# First Fall



## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

I don't remember my first fall, but I was helping a little girl in the area learn to ride. She was on the little shetland pony and fell off for the first time. She was so excited that when her mom came to pick her up she told her mom all about the fall and she insisted they get a cake to celebrate the event.


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## Kestra (Aug 14, 2011)

Taffy Clayton said:


> I don't remember my first fall, but I was helping a little girl in the area learn to ride. She was on the little shetland pony and fell off for the first time. She was so excited that when her mom came to pick her up she told her mom all about the fall and she insisted they get a cake to celebrate the event.


Nice! I'll have to tell my husband that I need a cake, too.


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## mystykat (Dec 4, 2011)

Ouch! I remember my first fall..into snow thankfully. That you got back on is awesome. Right now I am having difficulties transitioning my gelding to the lope/canter, and I'm nervous to force it because he bucks...I'm pretty sure it's saddle fit, so I just bought a new saddle better suited to him..So I will be pushing it soon. So hopefully I'm not posting a "hit the sand" thread any time soon.


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## kittersrox (Jun 15, 2011)

I had my first fall this summer. It was the first time I had ridden bareback. My instructor was having me do it all, w/t/c. Everything was going fantastic, until her butt suddenly swung out to the side while we were cantering, and I just flopped off. :lol: I landed on my back (In the end my neck was the only thing sore, it was horrible, I couldn't turn my neck at all). I totally thought I was going to get trampled because I landed right underneath the horse, thankfully she stopped! I hopped up right away, and my instructor gave me a leg up, that's when things started to become fuzzy, I started feeling really hot and out of breath, and I started to have trouble hearing. I told my instructor I needed a drink of water (I never ask for things, so when I do, you know something is wrong!) She told me to ride over to a barrel so that she could hop on behind me. Apparently I said I thought I was going to pass out. I can't remember saying that, I must have really been out of it! By the time she got me on the ground, I couldn't see a thing and I could barely hear. Thankfully she knew what to do, and I didn't pass out! After that incident we are thinking I have low (or is it high? Haha) blood pressure as I get dizzy a lot. My instructor felt bad about the whole incident, and tried to give us our money back, we wouldn't take it, I felt like it was my rite of passage too


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## InStyle (Nov 14, 2011)

I was 8 yrs old with my first fall, horse stepped on a wasp nest and we started getting stung and she became a wild thing ( not normal. She was normally a very solid horse). I came off after about the 3rd buck landed on my elbow and broke my arm. No one believed it was broke 

I am sure I had a few more since then. The last one was on a 16.2hh ottb who was being stubborn and wanting to go HIS way, and had a minor fit, and when he came down landed in a gopher hole and that extra bit threw me off. LONG way down lol. Had to go remount on a barrel and then he was good as gold.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Corazon Lock (Dec 26, 2011)

I haven't actually had a blatant "fall" and I've been riding off and on (mostly on) since the 3rd grade (I'm a freshman in college). I feel pretty sheepish about all that. Anyway, I did technically fall off while I was riding bareback doing around the world while my hrose was walking. Slipped and fell to my feet. The second one was more of an emergency dismount gone bad where I got up on my horse with no saddle or bridle or halter even, and he was gonna try to take off, so I split and didn't have the balance and scraped up my knees. Both pretty dumb, huh?


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

My first fall was very soft and fun, actually. I was cantering with a little, nice mare, who was very eager to follow her rider's focus. I was supposed to canter in a cirle with the right lead, which I was learning to, so I yelled to my instructor from time to time, was it the rigth lead. It looked a bit like this - 

Me /looking at the instructor/- Hey, is it the right lead?
Instructor - No, it isn't, keep asking her to do a change.
M - Is it now?
I - It isn't..oh wait, she changed it..it is...now it isn't again...WATCH OUT!!!
M - /the horse suddenly stops and spins a bit, I go over her neck and land in the sand on my bum, the horse looking at me in a surprise - hey, where did you go?!/

It turns out that, while I was watching at my instructor and thinking so hard about the right lead, the mare had started following my focus, cantered out of the circle and to my instructor, who was standing by a fence, and, naturally, stopped at the fence, so I came off... :lol:


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## furbabymum (Dec 28, 2011)

I've fallen twice. First time I wanted the horse to go right and the horse wanted to go left. We both got our way. lol

Second time I was doing incredibly tight little circles on my mustang and she's fast. Even though my cinch was on tight as I could get it with the pressure going on the saddle turned. I threw myself off to avoid getting trampled. Still got a foot stepped on in the debacle. It's been a month and a half and it is still a bit tender.


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## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

My first fall was a bit unnerving for me, as I was/am a bit of a nervous rider anyway (not afraid of the horse - it's heights that get me). DH and I were at a playday, and were warming up our horses in the arena - along with about 50 - 75 other contestants. 

