# "Emergency Dismount" - A Short Rant



## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

Disclaimer: I'm not really getting worked up about this because most of these girls will never get into a situation where it's relevant, but it gives me a conversation starter.

There is a horse camp going on at my barn. (That's why I'm an ideal border - I can have fun with my horse whether barn facilities are available or not - no competition!) When I came back from the trail with Hamlet (god, how I hate bug season this year!), girls were practicing "emergency dismounts" in the arena. This is how it went:

- Three horses jog leisurely in a 20m circle.
- Instructor yells "Dismount!"
- Girls carefully remove feed from stirrups, dismount in an orderly fashion, taking the reins over the horse's head, and sticking the landing like a little vaulting gymnast.
- Half of the time, the horse figures out what's going on, and as soon as the feet leave the stirrups, it stops.

As someone who has been in hairy situations, there are some things that strike me...questionable about this way of instilling a false sense of safety.

- If you are at arena speeds, you can just sit on the horse until it gets tired.
- If you are going fast, you are generally safer staying on the horse than getting off. Exceptions to this would be situations where the horse is on a self-destructive path...running into a wall, into traffic, or off a cliff.
- If you are getting off at speed, taking the reins over the head and sticking the landing will decidedly not be your first concern - "separate from the horse" and "tuck and roll" will be. If you are in any way rigid getting off at 20+mph...

Am I missing something?

It's like a motorcycle: Under all circumstances, you are better off staying with the motorcycle than "laying it down", because whether there is ultimately a collision or not, the brakes slow you down faster than your skin rubbing against the tarmac.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

We were taught this, not because it would actually be used, but because it helped remove the fear of falling. Once your brain got used to getting off while the horse was moving and NOT being hurt, it was much easier to be a confident rider. No, it's not feasible to take the reins over the head and land on your feet in an actual emergency, but it does help prevent chaos in the ring (loose horses) and give the riders some confidence that coming off won't always mean pain and fear.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

Yeah, you do this twice with a sharp horse ("emergency" dismounting when you actually don't have to; i.e. you are not heading for destruction), and you'll have a horse that's learned to ditch a rider.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Maybe the next lesson is dismounting while the horse is moving and then vaulting into the saddle again! 

Seriously, there has hardly ever been a time so far in my short riding life that I felt safer on the ground than in the saddle. I like it up there! Only time I can remember was when the footing was so slippery and the cliff below so steep and the path so narrow, if there had been any room to get off and walk I would have.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

When we were young and just starting to ride, the "emergency dismount " was what we did all the time, it came naturally but no taking the reins over the head or pretty landing. 
Now because I am in my 70's my dismounts are somewhat of a production and carefully executed, I decided to do an emergency dismount and it was pretty bad and not quick at all.

BUT last winter when Sis and I were out riding and the snow was deep she and her horse hit an icy spot under the snow, I watched what happened like it was in slow motion, the mare's hind foot slipped badly and I saw Sis get her feet out of the stirrups and as the mare went down she was throwing herself off the horse and to the side so she was clear when the horse landed and as the horse was getting up so was Sis and she was reaching for the reins at the same time. I would call this an emergency dismount that was effective and I'm sure a lot of it was muscle memory of times past. Not bad for a little old lady of 72.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Woodhaven said:


> When we were young and just starting to ride, the "emergency dismount " was what we did all the time, it came naturally but no taking the reins over the head or pretty landing.
> Now because I am in my 70's my dismounts are somewhat of a production and carefully executed, I decided to do an emergency dismount and it was pretty bad and not quick at all.
> 
> BUT last winter when Sis and I were out riding and the snow was deep she and her horse hit an icy spot under the snow, I watched what happened like it was in slow motion, the mare's hind foot slipped badly and I saw Sis get her feet out of the stirrups and as the mare went down she was throwing herself off the horse and to the side so she was clear when the horse landed and as the horse was getting up so was Sis and she was reaching for the reins at the same time. I would call this an emergency dismount that was effective and I'm sure a lot of it was muscle memory of times past. Not bad for a little old lady of 72.


If I have to bail I would always want it to be in the snow! Or failing that, at least a couple feet of water.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Avna a few years ago in early spring when we were out riding and went through a wet area on the trail there were some bad, deep ruts where Sis went and her horse got mired in them and was stumbling around so Sis got thinking if he went down she could be pinned under him and under water so she bailed. The horse recovered but Sis was wet to the waist and a bit of a cold ride home for them but they suffered no injuries.

So I guess you could say she has tried both of your preferences and didn't much like either one.

All joking aside I think it's a good thing for people to be able to dismount quickly in an emergency.


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## DreamerR (Dec 17, 2017)

My trainer has talked to me about this before. She calls it bailing. She says it something that you can learn, but in an actual situation staying on the horse is safer. Most riders can stay on if the horse bucks, or takes off. But If you jump off then your foot can get stuck in the stirrup, you can get run over by the horse. 

When I'm in a scary situation my main thought is to NOT hit the ground. But I don't know. This girl that I ride with, I think I made up a fake name as Stacey in one of my threads. But Stacey always had a problem with bailing. Once she would bail, she would make up some dramatic story on how she fell off and the horse was dangerous. Everyone new she was lying. Now she has the repuation at our ranch as the girl who bails everytime the horse trots. Last week she was trotting and her stirrup snapped off. Instead of stopping the horse. She squeezed with her legs and the horse took off cantering. She hugged her neck crying the whole way. She tried to bail but her foot got caught in the other stirrup and she got dragged and then stepped on when the other stirrup broke. 

The trainer made her get back on once she established she was ok. The horse took one step and she bailed and ran off crying to the barn. I was watching this all happen from the back of BEE who has a reputation of bucking off and then running over riders once they finally hit the ground. When I got back to the barn she goes, "Man (horse) really went crazy today. Hope she acts better at our next lesson. Did you see her throw me off!" 

Anyways..... We consider it a bad habit. But different trainers different traininig techniques?


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

LydiaAndJustice said:


> Now she has the repuation at our ranch as the girl who bails everytime the horse trots. ?


See, that would be a counter example to the thesis of "building confidence". "Better bail before the horse gets _even_ faster!" is not the action of a confident rider.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Dismounting quickly should be an option. Dismounting from a moving horse isn't a big deal. Some folks do it all the time! 








​ But intentionally leaving a horse's back, regardless of style, is quite different from what happens when it is NOT intentional! I don't understand the concept of "Falling shouldn't scare you". After my fall, I asked a bunch of very experienced western riders. I was told if the horse isn't about to cross a busy Interstate or go off a cliff, STAY ON! 

Seems to me we ought to take falling seriously rather than pretend it is something one does gracefully and without risk! In my one fall (Jan 2009), I landed back first on a rock maybe 1/4 the size of my fist. It was Jan 2018 before this life-long jogger was able to start jogging again. Building false confidence sets the rider up for future trouble. There was a Civil War cavalryman who wrote a charge into combat was no more like a gallop than a hurricane is like a breeze. I tend to think the same of bolting horses....


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

I suppose it might come in handy as a skill if your horse decides to roll on you. Like in a water trough during a ride. Not that I would know anything about this.....


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

QueenofFrance08 said:


> I suppose it might come in handy as a skill if your horse decides to roll on you. Like in a water trough during a ride. Not that I would know anything about this.....


That's always an exciting moment: Is the horse pawing the water because it's fun to splash, or because the horse is testing the ground for rocks to ensure safety for a quick roll? In either case, it'd also teach the horse how to get rid of you, so "Forward - NOW!" would be the safest option, as far as I can see...


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## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

Hello? Anyone can bail with with enough willpower! "Ladies and gents zis is gravity and zis is velocity... _enjoy_" What about emergency mounting? Like... when the police are after you for impersonating them with polite hi vis or an angry farmer for chilling on their crop? Or a zombie? How does one mount in a panic!??!!? Where can I learn this? >.<


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

I was being stung around the face by a yellow jacket. I was waving my hat. Soon Hondo was stung. He bucked a little, not to unseat me but to get the wasp off of him, just like he does with horse flies when I'm not riding him.

Things were getting a bit hairy and I decided to dismount. I had at that time only dismounted the usual western way. Left foot in the stirrup until right foot is on the ground. Didn't work out so well with a horse jumping around. I wound up half falling off.

I have since trained myself in emergency dismounts and in fact do what I think may be a typical english dismount. After swinging one leg over the saddle, I lean on the saddle with my belly while slipping my other foot out of the stirrup and drop down on both feet.

I feel a little safer doing this and it does take some strain off of the horse.

Had I been doing this with the wasp situation, I would not have stumbled to the ground.

BTW, I still had the reins and Hondo was staying with me until I dropped them and said run as I started running also.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Hondo said:


> ...After swinging one leg over the saddle, I lean on the saddle with my belly while slipping my other foot out of the stirrup and drop down on both feet...


Mia would have bolted with my lying across her back. The 'emergency dismount' I did with her was: I pulled her nose to my knee, wrapped the reins around the horn twice, and dismounted while she got straightened out enough to bolt. Probably looked like the roper picture except on the other side.

Another time, her saddle slipped and the horn was pointing sideways. My left foot was still in the stirrup, level with her back, while the right stirrup was on the ground. She had stopped, was puzzled WHY the saddle was now wedged on her side, wasn't going to stand still much longer, so I pushed off with my left foot and landed, rolling away from her, on the right.

Not sure how ANY practice helps when the saddle is totally on the horse's right side. My thought process was simple. I can hurdle myself off her 15.3 hand back while she is standing still, puzzled. Or in a few seconds, I'll come off anyway as she accelerates to full speed. I could only pick what I thought would hurt the least.

My first emergency dismount, from Mia...while at a full stop!


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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

Specific circumstances may present a variety of examples which might be used to support or discourage the teaching of an “emergency dismount”. In addition, there may be various methods of teaching an emergency dismount. 

