# How do I prevent falling off when my horse spooks



## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Do you have a closed in place to ride? Get on bareback. Don't try anything heroic, just walk. It takes time. 

Congrats on the horses!!

Nancy


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## luvbeach (Aug 24, 2012)

I rode bareback all the time as a kid and LOVED it. 



greentree said:


> Do you have a closed in place to ride? Get on bareback. Don't try anything heroic, just walk. It takes time.
> 
> Congrats on the horses!!
> 
> Nancy


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## jinxremoving (Apr 6, 2009)

luvbeach said:


> I guess I need to take a few lessons, but in the meantime is there anything else I should do?


Yes, always wear a helmet. 

What you're basically looking for is a balanced seat. I don't usually just paste links to try and help someone, but in this case they explain it better than I ever could:

http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/horse-riding-in-a-balanced-seat-570323.html

The article is aimed at english riders and I know nothing about western... but I would assume it's the same theory for either discipline when it comes to your body position and maintaining balance on the horse although I suppose the western saddle might be a bit limiting in your position.


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

Well, if you've got a QH with a good spin then it's going to be hard to sit a random spook. Riding bareback or with out your stirrups will help develop your balance. The best way to stop it though is by not letting the situation happen in the 1st place. Most horses will give you a warning, but it may only be a subtle one. Experience and time will help you learn to read those signs.
Also, check your stirrup length. If you knees hurt when you ride, then they are too short and will pitch you forward. If your ankles hurt when you ride then they are too long and they won't give you good support when you need it.
Buck Brannaman compares the riding position to a good defensive basketball position. Your slightly bent at the knee and you can shift your weight back forth on the balls of your feet as needed.


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## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

In my experience, it's just something that happens. I used to be horrible about falling off at the slightest thing. Now, after riding almost daily for 5 weeks on a horse I trust and in a saddle I am completely comfortable in, I haven't fallen off once. I can sit shies, crow hops, and can canter without shifting at all.

I've helped myself a lot by walking around with my feet out of the stirrups, and I suggest you give it a try. Keep the stirrups on the saddle though, and practice getting your feet into them without looking as fast as possible. That way, if you feel your horse tense, you can get your feet back in them ASAP to minimize the risk of falling off.

You will find that your balance and seat will naturally improve the more often you ride, and the more you get to know the way horses move.


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## CCH (Jan 23, 2011)

First you need to assess your position when out on the trail. You shouldn't ride like an equitation class with your upper body straight. Riding cutters, you carry your weight in your feet, sounds ridiculous but once you have done it you can feel the difference. In order to do this make sure your stirrups are adjusted and turned properly to support your foot evenly. Then make sure the ball of your foot is supported.

The next thing you should do is sit more on your butt/ pants pockets. When you sit in good equitation position on your seat bones, you have excellent feel, but I think less stability. (Except for those amazing English riders who gallop over jumps. I feel more secure bareback than in an English saddle.)

Learn to let your upper body fold down a bit with the horse's movement. When they spook, you should bend a little closer to his neck rather than sit up and get stiff. This reduces the centrifugal force that is trying to throw you off while your horse spins away in a tight circle.

Push with your feet. If you try to wrap your legs around, all you're doing is playing catch-up to the horse who I guarantee is faster than you. So if the horse spooks left, your right foot should push down and out to send your body the same direction as the horse.

Now probably the most important, relax a little and always watch your horse's ears. Keeping your focus on the ears will help your body stay with him. If you look at the ground where you're afraid of falling, that is where you will go.

Ride holding the horn. There is no shame in that. It would be good to address why your horse is spooking, but at some will always get past a little startle if a deer or bird jumps out really close to them. It takes time and exposure. The best some horses can do in open terrain situations is that they choose to just stop, think, and listen to you rather than spinning for the hills or flying sideways.

The other thing you may want to consider is your saddle. Does it have the correct seat size for you? Do the seat and fenders have the right shape and hang for what you want to do? This can make a difference, so it is always good to try a few different styles if you can for comparison.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Actually, what you are looking for goes beyond balance - you are looking for stability in the saddle and a stable seat. This comes first of all just from shear core strength and secondly from positioning in the saddle.
I highly recommend for riders to cross train and have personally seen the difference. As soon as a rider with the same issue as you started to cross train once a week, and then to twice a week once conditioned, she no longer falls off during spooks and is far more confident in her riding.
Weight training, Vinyassa or Power style yoga (especially hot yoga) and pilates are all great ways to increase core strength, and thus your stability. Then adjusting your position in the saddle will be far more effective.

Good luck!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Cheat:










If your horse spins really hard, the poleys (Mickey Mouse ears) in the front will slam into your thighs, twisting your torso around with the horse. They are also kind of nice when your horse stops without warning. I mean, if your horse stops without warning. Although riding Mia, it is when she stops without warning...:evil:


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

"Weight training, Vinyassa or Power style yoga (especially hot yoga) and pilates are all great ways to increase core strength, and thus your stability. Then adjusting your position in the saddle will be far more effective." -anebel

Strengthening your core will definitely help. I noticed a difference in my balance in general when I started doing yoga.


