a bunch of motorcycles came up and were revving their engines. Lucas started to turn in the road, which is a section of road where the traffic is slowing for a light. I put my hand out to tell them to wait a second while I regained control and straightened him, the bikers ignored me and one passed. Lucas was sideways in the road after this so I put my hand out firmly to tell the rest to wait, they didn't and passed anyway. Lucas reared and tried to bolt. We were cantering on the spot a second. 
Thankfully the other traffic stopped and I crossed through a parking lot rather than waiting for the intersections and so was back on the trail again. 


So I understand that despite the experience level, things can happen. However an emergency dismount in this situation would have left my horse dead or very injured or just running through traffic and lost.

I did feel that if this had gone worse then my life could have been in danger as I was in traffic. However, his life would have been worse if I had just hopped off. 

As a teenager I was on a horse that bolted, and kept going. I was seesawing her face and pulling the bridle hard one direction, and got nowhere. If I had just jumped off, who knows where that horse would have ended up. 

To me it is just an odd concept, I would never fling the door open on the car I am driving and bail ship, I would try to minimize the accident as much as possible. It doesn't make sense to me that you would not do the same with a horse. 

Clair, if a horse was on its knees I would just hop off, that is not the same as an emergency dismount to me.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

HowClever said:


> My 11 year old cousin took riding lessons for a while and the first thing they taught her was the emergency dismount. It was always made a huge deal of that if the child felt unsafe at all to do an emergency dismount.


Interesting, and it makes me wonder if it comes from a liability issue for a teaching barn, that they don't want to be sued for injuries to a child. 

Clair, I am meaning more practicing jumping off a moving horse. The practice this in walk, trot and sometimes canter.


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Maybe it is a liability thing Alex.

I know sometimes it was scary to watch though as sometimes these kids would fling themselves off and land in front of the horse's shoulder. All very well and good with school horses that have been taught to stop when the rider comes off, but I always had visions of these kids out riding their own ponies, pony takes off, kids dismounts lands in front of the shoulder and pony continues right on over the top.

I would think that learning to ride properly, have a good strong, balanced seat and the like would prevent more accidents then people jumping off all over the place!


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

I seem to have an issue with this. ;;
I've been taught that emergency dismounts (quick dismounts, keeping as far from the horse as possible) were only to be used when I was on the verge of falling off, or my horse was on the verge of falling over.
I ride a reared, and I can count a few times where I should've jumped off and away. I dislike falling, a lot. I haven't fallen too many times because I despise it, I'm not positive why but it makes me feel like I'm running away like a puppy with its tail between it's legs. Not sure why, since falling for safety is obviously a good thing, since my life is more important than a horse's.
But the only time I would ever use an "emergency dismount" is if I fear my horse will lose his balance and flip (we're still working on the rearing thing..) or if we're running, he just so happens to trip, and I just so happen to become unseated and/or lose reins completely.
I would teach all riders to be able to dismount at each gait and in emergency situations. The horses I work with/fix training issues on -will- stop when I leave their back, and I'll work their asses off if they don't. This has carried over into shows where their rider fell and they'll stop dead in their tracks and wait. When I see horses running around without their riders I think to myself about how dangerous it is. Thus, why the emergency dismount is suppose to have to push yourself as far from your horse as possible. I understand the example doesn't match, but it's the idea of getting trampled by a crazed horse I was getting at.
If I have to jump off for any reason, I want my horse to stop and stand there until I walk him off or get back on and stay calm. There's no reason they should be able to run around crazy, but that's getting to a different topic. 
My point was that it is for safety. If your horse decides to rear out of nowhere and threatens to flip, you're going to want to be a safe distance away if they do go over. I won't use it until me horse is for sure going over, but I'd rather my horse be injured than me be dead. It'd be a shame, but my life is more important. *shrugs* But, teaching kids to jump off as soon as they feel uncomfortable is ridiculous, IMO. It's dangerous and could create a -nasty- horse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Clair (Jun 7, 2010)

In that case I totally agree! There is no sense in bailing off of your horse at speed. That's just dangerous and useless... 

"Hey horsey... Wanna be done for the day? Just bolt and you can train your human to leap off of your back! Cool trick right?"