While the method I use in teaching riding should never bring about the need for an emergency dismount, such a technique may be useful when a rider loses balance to the point where it cannot be regained.

I present examples to support both sides of the discussion.

One is of a man who owned a horse that had thrown every member of the family. He said that he learned how to dismount safely whenever the horse tried to get the rider off. This rider’s behavior seemed to encouraged the horse to display such behavior.

The other example is a woman student who I decided to teach how to pull her feet out of the stirrups, grab her horse’s neck, and slide off to the side if she felt she was going to fall off the horse. Later on the ride, while she was descending a steep hill, nearby horses suddenly took off in a gallop. The woman’s horse took off in pursuit of the other horses. When she lost her balance to the point that she could not regain it, she pulled her feet out of the stirrups, grabbed her horse’s neck, and slid down the horse’s side. Almost immediately, the horse stopped with the woman balancing on her feet while clinging to the horse’s neck.

Should this procedure be taught to every rider? To be honest, I seldom think of teaching it. I have never personally found it necessary. However, that does not mean it cannot prove useful.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Be careful swinging over the saddle and sliding off.... it's very easy to get a shirt, jacket, or bra hung up on the saddle horn. If your horse is already squirrelly, you're in for a wreck. This is the reason traditional western shirts have snap buttons rather than regular buttons. 

I did this once. Got the saddle horn inside my buttoned Carhartt coat and there I hung...No way that heavy coat was going to break free. Thank goodness my horse was calm as I flailed and heaved to get my foot back into the stirrup so I could get back on to right the situation. A riding friend had bought a new heavy-duty bra and got that hung up. She was riding a spooky 4 y.o. who did not take kindly to the situation. Thankfully her bra broke before she did. 

If you ride western, this is something you can work with your horses on should it ever happen. Get partway off and hang there. Flail around. It may well save your life. Wear a snap-front coat and slicker, or resew buttons on a heavy coat with light thread to further help your safety.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I never taught the voluntary dismount but would play games with the lessons. 

One of the easiest to teach this was "Off your pony and onto the one on front!" Most children are competitive and soon learned to jump off at the walk trot and then canter without any problems. Of course the big advantage to this was that they were riding ponies. 

Gymkhana games which I played a lot as I could win several £s doing so, required the ability to both dismount and mount at a canter. 

The art is to throw your leg clear, twist as you decent so you Land running in the same direction as the pony and running.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

SilverMaple said:


> Be careful swinging over the saddle and sliding off.... it's very easy to get a shirt, jacket, or bra hung up on the saddle horn. If your horse is already squirrelly, you're in for a wreck. This is the reason traditional western shirts have snap buttons rather than regular buttons.


I don't rope and that is the reason I don't have a saddle horn. But I still wear Wrangler snap button shirts because there's lots of other stuff that can get caught on a shirt.

Once I was riding with a sort of loose down vest and the end of a broken off limb ran right under it on top of my shoulder. Almost came off the horse before it broke.

About the only thing I need to watch for when sliding off is the top of a water bottle sticking up out of the pommel bag. And I have caught that but it would not hang me up like a jacket on a saddle horn.

Looking at bsms's posted picture I see another use for a saddle horn. The guy is holding on to it during dismount to wrestle a calf. I don't do that either.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Emergency dismounts in a controlled situation aren't emergency dismounts!!
Really depends on whats happening - if you are lucky to be able to remove yourself from a horse before 'trouble' actually kicks off then you're just going to get off in a normal way but if a horse is bolting 'nobody at home in the brain department' and going at speed then it might be better to bale if there's a chance you're going to end up in traffic or some other situation where you rather not be then you most definitely don't just bounce nicely on the ground and stay there. I had to do it once and it was the right thing to do but I hit the ground hard and then did about half a dozen backwards gambols before I stopped and could barely move for a week.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

@Foxhunter Thank you for that video! I sent it to my oldest son who's daughter said, "I wanna ride a horse". She is a black belt in Taicoundo and could do those remounts once she learned to ride properly.

Makes me wish I had began prior to reaching 72 YO! I'm sure those kids could do about any emergency dismount invented.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Guess I need to practice my emergency mounts and dismounts. Never know when they'll need extras for a movie.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

mmshiro said:


> That's always an exciting moment: Is the horse pawing the water because it's fun to splash, or because the horse is testing the ground for rocks to ensure safety for a quick roll? In either case, it'd also teach the horse how to get rid of you, so "Forward - NOW!" would be the safest option, as far as I can see...


I always err on the side of, "paw water on your own time when you aren't wearing a custom saddle -- and me!" I've had horses go for a nice cool lie-down with me aboard before.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I had to think on this one ----- I am pretty sure that, in 59 years of continuous riding, I was only forced to emergency dismount once. -- all the other dismounts were involuntary tuck n rolls, lol

We were headed for a four lane by-pass --- intending to cross to pick up the trail on the other side ----- there were cars but not crazy busy.

As usual, I was riding without a saddle. My left rein broke just as Duke was climbing up the gravel embankment to the berm of the highway.

I bailed off the left, pulling the right rein with me and grabbing the left side of Duke's bridle.

Between me hollering "Duke whoa!" and my two riding buds hollering whoa, Duke stopped, literally in the nick of time and stood quietly.

That was the one time in my life I did not have spare reins with me, but one of the other riders had some piggin' strings, and was able to fix my rein. We continued on, across the By-Pass, rode all day and completed our 36 mile round trip goal

By this time, Duke was in his mid-teens and a very sensible, seasoned out the young-yang trail horse. Things might not have gone so well, had a flighty, inexperienced horse been involved, lol.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I didn't know the reason for snaps on western wear, very interesting. When I started riding quarter horses, learning western riding, I was told to mount the horse with the left hand on the mane and the right hand on the saddle horse, 2 reasons,1. if the horse should suddenly take off you can swing aboard and the right hand is not on the cantle (as so many people do) to prevent you from mounting 2. dismount the same way with the right hand on the saddle horn so this prevents clothing from sliding over the horn and leaving you literally hanging.

My niece went to look at a horse one time, sweet little green broke 3 yr old and it was winter with her wearing a bulky coat, she's an English rider and went she went to dismount her coat hooked over the horn and she was hanging there and couldn't get herself back up or down to the ground til someone came over to help and during that time this young horse stood like a statue. Niece when back on the ground said "sold!" That was the best buy she ever made for a horse, this horse was the best, safest horse you will ever find, they were together into this mare's 30's


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I remember one emergency dismount, it was winter, sunday morning and the roads were icy, snow packed and slippery, we had just had the horses sharp shod the day before.
I tacked up and I had found a snaffle bit in the barn left by the previous occupants so I put it on my bridle (foolish me) and headed out. The two girls who had horses there had already gone and as I went down a road I could see them a good half mile ahead, my horse also saw them and started dancing, I checked him back and this bit just snapped in the middle and there I was holding empty loose reins. Horse hesitated then took off on this icy road after the others, what could I do? I often rode him with just a lead and halter but the bit breaking really set him off and could he run. I called out to the others and they stopped and watched us speeding toward them and when we passed them the horse kind of turned and went up to a fence, as he hesitated to spin I was off him in a flash and caught the noseband. I could do an emergency dismount then.

That was some wild ride, I just took the reins attached them to the nose band and rode home to get another bit.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

This might only apply to me, but when I was a child I got run away with by a Roman nosed pig of a horse. He stepped in a hole, flipped, and I got a concussion. After that I was always terrified of being run away with. When I turned a teenager, I got a green broke pony trucked in from Wyoming. I decided I would never be run off with again, so I taught myself to jump off him, tuck and roll-- first at a walk, then a trot, then a canter, and finally a gallop. And then, guess what? It gave me so much confidence that I never in my life ever have felt the need to jump off a running horse. 

I do think the real benefit of emergency dismounts is confidence, and when I teach kids to ride, I do teach it.

On the other hand, I have gotten clothes caught on the saddle horn, and once, when I was foolish enough to ride through a narrow gate (and I know better, I do), I got my boot caught on the gate bolt and was left hanging upside down until someone came and freed me.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I don't know whether teaching emergency dismounts in the style described is actually effective since in most cases, there is little time to react, and you have very little control over where your body ends up (otherwise, wouldn't you just try to stay in the saddle?). That said, I can see how it might be a useful confidence-building exercise, and that it might even help develop balance. My daughter does vaulting occasionally, and her jumping coach encouraged her to continue because it can only contribute to increasing her comfort on the horses back, developing her balance, and enhance her ability to absorb and ride through all of the horse's gaits. She hops on and off, stands on his back, kneels, does all sorts of things. So perhaps there are reasons for teaching this other than actual usefulness in the event of an emergency.


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

I mean, if it gives the kids some confidence it's probably better than no confidence, because if the horse panics and then the rider panics, both feed off each others freakout. I don't remember being taught to emergency dismount. When I took lessons I had already been riding for years so i guess trainer didn't think it was necessary? Dunno. Either way I used to be able to fall off on purpose and not get hurt. I haven't tried it in a while though and am not sure if I have the guts to. I was a daredevil a few years ago. 



Most of my "emergency dismounts" aren't of my intention haha. Luckily I haven't ridden a lot of horses who are hot and spooky so I don't com across these situations too often.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

This was my first gallop on an OTTB, up a shallow hill, about 1/4 mile long. I had ridden that horse on the trail, cantered a bit, too, but never all out speed. So BO tells me, "Just grab some mane!" - which I did, and up the hill we went with great excitement. Then the horse made a wide U-turn and proceeded to go towards the hill...downwards, this time. My efforts at slowing him where unsuccessful, no matter how hard I pulled. So, down the hill we galloped (*This* is how you develop a firm seat!), and the horse dutifully slowed down at the bottom to go to BO. 

BO said, "You have to let go of the mane!" 

