# Take the fall, or hang on to the horse's face?



## GamingGrrl (Jan 16, 2013)

I doubt it's intentional, it's just your survival instinct and fear taking over and telling you to stay on or else something bad's going to happen (fall, pain, death, ect).
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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

If I'm alone in an enclosed area, I let go tuck and roll. If I'm somewhere he can run off and leave me, I try to hang onto the reins, but usually just take the fall if I know it's inevitable. If it's a marginal thing where I'm at a show, and he's only got me a bit out of the tack, sure I'll give it a try before I bail. I've noticed with falling, it's an intrinisic thing. If you think you'll stay on, you usually find a way to make it happen. Once you decide you're coming off, you're coming off.


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## TerciopeladoCaballo (May 27, 2012)

GamingGrrl said:


> I doubt it's intentional, it's just your survival instinct and fear taking over and telling you to stay on or else something bad's going to happen (fall, pain, death, ect).
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I can see it happening with beginners or some Puissance riders but when you're hanging there... all the way out of the tack.. with just a foot over the saddle... for a good 15 seconds... and it happens twice a week... should probably stick a foot on the ground ._.
My survival instinct has always been to tuck, bounce, and stand up too quickly. I strained my ankle pretty bad doing that once from a 17hh TB :lol:


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

If the fall is slow enough, I have the presence of mind to know when to quit trying to reclaim my seat, but if it's a fast one, I am not the master of my reactions, and I'll try my darndest to save my skin. Cant' help it.


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## Copperhead (Jun 27, 2012)

The last thing on anyone's mind when they are flung from the saddle is "My horses poor mouth!"

It's more or less "My life is at stake!"

If you have enough time to think about your horses mouth then you had enough time to evade the fall.
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## katieandscooby (Feb 14, 2010)

I know when I get dumped it is usually a good 5 mile walk back anywhere. I hang onto at least one of my split reins when I hit the ground. If I am in roping or barrel reins, well depending how I fall determines what I end up having in my hand. Purely a "if I am hurt I do not want to walk back that's for sure" reasoning.
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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

katieandscooby, is it easier to hang on with split reins? I almost tore my shoulder off trying to hang on once since the reins were still over my horse's head. Are the chances better of not having to walk home with split reins since there are technically 2 instead of 1?


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

The only reason for me to fall (lately anyhow, knock on wood) is if my horse pitches a huge fit with definite intent to get me off or has a HUGE unexpected spook.
Thus, I will cling and hang on to anything I possibly can; be it mane, reins, neck, saddle, or even an ear (not sure I could grab for an ear and actually get it..but to make my point, lol). My horse was the reason for me becoming unbalanced and on my way to a fall..it'll get over the yank on it's mouth or a jerk on their shoulders/back from the saddle.

If I know a fall is enevitable (such as my fault because my horse lept more than expected straight into a canter/gallop or if I'm just too far off the horse) then I'll jump off with reins in hand and dig my heels in. I've done it before and I'll be d*mned if the horse didn't spin around and stand stock still while I got up/collected myself. Split reins are generally longer than a set of barrel/trail reins..but I never use a set of reins that aren't long enough for me to be able to grab and brace for the jerk on my shoulder/body if I'm out and about on a trail or such..and now it's never becauase I found my perfect reins.
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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Copperhead said:


> The last thing on anyone's mind when they are flung from the saddle is "My horses poor mouth!"
> 
> It's more or less "My life is at stake!"
> 
> ...


I will disagree. Maybe I'm unique. Everytime that I've come off, the first thought is "Oh (crap)!" The next thought is "Let go". That happens faster than you reading that. I made a choice when I started riding to be conscious of doin it. If you don't think about it beforehand, it won't happen because instinct it to hang on to stop from falling. I have, however, been out in the middle of nowhere and decided to hang on so I didn't have to walk miles back. The horse bucked and then tried to bolt while I was up in the air.
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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

tinyliny said:


> If the fall is slow enough, I have the presence of mind to know when to quit trying to reclaim my seat, but if it's a fast one, I am not the master of my reactions, and I'll try my darndest to save my skin. Cant' help it.


 
by "slow enough" I meant, like the horse spins unexpectedly, you get flung onto his neck, unbalanced, and are almost able to recover, but he chooses to dodge more , so you are not able to get recentered. Or, the hrose spins or dodges and silly you, you didn't tighten the girth enough and now you and your saddle are hanging off the side of the horse looking stupid.
Ask me how I know!


