# What's the best way to teach a horse to stop when the rider falls off?



## Poco1220 (Apr 6, 2010)

Wow, I guess I never thought of teaching a horse to stop. In my experience you just get the ones that automatically will without even thinking, you get the ones that carry on without a care, and you get the ones that completely freak out. I think alot of it depends on how the fall happens, where, and why. There's not really a way to plan for the unexpected.


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

Ideally you should hold on to your rein, even if you fall off. Easier said than done, lol!


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

In my experience, it's best that your horse very solidly knows the verbal command for "whoa". Whether lunging or free penning, when you say "WHOA", he should slide to an immediate halt.

After that, it's pretty easy! You just practice riding forward, and then at a walk, sliding off him (often easiest bareback), and firmly saying WHOA. If he continues forward, use your reins from the ground to make him halt and stand. 

Most horses have a natural inclination to want to stop when you are unbalanced or falling. Unfortunately, many of us only happen to be unbalanced or falling when our horses are acting badly, and in my experience, teaching them to stop when you fall off goes out the window when they're delibrately bucking you off :lol:

I've had it save my life though, getting hung up in my tack and having my horse listen to me repeating whoa from a dangling stirrup.


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## darkwillow (Apr 12, 2009)

I agree. Some horses will, some horses won't. You'll be at a show, and the horses that will won't. I have two horses that will move a few strides away and then stop, just to be out of my way. I also had a horse that would hightail it. Depends on the horse i guess.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Skipsfirstspike said:


> Ideally *you should hold on to your rein*, even if you fall off. Easier said than done, lol!


Never, never do it! If you fall, hold the rein and horse freaks out next you'll have is horse actually stepping or striking at you, which may lead to really bad injuries. I had it happen with me once and I've seen it happening with other people. Just let it go - most horses will stop especially if you ride with someone and other horse stops.


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## Equus_girl (Jan 25, 2009)

This is a really interesting topic. My horse Berdi stops immediately when I fall off and stares at me like really concerned like, "What happened?" She is so sweet! But I've fallen off others who will simply gallop away, reins trailing behind them and you have to chase after them to catch them up again!


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

hmmm...I didn't train my horse to stop, she just bucked me off and then stopped and looked at me. Given, I still had the reins in my hand but I fell off a horse with my foot caught in my stirrups and he dragged me a few feet before I got my sences back and got my foot outta the stirrup.


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

maybe just pretending to fall off and getting them to sto when you do, this might just get it in their head that when your off, they stop.
Ive only fallen off once on my new horse, but it was after she threw a few bucks... As soon as i hit the ground my first thought was "grab the reins!!!' haha i rolled over as fast as i could to grab them or try to if she was galloping away... and i rolled right into her nose in my face, haha she looked at me like: you idiot! get up! what are you doing down there dummie!! 
haha i think it depends on the horse.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I've come off my horse 2 times. One time we were galloping and he stopped dead in his tracks when I came off. The second time he was just standing there, something scared him and caught me off guard. He spun around, dumped me and galloped 2 miles home. I find it ironic that time he was hauling *** he stopped, and the time he was standing still he ended up hauling ***. I guess it depends on the circumstances going on during the unexpected dismount. 

Unless you're in an area, such as near a busy road, where you absolutely need to hold on to save your horse, I also let go of the reins. You can't fall safely and roll if you're trying to hang on. I did it once and the horse still tried to take off and yanked my shoulder half off my body. It still hurts from time to time. I wish I had let go.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

kitten_Val said:


> Never, never do it! If you fall, hold the rein and horse freaks out next you'll have is horse actually stepping or striking at you, which may lead to really bad injuries. I had it happen with me once and I've seen it happening with other people. Just let it go - most horses will stop especially if you ride with someone and other horse stops.


I ride with long 7 foot western reins and always hang on to a rein when we go down and I have gone down many a time. I take my chances on being stepped on and will not loose my horse. It could easily mean his death.


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## Pidge (Sep 5, 2009)

I have two horses with polar opposite personalities...

With Romeo if I come off...and i rarely do...he will stop and look at me or if he goes to walk I say Whoa and he will stop then Stand and he will stand and wait for me...stand is his ground tie command.