Anyway, just a story where it was better to stay on the horse. Ah, yes, I did go up the hill again and then had a much better outcome once at the top. That time we walked down.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

The described method of emergency dismount is not very helpful, except as was said, for teaching kids confidence. You'll never be able to get the reins over the head of a horse in an emergency situation; it would be stupid to try. 

I teach people an emergency dismount. The biggest reason I do is because I've seen a lot of adult riders especially who haven't practiced getting free of the stirrups and tack, so struggle when it is necessary. Basically I want to see that someone can get their feet loose, get their leg over the saddle, and get away without getting stuck. No one should feel like they are stuck on a horse.

Struggling with getting free of the tack can happen when people are mounting for the hundredth time and the horse gets spooked and trots off, with them only part-way on board. It can happen when the narrow trail suddenly dead ends and there is no way to turn the horse around, but now the horse is antsy and can't stand still or back up.
It can happen when a horse gets stuck in some brush or wire so it's not safe to stay on them, but they're struggling and hopping around.

It is definitely not always safer to stay on horses, and I don't mean to offend but if you think so you just haven't been in enough different situations. There have been many times when I've had to decide "stay or bail." It's not going to be a good idea to bail at a full gallop or even a canter. Honestly, most times when I've had to bail from horses, they've not been in any recognizable gait but were doing something called "complete panic." The legs kind of go randomly in all directions.

What you can try to do is gain an instant where you can slow the panic down into something you can hop off of. 

If I'm with two other riders and watch them go fling, fling, and both get tossed off, and suddenly there are two loose horses standing tensely and thinking, "Should we gallop away?" I am going to be off my horse in 0.00002 seconds. I have a great imagination and can visualize myself in a mad gallop with two riderless horses, randomly charging around willy nilly.

If a helicopter suddenly appears over a ridge and begins to land twenty feet away from my horse, and I feel her head touch the clouds as her body swells to three times its normal size, boom, my feet will be on the ground. I've been known to gallop horses around myself at the end of reins, quite safely. I've also been known to try to stay on during these situations, and found myself bucked off on the ground and having a long hike to find and catch my horse. 

I've been chased by a loose mule wearing packs full of glass bottles that clanked while the mule screeched and my horse perhaps thought the packs were a mountain lion eating the mule. I've had 50 elk come thundering down the side of a mountain just a few feet in front of my horse's nose. Sometimes I exit the vehicle before coming to a complete stop.


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

Long ago it clicked with me that the safest place on a horse is up top, in the middle. I spent my youth learning to stay there through all sorts of shenanigans. 


When I first started riding bareback broncs in the amateur rodeo, my mentor told me something that has also stayed with me. He said "This is the best rodeo advice, but it is never followed. If you lose your seat, bail out. Get the **** away from that horse." He was right. When the adrenaline was flowing, I always had the thought that I could pull myself back upright and WIN! No you can't. 


Balancing those two things is where I think an emergency dismount comes into play. Learn how to stay on the horse with a secure seat. When faced with the choice of coming off the horse in a heap, or a controlled fall (isn't that an oxymoron?), choose the controlled fall. 


That doesn't mean leaping off the horse and sticking the landing like a gymnast as in the OP. The best I've seen has 4 steps.


Lose the stirrups and drop the reins.
Hug the horses neck with both arms.
Roll off the horse, using its neck for support.
Get away from the horse, whether it's tuck and roll, land on your feet and run, or scramble.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

Cordillera Cowboy said:


> That doesn't mean leaping off the horse and sticking the landing like a gymnast as in the OP. The best I've seen has 4 steps.


See? That makes sense. Even if you practice at low speeds, practice "tuck and roll", and never mind the reins!


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

mmshiro said:


> See? That makes sense. Even if you practice at low speeds, practice "tuck and roll", and never mind the reins!


Agree. Especially don't try to keep the reins, because you're less helpful to your horse with broken fingers. I've known those who tried holding on and got their fingers broken when the horse ran off.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I asked the son of a friend (rancher) if he had ever bailed off a horse deliberately. He said he had bailed off once, but it wasn't deliberate-like. Said he was in the mountains and the trail gave way underneath him & the horse. He remembers throwing himself off uphill - no technique, just trying to fling himself in the uphill direction - and seeing his horse roll a few times going 50 feet down the ravine. Thought the fall had killed the horse. But when he got down to his horse, the horse picked himself up, shook, and looked at him as if to say, "_What now?_"


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

There have been many times when I have bailed off a horse. Safer on the ground than on top. 

Whilst in Idaho I was given the rode on a chestnut mare to bring cattle down from the high fields. When a heifer broke away from the herd I was sent after her. That was fine but whe. The cow turned and went straight down the mountain to join the herd so did the mare.

Having ridden many racehorses and being able to 'hold' the strongest, it was instinctive for me to try to get control. 

Ha HA! No way. I thought about bailing, looked at the rocks and shale and decided otherwise. In perhaps only a couple of strides I thought, "You grew up on this terrain, you haven't killed yourself so far!" 

I relaxed my reins stuck my feet forward, leant back, one hand on the horn and prayed - not only for a safe descent but that I wouldn't need a laundry change! 

Evidently it was her party piece.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Years ago a friend and I went to Wyoming on a cattle drive, we had to go up to the summer pasture and bring about 300 head of cattle back down to winter quarters.
this area was about 21,000 acres.
As my friend and I were the best riders we were sent to the farthest area to collect cattle. I was given a gelding that had run up on this pasture with the cattle all summer, aptly named Rebel. No bit just a bosal and we headed out, this horse was really revved up and ready to go and he started to run, I didn't have much control over him and tried to slow him down or turn him, no luck, he wasn't actually running away just running (maybe for the joy of it?) he would jump over the sage brush and I could see all kinds of ground hog holes which had me terrified that he would step in one and I was trying to direct him around them.

Then he jumped a bigger sage brush and I could see a big hole right on his landing, I started to pray and prepare to meet my maker when he just twisted in mid air and missed the hole.

I realized this horse knew what he was doing and I stopped interfering with him and said "run you sucker if you want to". It was quite a feeling to be able to travel so far without worrying about fences or roads, just open spaces.

He finally settled down after a few miles and I got along with him pretty well and by the time the ride was over, I would have loved to take this horse home with me, I liked him that much.

There are times to bail and times to stay with the ship, you just have to make that decision at the time.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Just a word of advice for those who are *cough, cough* no longer in the 40 and under group. Unless you absolutely MUST get off, stay on. Last time I bailed was when someone bolted and was going to go through the end of the arena which was built of heavy duty pipe panels, which would have landed us in the middle of a bunch of long horn steers. Bailing out at a full gallop is not fun at any age, at closer to 60 than 40, it cost me a few breaks, hip, pelvis, and a concussion even with a helmet on. So not saying don't, just saying know that you don't bounce so good anymore and be ready for the pain.

And for those who'll say, "He won't hit those panels and run through them. He'll hang a sharp turn.". Yeah, no he didn't. He hit them doing 70 mph and then realized he shoulda turned around, did a HUGE roll back and then ran back the other way, which had me rolling up in fetal position and praying he jumped over me. He did, so no further injury, but I wasn't getting up from that one.


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

I had the same type of experience while driving cattle in Wyoming. I was told to gather up some cattle in a ‘little’ ravine. Well, when I got to the lip and looked down, the drop was awe inspiring. I dropped the reins on the geldings neck, said a Hail Mary or three, and over we went. He grew up on that range and knew what to do, which was to tucked his hind end and slide down.

Great times!


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

^^^^ Man from Snowy River


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Thanks, everybody, for posting these interesting stories. It's a good thread.

I agree, one should not bail when your horse is galloping unless there is no way out. @4horses and I were riding with a friend who had recently got her horse back from the trainer and didn't really trust him yet. We were all walking calmly and happily through the woods when her horse suddenly bolted. I wasn't too worried because the trail was fairly wide, she was an experienced rider, and there were no fences or turns for several miles. By then, she'd get him stopped. But she bailed and got badly hurt. I asked her later why she jumped off when the trail was wide enough to drive a cart. She said she thought he was going to hit a tree. I think if she had stayed on, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. JMO.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)




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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

A dealer I was riding for bought a horse in Eire, a big solid animal around 16.2. He was around 10 years. That horse was a show jumper. What we found out later was that he was a Grade A horse that had been sent from Scotland to Eire to a sales. The reason was that he was impossible to stop and thought nothing about hooking off with a rider. 

He became a homing pigeon, sold many times and returned within days. 

I had taken him out a few times with no worries then on returning back one day he just took off flat out on the road. The entrance to the stable drive was more or less opposite the road I was on but to get to it a very busy main road had to be navigated. 

There was no way I was going to be able to stop that horse and about 400 yards away from the road I decided to bail. My thought was that if he was going to kill himself and possibly some driver, he needn't kill me too. 

Often when a order jumps off at speed a horse will slow, not this one, he just kept going. I had landed running. I saw him cross the road causing a big rig to swerve and loose his load of lumber. 

Guessing that George would not have insurance I hid in an overgrown garden. 

Police arrived and I remained hidden. Only when all was clear and my b/friend was driving past for the umpteenth time, did I stop him. 

George told the police he had never seen the horse before. It was left with him, and finally sold back to Eire. When the police called to see if the owner had been found George told them that when we returned home from a show the horse was gone. He demanded to know who was going to pay the three weeks keep! 

The nerve of the Irish!


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Hondo enjoyed the short version of Snowy River I still get goose bumps watching that trip down the mountain, they say they had a lot of cameras positioned because there would be only one take,
That marvelous buckskin was the star of the show.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

My friend did not bail once when on a horse that was bolting for a main road, with a log truck coming. She felt she could turn the horse, and she did, so they took a sharp turn just before running out in front of the truck and were then running alongside it. She saw the log truck driver's face and felt more sorry for him than for herself. 