There were two older teenage boys who were really running amok - whooping and hollering and running there horses all over everywhere. Definitely not the friendly, gentle warmups that DH and our normal crowd were used to. The two boys decided to start charging through the crowds of horses, just to show off. Most of the other horses shied out of their way, but my mare was NOT the yielding type - she was very much the alpha mare (it was funny how other horses tended to recognize that in her). When the "cowboys" charged our way, DH's horse shied and jumped out of the way. My mare held her course, and one of the riders plowed right into me. (Why didn't I get out of the way, you ask? Well, it never dawned on me that they were actually stupid enough to run right into another horse - nor did I know which way to turn to get out of their way).

Needless to say, I failed miserably at staying in the saddle. My mare was trotting on like nothing happened (other than being very proud of herself for managing to land a very solid kick in the ribs of the offending horse - too bad she missed the rider!). As my mare was trotting on, I was slowly slipping down her side - totally unable to pull myself back up in the saddle. I dropped to the ground - landing on the back of my head, and doing a very respectable somersault, rolling up to my feet. My mare turned around and came trotting back, thoroughly confused. I was surprised that she came back, and so was DH - Sugar might have been my heart horse, but I am/was under no illusions that she was as fond of me as I was of her.

I wasn't a bit hurt - just embarrased that not only did I fall off in front of so many people, but that my horse had kicked the snot out of another horse. She'd never done that before (while under saddle or in hand - in the pasture is another matter altogether). Fortunately, no one held it against her. 

The "cowboys" were excused from the arena...permanently. DH and I went on to have a wonderful time at the playday - till his horse threw him in a rather spectacular "showdeo" and we wound up taking him to the hospital. That was definitely not DH's first fall, nor was it his last fall. I think someone forgot to explain to him that riding the horse meant the horse was supposed to stay between you and the ground?


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## loveduffy (Dec 22, 2011)

I was told that you are not a rider until you fall off- so welcome to the club have a drink and get back on


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I am inordinately proud of the fact that I've come off 14 times in the last 12 years! I just come off pretty regular, so it's not a big deal. But, I am getting to the place where I fear the pain more than I used to. So, I think I will try to improve my record (is it improving to lessen the number of times? or would improving that record mean adding to it?)

As to some of the OP's feelings about the lunge line:
The smaller circle increases the centrifugal force you feel and can make it harder to sit that canter, especially if the horse doesnt' have the balance to canter slowly and in a tight circle. A good lungeline horse is a total gem, worth a lot.
I think at ten lessons only, you should be working more and getting a really good seat at trot, both posting and sitting. If you want a short canter , then put one hand on the pommel or attach a bucking strap and hold to that with one hand. No shame in that at all.

There is nothing you can do to guarantee against falls. most of the time it entails nothing more than sore muscles and bruises for a few days.
I, too, fell hard on my pelvis a year ago. I thought i might have cracked it. It is still a little wierd sometimes. But most falls aren't so bad. Just shocking.

Good luck and welcome to the "club".


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## skyhorse1999 (Dec 29, 2011)

my first fall was about 5 or 6 years ago and i was taking a lesson horse, cadenza through a jump course. there was a sharp turn in there at wich point i was cantering. cadeza has arthritis and we were turning on his bad side, so he decided he was going to stop, rear, then turn and gallop toward the next line. i had fallen on his neck and was trying to regain my balance before he went over the next one and i did, but he was going waaaaaaayyyyy too fast to be able to jump properly so i leaned back and tried to turn him to the right using all off my weight voice reins and leg to get him over. in one final act of buttheadedness, right before the jump, he moved left. i fell off and hit the jump and nearly broke it... not a good day. the most recent time i fell was in september, i was riding my horse chief up and down the pature isles...i was cantering him down one stretch and he took the bit and ran then started bucking wildly. i got him to stop and then i just kind of stayed put for a while...i had already been on him for a long time so i took him to the out door arena to do a quick cool down. he was acting fine until we got in the arena and started walking around... he started to cuck rear toss and any other sort of thing a horse can do until he decided he had loosened me enough, and then he took off. the arena gate wasnt closed and when he took off i went off back wards. i probobly would have stayed on the ground longer if it werent for the fact that he had took offf and was headed the mile back to his pasture. my friends tried to grab him but failed miserably and i just ran all the way back to his pasture where he had stopped obidiently at the gate. i got back on him and rode him in circles for a while then got off and let him go...scariest fall i have had... fallen off 6 times in the last 8 years! last month i was trying to help a girl bridle her horse that did not want to be brideled. he pulled away and galloped off stepping o me and leaving me with 4 broken toes on my left foot and a stupid boot i had 2 wear for 2 weeks...i still rode in it!