Bause on the other hand...she will run like hell...gets me off then stops for about two second to think 'Ugh oh...I shook them off...Im in trouble...I should run...' (i did not fill her head with this...she is either 'off' or she got in trouble in the past...Idk which...) It doesnt help all i do is trail ride...in the pasture or in an arena I would let go of my rein and just go catch her but if im on the trails you bet ill hang onto that rein...If I let go I would never get her back. She would run even if every other horse in a five mile distance froze in place much less the ones im riding with.

I agree that it is not smart to hold on to a rein when you come off...but in some circumstances you just have to hang on and hope for the best...

As for how I would go about training one...teach whoa teach to ground tie with a verbal command like stand...that way the horse will stop and then the horse will stay put without you constantly repeating whoa.

But as said before...you cant teach every horse to stop...also i like rio's statement...7 ft long western split reins...that way even if your horse gets loose they cant hook a leg through their reins (ive had this happen it was bad) and if your lucky they will step on them and stop themselves (ive had this happen too)


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

I too hold on to my rein if it is long enough. I think all my reins are now and it was partly for this reason that I got rid of all my short reins. If I'm 10 miles from home, I don't want to walk home if my horse decides to leave without me.

I have been trying to train my horses to stop when I lose my balance. I haven't been diligent enough about it, but my method is to slide sideways, forwards or backwards and at the same time say Whoa and pull on the reins. Cause if I'm falling, I'm pullilng too!


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I would think this would be easier to teach with split reins. Unlike english reins that stay on the horse's neck no matter where you are, I would think if the horse knows how to ground tie, having a split rein touch the ground would say "stop" to the horse.


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## ptvintage (Feb 12, 2010)

Reinforce a verbal "whoa" command. Although every horse but one that I've ridden all just stopped when I fell off. 



Skipsfirstspike said:


> Ideally you should hold on to your rein, even if you fall off. Easier said than done, lol!


Noooo nooooooo nooo!!! Oh lord, no! That's the quickest way to get dragged, and you can be killed from being dragged by a horse.

Not the exact situation, but I remember a horse I knew a long time ago that was tied to a heavy post and she freaked out about something and ripped the post off, and took off dragged it. She went about a half a mile before she stopped. The post bashed her legs up really badly. You can bet if that was a person clinging on to that rope they would have very very badly hurt.

Better the horse run 10 miles and I never find him than end up being killed by him...


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Interesting....I never really taught my horses to stop. They just....do


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## dreamrideredc (Apr 16, 2009)

Along with the above...

When you fall off your horse, it's a good idea not to punish them. Riders at my barn wonder why their horse takes off everytime they take a fall. The time for punishing is when you are on your horse, but by the time you end up on the ground, your horse probably doesn't know what they did wrong. Beating your horse everytime you fall is a good way to teach your horse to dump you and run, if I was the horse that's what I would do :wink:

And yes, it does depend a lot on the horse, too. I seem to have gotten lucky with my boy, and then again I don't beat him when I fall


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## Silvera (Apr 27, 2010)

Has anyone heard of an imergancy dismount? it is great for this. It's fairly simple to teach your horse. Like MacabreMikolaj said, start bareback. Ask your horse to walk then you lean out over their shoulder, when you are unbalanced ask for the whoa. If they stop praise them. If they don't, swing yourself off landing by their shoulder facing them and stop them with your reins. It is easiest if you have split reins. Keep doing this until they stop when you lean out over their shoulder. When they do stop move to the trot and repeat the process until they stop at the trot. I wouldn't suggest trying it at a canter as you may get hurt if you land wrong.

Work on coming off and seeing if they stop when you unbalance yourself.


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## BryCowboy7 (May 24, 2009)

You know, I have heard many things about voice commands and I have been working with horses for a long time. But most of the time i have always heard about voice commands. Now my recent mentor that I am training under says that he does not use voice commands for the reason of someone from the sidelines can yell something like "WHOA" or "YA" or something of that nature and the horse will respond to what the outsiders are saying instead of paying attention to you (the rider). He believes in more of the weight and the way that your body is positioned. But I do see the point about what if you fall off and are hanging by the tack; their is no way to position your body weight in the saddle to make him stop. Basically all you have left is to pray that he stops or use your voice, or if by chance you still have the reins in your hand, you can try pulling and see what happens. But a voice command does seem a bit more promising. plus if you are on the ground and your horse is running off I don't think that your weight is going to be doing anything then so again there is praying or using a voice command. Plus to get across the argument about your horse listening to what outsiders are saying, I do believe that you can train your horse to only respond to the rider or at least your own voice cause horses do have great hearing and they can tell where a noise is coming from. So voice commands do have their place.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