Another friend did not bail when her horse was running toward a road and her bridle broke and fell off the horse's face. She leaned forward and closed the horse's nostrils, and the horse stopped when he couldn't breathe. I've always thought I might try that one someday in an emergency.

One of my friends doesn't bail until she is a foot from the ground, and I've seen her cantering along clinging to the side of the horse as she chooses where to land.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

gottatrot said:


> One of my friends doesn't bail until she is a foot from the ground, and I've seen her cantering along clinging to the side of the horse as she chooses where to land.


That's what I did, felt like a trick rider. There just comes a time when you're too dam*ed old to get away with that stuff though.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

Woodhaven said:


> Hondo enjoyed the short version of Snowy River I still get goose bumps watching that trip down the mountain, they say they had a lot of cameras positioned because there would be only one take,
> That marvelous buckskin was the star of the show.


Hmmm, I had figured the entire run was made in several individual scenes. Set up for the cliff jump, do it. If a take, go rest while the next scene is set up. Do a log jump. etc etc.

If that was one run, man what a run!! No thank you. Not for me.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Sorry this is two days late, but...



Kalraii said:


> Hello? Anyone can bail with with enough willpower! "Ladies and gents zis is gravity and zis is velocity... _enjoy_"


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:falloff::rofl:




> What about emergency mounting? Like... when the police are after you for impersonating them with polite hi vis or an angry farmer for chilling on their crop? Or a zombie?


:rofl::dance-smiley05::rofl:




> How does one mount in a panic!??!!? Where can I learn this? >.<


Dear @*Kalraii* , at 40+ we had this discussion three years ago, discussing gadgets that might help fossilising riders to mount more easily, in case of dismount - work from the ground - get back on the horse scenarios. I think the best contenders are these







:











Of course, with these you'd have to ride stirrupless!









If you want to keep your stirrups, maybe this solution is more appealing:




















Is this any help to you? Even though you're still a young whipper-snapper? ;-)


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Still catching up here.

*Exhibit* *A*. Thank you, @*Foxhunter* ! 






..._sniff_...:dance-smiley05: I don't know what it is, but gorgeous horses doing fabulous things with slow-motion footage and piano music always undo me. Where's that hanky? This is such wonderful horse-and-rider teamwork, such a spunky horse, and in the rider such an independent seat, such consistent care with the horse's mouth at these zero-to-flat-out manoeuvres, where it's hard to get it right all the time. Look how she uses the horse's neck to stabilise the reins and prevent jabs to the mouth! And on and off a horse? No worries! :runpony:
Gymkhana games I think have greater potential to teach basic skills _par excellence_ in a rider than dressage, much as I love dressage. The rider can't be a passenger here, much more so than in dressage.

It was because I moved to an ex-British colony from Germany that I ever got to participate in these things, as they were to be had at every corner here in Australia before the fun police moved in with their ridiculous public liability insurance requirements that packed up a lot of this sort of riding. Anyone else had this happen in their country?










I was lucky to have a whoa-go-whoa-go enthusiast, a Crabbet/Polish line Arabian mare who just loved cannoning out of a start and doing twisty-turny things you had to slow down for momentarily before going flat out again. This was winning a bending race at a Byford gymkhana meeting when I was a university student. The small size (14.2hh) of the horse was a real advantage for this kind of thing, and no disadvantage at endurance, despite my being 5'11". Once she understood what we were trying to do at a gymkhana, she made it her personal business to accelerate as much as possible between various assignments in a game. It was natural to her. 

And this is where I met the real riders in my new country. Not at the hacking shows with the glossed-up horses with shoe polish on their hooves and all their tactile and ear hair removed (for which I would cheerfully administer keelhauling of the responsible parties) with preening riders sitting on horses in flash gear at sedate paces, having little fashion competitions and meowing at each other while riding expensive horses in imitation of a dressage frame.

These were the riders you could ride on a trail with, without them moaning about how it was too fast (once you went past a medium trot) or too uphill or OMG there's a log and OMG I broke my fingernail and oh no I've got leaves in my hair, my precious coiffure!! OMG I've got mud on my expensive riding breeches! OMG what's the point of riding here where noone can see us! :dance-smiley05:

Thank you, @*Foxhunter* ... I am entering the nostalgic phase of impending fossildom, as you can see. ;-) We have plans for all stages of our lives, though. My husband is going to buy a walking stick on his 70th birthday just so he can hit people with it and swing it around saying, "_You young people today_!" in a quavery voice. And he wants YOU ARE ALL DOOMED on his gravestone.


*Exhibit B*. I hope I don't hurt your feelings, @*bsms* , but if I ever caught anyone riding like this I would hang them off a ceiling fan by their toenails and not let them back down again until they repented, and if they didn't repent they could stay there long-term as a warning to the public.






It's not so much the first rider's mounting and dismounting, although the horse actually flinches to see him approach (and would have done this a hundred times in practice and is still flinching). It's what he does with his reins after mounting. Rip - rip - _yahoo_, accompanied by obvious discomfort for the horse, and head raised super high in avoidance before he leaves its poor mouth alone again.

The second rider isn't as smooth getting on, and the horse is doing a lot of bracing and teetering as a result, so perhaps he should have a ladder for mounting, or practice on a vaulting horse in a gymnasium first, before unleashing on a horse. I'll give him he's much softer on the horse's mouth than his buddy, but then we haven't watched how he turns his horse, as it started facing in the intended direction. :think:

It was always my feeling that these sorts of movies were responsible for a lot of roughness on horses by people emulating this sort of thing purely to show off, without due care to their horses. I've seen some shocking things, which makes that clip tame on horses by comparison, but it's the motivation for doing these things that to me has much influence in their welfare outcome for horses.

At a gymkhana, a rider more skilled with the reins in a turn would have the natural advantage over Cowboy 1, and this would lead to him having to reassess his relationship with the horse's mouth if he didn't want to be outridden... and by a _girl_! 

Because Ms Violaine in the clip above is outriding both these fellas! :charge:
But noone is going to make a movie about that anytime soon! :rofl:


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Gymkhana games were a big thing in my youth. There were three sections, 10 and under on or off a lead, 12 - 14 and seniors. Each game had many entries so in a run of eight in each heat there would be quarter finals semi and final. 

Now most shows don't even have games I don't think it is liability but more that majority of people think that ponies can only do showing and perhaps jumping, that games would ruin them. 

I HAD to do well at games to pay my way, entries, hire of the pony, transport. If you entered eight games it cost £1 and you got to enter another for free. There were games held in the main arena whilst jump courses were altered. These were usually pairs classes or musical sacks. 

If you won you not only got a rosette but also £3 (except at Pony Club shows where they never gave money)

So, me being me, watched the better competitors learned from them, devised several 'cheats' within the rules. and used my brain to beat others. I won a lot. The pony I used was 14 hands, big for games but he loved them and was a great asset as he didn't like other ponies so if I was running to a sack in musical sacks, he would lay his ears flat back and threaten the other pony which would no doubt pull away delaying the other rider who was also running! 
I also was proficient at leaning right over Taffy's side so instead of dismounting to pick something off the ground I could do it mounted. I developed great hand/eye coordination which believe me, stood me in great stead for grabbing a stirrup cup off a tray at a Hunt Meet - without spilling a drop! 

Often I went home with over £20 in my pocket to give to Mum. That, back then was more than my father earned. 
I was asked to train the Prince Phillip cup team. I knew that they were not good enough to warrant the cost of sending them to the mainland for the regionals. They hadn't the completion experience as by then shows weren't holding games.So, I challenged them and said that if they could beat a team of adults they could go, if they didn't win then they wouldn't. 

I called together friends I had competed with, all were pleased to give it a go on their horses. In fact re was such a response that they had two teams! 

Non of the horses were use to playing games riders, many of them now mothers, out of practise and not as agile. Nevertheless, both teams beat the children. 

I had a big drawer full of rosettes I had won most from games.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Movies & horses, @*SueC* : I'd bet both riders in that clip were perfectly good riders. But DIRECTORS want ACTION. I'm no sure of the specific actor. I think it was Doug McClure, who played Trampas on The Virginian. He had worked as a kid on a ranch in Nevada. He was on a movie. After a couple of takes of him mounting up and racing off, the director told him he was doing it wrong. '_I need action! I need to see the horse acting wild! Jerk the horse's head around. I want to see the horse's mouth wide open, the eyes bulging out!_' 

McClure refused. Aside from the fact that the horse wouldn't appreciate it, he said he couldn't take the embarrassment of having his friends from various ranches see him ride like that. In the end, the director backed down.

Some months later, he went to the theater and watched the movie. He watch him mount his horse. There was then a close-up with the horse's mouth wide open - same horse - thrashing his head back and forth. Then a shot of him riding away. The director got what he wanted. The magic of movies!

As for the second guy's mount, I think he flubbed it and then mounted as he did just to get the job done. Personally, I've never been tempted to run up and make a leaping mount, but I'm a bit of a stick in the mud. I suspect it often resulted in the actor's boot jabbing the horse in the side. Heck, Kirk Douglas used a trampoline for mounting horses in "The War Wagon"! That does NOT sound like fun for ANYONE!

Another story, since I love movies. When you see a bunch of riders joining up in a posse, and all the horses racing of at a gallop - even though the bad guys are presumably a day's ride ahead - what you don't see is a guy off to one side. That guy's job is to make sure every rider is fully in the saddle BEFORE the posse races off at high speed. On one of the westerns, he didn't do his job. When 14 horses raced off, the 15th raced off too - with a rider still mounting, whose foot caught in the stirrup. By the time they realized it and got the horses stopped, the rider was dead.