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## Copperhead (Jun 27, 2012)

If the fall is "slow", I hang onto the reins because I'd rather not chase a horse down. If I'm pitched at a high speed, I let go. Mainly because I don't care what or where the horse is going. I'm focused on myself.

Its all in whats on someone's general instinct list. Self preservation is different for everyone. If someone's instinct is to hang on, they're gonna hang on. If someone's instinct is to let go, they'll let go.

My personal preference is to let go, simply because I don't want to be whipped around into an awkward landing position or dragged. I want to be clear of the 1000lb animal thats acting irrationately enough to get me off. I'll catch the horse when I get up or if I'm in No Man's Land and left for dead, I'll use a cell phone or smoke signals to get home.

But really, at a high speed dangerous fall, no one is thinking about their horse's mouth. They're thinking about their immortal soul and how to save their own skin. If their reaction is to keep gripping onto whatever landline they have left, they'll hang onto the reins. My own instinct is to let go and save myself.

I knew a guy who would never let go. One time I saw a horse flip him over its shoulder and take off, and the horse galloped off into thd sunset with my friend hanging stubbornly onto the reins, swearing until they were out of sight.


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## Paintlover1965 (May 22, 2009)

I don't think anyone would knowingly yank on their horse's mouth but when you are faced with an emergency situation our self preservation instincts can take over in a split second. I know when I have fallen it can happen so quickly and there you are kissing the ground before you can say Jack Robinson. I mostly try to right myself whenever possible but then there's the point of no return and you know you don't have a chance and you're unseated.


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## Runninghot88 (May 26, 2012)

There is a line and when the line is finally crossed I just let go and fall. But if the line isn't hit yet I will try my damnest to stay on. Luckily I have personally passed the stages of my balance being the reason for falling. Which now means if I am going there isn't anyway to save myself. I learned to let go of the reins because the last time I held on, ended up pulling him over the top of me causing him have to jump over me. Which saved me from real danger. I really lucked out as my gelding was extremely forgiving when it was stupid reasons as why I lost my balance. Haha even had the comment from my trainer,"your lucky most horses would have bucked you off for that." If I fall I don't hang on to the reins if I am in the arena or close to the barn. I havent been put in the situation on the trails of whether to hang on or not to. I think he would only walk a few feet and eventually come back but who knows. What does an emergency dismount consist of?
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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

I'm the strange one here I think. I hold on because I tend to get worried about my horse running off and getting hurt. Usually doesn't cross my mind a out me getting hurt. I don't fall often but there are times when it looks like I'm going to fall. I'm good enough at staying on without yanking the horse like mad that its my barn reputation! With my horse I keep enough rein so that he still knows I'm there and isn't "free", I collect myself while verbally asking him to slow down. The only time that didn't work was when my stirrup leather came off the hook on the saddle and I felt like I was ripped off my horse.
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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

I think that unless a rider has been taught how to do an emergency dismount (which most aren't) it's not fair to expect them to be thinking clearly during a fall.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Because most of my riding is done out in the field, I try to hang on 100% of the time. I typically hack out 3-5 miles at the very least, and my biggest concern is my horse injuring himself trying to run that far back to the barn. Plus, I just don't want to walk 5 miles back to the barn! ;-)
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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Don't you just hate that feeling, when you realize you are past the point of recovery, when you say to yourself, "I'm goin' down!" and then, BAM! instant chiropractic . I always here all my back joints crack. Sometimes, it's just that, and not much else. other times, I feel like I was just tossed against a brick wall. I usually cuss like a mad sailor.


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## LynnF (Jun 1, 2011)

I also hate it when you get to that point of, either I get off now and land in some semblance of an order or come off later and end up a puddle. Its like "should I bail that way into the bushes, or that way onto a rock?" hmm....


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

I can't say I had a choice any of the times I have come off. It happened before I had time to think or let go, all I registered was surprise before my **** hit the dirt. But I ride out and across a busy road, and if I have a choice I'll be damned if I let my horse take off after dumping me and get himself run over if I can help it by holding on. The times I have considered bailing I have always decided that trying to stay on the galloping steed and perhaps succeeding seemed marginally safer than definitely hitting the dirt at speed. I don't fall off for nothing, so if I come off, it's because he pulled something dumb he shouldn't have, and while I would not normally yank on his mouth, I don't feel too awful about it either.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

When my nasty witch of a QH was intentionally trying to fling me off, you better believe I didn't give a rats a$$ about her mouth. Come hell or high water, I was staying on her because if I had landed on the ground she would have happily stomped me into an oblivion. 