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## Radiowaves (Jul 27, 2010)

Well, I can't remember my first fall..... It was about 48 years ago and it probably involved riding bareback.... :wink:

The most inopportune fall was in a show when I was about 13 or so, in the pole bending event. Had a good run going but it had been raining for like two days and the arena was waaaay muddy and I think my horse slipped and I flew right out there and landed on my back. The mud was so soft and deep that I remember that the first thing that I noticed was that my chest was below the average surface of the arena! They had to hose me off before I could get in the car....

The funniest fall (when I was about 12) was when I was loping up to a creek that we had jumped I-don't-know-how-many-times and my dear four-legged buddy saw something he didn't like in the water and just planted all four feet and lowered his head! I flew right over his head and landed in the mud on the other side.... He seemed really puzzled at why I decided to go ahead and jump the creek without him! The first thing I saw when I got my wits back about me was his muzzle right above my face as he looked me over to see if I was OK.... He was such a dear fellow. I miss him to this day.

More recently, all three of my falls within the last year and a half were totally my fault for not paying attention. My dear Quarter horse had spent most of his life (before I got him) in training as a reiner and has only recently (the last year and a half) learned to be a most excellent trail horse. His only quirk (which is now all but gone) was that he realllly didn't want part of the trail group to get way out ahead of him. He'd want to step it up and catch them and if he didn't notice them getting away and all of a sudden became aware of it, he would sometimes (actually rarely but once in a while) tend to jump abruptly into a lope toward the escaping riders. Well, on one occasion this happened just as I was mounting back up after leading him across his first ever paved bridge. When he moved toward me, I went right over the top and landed on the other side!

The second time, when he jumped forward, my hand missed the swell on the saddle juuuuuust enough that I couldn't grab it and pull myself back into the seat. It was almost like "slow motion" and I remember thinking "aw man, missed it by just that much".... :wink: 

The third one was when I was mounting up getting ready for a trail ride and he thought some of the other riders were gonna go off and leave us!

Well, I learned to pay attention and we've worked on letting other riders go wherever they want to without us having to worry about them and he's doing really well with it.

Paying good attention really does pay huge dividends.... 

Radiowaves


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I went the extra mile and got video! **** standard... Just jumped out of the bushes. And that sound right before the video ends? That's me laughing. XD


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## ElaineLighten (Jan 1, 2012)

I remember my first fall, it was my first jumping lesson. The riding school I went to I now know are terrible, they sent me over a jump the first time and just said "When she jumps, stand and lean forward". Result - getting left behind and falling off. 
Sooo glad I'm at a BHS approved school now!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Welcome to the "I've eaten dirt and lived to tell the tale" Club :clap: . We've all taken a tumble at some point so we all know what it feels like. Don't get nervous and don't get discouraged, for every fall you take, you learn a lesson that will be invaluable later in life.

(Though it is easier to take a bit more time and learn those lessons another way that doesn't include falling off and bumping your body :wink::rofl.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

I my first fall was a long time ago as a kid.

My first fall as an adult re-rider came in February of last year during one of my first attempts at a canter. 

My seat sucked bad and I when I asked for the canter I got left behind so bad that I ended up going over the horse's rump and landed nearly flat on my back.

It took me about a minute to catch my wind back and get on my feet.

I ended up buying my instructor a bottle of bourbon over that.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

I've fallen 8 times in my life, all within the same year! But I haven't fallen since, and probably hopefully never will. My horse used to be quite the scardey cat/ bolter and I was a beginner. Nothing worse than a sprain. 

Just glad you're ok and take care of yourself on your rest


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

My first fall was in my first jumping lesson. I was on a lovely little grey called Katie and she was a real eager jumper, I don't remember if she over-jumped or stopped but one of the jumps I ended up sailing off over her head onto my bum. LOL.

Last time I came off was a nasty one, I was galloping my horse and lost both my stirrups and couldn't pull him up. Needless to say I ended up hitting the (hard and compacted) dirt. I remember getting up and following him but not getting back to the road and nothing until getting to the hospital.


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## chaseranya (Jan 6, 2012)

My first was not a fall but was my first anything or OUCH. I was 4 years old and my mom wanted to show my dad that I could handle a horse. So put me on a gentle older POA "Lady". I was showing off to my dad by just walkiing her around, I di not see how close we got to her shed. Ended up cutting my ankle to the bone. I never cryied. I did not want my dad to say no horses.


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## Kestra (Aug 14, 2011)

OP here again. 
So I had my first lesson today since the fall and ... I fell off again. :-(
This time was at a slower speed so it was more of a slide off, but still. In hindsight sitting trot without stirrups was probably too advanced but it didn't seem unreasonable given previous lessons. I had the same horse that I had last time (not my usual preferred horse) but a different instructor. 