The times I fall off anymore are when the horse is blowing a cork and no amount of whoa is going to stop it. I don't want the horse to stay anywhere around me until it calms down. Sometimes I get up just in time to see the horse going over the hill and sometimes they turn right around and come back. Last fall I had a horse buck me off at a roping and I tried to keep hold of the rein. To make a long story short I dislocated a finger and went to the hospital and eventually had $5000 worth of surgery on it to reattach the tendon. My view may change later but for now I think I would rather walk home than risk getting stepped on or hurt again and I don't fall off often enough to make it an important part of my training.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

I ride mounted games - We jump off at a canter/gallop and the horse needs to keep coming with us.

Stopping when we are off or unbalanced would be a disaster!


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## TheCowgirlRanda (Mar 31, 2010)

my horse stops and looks at me like "What are you doing on the ground????"


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

RiosDad said:


> I ride with long 7 foot western reins and always hang on to a rein when we go down and I have gone down many a time. I take my chances on being stepped on and will not loose my horse. It could easily mean his death.


RD, IF you are strong enough to stop may be (and yes, probably for long western loose reins it's a different story as you have some space when you hold one rein). However I found it nearly impossible to stop/calm the horse with english reins if you fall and horse freaked out AND it to be safe for you (as in this case you are right under the hoofs). I don't think broken ribs and/or face bones will help much to deal with situation.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

I think the key word, Val, is English vs Western reins. Split reins make it possible to hold on to your horse but buckled reins are too short and could be dangerous. I do my best to hold on to my split reins when I come off. In the same token, my horses are taught to ground tie so that may be an advantage.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

iridehorses said:


> I think the key word, Val, is English vs Western reins. Split reins make it possible to hold on to your horse but buckled reins are too short and could be dangerous. I do my best to hold on to my split reins when I come off. In the same token, my horses are taught to ground tie so that may be an advantage.


Oh, yes, I agree. I used split reins when I started my horses western. But since I switched to english riding, english reins come as a part of the deal. And I keep forgetting about split reins and the advantages they give. :wink:


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

Sorry if I didn't clarify... I ride with long split western reins. I doubt I would try or even be able to hold onto the shorter english one piece rein.


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## Little T Ranch (Mar 9, 2010)

The start of this comes from a very clear understanding of the mounting and dismounting process. What that means is you don't move when I get on and you don't move when I get off. This must be clear on both ends. Once you have that in place you can begin to get off at the walk . The other piece is to not use the mouth to stop . Just hold on to some mane and neck for balance . When your foot start come out of the right stirrup the horse should begin to stop. When that works get off. Please don't try this until the horse is clear about the mounting and dismounting part. Then practice at a walk and work your way up to a trot. Just stop riding forward and get off. This will not work on a bucking horse ,they are too scared and excited at that point . Like Kevin pointed out you really don't want that around you. This is a foundation exercise that is worked in steps. When this is built in you will be able to get off ,or fall off ,and the horse will stop.


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## Plains Drifter (Aug 4, 2009)

Skipsfirstspike said:


> Ideally you should hold on to your rein, even if you fall off. Easier said than done, lol!


Doing this once when I was younger in the middle of MT, on a horse that spooked, I went over his head, and he was nice enough to back up until I could stand up and he drug me through some really nice cactus. I had cactus from the top of my shoulder down past my thigh. And unfortunately I had to get up, get back on him (bareback) and ride back to the farm before heading home to pick all 5 million cactus needles out of my body.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

That makes good sense Little T, but we also need to consider what made us come off to begin with. If your horse bucked from fear or became spooked for some reason, then his instinct to flee may overcome his training. The training has to be extremely strong. It is going to take a lot of work to be sure that he isn't going to leave you on the ground.

I'm nursing a couple of fractured ribs from one of my horses that spooked for some reason while we were on the trail in the woods across from my farm. I still don't know what happened, it was so fast but he stood there shaking from whatever he saw, still, he waited for me 10' away. I had to remount and ride home (it took 4 or 5 attempts to remount and he stood there even through the fear). That was all from training and confidence in me as his leader.


