# riding accidents



## GOBLIN73 (Feb 22, 2011)

I once had a QH mare flip over on me. I got on and she reared numerous times, until she finally had enough and came down on top of me. Ended up at the hospital getting x-rays, but all was fine. I was very bruised, but otherwise ok.

A friend of mine was trotting her horse in a field and he tripped and fell over on top of her! It was wild- tro, trot, trot, BAM! No warning at all! She ended up in the hospital over night for monitoring a concussion. Otherwise, she was ok, too!

BTW- We were both wearing helmets, and do, everytime we ride!

Good luck with the project


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## dashforcache (Nov 2, 2010)

GOBLIN73 said:


> I once had a QH mare flip over on me. I got on and she reared numerous times, until she finally had enough and came down on top of me. Ended up at the hospital getting x-rays, but all was fine. I was very bruised, but otherwise ok.
> 
> A friend of mine was trotting her horse in a field and he tripped and fell over on top of her! It was wild- tro, trot, trot, BAM! No warning at all! She ended up in the hospital over night for monitoring a concussion. Otherwise, she was ok, too!
> 
> ...


thanks, thats great. any other stories are definitly welcomed.


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

I've had a horse spook at a trailer and run me clear over. He broke my arm and gave me a pretty bruise on my shoulder.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

My first horse was given to me under false pretenses (learned my lesson BIG TIME) He was deaf but they told me he was safe for me to ride....they were wrong. I put him in the round pen to lunge him and I did then I was giivng him some chill time to just walk the round pen (it was pretty big and there were toys in the middle for little kids lessons) well I was sitting on a bucket and out of no where he comes running for me turns around and attempts to kick me. He did this a few times so I decided I was just gonna take him back to his field(another rookie mistake but this was years ago) As I was trying to lead him out of the gate he kept trying to bolt. So I would wlak him around the pena nd have someone open the gate and I would just nonchalantly walk him through it...Wrong!

He pulled me through it and when he felt me pulling back he reared and struck at me barely missing my head. I kept trying to yell at him but ta da he was deaf so that didn't work. I spun him around to face me and yelled (hoping he would get the point) but he just reared again then spun and slammed me into the round pen with his hind end hard enough to knock me to the ground. I had had the lead rope wrapped around my hand(another BIG NO NO) and he pulled dragging me because the rope tightened then the lead rope finally came off and took all of the skin on my palm and a few fingers(not my fingers just the skin) with it. He ran across the property and I was so scared he was going to trip that I didn't notice the blood running off my hand from all the skin that got ripped off....the BO's daughter noticed it before I did and freaked. 

Let's just say I was terrified of that horse after that and I had to sell him...I wouldn't do anything with him after that cause I was so scared....I tried to brush him on the cross ties one day and he flipped out and tried biting me and kicked out at me.... when I went to the barn anymore after that I would ride their morgan mare instead of messing with him. Worst first experience ever! But I am so glad that I learned a few VERY important lessons early on instead of later cause now I'll never make those same mistakes again.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Hmmm. Once, I was trying out a supposed "kid horse" that a friend of my Dad's was thinking about buying for his daughters. Since I had a lot more experience, they wanted me to ride him around first. My brother and I were riding around town, loping down a back road when the horse saw something off to his right that he spooked at. He sucked back and to the left and I came off. It shattered my left arm and I got to spend my entire summer break with 4 screws, 1 pin, and an external fixator on my arm.

Most recently, I was breaking an older mare to ride. I got her saddled up with no issues but when I asked her to move out away from me, she blew up and went to bucking. She turned toward me and started heading my way and even though I tried to get out of her way while driving her back, I was too slow. She shouldered into me in the middle of a buck and knocked me into the fence. I ended up having to get 7 stitches to close up the gigantic gash in my forehead from slamming it into one of the rungs on the fence.

There are quite a few others, but those are the first ones to pop into my mind.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Well you know that old rule about turning a horse's head to the gate before you release them into a pasture? Do it. I was leading my mare through a gate, I pretty much unclipped the lead as we were walking through. She took a step forward, and lashed out with both hinds. One caught me - I had a huge graze on my chest, neck and chin, and my jaw broke in two places. 