What I know of as an emergency dismount is just the hopping off thing. Learn something new everyday...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

This is something I was never trained or shown how to do, but if you mean the ability to be able to very quickly leap off a moving horse, I happen to think it definitely has its place. As a last resort.-
I have done it once on a trail ride. Guiding a trail, lady behind me was disabled, her saddle was slipping and she was going down. I just dropped the reins, leapt backwards off my horse and caught her before she fell. This was just at a walk.
I currently ride near a major highway, 4 lane, 100 km/60mph speed limit, transport trucks. If my horse happened to bolt toward it, (we do cross it) and I was absolutely unable to stop or turn him, I would bail the minute his foot touched the edge of the road. I love him like crazy, but I don't need to die with him. He has never in 16 years executed an unstoppable bolt, but who knows, accidents can happen.
A friend of mine was crossing a wooden bridge when his horse's leg went through the boards, and this guy was off the horse before the fall was over.
So yes, I think this move is very valuable in certain circumstances. I have never attempted it at faster than an easy trot, but I am glad that at least I have done that on the odd chance that dire circumstances should arise.


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## SAsamone (Nov 5, 2009)

Haven't read all the posts, but I've seen both sides of the fence:

1- when I was a new rider, I ED'd becuase I was riding bareback and she took off and I was scared. I broke my ankle as a result.

2- a lady was killed that lived on my street because her horse took off and nothing she did to stop it was working. They both were hit by a semi-truck. 

It can be a good thing to know when to bail. However, in most circumstances, you should try to control the horse IMO as I should have done in my instance. However, being a new rider, I thought falling to be the scariest thing ever. Guess I should have stayed on lol. 

And as someone said above, I too don't fall alot, simply becuase I am afraid to lol.


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## Horsesdontlie (Mar 11, 2011)

SAsamone said:


> Haven't read all the posts, but I've seen both sides of the fence:
> 
> 1- when I was a new rider, I ED'd becuase I was riding bareback and she took off and I was scared. I broke my ankle as a result.
> 
> ...


I have the same opinion as this. I wouldn't ever teach anyone to just hope off if you got scared or at high speeds, but if it was something that was life and death, I am all for bailing. I am lucky enough to have the ED installed in my instincts, when its all hitting the fan I always manage to bail out of the way. My horse has reared and flipped over twice (this problem has been solved....) and has fallen a few times. ( Balance issues and he could careless where he puts his feet) I have NEVER been landed on because I always made sure to bail when I knew it was going down. I also have had a tack malfunction once (My Bit came unsnapped in the middle of a barrel race, I will never use clips on my bit ever again) and my horse was full speed running towards the gate. Knowing my horses personality, if I didn't tell him to stop or turn he was going to be as honest as he always had been and either run into the gate or try and jump it. And without a bit there was going to be no cue that he would listen to at a full out gallop. I was lucky enough that the gate guy opened the gate (which he shouldn't have as I had no control and he wasn't paying attention, but thank god he did) and Jake slowed down on his own once outside the arena and turned at a wall that even he wouldn't try jumping and I was able to grab his tie down and turn him. Anyhow, end of my rambling. If the gate hadn't of been open I would have bailed, and now that I think about it it would have been nice to know the ED.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Mixed feelings. Given how quickly a horse can do a 90 deg turn, I'm hard pressed to think of a situation where I would want to do an emergency dismount at speed. By the time I knew he wasn't turning, it would be too late.

That said, I've needed to get off a horse that would slow, but wouldn't stop for anything. In that case, I turned her enough to slow her to a walk, did a very fast but largely regular dismount and ended on my feet.

I don't have much experience, but all the folks I know who do say to stay on until there isn't a choice, then roll if able (but you usually don't get that choice).


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

I believe that emergency dismount is a good thing to train. It isn't supposed to be just getting off the horse when you feel uncomfortable. Its not any different than learning a one rein stop. It's not always going be right for every situation, but it is still good to know.
I got tore my rotator cuff and screwed up my back trying to stay on a horse when I should have bailed.
Knowing when to stop is not necessarily a bad thing.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

I've never been taught any sort of "proper" form for emergency dismount, but if I get in a bind, I'm sure going to get off in the quickest way possible if I know I can't fix the issue and it's only going to get worse with me in the saddle. If I'm on a BAD bucker and I know I'm coming off, for instance, I'm looking for the first semi-stable moment to reach the ground on my own terms, rather than getting flung face-first into a fence. Or if a horse is spooked past the point of no return....