Slim Pickens was a good rider. I think we would all agree though that this is NOT good jumping form:







Looked good on film. Slim Pickens said he'd let his horse ("Dear John") look at the planned jump in advance. If the horse was willing, Slim was willing. In their years of riding together, the horse never got it wrong. If the horse wasn't content, Slim would refuse the stunt. The horse didn't LIKE jumping (and who can blame him?) but seemed to accept it as part of his job. Some years later, Slim sat upright in bed in the middle of the night and told his wife John had died. They got a call from the horse's owner the next morning saying John had died sometime in the night out at pasture.

There was a lot of hideous riding in westerns. Many stars couldn't ride for squat, although many others were very good. But what made the screen might have nothing to do with how any given individual actually liked to ride. They stopped most of the killing of horses after "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (2 dozen horses killed) and "Jesse James". But the abuse of horses goes on. "Hollywood Hoofbeats" is a good book about the history of Hollywood and riding.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

fftopic:​
"As he has on most of his movies, Mr. Douglas insisted on performing his own stunts in ''Draw!'' ''I've always tried to do my own stunts,'' Mr. Douglas said. ''When I did 'The War Wagon' with John Wayne, I played a showoff who always made a fancy mount to get on his horse, jumping over one horse on to another. I figured I could do that, so I got a small trampoline to give me the altitude to make the jump. 

A reporter came on the set and said to John Wayne, 'I understand Kirk Douglas is doing every fancy mount himself.' And Wayne said, '*That Douglas, he can't even get on a horse without a trampoline!'*" :rofl:

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/04/arts/kirk-douglas-turning-to-tv-work.html

Still, I'm not sure the horse enjoyed the process.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

bsms said:


> Slim Pickens was a good rider. I think we would all agree though that this is NOT good jumping form:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It is not the Correct position but it isn't that incorrect either. It is a 'safe' jumping position, he is leaning back but the horse has the freedom of his head and is not being socked in the mouth. In racing terms it would be said he was calling a cab, with his right arm waving but with a rifle in that hand who wouldn't want to use it for balance? 

If you look at modern day people out Fox Hunting you will see many taking the backward seat, far safer when jumping out of deep mud and landing in the same. Even top eventers with a drop fence especially into water adopt a very similar seat. Jump jockeys certainly do and often hail a cab too!


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I didn't know that, @Foxhunter! Thanks. I took a few months of jumping lessons in 1985, but they mostly consisted of being given jumps to jump. No helmet. No discussion of position. Guess they were mostly just me paying money for a chance to get hurt. Probably a good thing the military sent me overseas before I broke something irreplaceable.

Slim Pickens genuinely liked the horse. That probably put him ahead of a lot of movie stars.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Marilyn, a friend of mine, married to the Scottish actor Ian Bannen, told me that several of the US actors had their own horses on set for filming. 

In the film Bite the Bullet, all th stars rode their own horses whilst Ian, whomwasnt a great rider, had to rode the horse he was given.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Just found this thread! Have as usual in these subjects gone in a wave; with the subject then away, with then away, and so on. 

So jumping in here at the end; I was taught how to do an emergency dismount as a child, and do believe it is a good thing to teach. 

Now pulling the reins over the head of the horse...hmm...not so sure about that one. Since it has been a hundred years since I was taught, I really can't remember. I do recall that the rider was supposed to keep hold of one of the reins, if possible. 


When I taught kiddos to do one, the horses quickly learned to stop if they felt the rider becoming unbalanced, so it was really hard for the kids to do a dismount any faster than a trot. 

However, I don't think it hurt the horses to learn to stop if a rider became unbalanced, and in fact this made the horses much safer for new/inexperienced riders. 

I have had to do emergency dismounts over the years, so really glad I learn how. Plus it was drummed into us to always kick the stirrups free first. 


The most recent emergency dismount was from my Chivas in the Yellowhammer endurance ride. He saw the first tent down in a dip just as we were being passed at the gallop by riders going the opposite way and he was fixin' to BOLT. All four legs going every which way and bowed up to toss me to the tent demon and yeah, I was off that spinning pony in a nano-second! (_reins in hand_) 

YeeHaw!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Another time that sticks out in my memory. Was up at the Kentucky Horse Park for the year-end Pony Club Championships. My son was on the Know-down team, but he and my daughter were both entered in the camp. 


So there I was, at loose ends, and decided to take a horseback tour of the Park. I had my Labrador dog with me and a back-pack full of our stuff. The dog was not allowed to go, so he was left at the rental barn with a bowl of water. 

The backpack I decided to just carry with me, after receiving assurance that it was ok. 

Now keep in mind, these horses are the nose-to-tail type that rank beginners are mounted on. Really one doesn't have to do anything on these horses but not fall off. 


So we had traversed the entire one hour route and were returning to the barn. There was a tiny little bridge to cross (golf-car sized) and then only a short way left. 

We stepped onto the bridge just as the horse gave a big sigh and my backpack suddenly went flying off the one shoulder it had been resting on and slammed into the horse's side. 


He jumped up in the air, the saddle started sliding sideways and the rodeo was ON!!! He was humping and spinning and I was trying to get my backpack back over my shoulder while also trying to jerk the saddle back upright with my feet and the dang horse was getting more and more terrified by the minute. 


Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bunch of terrified people gripping the saddle horns and the trail leader riding back along the line to me with a worried look on his face. 


I was making no progress with the saddle or the backpack so finally just thought BAIL so I kicked my feet free and leaped off just as the saddle slid completely under the belly of the horse and he took off bucking. 


The girth finally broke, the saddle hit the water and he finally stopped with sides heaving and nostrils flaring. I just watched while the leader, after making sure I was ok, caught up the poor horse. 


I just walked back to the stable laughing under my breath. I did tell the operators that it was my fault for getting on a horse without checking the girth. They did not seem to believe me that I jumped off, but eh, who cares. 


After reading this thread, I wonder if they didn't believe I had jumped off because maybe western riders aren't taught the emergency dismount like English riders??? 


Anyway, I collected my dog and we were off to the next adventure. All the time I'm thinking how I would never admit to 1) Not checking a girth and 2) having to do an emergency dismount off a nose-to-tail horse while only walking :redface:


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Off topic again, but came across this today. Clint Walker discussing riding (and learning to ride) in a TV western. He speaks highly of his horse who, he said, made him look good:


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

AnitaAnne said:


> I was making no progress with the saddle or the backpack so finally just thought BAIL so I kicked my feet free and leaped off just as the saddle slid completely under the belly of the horse and he took off bucking.


Yes, this is just the kind of thing that happens to me. This is what I meant, "No offense," but there are times when it is a good idea to know how to bail off. Sometimes I think certain people are more accident prone or something, because I've seen all kinds of risky behaviors from riders and somehow they'll say they've never seen a bad thing happen. I know if I tried the thing, something would happen! 

My friend brought her horse to the beach and took the tack off and took all these pictures with flowers around the horse's neck. If I tried that, it would be the day the military base decided to do helicopter water rescues or the day the rotten whale came washing up out of the ocean at my horse's feet.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

But given how different each "emergency" is, just how difficult is bailing?

When Mia's saddle slipped sideways, I had one foot in the left stirrup. The right stirrup was on the ground. Had Mia exploded then, I'd have landed somewhere on the ground regardless, but I would not have controlled it! She didn't explode, but I knew she would the moment she realized I had abandoned ship, so I flung myself off and rolled away. Hurt, too, because there is no way to fling a 50+ year old body onto ground like concrete and NOT hurt some. Not sure anyone gives lessons on how to do an emergency dismount with the saddle already on the horse's side. Although I'd love to see the lesson!

When Mia bolted down ATV trails, I hung on for dear life. Coming off meant I WOULD land on rock and cactus. No choice about it.








​ 
Would I get thorns in my eyeballs? Or just all over my body? Would I break my neck, back or land in the only spot of soft, clear ground in 1/4 mile? Pretty much all chance.

If my saddle had slipped 90 degrees sideways during a "Turn and Burn" - spin 180 and light the afterburners and run away from the scary thing as fast as possible - I'd either come off wherever and however chance happened, or MAYBE hang on just long enough to try to fall in the least dangerous terrain. If Bandit bolted toward a cliff, I'd hang on as long as possible. That boy has never lost his mind nor his situational awareness in three years of riding. He'd TURN before the edge. Mia? I'd fling myself off regardless of cactus because her mind would shut down sometimes. She was a horse who might run off a cliff without slowing.

I'm not really entirely certain what an "emergency dismount" is! If your horse was bucking and you come off, you were thrown. If your horse was all over the place and you came off, you fell. If you choose the timing of your fall, is it an emergency dismount? If you have enough balance left to choose which side you come off, and your saddle is still on the horse...then why not stay on? Unless, of course, the horse is heading for a cliff and not likely to stop, or a busy highway.

Seems to me it would be better to stop teaching "_Pretend Emergency Dismounts_" and admit you might need to fling yourself off in a gross emergency. Then teach _"Emergency Stay Ons_". I've watched 3 falls: My oldest daughter, my youngest daughter & my daughter-in-law, one each. In all three, it would have been EASY to stay on! All three came off because they just quit riding! My oldest daughter never got on a horse again. My youngest and my DIL got serious about staying on. I understand being bucked off. I understand falling off. I understand flinging myself as far from my horse as I can. I don't understand "emergency dismounts". Not trying to pee in anybody's Wheaties. Just don't understand the concept.

If you are more afraid of what will happen if you stay on than if you come off, fling yourself off and roll away if able. Accept you may be hurt.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

gottatrot said:


> Yes, this is just the kind of thing that happens to me. This is what I meant, "No offense," but there are times when it is a good idea to know how to bail off. Sometimes I think certain people are more accident prone or something, because I've seen all kinds of risky behaviors from riders and somehow they'll say they've never seen a bad thing happen. I know if I tried the thing, something would happen!
> 
> My friend brought her horse to the beach and took the tack off and took all these pictures with flowers around the horse's neck. If I tried that, it would be the day the military base decided to do helicopter water rescues or the day the rotten whale came washing up out of the ocean at my horse's feet.