ETA: I ended up with 4 screws in my jaw, and wired shut for 3 months. Best diet ever -.-


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## Puddintat (Jul 24, 2010)

Chiilaa- That's a good thing to know. I always just let Dancer walk through the gate. Next time I'll have him turn around before I let him go.


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## horselver1979 (Feb 14, 2011)

Chiilaa said:


> Well you know that old rule about turning a horse's head to the gate before you release them into a pasture? Do it. I was leading my mare through a gate, I pretty much unclipped the lead as we were walking through. She took a step forward, and lashed out with both hinds. One caught me - I had a huge graze on my chest, neck and chin, and my jaw broke in two places.
> 
> ETA: I ended up with 4 screws in my jaw, and wired shut for 3 months. Best diet ever -.-


 
Oh gosh! Painful!

If that happend to me my family would be happy. I finally would have to shut up.


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## dashforcache (Nov 2, 2010)

wow, awesome, thanks everyone this is great!horselover...haha i'm with you, my family would be happy that i would finally shut up too lol


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

My injury was last summer and is more my fault than the horse's. Turns out riding can be terrible for your back. 

I work at a summer camp and we're there from Sunday morning-Friday night. I get there on Sunday one week with a headache. Didn't think anything of it, but as the week goes by, it doesn't go away and gets progressively worse. By Wednesday, I was gagging and near puking from pain. Thursday I skipped breakfast and texted the other wranglers saying I needed the morning off. I tried to get a doctor appointment in the town nearby. Nearest time was 2. It was 11 and I couldn't wait that long.

I got a ride to the ER and was given morphine and a CT scan because they thought I just had a migraine. Morphine didn't help at all, they gave me some vicodin and I was sent back. I got back to camp and puked and called my mom to come pick me up (I definitely couldn't drive.) Vicodin also didn't help at all and made my stomach upset even more, so more puking.

I went to the ER at home (I live 50 miles from camp). They thought cluster headaches after I said I didn't think it was a migraine. Tried treating cluster headaches, nothing. I also said morphine didn't work, so they gave me a shot of dilaudid (8x stronger than a shot of morphine) so I could sleep. I slept for a while and was sent home with a different painkiller pill (which also did not do much).

I spent the next couple days living in my bedroom with a couple really fluffy pillows and as much darkness as possible. I hadn't eaten much in a week and would still puke if I got up from the pain. I thought I was feeling better, so my mom and I were going to drive to camp because I wanted to go to the last closing ceremony of the summer (I missed the last week of camp) and get my car. We got there and my head was pounding. I am pretty sure I finally broke down and cried because I was so sick of it hurting. 

We turn around and go back and go straight to the ER. They a shot of imitrex to see if it was a migraine again. I immediately felt awful and threw up, then laid down with the blankets over my head. Then, while the doctor, nurses, and my mom were out of the room, I felt the medicine go up my neck and basically shoot me in the back of the head. I started screaming and bawling, which I had no control of. They came back in right away and put a dose of dilaudid in my IV. Thank God. That was the most pain I have never been in in my life. 

The nurse then suggested a chiropractor. I went the next day and was asked if I was in a severe car accident because one of the vertebrae in my neck was all twisted. I realized the week before I had been loping a lot, but would come to sudden stops and bounced in my saddle. 

All in all, I dropped 15lbs (I am 5'7" and weighed about 120. I dropped to 105. I looked sickly) and found out I was allergic to imitrex. 

Sorry for the novel.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

I've had a few doozies, and know a lot of people who have been hospitalised and some who have been killed in horse accidents. 

My own - first biggie was getting dragged. I was riding with my friend in the forrest, we decided to take them for a gallop up the side of a dirt/gravel track. My friend was in front of my, my horse spooked violently, I came off the side and got hooked in the stirrup. Friend didn't realise and kept galloping. Of course my horse being an ottb panicked and followed his friend at a flat out gallop, me being dragged upside down under his legs along gravel. I've still got some pretty horrible looking scars up my back from that incident, as well as dislocating a shoulder and hip. 