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## Pidge (Sep 5, 2009)

A short note on the english vs western reins....Im sorta picky on my reins and as a trail rider it doesnt matter if they are split or not...one of my horses has split reins one doesnt because I like the feel of both sets, its just I like those individual reins on those particular horses.

I will try my hardest to hold onto my split reins...I am not loosing my horses...in the same sense Ill try hard to hold onto the non-split ones too...but only if I manage to come off on my feet and Ive done this twice now and its the only two times ive come off with non-split reins.

Having english style reins gives you a mind set: I best not come off this horse...and if I do I best land on my feet...

I think the mind set of landing on your feet can actually cause you to land on your feet...possibly a subconsious thing?


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Interesting thread, lots of interesting viewpoints. 

In re: whether or not to hold onto the reins:

When I rode racehorses, the standing policy was that if you fell off, you bought the barn a sixpack, and if you feel off AND let go off the reins, you bought the barn a case. 

The reason for this is that the loose horse endangers all of the other horses and riders on the track, and that if it was in your power to do so, you held on, out of concern for the safety of the other riders. 

However, I did buy a couple of cases of beer in my day, and a few six packs. 

In non race horse situations, whether or not I held on to the reins depends on the force and mechanics of the fall, where I'm located and what danger the loose horse will be in (next to a road? - hang on!), whether or not the horse is dragging me and how far I'll have to walk home if the horse takes off. 

I don't think there's any one right answer.


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## Juniper (May 4, 2007)

"How to teach your horse to stop if he feels you falling off! (And teach him to stay put and NOT run off!)"
this is part of a description on a training DVD from Diana Quintana at www.SuperStarsOf HorseTraining.com
I was always curious to see what she had to say but I don't really feel like spending any more money to buy the DVD after sending my horse to the trainers for a few months!


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## Poco1220 (Apr 6, 2010)

I've had a few different kind of horses when it comes to these falls. 

I had an arabian who I fell off my fair share of times and I always ended up walking back to the barn on my own (usually a good 5 miles) where he would be standing in the aisle as if he were crosstied and happily awaiting my return. 

I leased a NSH who upon bucking me off would walk home with me but would ALWAYS maintain a distance of about 20 feet so that I was literally following him at my pace the whole way home. He wouldn't run home without me but he wouldn't let me catch him either... I found this the most frustrating since I could SEE him but couldn't catch him.

Then I have my boy who if I fall off (this has only happened twice and for the same reason both time - saddle stirrup failures) takes 1-2 steps to ensure I am not under his feet and freezes in place. No amount of coercing from any other person can make this horse move until I get up and move him myself as he knows his mom is down and hurt. I guess it would be funny if the ambulance had to come as they would have to work AROUND the horse since he will not move.

I think the funniest part is that the runner was my experienced trail and endurance horse who should have known to stay put upon disaster. The walker was my leased NSH who was shown nationally and should have been terrified of the trails and wanting to go home. And the stayer (loving my made up words) is my paint stallion who stereotypically should have made a run for the mares each time but didn't.

You can do anything you want as far as training and preparation but you just never know what's really going to happen until afterwards.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

maura said:


> When I rode racehorses, the standing policy was that *if you fell off, you bought the barn a sixpack*, and if you feel off AND let go off the reins, you bought the barn a case.


When I was a kid it was big cake for the barn. And since we were poor I tried to avoid it on my best. :lol:


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I was taught to keep at least one hand on the reins if you fell/got bucked off.

Since I ride mostly in out of ring situations, this has helped me keep hold of my horse.

The last time I took a fall (horse spooked sideways at 300 mph.) I lost the reins, but the horse was enchanted by the grassy field and dropped his head to graze. It was easy enough for me to stand up, brush off my injured pride, grab his reins, and remount.

Most horses stop when they feel you leave the saddle unless there are extenuating circumstances, like evil, horse killing, mutant, ninja minis around! :wink:


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

I think most people make a good point - it's handy training to have, but it really only works if the accident was not the fault of the horse. Typically, if the horses training isn't good enough that he's still bucking/spooking hard enough to dump you, it isn't going to be enough to make him stick around either.

Playboy was trained to stop when his rider fell, and it worked brilliantly at saving my life the one time he slipped on ice and crushed my leg when he fell. However, this same horse very happily kicked up his heels and took off bucking and farting every one of the sixteen dozen times he intentionally made me eat dirt :lol:

As a note, I was also a child - this was trained into him out of worry for my safety, being as kid's tend to fall off more from silly things like a trip. I don't bother training my horses now.