You mean like the time I was riding my big Percheron/Arab cross (appropriately nicknamed Baby) and wee had just done some nice half-steps in trot and walk pirouettes when I heard a weird huffing kind of noise. 

Peeked over my shoulder and spotted a HOT AIR BALLOON headed right towards us  


I not only did an emergency dismount while he was almost in piaffe (good boy) but I ran with him to the barn and did an emergency un-tack in record time and stuck him in the stall. 


Just in the nick of time to because that balloon passed right over the barn, then the arena and landed in the pasture RIGHT NEXT to the ARENA!! 


I could hardly breathe for such a close call! 


The pilot (?) was pulling a lever at random intervals to slightly raise the balloon as it coasted in for a landing. This lever thing make the burner ignite or at least fire up so there is this huge whooshing sound. 

Meanwhile, the road crew comes driving up the driveway and around the barn and across the arena!! The owner nearly had a fit :evil::evil::evil: 


All I could think was TG I saw that dang balloon before my horse did!! 


That balloon when flattened out took up a huge amount of space. The horses out in the pasture went nuts, and my horse couldn't see a thing cause he was on the other side of the barn. 


Yeah, freak things happen to me ALL the time :dance-smiley05:


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Perhaps I can clarify this way:

I've been TOLD that if my foot gets caught in the stirrup, try to roll away and kick at my trapped foot. I don't know if that is good advice or not. Lord willing, I'll never find out! But I don't know if someone walking a horse, dragging me while I pretend to have my foot caught, would actually help anything.

My first buck was on Bandit, after 7 years of riding Mia. Mia never offered a buck to me once. But Bandit has a few times. Usually not too hard. I had heard it would help if I got his head up. The first time he bucked, we were on a paved road. I sure as heck didn't want to get thrown onto asphalt. I remembered what I had read and pulled up as if I was trying to pull the bit thru his head. His head came up, his bucking turned into little crow hops, then he quit.

Had he been a serious bucker, that wouldn't have been enough. But I'm not sure lessons on a real bucker would have been all that valuable. A year later, Bandit nearly threw a big guy - 6'3". The guy didn't figure he needed to compromise with Bandit. Bandit objected, and the guy landed on Bandit's neck. Startled them both and Bandit froze. The guy got back on the correct side of the saddle horn and decided maybe he COULD compromise a little with Bandit. But I'm not sure anyone needs lessons on how to dismount when sprawled on a horse's neck.

PS: I do understand about dismounting in 0.5 seconds, or at least trying to. Finally got a ride in on Bandit this morning after weeks of him finding ways to hurt himself. My normal dismount is possible in under 1 second. If scared, I think I could beat that by a good margin!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

@bsms Practicing an emergency dismount is just like practicing anything else. By practicing how to get off, you learn a muscle memory that can save time. Rote learning, is I believe the term .

Remember this is something usually taught to kids, so is a safety issue. If a horse is rearing they can come all the way over and the kid needs to know this is a time to dismount. 

I don't know how western kids are taught, but there is a lot of learning in 4-H and Pony Club beside the time on the saddle. My kids had to take written tests too. 

My son was on the Know-Down team. That is sort of like a debate team combined with Jeopardy or some such. Or maybe Quiz Bowl is a better analogy. 

Bottom line the kiddos have to know the teachings, and the rational. 

So yes, emergency dismounts, because only experience teaches us how to handle the unexpected. 


We were taught, and practiced, how to dismount at all three gaits. Had to not only pass the riding test, but also a written test. 


Same with the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. It was a requirement for the badge that they do emergency dismounts at all three gaits. 


Practice how and when to hit the ground standing, running or rolling; how is that a bad thing?


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

AnitaAnne said:


> ...Practice how and when to hit the ground standing, running or rolling; how is that a bad thing?


Seems to me it teaches false confidence. "Jump off and you won't get hurt".

If things are truly going downhill, then jumping off might be the least harmful option. But there ought to be an understanding that it isn't risk free and that a horse who is exploding isn't much like a horse who is giving lessons. It wouldn't bother me a whole lot to step off Bandit while he trotted in a smooth arena. I'd be more nervous in our little arena because it has lots of potholes. Hit one wrong and I could break an ankle. But I'd be darned scared doing the same going down any of our ATV trails. The odds of sprawling face first into rocks and cactus would go WAY up. At full speed? No thanks. Not unless I thought my horse was going to run off a cliff or into traffic.

And a well-mannered running horse isn't much like a bolting horse! Not at all. That is probably why when I asked, after getting hurt coming off Mia, the experienced riders I knew said to fight to stay on UNLESS staying on was likely to cause severe injury or death.

Sorry, but the videos below strikes me as "_Big Whoop! What does THAT have to do with reality?_" The guys in "3:10 to Yuma", or just about anyone roping a calf, is doing more.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

bsms said:


> When Mia bolted down ATV trails, I hung on for dear life. Coming off meant I WOULD land on rock and cactus. No choice about it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



:eek_color: With that kind of landing terrain, I'm not surprised you don't want to come off!




bsms said:


> Perhaps I can clarify this way:
> 
> I've been TOLD that if my foot gets caught in the stirrup, try to roll away and kick at my trapped foot. I don't know if that is good advice or not.


The one time I got dragged, it definitely worked - and the reason I got dragged is because we collapsed into a gate and I couldn't land clear. But kicking at the stirrup definitely worked that time.

It also worked for a Biology student of mine, but unfortunately not until after the horse had accidentally stomped on her face running away. She needed surgery for crushed facial bones, but did really well; tiny little scar and became a veterinarian, and did not stop riding.


:cowboy:


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

bsms said:


> I'm not really entirely certain what an "emergency dismount" is! If your horse was bucking and you come off, you were thrown. If your horse was all over the place and you came off, you fell. If you choose the timing of your fall, is it an emergency dismount? If you have enough balance left to choose which side you come off, and your saddle is still on the horse...then why not stay on? Unless, of course, the horse is heading for a cliff and not likely to stop, or a busy highway.


The emergency dismount isn't really for when you're falling off, or when you're galloping for a cliff. It's for those situations where you could be a) either perfectly safe if you hop off, versus b) thrown off or galloping for a cliff because you didn't emergency dismount.

It is a learned skill to do a leaping dismount without tripping, falling or getting stuck. Sort of like learning to post, coordinating your movement with the horse's moving back. Especially when you've done it a lot, you can soon land with bent legs and prepared to hop in some direction so you don't fall. A caveat is that not every rider is physically able to get off quickly, so their only defense is to ride "bomb proof" horses and hope for the best. 

As in the top video posted by @bsms, I've seen how practicing something like this for those able-bodied enough can help a rider soon feel more comfortable that they _can_ get off quickly if necessary. 

With many horses, in a bad situation such as a hot air balloon coming down nearby, you may not be able to get all their hooves to stop moving. If you feel comfortable hopping off a horse that does not have all four hooves rooted firmly on the ground, you don't have to get the horse to stop completely but can still find the safety of the ground without injury.

Now I've come off horses in the split second before the explosive reaction, and I've come off horses during the explosive reaction because I tried to get them to stop all the way or waited too long. Before the reaction, you might hop easily to the ground like the girl in the video, and then be standing next to the horse that is trembling, eyes bugging out, snorting and hooves chattering. Even if the horse takes off at that point, if you dismount correctly you will be clear. During the reaction, you tend to get launched somewhere skyward, and hit a few things on the way down.

The "Why not stay on?" question is answered for me by many experiences. I've stayed on, I've hopped off. I've often times stayed on and gotten ditched. If I believe this rocket I am sitting on might have just gotten its fuse lit, I get off. If a horse has a lit fuse, you don't want to just dismount, you want to leap off in case they start to take off before you are all the way down. Been halfway down for the bolt several times and learned to not like it. Better to be pushing off to land clear than cartwheeling along near the hind hooves. If I have any inkling of what a horse is most likely going to do, and believe I can ride it, I will stay on. That is most of the time.
Oops, watch the first rider in this video - vs the second rider. The sooner you get clear of the stirrup, the cleaner you can hit the ground.







bsms said:


> Seems to me it would be better to stop teaching "_Pretend Emergency Dismounts_" and admit you might need to fling yourself off in a gross emergency. Then teach _"Emergency Stay Ons_". I've watched 3 falls: My oldest daughter, my youngest daughter & my daughter-in-law, one each. In all three, it would have been EASY to stay on! All three came off because they just quit riding! My oldest daughter never got on a horse again. My youngest and my DIL got serious about staying on. I understand being bucked off. I understand falling off. I understand flinging myself as far from my horse as I can. I don't understand "emergency dismounts". Not trying to pee in anybody's Wheaties. Just don't understand the concept.


You need BOTH. You need people feeling secure when a horse does a rough transition, stops suddenly, or breaks into a canter. You need people to learn a secure and independent seat, so they can feel confident to ride through most anything. You also need people to feel confident about bailing off if something happens unexpectedly, and to not get stuck in the tack while someone lands a drone on the horse's head and the horse prepares to flip over.

A good time for an emergency dismount is when a horse has something happen that is not likely to resolve, but hasn't decided to do anything rash yet. Recently, my horse kicked off his back hoof boot and it was around his pastern. This meant he was turning fast circles while hiking his hind end skyward, trying to get that floppy thing off his pastern. I could have stayed on for quite a number of revolutions, hoping the boot would come all the way off. However, he might also have tripped himself or bashed me into the bushes nearby. Since I am very comfortable hopping off, I timed it as he came down and pushed up and off the saddle, landed inside the spin on my feet, grabbed the bridle and calmed him down so I could grab the boot off. Not something I could have done without some practice.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

The times that I have bailed have always been when the horse (mostly ponies ridden bareback in halters) has shown no sign of stopping. 