The next, would have been on another young tb. This one was the first time I took her out. I went to ride her in a quiet corner of a spare arena at a competition day. A horse across the grounds neighed and she went mental. Rodeo bucked across the arena, head between her front legs, ended up getting a front leg through the reins, twisting her bucks at full height, then panicking and running straight at a gate. I'm still on board at this point. Get to the fence at full bore gallop while still bucking (yes, horses CAN buck and gallop at the same time - I'm living proof!!)Hit the fence, went straight up on her back legs with so much force that she threw herself over backwards into the fence. Landed on me, panicked, got up, kicked out of the gate and got me, again, stuck in the stirrup, and took off bucking across the arena until my apparent 'safety stirrup' broke (I always ride breakers and green/youngsters in safety stirrups.. don't bother now, I've been hooked up in them twice and they haven't given out to let me free). 
Ended up tearing nearly every ligament in my hip and groin. Tore muscles from the back of my knee, all the way up to my neck on the right side of my body, dislocated my shoulder again and did something funky to my back that they never worked out. Everyone thought that I had broken my back, I literally could not walk, I couldn't move my right leg and had no feeling in the right side of my body. Apparently I damaged nerves hence the numbness - I think I was lucky! 
To this day I still get problems with my groin, shoulder and back. If I ride more than a couple of horses in a day, by the end of the day I can't lift my right leg higher than the top of my left foot, and have limited motion in my right shoulder.

Don't ride 3 year old, ottb mares in season at a competition ground on a comp day!!


As for stories of other people. A friends best mate was riding her horse down the road in her western saddle. The horse spooked, reared and fell on her, puncturing her abdomen with the horn of the saddle and killing her. Not nice :/

Another friend of a friend, the daughter is a ParaOlympian who had broken her back as a kid and was wheelchair bound as a result. 
Her mum was loading her horse into the float. She was standing on the side of the float beside the divider. From what I understand, the horse panicked at something and flung itself sideways, crushing the lady and killing her. 

A lady with who I have an occasional lesson with - she's **** expensive! - was travelling interstate with her team of dressage horses, for a national competition. She was unloading a horse, which kicked out and got her in the stomach. She ruptured her spleen and was very nearly killed. 


I have a lot more stories about injuries... surprised that I'm still riding!!


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## sana (Mar 26, 2011)

I hope you found enough accident examples. Once a girl I saw fell from a horse during riding classes but thankfully she did not get hurt much.


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## Brookside Stables (Jan 16, 2011)

In June of 1997 a horse flipped over on top of me breaking my pelvis in two places. He reared on gravel and he lost his footing on the rocks. I was 17 years old, spent 3 days in the hospital and 8 weeks recovering. 

Last September I was mounting a horse who decided to drop his head and start bucking. I jumped clear from him and landed on my feet. I ended up with an open tib/fib fracture. I shattered my distal tib (part of your ankle) and shattered both shafts on my tibia and fibula. I had 3 majory surgeries within 8 weeks to repair the damage. I have 20 screws and 3 plates that are permanant.

My foot became pulseless in the ambulance and I have nerve damage and range of motion disabilities. I will need a mounting block to mount a horse from now on. I can not point my toes to put on pull on boots so I must buy laceups and half chaps instead of tall boots. At this time it is uncertain if I will ever walk without a slight limp or if my foot will ever face straight instead of out.

I can post pictures and xrays if you are interested in seeing. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!


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## dashforcache (Nov 2, 2010)

Brookside Stables said:


> In June of 1997 a horse flipped over on top of me breaking my pelvis in two places. He reared on gravel and he lost his footing on the rocks. I was 17 years old, spent 3 days in the hospital and 8 weeks recovering.
> 
> Last September I was mounting a horse who decided to drop his head and start bucking. I jumped clear from him and landed on my feet. I ended up with an open tib/fib fracture. I shattered my distal tib (part of your ankle) and shattered both shafts on my tibia and fibula. I had 3 majory surgeries within 8 weeks to repair the damage. I have 20 screws and 3 plates that are permanant.
> 
> ...


thanks...would you mind if i used the pics for an example?if not thats fine....thanks everyone, i never expected so many ppl to respond to this. i love it...i think it might be good for other ppl to see to cuz ppl might be able to take something to learn from these.thanks so much!