I will also hang onto the reins if at all possible, but I won't be dragged. It's pretty easy to make that split second decision whether to let go or not, and I've never had a problem with it. I don't care where I am, my horses brains mean less to me then mine do, so I'm protecting my own if he wants to be an idiot!


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## Hostage91 (Jan 15, 2010)

My horse is afraid of cows... 
not a good combination in texas... i was riding down my road one day and a calf moved about 5 ft away, my horse stormy spooked.. and i was riding bareback. i fell off in front of her with the reins still in my hands. she stepped on my right side, and on the right side of my jaw, but she was also trying to get around me so she wouldnt hurt me, when she got over me, she stopped and grabbed my shirt and pulled me in a sitting position, and wouldnt leave my side.. if i wouldnt have had those reins there is no telling what would've happened, i risked my safety and my life holding onto those reins, and i'd do it again in a heartbeat if it means saving my horses life... even if i didnt make it..


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I really prefer to ride with split reins and mine are all at least 8' long. When I come off, I try to hold onto one but it doesn't always work that way LOL. I teach my horses to stop when I get off by starting at the walk and as I step off, I tighten the reins until they stop. I work at it until they are solid and then move up to the trot. Most times, I never have to work on teaching it at the lope because they are pretty much automatic by that time. One way that I work on it is to not ask for the stop when we are coming up to a gate, I just step off and expect them to stop. If they don't then I will correct them with the reins but it doesn't take that long for them to figure it out.


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## PechosGoldenChance (Aug 23, 2009)

I agree with the one above poster who said that you should just practice by sliding off and seeing how they react. Than I would do it at the trot. Maybe I would try the canter but that might be a tougher one to try and slip off of lol. That will for sure test my balance though...if it's harder to fall off than stay on...than I'll know my balance is good haha.


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## PechosGoldenChance (Aug 23, 2009)

Oh shoot! I forgot to add another thing. As for holding onto the reins when you fall...I would advise not too. Not only can it make the situation worse if you got tangled up in the reins, but have you noticed how some people hold the reins while falling and jerk the crap out of the horses mouth? I never grab for my reins. If she takes off w/o me she knows where home is, and most of the time we are in the arena anyways.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I've done my fair share of falling. At my barn, you had to bring cookies in for the poor instructor that had to panic about it, lol. I'm not sure if the horses I fell off of stopped because I was holding on to the reins, or stopped because I fell off. I do know that the two times I DID lose hold of the reins, the horse took off, haha. However, none of these horses threw me, I would lose my balance over a weird jump, I'd ride the horse into a wall, something like that. Once, I fell of a horse because she spooked, she dragged me a few feet but I got on my feet and that's when she stopped. Who knows how long she would have kept "bolting."

I've never fallen off my own personal horse, but my little sister has. She dropped the reins and as soon as she left the saddle, Ricci performed a sliding stop that would put any reining horse to shame and waited patiently while I got my sister up and made sure she was okay.

Ironically, I used to vault, and the Arab we used [funny, right?] would always slam on the breaks when I would dismount, [we never dismounted from the halt or even the walk, it was always the trot or canter] so we had to teach him to keep going. I think he learned the difference between the "dismount" and actually falling, because in riding lessons, he still stopped if a rider fell. This experience has come in handy, because now I'm prety good at landing on my feet. =]


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

All my event horses would be ridden a couple times a week in a roundpen. I would be bareback in a halter. I would start at a halt. I would vault off, lay down and hold a carrot up. Eventually, the horse would find it and gobble it up. I would do this until the horse would instantly, when I got off, frisk me for the carrot.

Then, I would do the same at trot, until the horse would stop instantly and frisk me. Then canter. Eventually, the minute I would come off, the horse would stop and look me over.

Would this always work on XC? Who knows if the adrenalin would cause the horse to gallop on. Luckily, I have had few opportunities to find out. The training was a lot of fun, though.


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## IllComeALopin (Apr 6, 2010)

Allison Finch said:


> All my event horses would be ridden a couple times a week in a roundpen. I would be bareback in a halter. I would start at a halt. I would vault off, lay down and hold a carrot up. Eventually, the horse would find it and gobble it up. I would do this until the horse would instantly, when I got off, frisk me for the carrot.
> 
> Then, I would do the same at trot, until the horse would stop instantly and frisk me. Then canter. Eventually, the minute I would come off, the horse would stop and look me over.
> 
> Would this always work on XC? Who knows if the adrenalin would cause the horse to gallop on. Luckily, I have had few opportunities to find out. The training was a lot of fun, though.