The videos above on Emergency Dismount are poor, the riders could at least show it at a canter! Neither show prmsay anything about twisting to land facing forward as you land, that way you stay on your feet. 

As for letting go of the reins, facing the same way as the horse you can run with it and possibly the distraction of loosing the rider will give enough of a moments hesitation for the rider - or runner, to turn it. 

I try to hang onto the rein, how hard depends on the distance I have to walk home.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

bsms said:


> Seems to me it teaches false confidence. "Jump off and you won't get hurt".
> 
> If things are truly going downhill, then jumping off might be the least harmful option. But there ought to be an understanding that it isn't risk free and that a horse who is exploding isn't much like a horse who is giving lessons. It wouldn't bother me a whole lot to step off Bandit while he trotted in a smooth arena. I'd be more nervous in our little arena because it has lots of potholes. Hit one wrong and I could break an ankle. But I'd be darned scared doing the same going down any of our ATV trails. The odds of sprawling face first into rocks and cactus would go WAY up. At full speed? No thanks. Not unless I thought my horse was going to run off a cliff or into traffic.
> 
> ...


These are great videos! Very concise explanations. The first, with Julie Goodnight the horse stopped when the rider got off. That is exactly what the horses I used to teach the emergency dismount used to do. 

I thought it was a good thing that the horse learned to stop when the rider was coming off.  

The second video clearly states that it is best to use an emergency dismount before the situation escalates. I totally agree with this. The rider is much less likely to be injured if the horse has not yet reached full blown panic. 

Most of the time yes, best to stay on. Learning how to get off quickly is not a bad thing and I appreciate hw both videos they emphasized how the rider has to determine what is the best course of action; stay on or bail. 

In the case of the Hot Air Balloon approaching, I determined that based on my knowledge of my mount, he was likely to do a very athletic explosion if that balloon came near him. Bailing was absolutely the right choice! I see no reason to risk both of our safety trying to ride that out. The arena wasn't even fenced as typical with most dressage arenas, so my horse could have been long gone quickly. 

So we both were safe. 

In the case of that nose-to-tail horse that was already exploding, yeah I landed on my feet for all of half a second before my bum hit the ground. But I still wasn't injured . Embarrassed YES, injured no. Even with the backpack clunking me I was able to push myself a good 10 feet from that poor horse. 

IMO knowledge is always a good thing. I am grateful someone taught me how to get off a horse quickly. What I really should do is practice it with my current horses and maybe they will learn to stop if a rider becomes unbalanced. My Chivas takes off in a flash normally if we become separated! :smile:


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Maybe this all goes back to how one reacts. For me, time slows down and I can think things through as I am reacting. 

Others may not have that feeling and be caught off guard not understanding why the horse blew up. 

Of course as @Hondo mentioned, as we age the ability to physically do what is needed changes! I know I bail off more than I ride it out now because the ground seems to hurt a lot more on my old bones! 

Just like I used to be able to mount with a leap, like the vaulters do, now I need a mounting block or handy log just to reach the stirrup! 

Fortunately fast emergency dismounts still are an option for me


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

SilverMaple said:


> We were taught this, not because it would actually be used, but because it helped remove the fear of falling. Once your brain got used to getting off while the horse was moving and NOT being hurt, it was much easier to be a confident rider. No, it's not feasible to take the reins over the head and land on your feet in an actual emergency, but it does help prevent chaos in the ring (loose horses) and give the riders some confidence that coming off won't always mean pain and fear.


 
I totally agree!! The way to OP described it sounds a bit too mild to do any good. I teach the emergency dismount at all speeds eventually and it is a great way to reduce fear of falling but I make them do it as fast as possible. If they fall on their butts halfway through it, so much the better. Because the rider is doing it intentionally and planning it, they feel a sense of control that doesn't happen in a real fall. Forget taking the reins over the head-in a real emergency there is no time for that but you can learn to keep one hand on a rein. 

Several times I've been in situations when the emergency dismount has saved both me and the horse so it's a good thing to have in your arsenal.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Emergency dismounts = defensive riding! 

Just like while driving a car, one has to be prepared to take evasive action.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I can well remember on one miserable wet day, getting on a 14.2 black show pony that came as a remedial. No one could ride her as she bucked one and all off. 
She had been well lunged and I was given a leg up. She went OK on the left rein but the moment I turned her she freaked out. 
Any rodeo would have bought her, she was bellowing as her feet hit he ground! Margaret was hanging on to the lunge until it snapped. 
As this pony exploded around the arena Margaret was screaming out "Get off, GET OFF!" I couldn't see how. Plus I was still on top, had feet in the stirrups and could keep booting her forward. She went through the arena rails and then back through a different place. She stumbled as she half fell down the bank back into the arena and then took off. 

A man watching jumped in front of her and waved his arms and the broken part of the lunge, she swerved and reared up coming over backwards. I realised what was going to happen and bailed but lost my footing and fell into the black wet clinker that was the arena surface.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Shiitake, @*Foxhunter* , were you OK?

The "like" was for your writing, not the accident!


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

While I fully agree and support all the advice toward and for doing/practicing an emergency dismount, which I also practice, I do want to mention one caveat.

On the three instances where I discovered myself lying stretched out prone upon terra firma, I had no recollection of how I got there. If I had needed to kick my feet free of the stirrups prior to my dismount to avoid becoming hung in the stirrups, I likely would have become hung up in the stirrups.

In each of those instances, Hondo went no more than 100 feet, in some cases less. How far he would have went with me stuck in the stirrups is not something I'd like to find out. But 100 feet in a rock infested area is far enough to die.

I do not, will not, and shall not ride a horse with stirrups where there is any way my foot can become hung. I am radically fanatic about this and am somewhat puzzled why it is not considered as important a safety feature as a helmet.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Foxhunter said:


> I try to hang onto the rein, how hard depends on the distance I have to walk home.


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

That logic is just _impeccable_! inkunicorn:


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Hondo said:


> While I fully agree and support all the advice toward and for doing/practicing an emergency dismount, which I also practice, I do want to mention one caveat.
> 
> On the three instances where I discovered myself lying stretched out prone upon terra firma, I had no recollection of how I got there. If I had needed to kick my feet free of the stirrups prior to my dismount to avoid becoming hung in the stirrups, I likely would have become hung up in the stirrups.
> 
> ...


Were these splat on the back moments due to emergency dismounts or were you tossed?


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Foxhunter said:


> I try to hang onto the rein, how hard depends on the distance I have to walk home.



^^THIS^^



SueC said:


> Shiitake, @*Foxhunter* , were you OK?
> 
> The "like" was for your writing, not the accident!


DITTO



SueC said:


> :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
> 
> That logic is just _impeccable_! inkunicorn:


Too True :rofl::rofl:


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

AnitaAnne said:


> Were these splat on the back moments due to emergency dismounts or were you tossed?


It is my understanding that the equine has the fastest reaction time of any mammal bar none. It is my inclination to believe that Hondo is at the top of the list of equine reaction time.

I have no recollection of how I came off. I suspect he just spun out from under me. A thirty something year old on the ranch said Hondo was the only horse that ever unseated her. And she was just walking down a sandy creek bank when she found herself sitting on the ground. He simply sidestepped out from under her.

Ok, she admitted she had a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other, but also claimed she still had the reins in hand while sitting on the ground. She is one of those that used to find a piece of bailing twine in the pasture, go to a horse, make a halter and climb aboard.

I was not so lucky. My shoulder still hurts from one. It all happened too fast to answer your question other than it was an unaware dismount. Not tossed, not emergency, Hondo just magically disappeared from under me as gravity apparently did it's thing.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

SueC said:


> Shiitake, @*Foxhunter* , were you OK?
> 
> The "like" was for your writing, not the accident!


I'm here to tell the tale! 

Yes, I was fine bruised ego which was nothing new. Margaret gave me a rollicking for not jumping off. 

I hated the clinker surface, it was great footing for the horses but dusty when dry and sloppy when wet,


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

"The top speed recorded up till now is 27.8 mph or 44.72 km/hr by none other than Usain Bolt, having run 100 meters in just 9.58 seconds! ...Now, you might be thinking, how fast can the average human run? This is a debated topic due to numerous opinions on what an average human being's speed is, but according to the records, it is in the range of 10 to 15 miles per hour."

I'm not Usain Bolt. And even if Usain Bolt leaped off a horse, I doubt he could land running at his top speed. If my top speed is 15 mph - and I might be able to hit that for a few yards - and I jump off my 25 mph moving horse, will I stay on my feet? No. I'll do a face plant. My shoulders will be going faster than my feet, which means it will suck to be my face!

How long did it take Mia to break 25 mph? Not very darn long.

Now, if an emergency dismount is simply getting off before the horse has FULLY stopped, or is squirming around - then I guess I don't see it as too big of a deal. I tried a couple of "3:10 to Yuma" dismounts with Mia, having done them in my youth. SHE viewed it as a cue to gallop and so I lost interest. But if I normally rode with rubber inserts in my stirrups, and rubber soled boots, and using a 1" stirrup leather...then maybe the "emergency dismount" thing would make sense to me. 

At 25 years of age, I thought having my left foot in the stirrup, my right foot next to it, my right hand on the horn and the reins in my left hand as my horse kept going was just "fun". But time makes cowards of us all, or at least of me. When I took lessons at Utah State in the 70s, the idea in mounting was that if you had one foot in the stirrup and one hand on the horn and the horse took off, you could just finish mounting while the horse ran. Pretty much the same in reverse if stopping, or wanting to stop. Imagining it with an English saddle...nope, no horn and English stirrup straps sure move around easy! 