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Brookside Stables said:


> In June of 1997 a horse flipped over on top of me breaking my pelvis in two places. He reared on gravel and he lost his footing on the rocks. I was 17 years old, spent 3 days in the hospital and 8 weeks recovering.


The same thing happened to a friend of mine, but instead of breaking her pelvis, her skull was fractured. She was in the hospital for..a couple weeks? Something like that. She wasn't allowed to ride for 6 months.


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

*A Lucky Escape*
I believe in work in hand especially after a horse has been laid off for a month or so from box rest but soon she would be ready to work again. I decided to take her out for a walk of a mile or so along the nearby country lanes. She was tacked up with a simple head collar since I did not have to hand my western training halter which will give the handler more control. Instead I used her regular inch wide fibre head collar and a metre long lead rope with knots tied in it.

We were walking along the lane quite sedately. There was no hurry. DiDi was enjoying knibbling the weeds in the hedgerows. I was admiring the scenery. It was a lovely day. We reached a stretch of the lane where the banks rose up high because the field on the right hand side was in effect the lower edge of the hill above. I thought nothing about it. As far as I was concerned, horse and handler were alone enjoying the walk. 

Suddenly DiDi stopped short. Her head went up with her ears pricked high. She was tense and on alert. She had sensed something unknown. I was worried as all I had to restrain her should she decide to run was the lead rope attached to the head collar and I knew that if she wanted to use her weight against me she could do so easily. I was holding the lead rope by the fingers of my right hands and I had my left hand in a loop formed in the end of the rope to give better purchase. There were two knots in the rope which in theory allowed a firm loop to be possible but I had not checked it before we had left the yard. The loop would allow me to hold the rope with my fingers and yet I could let go of it easily should I have need to. What I was worried about was DiDi whirling around, taking off and running back home. I did not know what might be coming up the lane, it could be a walker, it could be a car. It could be nothing.

Suddenly there was a rustle and then a loud ‘MOO’. I realised there were at least a couple of cows on the other side of the hedge in the adjoining field. DiDi immediately reared up in the air taking me completely by surprise - she had never reared before. Attached to her, I stumbled and tripped forwards and the next thing I knew, I was on my knees. DiDi realised of course that she could not run and escape from the cows because she was tied to me. She pulled backwards and reared again in an attempt to escape me. But I could not let go because as I found very quickly my left hand was trapped in the looped rope. (I later discovered that I had tied the knot too loosely and one loop had slipped over the other). What was worse for me was that DiDi’s tugging was making the knot tighter and tighter and all that was stopping the knot from closing completely was the presence of my hand. 

Then DiDi tugged again and this time I found myself lying face down with my arm up at a 45 degree angle, attached by the knots to the rope which ran diagonally upwards to DiDi’s head. As luck would have it she was trying to pull back and away from me. If she had moved forward then her steel shod hooves would have smashed my skull. The gap between her steel shod feet and my head was less than two feet. I could do nothing except to call out DiDi to stand. And ’stand’ I called out, trying to pick the best tone of voice for her to obey.

God Bless her, DiDi stood. 

Somehow I managed to struggle to my feet but there was nothing I could do to release the rope. I did not have a knife or anything else to ease the knot apart and I would have to walk back to the stable to free it up. In the interim my hand was being crushed by the rope and all I had to save me was the fact that the hand is fundamentally a skeleton. Only by clenching my hand could I keep the relentless pressure of the knot off my hand.

After 15 minutes or so we got back to the stable yard. I removed the head collar, dumped DIDI in her stable and went off to find a sharp knife. Eventually my hand came free and I stared at this puffy, scratched, and bleeding appendage. Luckily it was my left hand. I write with my right. 

The hand took a couple of months to heal. DiDi, bless her, knew there had been an incident but she had calmed down. Me, well I needed some pain killers for my bent claw.

I have had two serious horse accidents in my life. The other involved my being thrown off whilst the horse was bolting downhill. Then I got up from the tarmac and walked away, ultimately to the hospital. However over my 36 years of riding, this accident has frightened me the most. I could easily have died of a mashed skull. Luckily for me, DiDi did not want to tread on me and she didn’t.