 
What what an awsome idea, and it does sound like fun for everyone involved!

This will give me somthing to do now in the winter when its snowy (and soft)! Well, as long as the footing under the snow is safe and not icey I guess.


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

Its something some horses do and others dont. My mothers horse would dead stop as soom as she would feel the rider lose balance it caused more falls then it prevented.


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## welshies rule (Feb 7, 2010)

never had the problem riding kaz but im teaching J that the min my feet come out of stirrups he has to stop... working so far


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## Arksly (Mar 13, 2010)

Whenever I fell off my pony (both times during the canter) he would slow down to a walk, look at me, then go back to the barn. With my other horse, he just continued to go in a circle around me.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

My gelding just stops automatically


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## Mickey4793 (Sep 24, 2009)

My horse always gallops away and I never hold onto the reins, but when I came off yesterday a very wise woman told me "If ever I come off my horse, she's coming down with me with her teeth in my hand.."


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## HooverH (May 17, 2008)

Equus_girl said:


> This is a really interesting topic. My horse Berdi stops immediately when I fall off and stares at me like really concerned like, "What happened?"


My two boys do that too, so I have no idea how to teach it. Hoover will actually grab and pull at my shirt if I don't get up quickly to see if I'm okay.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Mickey4793 said:


> "If ever I come off my horse, she's coming down with me with her teeth in my hand.."


 I like that.


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## Mickey4793 (Sep 24, 2009)

smrobs said:


> I like that.


I liked it to when I heard it, the woman owns a very aged Arabian mare boarded directly across from my horse and she always has the most insightful advice and the greatest words of wisdom, I could publish I book from all the humorous and valuable things she's said to me, she's simply wonderful.


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## 5cuetrain (Dec 11, 2009)

Two opinions;

1> teach the human not to fall off.

2> train the horse so that he doesn't cause the human to fall off.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

5cuetrain said:


> Two opinions;
> 
> 1> teach the human not to fall off.
> 
> 2> train the horse so that he doesn't cause the human to fall off.


 
The truest test of a persons intelligence is how closely they agree with you and you are a GENIUS! The first thing that ran through my mind when I read this title was "why not practice not falling off instead".


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I'm currently reading a John Lyons book on training horses. He says when he takes the young horses out trail riding, one of the games they play is to rise out of the saddle and ask for a halt. That way the horse becomes conditioned to stop when it feels the rider's weight off it's back. While I don't see that useful in my situation since my OTTB sees me off his back as the cue to fly or horses who jump, it would probably work very well for disciplines who always stay seated.


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## Juniper (May 4, 2007)

that is interesting, MyBoyPuck. It could backfire, like you say for certain disciplines, but I bet you could teach trail horses to stop that way.


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## Jordan S (Jun 7, 2009)

Is it too harsh on the horse's mouth to hold onto your reins when you fall?? I see grand prix riders flying off with reins in hand it it looks plain painful for the horse.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

Why not get some Mecate reins? They have a long lead rope that you can tie around your belt loop.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

White Foot said:


> Why not get some Mecate reins? They have a long lead rope that you can tie around your belt loop.


You tuck it into your belt. DO NOT tie it to youself in any way. You may find out that your belt loop is far stronger than you think.


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## xLaurenOscarx (Aug 11, 2009)

If a horse has a bond with you they stop when you fall. NEVER hold on to the reins! Thats just stupid.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

> If a horse has a bond with you they stop when you fall. NEVER hold on to the reins! Thats just stupid.


Hmmm.

So if you fell off next to a highway, you would let your horse run into the traffic?


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

xLaurenOscarx said:


> If a horse has a bond with you they stop when you fall. NEVER hold on to the reins! Thats just stupid.


You must have learned that in all your years of experience!


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

xLaurenOscarx said:


> If a horse has a bond with you they stop when you fall. NEVER hold on to the reins! Thats just stupid.



Riigghhht, 'cause if they spook and you fall off, they're going to stop and stand stock still, even though they might be freaked out of their tiny minds.

Have you never heard of the Sacrificial Spook? The horse gets rid of dead weight (the rider), and high tails it away so the scary monster will eat YOU instead.