So perhaps my concerns are based on where I grew up and how the people I've know ride horses. Thanks for the explanations, though - and offered with lots of politeness!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

For those who are curious, my emergency Un-Tack consisted of running through the barn aisle door, skidding to a halt at the stall door, then whipping open the stall door. Followed quickly by urging the horse thru the stall door with my left hand while simultaneously releasing the girth buckles from the near side billets. Immediately after releasing the near side girth I grasped the billets firmly with my right hand and yanked the whole mess over his back and to the floor behind me all the while he is entering the stall. The minute he was in the stall I gripped the bridle by his ears and tugged it right over his head without even releasing the throat latch. 


This whole procedure took seconds at most. 


No tack was injured :razz:


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Was reading about something else and came across these pictures. I think they show one should always try to do an emergency dismount with a small steer nearby:










https://rodeonews.com/kyle-irwin/​ 









https://navajotimes.com/rezsports/rodeo/punching-their-ticket/​I'll go take some Motrin now, in sympathy.​


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

bsms said:


> Was reading about something else and came across these pictures. I think they show one should always try to do an emergency dismount with a small steer nearby:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Next time there is a steer next to me I will consider an emergency dismount...or run like ell depending on which direction the steer is heading 

_Squirrel_: That horse on the left on the first picture has really nice suspension...


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

:rofl::dance-smiley05::rofl::dance-smiley05::rofl:

You guys!

:falloff::rofl:

Thanks for the laughs, very therapeutic!

...in case some of you don't know, I unbelievably managed to fall off my horse at a _walk_ yesterday and break three bones in my foot. And all this in the middle of this thread, and the dangerous riding thread! :rofl: More gory details here, and yes, sympathy is always welcome. And chocolate! I like good chocolate! :rofl:

https://www.horseforum.com/member-j...ys-other-people-479466/page64/#post1970577609


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

SueC said:


> :rofl::dance-smiley05::rofl::dance-smiley05::rofl:
> 
> You guys!
> 
> ...


Oh, so sorry to hear this! Lots of little bones in the feet and they HURT when broken. I will send you some super fabulous Tardis Chocolate 

*disclaimer: equine activities are dangerous and sometimes embarrassing*


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

I find it so hilarious that there are so many times over the past 38 years I wasn't riding sedately, where I had serious stacks at speed and walked away just a little bruised, but I have to break _three_ bones coming off at a walk while warming up to go on a trail! :rofl:

Oh yeah, and I was wearing my helmet! ;-)

Thanks for the TARDIS chocolate! :hug:


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

SueC said:


> I find it so hilarious that there are so many times over the past 38 years I wasn't riding sedately, where I had serious stacks at speed and walked away just a little bruised, but I have to break _three_ bones coming off at a walk while warming up to go on a trail! :rofl:
> 
> Oh yeah, and I was wearing my helmet! ;-)
> 
> Thanks for the TARDIS chocolate! :hug:


I claim its old age; slower responses, equilibrium issues, brittle bones, etc. But you aren't old enough for all that so there is only one answer. 

Manure Happens :music019:


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Just Murphy I think! ;-)

@*bsms* 's recent posts made me think: Would things have been different if a small steer had been conveniently in the vicinity?

We have four suitable small steers, and they are even polled not horned! But were they in a convenient location? No they were not!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

SueC said:


> Just Murphy I think! ;-)
> 
> @*bsms* 's recent posts made me think: Would things have been different if a small steer had been conveniently in the vicinity?
> 
> We have four suitable small steers, and they are even polled not horned! But were they in a convenient location? No they were not!


Critters with long horns are going to save us from a fall? 

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Soon all pony clubbers will be learning to make an emergency dismount onto a little steer! Safety First!! :rofl::rofl::rofl:


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I use emergency dismounts to teach the horse to stop if I'm starting to come off. Basically i flop around like a beginner and start to slide off while yelling whoa and if necessary pulling on the reins. 

Harmony has come very close to getting me off but freezes just when I think I'm toast. I must be a really fabulous trainer to get such a nice horse!

She sure was in a bad mood today though. First she kicked at Paris as i led her through the gate- got whalloped for that. Then she walked over and struck out at Florian. Good thing she ran away faster than me! Apparently my soft lead rope didn't put a dent in her attitude. I'm surprised she dares to mess with Florian. I have seen him move her feet and he isn't nice about it. I'm guessing she will be in season tomorrow... But no excuse to act like a brat! Mares! 

I decided not to ride her tomorrow!


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Quote:
Originally Posted by *SueC* View Post 
_Just Murphy I think!









@*bsms* 's recent posts made me think: Would things have been different if a small steer had been conveniently in the vicinity?

We have four suitable small steers, and they are even polled not horned! But were they in a convenient location? No they were not!_




AnitaAnne said:


> Critters with long horns are going to save us from a fall?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



And then they can do _this_, @*AnitaAnne* !










This is Traditional Bavarian Ox Racing! :rofl: And it's _very_ serious!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

SueC said:


> And then they can do _this_, @*AnitaAnne* !
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks seriously PAINFUL, but at least he kicked his feet free of the stirrups...


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

bums - (darn auto check! bsms) I'll leave you to work out the physics of motion. All I know is that times when I bailed I rarely fell over. 

As for human speed I have never been able to run. I doubt I could have hit a speed of 10 m.p.h. For 10 yards 
Let alone 100 of course there are exceptions to this when I had a horse on long lines tanking off back home with me hanging on for dear life. I swear my strides were 12 feet long.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Waterskiing effect, @Foxhunter!


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

@SueC, bummer about your foot!
@AnitaAnne, I think we should also practice emergency untacking. I've been in some serious emergencies where I rode too long and forgot I was supposed to be going somewhere (like work, gulp). In these cases, muscle memory could come in very handy.

Like @Foxhunter, I think I have achieved some high speeds when sprinting on long lines. Probably the fastest I've ever gone was when I tried to teach a mini donkey to drive. Depending on the footing, your boots may or may not allow you to ski, and if they stick you better start running or fall on your face. Of course you never let go of the lines, even if you achieve some amazing positions...









Most of the time I believe my emergency dismounts look like this:









The main thing is to try to look good doing it:


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)




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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

I think reading this thread is bad for the subconscious brain! Today I was getting on, and at the last second my horse (who stands very nicely for mounting) took a half step forward right as I had my left foot in the stirrup and was swinging my right leg over. With the unexpectedly awkward gap between the horse and mounting block, I was sort of locked in to still getting on, but ended up _sitting on her butt behind the cantle_! Thinking of all of you, I for a split second thought about jumping off, but my foot was awkwardly in the left stirrup so I was committed to hauling my butt up where it belonged. I apologized profusely to very confused horse and we headed on our merry way, disaster avoided!


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

SueC said:


>


I've seen this face. Right after I got a good view of the top of his ears as I sailed past.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

My most memorable instance of seeing that face was from the inside of a snowheap I'd landed in head first and was working my way out of, looking out at a black horse who'd come back for me after he went over a jump and I didn't! (because he'd stopped to sniff the obstacle and I incorrectly thought we were going to need another run-up)

:falloff: :rofl:


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

What I'm seeing in here is similsr to what I see in many other discussions in here. That is the sheer breadth and scope of experience and experiences horse forum members represent. 


For my part, I think the emergency dismount described in the OP is next to useless. The ones other folks have described in the comments seem more or less useful, depending on the circumstances. I do think that an emergency dismount is a good thing to have in your toolbox. 


I only heard that there was such a thing maybe 5 or so years ago, when zi first started looking at horse sites on line. Of all of them, the one that made the most sense to me was the one I mentioned upthread. 


1. Lose the stirrups and drop the reins.
2. Hug the horses neck with both arms.
3. Throw your legs over to one side, using the horses neck as support.
4. Get away from the horse.


I've only used it once, and possibly could have simply jumped off, since the horse hadn't yet started moving off. 


There were 2 of us at the barn where I rode who had the most experience with recaltriant horses. Both of us in our 60's. We were the ones often asked to put the first rides on new horses. The BO had a policy that he would not keep a horse that bucked, kicked, or reared. One horse that I got on started pitching and rearing before I even had my butt in the seat. The boss called for me to get off. Knowing he would not spend any time or risk on retraining this horse, I complied. I probably could have just hopped off. But I figured this was a good time to test this emergency thing I'd been reading about. So I did just what I described above, with the exception of hanging on to the reins. I landed on my feet and stayed there. Had I fallen, or felt that I would be injured by keeping the reins, I would have dropped them. It does make a difference that I use long, western style, split reins. 


Some time later, the other rider got on a new horse. That one found a ladder and started climbing to the moon. The boss yelled "Git off 'im! Git Off 'im!" The lady yelled back from somewhere up in the stratosphere, "Now is not a good time!" She eventually hopped off closer to earth. 


Within a week, both horses were on a truck to the auction house. 


I have a suspicion that the concept has been around for a while. A friend of mine, who knows nothing about horses, managed to get a job at a dude ranch back in the 1960's. They asked if he knew what he was doing. He lied and said yes. They took him at his word and hired him. He survived, and apparently, they never caught on. He said that, before one trail ride, he was tasked to demonstrate an emergency dismount to the tourist riders. He had never heard of such a thing. But he went into the arena and started up the middle at a gallop. When he got to the center, he simply flung himself out of the saddle. He did 49 flips and a roll, then stood up, dusted himself off, and collected the horse.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

The idea of wrapping arms around the horse's neck is all well and good but if the horse is bucking there is rarely a neck to hang onto!


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

One of the funniest falls I ever had was off Tom, a big hunter. I was leading a mare from him, we were cantering on a track through a field that was liquid sandy mud. We were charging towards a big gate which I knew Tom would jump, not the mare, so I sat back in the saddle to slow down. 
At this point the mare nipped him on the flank as I sat so his back end, (substantial) came up and shot me over his head, I must have done a handstand on his neck and twisted on landing because I ended up with his reins over his head and me stood facing him. 

The mud had splattered up between my legs giving me a very uncomfortable ride home.


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