*The lesson of the day was never, ever, loop around a hand a rope at the other end of which is a horse. Always, repeat, always, be able to drop the rope. No human can match the strength of even a small horse and don’t ever think otherwise. 
* 
I still believe in walking horses in hand within the community. But I do now believe in always having a halter with bite either on the nose or the poll or even both. If you are to lead the horse, you must have the power to restrain it. If necessary take along a friend holding a second lead rope. 
* 
But never, ever, allow yourself to become tied to a frightened horse.
*


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

I've had one decent incident for every year I've been riding, one of which was last month.

1st: was a very simple fall, I mis-counted the strides into a 30cm jump (but yet I can jump 1m no worries without mis-counting, *HeadDesk*) I would have stayed on if not for my scoliosis, which has me unbalanced anyway. So I lost my right stirrup and bubbles galloped left (she has a tendancy to get excited) so I went to grab onto her mane but caught it to late as I was already hanging off her side and heading down fast. Somehow I ended up being swung underneath her and run over, smashed my helmet to pieces and got dropped in the only mud puddle there, broke a few ribs and had a bruised hip. I only realised my ribs hurt the day after, I got back on after muich swearing and cursing at myself, and carried on half covered in mud.
-My theory of being swung underneath her is that bubbles is a very clean horse, she will do her damndest to miss anything that remotely looks like dirt, especially if it's wet.

I'll add on the other two later I'm being pulled out to speedway, and I only want to go because I have a person to talk to about a cheap horse... That bucks. (NOT for me:lol


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## Silvera (Apr 27, 2010)

I have a couple.

1st: My parents were hosing off a mare they had. It was a little bit to close to the electric fence, the water arced across the horses body, and some of the drops hit the fence. Anyway, long story short, she got the zap of a lifetime. She knocked into my mom, sent her flying 4ft or so then leaped forward and knocked my dad flying about 10ft. He broke a couple of ribs on that one 

2nd: I was riding my moms horse through an area that we rode through all the time, no big deal. Anyway, we ended up going a little bit to far to one side and got wrapped up in hidden fence wire (electric wire, the metal kind). Anyway, it wrapped around us all the way up to MY knees. Poor thing had a flip out, bucking, rearing, spinning...that sort of thing. Anyway, I ended up having to bail (after landing on the cantle). That one wasn't fun, Mercadies (the horse) still have scars from that one.


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## SMCLeenie (Mar 3, 2011)

This didn't happen to me but a girl I know was ridding and her horse started bucking, she fell of the back of her horse and when the horse bucked again it kicked her right in the skull, she went into a coma for a few days and they didn't know if she would wake up/ have brain damage, she turned out to be fine, but it was pretty scary.


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## Horse (Jul 26, 2009)

i was trick riding and running hanging off the butt of the horse and got hung up and couldnt get down luckily he knows when to stop


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## RodeoLoco (Mar 11, 2011)

Way back when I worked at a dude ranch, I was showing a woman how to mount correctly (not so easy when shes in skin tight jeans and work heels) when the horse spooked. Well, I was laying cross ways over the horse, my stomach was on the saddle, when he gave a huge buck, and I came flying off. Then, he proceeded to buck around, and caught me in the jaw with his back foot. The woman started to say that it was my fault. I personally think that all her sparkly bracelets were to blame . (the horse was blind in one eye.)


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## phoenix (Jun 7, 2010)

Thinking back it seems like i've had a lot of horse related accidents. I'll only mention a few (the worst)

- A few years back i was lunging my horse in the indoor arena at the barn where i worked and he lived. Everything was going fine until someone off to the side (possibly my boss) cracked a whip. My horse took off running and i didn't let go of the lunge line fast enough, i was pulled off my feet and the force of it dislocated my shoulder.

- Again, a few years back it started to thunder and lightening in our area, the BO freaked out that all the horses were outside and made everyone who was at work that day go out to get them. My horse being the very good boy he is came over to me right away and i clipped a lead rope to his halter to lead him out of the field. His herd started to run and ran past us, he forgot i was there and ran straight through me. I was lucky, i got away with a few ribs squished out of place and a banged up hip. I lay in the field for a while in the rain and then went inside and told the BO i was done working for the day.