My horses have bonded with me, but I'd never say something so ridiculous that they'll _always_ stop if I'm a clumsy oaf and fall off, especially if they're spooked.

Holding onto the reins isn't 'stupid', and it can very well save your animal's life depending on where you are at the time you come off.

Of course, if you only do ring riding, then by all means never hold onto the reins when you fall. The horse isn't going too far, anyway.


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## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

I think it depends where you are if i was in the fields at home id let go as they cant get far however if it was in a potentially dangerous situation for my horse my god id hold on i figure a few bumps on me is better then rounding the corner ro my dead horse. Thats just me however!


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

xLaurenOscarx said:


> If a horse has a bond with you they stop when you fall. NEVER hold on to the reins! Thats just stupid.


Yes, let your poor beloved horse die a painful death as he bolts into traffic because he spooked when some dope drove by in his ATV and scared the living daylights out of him. Your comment is dangerously polarized. There are shades of grey in the world.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

Why do all you people talk about "it depends where we are" as far as holding the reins? It takes a split second to fall off, and on the way down, I'm thinking, "****, I'm falling, land soft, Leigha, land soft!" I don't think about the reins. I have never once thought about anything but landing soft. Holding the reins is just what I do. So how do you do it?


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Same, Ricci - I don't have time in the middle of a fall to reason wether it is worth holding on to my reins or not - If it is physically possible, my reins stay in my hand. I would rather be safe than sorry.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

There was a thread similar to this awhile back. Apparently some people fall very quickly and even black out to a degree where they don't even remember the actual fall. The rest of us experience the whole thing in super slow motion, so we have all day to decide about holding reins, where to land, etc. It's amazing the huge difference between the two, but that's how I personally can make that particular judgement call.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

wild_spot said:


> Same, Ricci - I don't have time in the middle of a fall to reason wether it is worth holding on to my reins or not - If it is physically possible, my reins stay in my hand. I would rather be safe than sorry.


Exactly. If the reins are in my hand when I fall off, they will be in my hand when I land. Often times, I will go flying and hit the end of the reins, immediately halting my flight. I just don't think about it.

MyBoyPuck, I take that time to land rolling. Maybe I just don't get as much time as you do, lol.


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## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

I can tell before im about to fall and prepare myself at home the option is hold on get battered and bruised or let them run to a fence so i let go. However when im out of my secure home land i will try my hardest not to let go of those reins for all ui know a child is around the corner my horse could potential kill.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

MaggiStar said:


> I can tell before im about to fall and prepare myself at home the option is hold on get battered and bruised or let them run to a fence so i let go. However when im out of my secure home land i will try my hardest not to let go of those reins for all ui know a child is around the corner my horse could potential kill.


Funny. If I can tell I'm about to fall, I stop myself from falling.  Lol.


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

I wasn't suggesting she take the reins and tightly tie it around herself. It's just something to grab onto if she hits the dirt. 

We actually had a clinic about falling off awhile back and it helped alot. I don't have any fear and I haven't fallen off since then. She taught us to be super calm in situations of stress or fear. I think of steps that will prevent falling off, because they can be taken. Can it be avoided your whole life? probably not. But you can still prevent 90% of it. I use to go completely blank if a horse started to rear or buck, and I would freeze up. I was actually taught how to think during.

If you ever watch a person that is on a rearing or bucking horse it happens quick, but not so quick that you don't have time to think. You just need to train yourself. 

Before the clinic I would go "Oh ****, this is horse bucking, I'm dead... and I would stop breathing and go blank"

Now I go "Oh ****, this horse is bucking, let me pull his head into a circle, get him thinking again, and if I fall off here is what I can do.."


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

If a horse starts bucking or rearing with me on it, I go straight into reaction mode. I'm not thinking about falling, i'm reacting how I have taught my uscles to react, If the horse is bucking, I get that head up, boot them in the ribs and disengage the hind. If it's rearing, I boot them in the ribs, turn that head sideways, and might over-under with the reins if I have time. 