It's really not the horse's fault, but it's giving me a complex against her. I want my other horse back, but another person was riding him today. 

Anyway, I didn't think my confidence was that shot after the first time, though I was getting more nervous the closer the lesson got, but now I'm pretty distressed about the whole thing. Half crying as I drove home. 

I just wish I could get more practice time in doing easier things. Hard when can only do 1 hour once or twice a week. Eventually I could probably part-lease or do a practice ride, but right now I don't feel safe enough to trot unsupervised.

At least I have a new (hopefully) easy goal - do a whole lesson without falling off. Ha ha.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Kestra said:


> OP here again.
> So I had my first lesson today since the fall and ... I fell off again. :-(
> This time was at a slower speed so it was more of a slide off, but still. In hindsight sitting trot without stirrups was probably too advanced but it didn't seem unreasonable given previous lessons. I had the same horse that I had last time (not my usual preferred horse) but a different instructor.
> 
> ...


Oh honey.. I'm glad you have a good attitude about it, despite it being very confidence-shaking. I don't even ride without stirrups.. I never recommend it to anyone.. it just scares the bejeezus out of me and my horse isn't ready for it yet. 

Are you working on a sitting trot or your seat?

You wouldn't believe how many times I've fallen off.. slipped off, now it's very hard to get me off. It's about developing that seat and you'll get it in time and be able to tackle that sitting trot with a big ol grin on your face! 

Good luck  and take in in small little steps.


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## xXHorseKissesXx (Jan 12, 2012)

Yeeah my first fall was kinda a relief for me in a way XP because it was done and over with, and happened so quick! My horse spooked while cantering, and I just remember I was sitting on the cantle and then on the ground! I was crying haha shocked I guess, but I got right back on, and walked, trotted, and cantered! Felt like the girl from Horsewhisperer at the end <3


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## arrowsaway (Aug 31, 2011)

my first fall happened when my greenbroke 3 year old and I had an argument about which way to turn. I wanted left, he bolted right, and I lost my balance. I stayed on, but the sudden shift in weight startled him, and he bucked me to high heaven. A sprained knee, cracked ribs, and a broken ankle later... I realized I was in over my head. I sold him [for 2 1/2 times what I paid for him; he was a good horse] and bought myself a sturdy, 13 year old trail mount. Mistakes are just valuable lessons in disguise. I would not change it for the world, knowing what I know now.


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## Lins (Nov 8, 2011)

Its been a looong time since I last fell off. I've been bucked off on a cliff, ran over, had a horse rear up and flip over on me, had to bail many times from my horse when he reared when I first got him. The funniest was when I rode my horse bareback for the first time, he threw a fit, bucked full out until I cranked his head to his side. Then he did a buck/ rear/ bolt performance that cleared the arena. I didn't fall off though!!! Thanks to taking many tumbles and riding so much, it is **** hard for a horse to throw me.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Medh (Jan 14, 2012)

I have been riding since i was four and I came off for the first time last July. I was riding a horse back to pasture bareback with a halter and lead rope. My ride back to the house past us in the truck and I pulled up because he started to trot (he's old). My lead rope came untied and I squeezed with my legs and he took that as a go signal. When we got to the turn for the pasture he turned left and I rolled across the pavement.


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

loveduffy said:


> I was told that you are not a rider until you fall off- so welcome to the club have a drink and get back on


I hated it when one of the older girls at the barn told me this. I'd been riding for about 6 or 7 years by then, she'd been riding for maybe 4 or 5... but she informed me that since I hadn't yet fallen off, I wasn't a *real* rider and I certainly couldn't be as good a rider. Burned me up! ^_^


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## WesternBella (Jan 7, 2012)

I still have never had a fall yet..I seem to be lucky with not falling..I have never fallen rollerblading or skiing (I'm scared of stuff like that so I guess there's not many chances to fall..but still) I'm lucky I guess haha I'm scared to fall though
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## attackships (Jan 12, 2012)

i learned to ride on my pony, and he was a bolter. After years of riding him my butt became glued to the saddle lol so i should thank him for that. When I was still learning walk/trot and haven't even cantered yet he caught a glimpse of his arch nemesis... the plastic bag. this one was floating in the wind and was definitely going to kill him. we were alone in the arena and he bolted to the other side. I lost my balance immediately because I didn't see the bag at all and wasn't prepared. I hung halfway off the saddle and he banged me against the fence the whole way to the other side and i finally fell as we were rounding the corner. it's really weird how it happens, i just remember being upside down and seeing him running away. He wasn't too big of a guy so it didn't hurt me badly but ugh that fence really banged me up haha.


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