- the year before last i was in my horses stall, doing something, probably putting his halter on or something. Now my horse is in the habit of lowering his head and shoving it into his halter. On this night he lowered his head but something caught his attention and he jerked his head up. The bridge of his nose caught me under the jaw and my head snapped back. I hit my head on the stall wall pretty hard and he fractured my jaw. I couldn't eat for a few weeks. Lesson learned: Don't stand in front of a horse when putting on a halter!


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Dash - it sees to me as though with all these posts you can make up a book of accidents which noone ever thought could happen.

You will have to pick out the three most unlikely incidents.


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## dashforcache (Nov 2, 2010)

Barry Godden said:


> Dash - it sees to me as though with all these posts you can make up a book of accidents which noone ever thought could happen.
> 
> You will have to pick out the three most unlikely incidents.


haha i know!i never thought it would get this many stories! i'm gonna have a difficult time deciding lol. i'll have to let everyone know how i do on my assignment. :lol: thanks again everyone!


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## GOBLIN73 (Feb 22, 2011)

I think it's pretty interesting that everyone's experiences are so different, but they all have a common thread to them. Safety first- ALWAYS  We have all been taught how to work around horses safely, but we all have to find out the hard way at one point or another 

Reading these, I remembered another. I was around 10 or 12. We were doing an apple bobbing gymkhana. I got my apple, jammed my helmet on me head (but didn't latch it!) and started to mount my AWESOME games pony ( ) He knew what he was doing so he turned around and headed for home- I was still only half way on! My helmet flew off, my apple fell, and I finally bounced off just before the finish line! I had a concussion and was finished for the day  He really was an AWESOME pony, though!!


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## dashforcache (Nov 2, 2010)

Goblin, i completely agree! thats why i said, it's turned into a good post for ppl to read and see what they can learn what not to do from some of the stories


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

I learnt from experience you do NOT put young horses, especially off the track thoroughbreds onto dairy pasture... That ends nastily to say the least. I have a photo of the bruising I got from being launched off him that day (yes launched, not thrown :lol I had enough time to look down at the ground, while completely in the air, and go "oh crap, this is high..."


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## Marlea Warlea (Apr 27, 2010)

my auntie nearly died when she was 13 from an accident when she was riding a horse she was going to buy, she hit her head and was in a coma for a year


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I had an accident several years ago when my saddle broke when I was going downhill. So I did fly over my horse head and landed on my butt right in front of her hoofs. She was really young (3.5 yo may be), so I consider myself very lucky she didn't spook and get me with the hoof. It was a scary experience though. Needless to say saddle went to trash and I never used the brand again.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

When my horse was first learning to jump, she used to jump over and then run off to one side or the other. We were jumping a line once but we took the poles out of the second jump, just wanted to focus on going straight. Well she veered right towards the second jump standards and I pulled her off to the right but she ran off to the left at the last second! I fell off right onto my shoulder, then did a sort of whiplash motion onto the back of my head (luckily I never ride without a helmet on!!!) 

I got a bulging disc which then turned into arthritis in my neck  So now at the age of 31, I have arthritis that hurts EVERY DAY.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

Poseidon said:


> The same thing happened to a friend of mine, but instead of breaking her pelvis, her skull was fractured. She was in the hospital for..a couple weeks? Something like that. She wasn't allowed to ride for 6 months.


oh here's a good one LOL...this was actually AFTER the one that caused arthritis. This one caused a giant gash in my back after I slid down the jump after landing on it, and the sharp jump cup pin got me!


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## ashxcx (Mar 27, 2011)

i got headbutted by en oldenberg, broke my nose, jaw, killed two teeth and i got a concussion, pretty serious one. had to have a dental implant which 3 years later and $17k later i am still having problems with - thank you workmans comp!


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

On a different thread on the Forum started by BSMS, a debate has been going on about the dangerous nature of horse riding.

I wonder how many of the incidents being reported on this thread were actually reported to some central organisation which recorded the cause and the outcome.

My contribution - getting my hand mangled - was never reported.
What is more none of the other falls or incidents I have incurred over 35 years has been reported either. 

Can any national statistics relating to accidents in this sport be accurate?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I'm with you Barry, I don't know where those people get their numbers for statistics, but of all the injuries I have ever suffered, the 2 that I talked about on this thread were the only ones I ever saw a doctor for. There have been countless others that I just suffered through the pain until I healed up.