Ex) I was riding Bones (a very spooky, freaky horse) a few years back and my cantle saddle bag came untied on one side, swinging down and hitting her in the stifle with every step. She panicked and tried to bolt and buck at the same time. Things were getting worse by the second. I managed to do a hop-of that left me standing on one leg and kneeling on the other, completely unhurt. I still had a hold of my reins, and I managed to longe her in a circle around me, gradually pulling her to a stop so I could remove the offending saddle bag and calm her down. Had I stayed mounted, I probably would have eventually been thrown, and hurt, and she would have bolted back to the barn, dragging her reins the whole way...


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

riccil0ve said:


> I think you should just not ride a horse that is out of your league. Problem solved. Even if something ridiculous happens on a well-trained horse, the good training will enable a decent rider to quickly regain control, you know?


I have a new gelding, that was not on dairy pasture before I bought him, and was fine on it for a number of weeks, when one day I rode him and he suddenly went off on a bucking fit. He's not out of my league by any means, but I never felt this particular episode coming, and by the time I realised he wasn't going to stop, I was halfway off him and decided for my own safety I was just going to kick my legs out of the stirrups.
- I say for my own safety, because I have spine issues and I would rather dismount on my own rather than be thrown from a 700kg horse, right into his own path. Even so, this "emergency dismount" was only a half decided one because I knew I was coming off anyway.
-He is well trained, while only 7 and an ex racer he is actually very well behaved, that particular type of grass just got the better of him and I have since solved this problem.

-However I do agree with you saying that people should not ride horses out of their league. Like I wouldn't put my 6yo learning sister onto anything apart from her own pony, who is very well trained.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I actually did it couple times when I was a young kid (which was pretty while back :wink: ), and both times horse bolted badly and I had no control of it (nor I could turn it in circle because the trail was very narrow). Overall I don't think it's a good idea though - you never know how you'll land.


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## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

I definitely think most if not every rider should know the basics behind an emergency dismount.

I think a few of you are confused behind the thinking on this. It is NOT getting off when you feel uncomfortable (but more on that later), it is knowing how to get off IN THE CORRECT WAY when all else fails. If your horse is out of control and heading towards a situation that means big trouble- maybe even death- then I believe the rider should try to get off if they've already tried everything to get the horse under control. 

I think the trouble comes when:
One: People use this the wrong way.
Two: People fall in the wrong way.

Part of an ED is knowing how to fall. I was taught NOT to fall by the horse at all- but to try to get as far from the horse as possible. Now, someone may get hurt during an ED depite everything, but the POINT of one says that this injury is better than whatever injury you would've gotten had you stayed in the saddle. 

Back to the getting off while uncomfortable thing. I see no problem with it in the correct situations. If a beginner rider is riding a horse that is spooking once every five seconds and there is no calming the horse down, perhaps it is better for the rider to dismount safely than to be thrown off and hurt. A rider's safety is the most important thing. However, I do not agree with just hopping off a horse if it breaks into a trot without someone telling them too, or if a horse trips, etc. Just situations where things could be potentially dangerous and staying in the saddle is really no use. While riding, you want to prevent falls AND EDs and the situations that bring them as much as possible.


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## PoohLP (Jan 15, 2009)

Being able to control when and how we fall in an emergency (not simply because we are slightly uncomfortable) is one of the best tools we can give both ourselves and our horses and the time to learn this is not when the horse is collapsing underneath us or threatening to kill us in some other manner. I don't care how experienced you are, you simply never can know when a horse is going to fall out from under you or have a bee sting it under the girth or whatever. Saying that if you only ride horses at your level, you will never have to worry about this is about as naive as saying that if your horse is perfectly trained, you will never need to wear a helmet because they will never do anything to hurt you. Both attitudes are inviting severe injury or worse. 