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## nvr2many (Jan 18, 2011)

100% guaranteed way to not fall off is.................................. wait for it............................. do not get on, bah ha hahahahaha!!! 
Sorry, could not resist! 
I agree with balance, ride bareback to practice this. That is what I do when I want to work on my seat. Or we can do as bsms suggested, and cheat! I am all for cheating when you can, lol. Good luck!


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## JaneyWaney9 (Jun 7, 2010)

I agree with all of the above, but I'd like to throw something else out there.
In some cases, it is mind over matter.
I had a tendency to just fall off, even when the situation wasn't that bad. Balance was part of it, but a big thing was confidence.
Then, one day, I took a horse out for a ride in a pasture. He decided he didn't really want to play anymore, so he whipped around and took me for the ride of my life. At that point, he was going so fast that I figured I'd probably die or be seriously maimed if I let go, so it was enough to keep me on. Now I'm at the point where it's pretty hard to get me off. 
So, not too much help, but consider confidence!!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Sometimes when horses spook, people do nothing but throw their hands up or tense. The best thing to do is something. Whether that is to relax, to look forward, to grab the reins and re-direct the energy, to disengage the hindquarters and sit back on your seat bones.

Something!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I have been spun off a spooking horse 5 times in the last 4 years. My balance probably isn't that great. I also think, that because I am fat and have a big tummy and boobs, that my center of gravity is high. But , you deals with what you has.

I have to say I disagree with bracing into the stirrup and curling over at the waist. It might be ok to put some weight down into the stirrup, but if that is accompanied by a locked knee, that is the kiss of death to staying on a rapidly moving horse.

Ride your own seat bones. sit up straight and keep your shoulders right over your own seatbones, so that you will be LESS affected by centrifugal force.

Have you ever seen them balanceing a very tall pole on their hands, like at a circus? as long as it's lined up vertical, it will stay balanced.


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## PaintedHeart (May 24, 2011)

JaneyWaney9 said:


> I agree with all of the above, but I'd like to throw something else out there.
> In some cases, it is mind over matter.
> I had a tendency to just fall off, even when the situation wasn't that bad. Balance was part of it, but a big thing was confidence.
> Then, one day, I took a horse out for a ride in a pasture. He decided he didn't really want to play anymore, so he whipped around and took me for the ride of my life. At that point, he was going so fast that I figured I'd probably die or be seriously maimed if I let go, so it was enough to keep me on. Now I'm at the point where it's pretty hard to get me off.
> So, not too much help, but consider confidence!!


I agree with this and what Skye said.
While balance and a good, stable seat will help you enormously in the case of a spook, I know that personally, what has made the biggest difference in my riding is my confidence level. 

Over the two and a half years that I have been riding, a number of various situations pretty early on dented my confidence pretty badly. I found that although I have a decent seat, I would come off at the tiniest things. 
Because when my horse would spook, I would do as Skye said - I would tense. I didn't have the confidence in myself and my riding ability to think I would be able to handle my horse and stay on - so I didn't. But as I've been working with my instructor and gaining more confidence, I'm discovering that it's getting harder and harder for my spooky, crow-hopping mare to get me off. :wink:


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

Balance is part of it, but it doesn’t matter how good your balance is, if you are not relaxed you won’t stay in the saddle. Relax, imagine your weight sinking into the saddle and out through you heels. Relax, and keep your centre of gravity down in your pelvis. And. RELAX.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

AnrewPL said:


> Balance is part of it, but it doesn’t matter how good your balance is, if you are not relaxed you won’t stay in the saddle. Relax, imagine your weight sinking into the saddle and out through you heels. Relax, and keep your centre of gravity down in your pelvis. And. RELAX.


I'm not sure, but did you say "Relax"? Just not sure I caught the gist of what you were sayin'.


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

Relax


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## oobiedoo (Apr 28, 2012)

I think it was Sally Swift that wrote the book Centered Riding, that said something like, be a tree and grow roots. Anyway there was an illustration in the book of this person on a horse with roots growing downward and anyway this has actually helped me at times to picture this. Maybe it subconsciously makes you sit deeper?


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I agree with all the above and want to add, "Pull leather!" Grab the horn. Grab the strings. Have a dog collar through the gullet and make a nightlatch.

It takes a bit to get me off, but I am not above grabbing for anything available if I start to lose my seat. And if I knowlingly climb on something that spooks or shies and that's why I'm getting on? I'm going to stay on almost anyway I can.


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

Keep your heals down and both hands on the reins.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

It is same as how you encourage a horse to work off his hindquarters, you develop a deep seat.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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