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## dashforcache (Nov 2, 2010)

grrr, so i talked to my ES teacher today and she said i have to use actual articles and attatch them to my assignment  boo


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## Silvera (Apr 27, 2010)

That's a bummer


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Barry Godden said:


> I wonder how many of the incidents being reported on this thread were actually reported to some central organisation which recorded the cause and the outcome.


Well... I bet only those who end up in ER probably report (and even though I believe they just ask for statistics from hospital).


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## jojonono (Mar 29, 2011)

My friend fell off her horse and was sat behind it when it kicked her in the arm, if it had been the head she would have died, the horse & rider both were fine and my friend still got back on...
My other friends horse was being ridden so stupidly he tacked up a 3 year old who had never been ridden, jumped straight on then my friend was surprised when the horse threw him off and he broke his arm and leg in two places (serves him right)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## touchofsleep (Mar 9, 2011)

I have a pretty good story.. I was just riding about 3 weeks ago or more and me and 3 other girls went to a field so we go just run freely. As we were leaving my horse, Joker, was pretty far behind everyone else so he sped up to catch up. I let him do his thing. It was nice. We were approaching a chain link fence and my friend was standing next to it with her horse. I looked up and from the distances that we were at it looked like we could fit between them two. We had gotten away with it before. Unfortunetly when I realized we were too close it was too late and I crashed in to the fence. Dragged my leg across it. Ended up with 43 stitches. Definitely the last thing I thought would happen, And I wasn't wearing jeans!!!! Big mistake but it was sooooooooooooooooooo hot! Here are some pics: WARNING IT'S A LITTLE GRAPHIC

















And this is after the stitches came out. Just this passed monday. I am NOT that pale lol


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## Hunterjumper7654 (May 28, 2010)

Chiilaa said:


> Well you know that old rule about turning a horse's head to the gate before you release them into a pasture? Do it. I was leading my mare through a gate, I pretty much unclipped the lead as we were walking through. She took a step forward, and lashed out with both hinds. One caught me - I had a huge graze on my chest, neck and chin, and my jaw broke in two places.
> 
> ETA: I ended up with 4 screws in my jaw, and wired shut for 3 months. Best diet ever -.-


My nana has always taught me to turn my horse to me before I let them go, for that reason. I hope your feeling better now.


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## Jessskater (Mar 16, 2011)

My horse got spooked and galloped down a hill.. right beside a road. I was riding her and was trying so hard to stop her but just couldn't. I lost a stirrup and I held on for my life. Ended up letting go and falling on the road head first. I got road rash and was knocked out for 30 or so minutes. Luckily my friend was there so she called 911. I will always ride with a helmet.


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## OffAgainOnAgain (Apr 2, 2011)

Once I was riding my greenish acting 7 year old Arabian, and she side stepped and bucked her way up behind my friend on her stocky little pony without me noticing, and boy did that little guy spin around and kick me in the shin.
I know how a crack and a dent in my shin, and I flipped off my horse and landed on my butt on the other side.


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Touch of sleep

I looked at the photos of the tear to the skin of your leg with horror. You are going to bear the scar of your poor judgement for the rest of your life. 

You've suffered the pain of the incident itself and later of the stitching up of your wound. Blood must have poured copiously from the cut.

Hopefully that there will not be any secondary infection.

It is a very heavy price you have paid for a moment of exhilaration. Part of me feels very sorry for you; part of me feels very angry. This accident should never have happened. The bloody photo helps explain why old fogeys like me shout at young people who take unnecessary risks.

All I can hope is that others on the Forum will look and learn by your example not to take chances. This sport of ours is dangerous enough. 

In the meantime, ToS, get better and do take more care next time you feel frivolous. You could easily have lost the use of your leg.


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## PaintedFury (Aug 18, 2010)

The two that immediately come to mind are:

When I was running poles, and my horse tripped up going around the end pole, which he had never done before. It slammed me into the ground over his shoulder landing head first. When I tried to get up, I couldn't, so I was taken to the hospital in a meat waggon on a board and in a c-collar. I managed not to break anything or suffer a concussion. I was extremely lucky. I was also extremely sore the next morning.

