# Fell off and too scared to get on



## Horz (Nov 7, 2011)

Im new to riding horses and recently my horse got spooked and I fell off my horse and never got back on right after and now im kinda scared to be honest just because i've read up about horse accidents and riders who have been paralyzed. Should I overcome this fear? im ok just sore back but is there anything I should do to control when horse gets spooked if I decide to get back on?


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Take some riding lessons at a stable that specializes in beginners.


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## Horz (Nov 7, 2011)

yeah thought about doing that will def do it thanks for reply.


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## TexasBlaze (Oct 4, 2010)

The best advice i can give is to use sefety equpiment if its your physical health your worried about. A helmet and a vest have saved many lives. If it is getting the courage to get back on that you need advice on i have some difficult news. You either get back on and ride or you dont. Riding has to be something where the return outweighs the cost. You have to be passionate to make yourself get back in the saddle despite the fact that you could potentially die each time. But you have to love it enough to do it anyways. 

Truely falling from a horse saved my life. He slipped while we were loping and i fell off and hit my tailbone on a tree root and couldnt feel my legs. Could barely walk two weeks later so i went to the doctor and he found that i had a (genetic) back condition that would have killed me in a few years without surgery that i had screened for and they had never found. I would have never known about it if my horse hadnt slipped. My backbone would have grown into my heart and lungs by the time i turned 18. That being said my 19 birthday is coming up in a few months. I think the lord i fell every day.


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## kcscott85 (Jul 28, 2010)

I wish there was a simple solution to overcome fear or to control a spooking horse, but the only answer there is is to just do it and get over it. Much easier said than done, and I know exactly what you're going through. I was thrown off a horse 7 years ago and broke my back. Not what you want to hear, but I also competed in the high levels of eventing, which is a pretty dangerous discipline. Exact wrong timing hitting a log. But anyways, I wasn't able to get back on (although the second I was out of surgery, I was asking!), and I ended up not riding for the next 6 years, due to college, marriage, kid, working, etc. But the pull of horses got me back and I now am overcoming my fear. I have a crazy Thoroughbred (I was told he was bombproof) and to be honest, sometimes he scares the living daylights out of me. The horse spooks at a blade of grass. But each time I ride him through his psycho-ness and I don't fall off (haven't yet, fingers crossed!), I get a more confident. Take it slow until you're confident doing one thing (like trotting) before you attempt something new. Get to know your horse and you will better be able to gauge his reaction to certain things and be prepared. Remember to be a proactive rider and not just sit there until something goes wrong. Everytime you ride your horse, he learns something. It's up to you to make sure that what he learns from you is good. If you give up when he challenges you, he wins and he will continue to try to win until you put your foot down. And remember to have fun! That's why we ride in the first place, right?


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## diggerchick (Nov 8, 2011)

you just gota get right back on! I have fallen off a dozen times in my life and i just keep getting back on, thats how you get better!!


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

The fear of getting back on is a real and paralyzing fear. It takes a lot of courage to get back on. If you want to do it in stages, here is a plan that I used.

Try just working around horses until you are comfortable. Brush them and lead them and just be around them. When you're completely comfortable, saddle one up. You don't have to ride, just saddle it up. 

When you get bored with just saddling up and you feel you're ready, have someone (like a trusted friend who knows about horses) hold the horse in a controlled environment and put a foot in the stirrup. If you don't want to mount, then don't. 

Keep brushing the horse, saddling the horse, and putting a foot in the stirrup until one time you just say to yourself, "This isn't so bad, I'm going to sit on the horse."

Stages, do it in stages where you feel comfortable. Just sit on the horse. You don't have to go anywhere. When you're bored with that, have your trusted friend lead you around. You don't have to rush. You're trying to overcome that dreaded feeling, the fear. 

Next stage is to ride the horse yourself in the enclosed area with your trusted friend monitoring you. Once you're comfortable with that, increase the area you ride. Ride with your friend in a bigger arena, then go to a field, then go on a trail ride.

Then try riding the horse you fell off of.

Good luck and have fun!


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