Muscle memory is a great thing, as lng as you have the correct responses remembered, not the incorrect ones :]


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

wild_spot said:


> If a horse starts bucking or rearing with me on it, I go straight into reaction mode. I'm not thinking about falling, i'm reacting how I have taught my uscles to react, If the horse is bucking, I get that head up, boot them in the ribs and disengage the hind. If it's rearing, I boot them in the ribs, turn that head sideways, and might over-under with the reins if I have time.
> 
> Muscle memory is a great thing, as lng as you have the correct responses remembered, not the incorrect ones :]


Agreed.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

riccil0ve said:


> Funny. If I can tell I'm about to fall, I stop myself from falling.  Lol.


HA!! Not always possible. When I recognize the inevitable is coming....I look for a soft place to land! :-|


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

Allison Finch said:


> HA!! Not always possible. When I recognize the inevitable is coming....I look for a soft place to land! :-|


It is easier said than done, but I'd rather scramble ungracefully back into the saddle than fall, and I try my darndest before I give in to the inevitable! Haha. And then it's a matter of landing softly. But I'm awfully stubborn, and I really, REALLY don't like to fall, haha.


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## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

That momwnt when your half on half on and you know your falling, you cant really stop that from happening which is why at home i kick away protect myself attitude however if im out in an unsafe open area i grab on to the reins and grip ...hard


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## xLaurenOscarx (Aug 11, 2009)

Another bad thing about holding the reins when you fall. What if you fell and your horse was totally freaked and you held onto the reins and they took off dragging you along with them? Especially a young/spooky horse. You'd be some mess by the time they stopped.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

MaggiStar - I've saved myself from an awful lot of touchy perdicaments. I think it's because I took vaulting lessons, I was all over that horse, haha. I would suggest vaulting lessons for everyone, as I said, I learned how to fall and how to land on my feet. =]

Lauren - I've had that happen, but the tugging on the reins will usually stop a horse. I just scrambled to my feet and stopped her. Not to mention, at that point, you can think to let go. It's the "falling off" process that is typically too chaotic to decide whether to hold on or not.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

> Another bad thing about holding the reins when you fall. What if you fell and your horse was totally freaked and you held onto the reins and they took off dragging you along with them? Especially a young/spooky horse. You'd be some mess by the time they stopped.


You would have to be pretty daft to hold on to the reins if you were being dragged and there was no danger for the horse. Holding the reins is a choice, hence you can* choose* to let go if the situation warrants it. However, I have never had a horse try to take off while I have a hold of the reins.


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## Horse Poor (Aug 20, 2008)

I do what I can to teach a horse to whoa and stand if a rider falls. I'm sure there are better ways, but this one has worked for me. Basically, I put an old saddle on the horse, no cinch, no latigo and walk the horse around with it until it falls off. When it does, I give a sharp "whoa" and stand the horse. If the saddle doesn't fall, I'll grab the stirrup and pull it off, telling the horse "whoa"…sometimes I'll push it off…you get the idea. Pretty soon the horse will whoa on it's own when the saddle falls off.


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

RiosDad said:


> I ride with long 7 foot western reins and always hang on to a rein when we go down and I have gone down many a time. I take my chances on being stepped on and will not loose my horse. It could easily mean his death.


I agree. We cross a busy 2 lane road to get to the trails. If my horse were to get loose & run home. They could easly get hit. I'm actually going back to my split reins for that reason. I came off recently & it is really hard to hold onto barrel reins on the way to the ground.
A lot of people around her ride with mecate reins for that reason, and tuck the one end in a pocket.


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

Silvera said:


> Has anyone heard of an imergancy dismount? it is great for this. It's fairly simple to teach your horse. Like MacabreMikolaj said, start bareback. Ask your horse to walk then you lean out over their shoulder, when you are unbalanced ask for the whoa. If they stop praise them. If they don't, swing yourself off landing by their shoulder facing them and stop them with your reins. It is easiest if you have split reins. Keep doing this until they stop when you lean out over their shoulder. When they do stop move to the trot and repeat the process until they stop at the trot. I wouldn't suggest trying it at a canter as you may get hurt if you land wrong.
> 
> Work on coming off and seeing if they stop when you unbalance yourself.


I've done that in the arena & on the trail. Its actually one of them most useful things I was taught when I took lessons.


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

Speed Racer said:


> Riigghhht, 'cause if they spook and you fall off, they're going to stop and stand stock still, even though they might be freaked out of their tiny minds.
> 
> Have you never heard of the Sacrificial Spook? The horse gets rid of dead weight (the rider), and high tails it away so the scary monster will eat YOU instead.
> 
> ...


I have been that "Sacrificail Spook" -not fun.


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