The other was one time I was riding horses for a couple, and I was running behind with one of the younger horses, so the woman saddled my next horse or me. What I didn't notice was she put a cavesson (sp?) on this mare because she gapped if you picked up on the reins very much at all. I usually rode her using leg signals, so I only picked the reins up to adjust them for her. I checked her girth, and stepped on. I picked up on the reins to adjust them as I asked her to turn around with my legs. And boy did she come around! I dropped the reins, said whoa, and she stopped short. The only problem is we were on grass, and all four feet slipped out from under her tossing her onto her side with my leg pinned under her. She rolled over the top of me, but I managed to bend over where the saddle horn wouldn't get me in the stomach. I also managed to ride her back up again. I stepped off of her, checked her over, and removed the cavesson and continued on with my ride. For about two weeks I thought I had managed not to hurt myself, but then my legs went numb from about mid-calf down, and it gradually ascended to where from my waist down was numb, and I could barely walk. I went to the doctor, and told them what happened. He didn't bother taking x-rays or nothing, and told me that it was all in my head! I went for nearly three weeks like this until my lower back popped one day, then I started getting my feeling back and the ability to walk normally. I was sore for nearly a month after that. Sorry the second one is so long!


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## GOBLIN73 (Feb 22, 2011)

PaintedFury said:


> The two that immediately come to mind are:
> 
> When I was running poles, and my horse tripped up going around the end pole, which he had never done before. It slammed me into the ground over his shoulder landing head first. When I tried to get up, I couldn't, so I was taken to the hospital in a meat waggon on a board and in a c-collar. I managed not to break anything or suffer a concussion. I was extremely lucky. I was also extremely sore the next morning.
> 
> The other was one time I was riding horses for a couple, and I was running behind with one of the younger horses, so the woman saddled my next horse or me. What I didn't notice was she put a cavesson (sp?) on this mare because she gapped if you picked up on the reins very much at all. I usually rode her using leg signals, so I only picked the reins up to adjust them for her. I checked her girth, and stepped on. I picked up on the reins to adjust them as I asked her to turn around with my legs. And boy did she come around! I dropped the reins, said whoa, and she stopped short. The only problem is we were on grass, and all four feet slipped out from under her tossing her onto her side with my leg pinned under her. She rolled over the top of me, but I managed to bend over where the saddle horn wouldn't get me in the stomach. *I also managed to ride her back up again.* I stepped off of her, checked her over, and removed the cavesson and continued on with my ride. For about two weeks I thought I had managed not to hurt myself, but then my legs went numb from about mid-calf down, and it gradually ascended to where from my waist down was numb, and I could barely walk.* I went to the doctor, and told them what happened. He didn't bother taking x-rays or nothing, and told me that it was all in my head!* I went for nearly three weeks like this until my lower back popped one day, then I started getting my feeling back and the ability to walk normally. I was sore for nearly a month after that. Sorry the second one is so long!


I can't believe the Doctor didn't take you seriously!!!:shock: Good grief, you could have done some serious damage and he never even looked??!!!! 

BTW- You go for even staying on for that :wink:


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## PaintedFury (Aug 18, 2010)

GOBLIN73 said:


> I can't believe the Doctor didn't take you seriously!!!:shock: Good grief, you could have done some serious damage and he never even looked??!!!!
> 
> BTW- You go for even staying on for that :wink:


I could do stuff like that then, I was 19. I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it now though! It happened so fast that I didn't have much of a choice really!


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## Bopadoodle (May 17, 2011)

One of the horses at the yard I ride, was in a very spooky mood, and would just fall over, maybe spooky horses rearing etc.


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## kalliy10 (Mar 25, 2011)

I am not sure this would help, I volunteer at a barn on my days off. One day I went out to the pasture to get the horses (bring them in for the lessons) There is this ONE horse that HATE(s) me. He was the horse i was going to bring in, he at first was okay, walking towards me but all of a sudden he charged at me (mostly got spooked) knocking me down on the ground then walked around me... I was seriously scared, since at that time I never had a accident with a horse (not even falling off) I got back-up haltered him and then he steps on my foot.... When walking him up towards the barn he than start to run, dragging me along.....


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