If a horse is going down and possibly over, you don't want to go down with it. Knowing how to dismount safely in this type of emergency situation kept me from being crushed when the horse I was on tripped out from under me and went down in a head over heels rolling motion that would probably have resulted in my leg being crushed and my rips broken at the very least. As it was, because I had been trained and had the wherewithal to fling myself off and away from the horse as I felt what was happening, all I got was a bruise on my hip. This dismount/fall had nothing to do with bolting, or spooking or being overfaced. I was on a well trained horse that simply tripped as I cued a transition from trot to canter on a trail.

Knowing how to get off a horse safely if you have to is invaluable. 
A. Because it keeps you from getting crushed/hit by a semi/etc, and 
B/ Because by requiring you to learn how to dismount/fall safely, it takes the fear of falling away. You build instincts that will kick in without having to think, whether you are choosing to dismount in an emergency or you find yourself falling despite all best efforts - maybe say like in a rotational fall on a x-country course. If you have developed the instict to land on your side, push/roll away from the horse, drop the reins, etc., by practicing in a safe, controlled environment, you don't have to think in an emergency, you just do. And you don't fear falling when it comes, you just do what you have to do to get through it safely and get back where you belong - in the saddle.


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## jdw (Mar 17, 2011)

Isn't another point of ED to learn HOW to dismount and roll? I have heard it's to teach you how to roll into a ball or something, right? I have no experience with it, as I have always felt like the majority of you. However upon close examination of some factors (like falling back/rearing) I have to agree knowing how in extreme situations is probably a good thing, if taught when TO utilize it and when to NOT. I also know part of being a truly good horseman is keeping us both safe, IMO.


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## PoohLP (Jan 15, 2009)

^^^^

Exactly. It is less about ditching and more about learning how to ditch safely when the inevitable happens and you don't really have a choice.

If you learn how to fall, you don't fear it. If you don't fear it, you don't tense up. If you don't tense up, your chances of landing safely increase dramatically.


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## ArabianChic (Mar 29, 2011)

I've only had to do an E-dismount once. I was galloping a horse in a field (which I knew had no holes so he didn't step into a hole) and the horse tripped, went to his knees and his back end was still traveling at gallop speed so if I had stayed on I would have been crushed. I jumped off (well...the momentum from the fall kind of helped with that. lol) and rolled out of the way. 

I think E-dismounts really should only be used in the case of you the rider being hurt or possibly killed in a fall. You don't want to just go jumping off your horse for every problem like "Oh my horse is bucking! BAIL!!" or "Oh my horse is bolting BAIL!!!". That will just teach the horse "Hey if I do this then you go flying and I can do whatever I want!". 
I was taught never to do and E-dismount unless I absolutely had to and as a result I've only had to do it once in 11 years of riding. I've heard of people teaching new riders to bail whenever they feel uncomfortable but that does absolutely no good for the riders confidence or the horse.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

jdw said:


> However upon close examination of some factors (like falling back/rearing) I have to agree knowing how in extreme situations is probably a good thing, if taught when TO utilize it and when to NOT.


Good point! Reminded me I did dismount once several years back. Horse (chronic rearer noone could cure) went straight up on hill, lost balance and started flipping over (not a 1st time he actually fell backwards, but I didn't know about it). Heck, THAT was very scary! I just dropped everything, sled off and rolled away. BTW, that horse sent a very experience rider to ER later on also on rearing and flipping over...


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## PoohLP (Jan 15, 2009)

Yes, there is a reason it is called an emergency dismount and not a "mild discomfort/increased nervousness" dismount! It should ONLY be employed when the chances of being hurt by hitting the ground are far outweighed by far your chances of getting hurt by trying to stay in the saddle. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I've never "learned" an emergency dismount, but I've jumped off of several rearers or horses that were spooking out of control and not been hurt. 

I honestly don't know if I would jump off a bucker. A friend did that and didn't manage to get out of the way and he came down on top of her. I usually stay on the runaways until I can get them under control. Though if the horse was running towards a cliff or a semi I would jump off. 

My old mare was trained to stop the second she felt you start to come off. So an ED was never really needed. Though it has been used to stop her when she "ran away" (walked away quickly she was 29 and arthritic) when a kid was riding her. :lol:


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

MN Tigerstripes said:


> I honestly don't know if I would jump off a bucker. *A friend did that and didn't manage to get out of the way and he came down on top of her*. I usually stay on the runaways until I can get them under control. Though if the horse was running towards a cliff or a semi I would jump off.


That's exactly why I jumped off Mitchell when I did, the momentum from his bucking was that much that if he had thrown me off fully, he would have thrown me in front of him and run me over.. So I chose to complete my fall by pushing off the side of him while I was already half off anyway:lol:. I ended up with a gnarly bruise on the inside of my knee and calf, which was the talk of the school:lol:. But my back, my head + Helmet and everything else was safe.
-On his average bucks I just sit them out, but there was no sitting this one out without a super-glued butt:lol:.


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## Stormness (Apr 6, 2011)

I've never done an emergency dismount.. I've let go when I was sideways, and heading for a big tree, but I still bounced off another tree and ended up underneath, being rolled along underneath her belly until I hit a log and she jumped over the log and me with it. Only got a concussion, but I black out now whenever I leave the saddle even remotely and therefore I go flying... and have to either get an eyewitness account of how I fell, or try to interpret the pain and bruises to figure out how I landed! ? 

I've taught a few kids to ride, and I've always told them that at least while you're on the horse you have control.. what control do you have if you jump off?


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I have to agree with JDW. There are certain situations where it is good to have that knowledge in your back pocket. I do think there is a wide variance in how they are taught. It's an EMERGENCY dismount, not bail off because your horse bucked or spooked dismount. I was taught an ED very early on and just this year at age 30 had to use it for the first time. 

I was working my youngest stud in the indoor and he went down. Groundhogs had tunneled under the arena and there was no visible disturbance. Woodstock went down at a lope to his knee in a hole and we rolled pretty hard. I had the wits enough about me to push off hard in that split second when everything kind of freezes, just enough it got me out of the way. An ED saved me from having 1200 lbs of horse on top of me.


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## QuarterhorseRider (Apr 7, 2011)

To me, they are very important! I once was in the indoor arena and it was storming very badly. I was having a grouP lesson and I was last in line. I was riding a little pony named Gabe and he was freaking out. I hopped off and turned him away from the jump, just in time.


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## Jacksmama (Jan 27, 2010)

PoohLP said:


> ^^^^
> 
> It is less about ditching and more about learning how to ditch safely when the inevitable happens and you don't really have a choice.


 Perfectly said! I have stayed on when I shouldn't have, and was forcefully taught that if you're gonna go anyway it's better to go under some semblance of control than fly through the air with arms and legs windmilling and watching the dirt rush for your face in slow-mo,lol.


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## SAsamone (Nov 5, 2009)

****^^ nicely put.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Jacksmama said:


> Perfectly said! I have stayed on when I shouldn't have, and was forcefully taught that if you're gonna go anyway it's better to go under some semblance of control than fly through the air with arms and legs windmilling and watching the dirt rush for your face in slow-mo,lol.


Haha ohh dear, did you get the feeling of "that's a long way down" ?
I did when I come off Mitchell, my thoughts were "why did I buy such big horse, and man that's a long way"... THUD:lol:


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## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

> Haha ohh dear, did you get the feeling of "that's a long way down" ?
> I did when I come off Mitchell, my thoughts were "why did I buy such big horse, and man that's a long way"... THUD


LOL haven't we all at one time? I used to feel that way everytime I was on the mounting block and had to get on :lol:! And a lot of times on the "almost-falls"! I also love it when I critique the place I think I'm going to fall, have you ever done that? xD


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Cinder said:


> LOL haven't we all at one time? I used to feel that way everytime I was on the mounting block and had to get on :lol:! And a lot of times on the "almost-falls"! I also love it when I critique the place I think I'm going to fall, have you ever done that? xD


I think the mahority of us would have, its only now that i have a bigger horse that I have time to think before I eat dirt.

Yes I've done that too:lol:, happened to be a nice soft-looking (boy was I wrong) green patch of grass, that had a nice big fresh pile of manure in the middle which is exactly where I landed *HeadDesk.
So needless to say I got back on that horse covered in his own manure.


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