All other "unintentional dismounts" I toss the reins because my goal is to land as far away from the horse (and it's hooves) as possible. I'd rather walk or summon help with my cell phone than get stomped on accidentally.


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## Canterklutz (Jul 20, 2012)

tinyliny said:


> Don't you just hate that feeling, when you realize you are past the point of recovery, when you say to yourself, "I'm goin' down!" and then, BAM! instant chiropractic . I always here all my back joints crack. Sometimes, it's just that, and not much else. other times, I feel like I was just tossed against a brick wall. I usually cuss like a mad sailor.


Ugh I'm like that now that I'm all old and creaky. When I was younger I did martial arts and my instructor was a Parkour master. We practiced throws, rolls, and falls from high places. I was in complete control of my falls and could avoid damage to myself and spring to my feet like nothing happened. If I did that stuff now I would just splatter... 

I've been trained to use my hands to aid in avoiding damage to myself and safe recovery so holding onto the reins isn't even second nature to me. Unless I'm in an environment where a bunch of people and horses are at risk of my horse bolting into them (which none of my horses have been the "ditch the evidence" type) I do not care where the horse goes as long as I am safe. I've seen people pull the horse down on top of them by holding onto the reins.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

At the "moment of departure" I have had very little time to think about anything. One moment on the horse...next moment suspended like a Warner Brothers cartoon character before impact.
If I know I am in danger of losing control, my choice is to get off while I can, handle whatever the issue is and go on our way. I have walked a distance more than once with the horse trailing, but I am not a youngster and I don't heal as fast as I did several centuries ago. And for my efforts I am still upright and live to ride another day. : )


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## TerciopeladoCaballo (May 27, 2012)

I would think the reaction leading to a fall would differ on discipline; as a Jumper from my original training, I'd never hang onto the reins not just in concern for the horse's mouth, but because I could pull the horse down with me going high-speed around a course; I would much rather let whatever horse my mount is at the time (not just my current mare but any other) take a gamble around the remaining course rather than yank him around at 30+mph next to 4ft oxers. But if I'm out on a trail and if I should ever slip, with any horse, I would hang on at the buckle to make sure the horse doesn't go running into any roads. There's a difference between falling during flatwork, and falling in the Jumping ring... I've seen awful incidents where people unintentionally yank a spooking horse's mouth and the sucker backflips, too. I'm weird about falling, I get one of those self-enlightening life-before-your-eyes moments where time stops and I think about several different things before hitting the ground xD


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

I usually find myself hanging on until I feel the horse jerk on the end of the reins. Maybe it's because I'm not really thinking of letting go or hanging on as I'm flying through the air, or because most of the horses I've ridden stopped the instant I was on the ground...even my rescue horse who still, after two years of working together and riding, will buck at random times and is extremely unreasonable. But, I can tell you that I'm not consciously thinking of whether I should hang on or let go. It's always a sub-conscious thought.


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

One thing I have learned over the years of dealing with high powered WBs (for dressage) is that you do not, under any circumstances, let go.
Yes, I get dragged, yes the horse gets jerked on when it happens. But there are no injuries, which is the main thing.
Lunging, leading, riding, you do not let go. 

I think it is different in many other disciplines and with different horses but I would rather wrench my arm, get dirt down my pants and have a horse with a sore palette than deal with broken limbs or trying to catch the ******ed horse for 45 minutes (yes it has happened in a 80'x200' enclosed arena with about 4 people).


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> One thing I have learned over the years of dealing with high powered WBs (for dressage) is that you do not, under any circumstances, let go.
> Yes, I get dragged, yes the horse gets jerked on when it happens. But there are no injuries, which is the main thing.
> Lunging, leading, riding, you do not let go.
> 
> I think it is different in many other disciplines and with different horses but I would rather wrench my arm, get dirt down my pants and have a horse with a sore palette than deal with broken limbs or trying to catch the ******ed horse for 45 minutes (yes it has happened in a 80'x200' enclosed arena with about 4 people).


Yeah I've seen it happen on the track.....horse gallops 5 rounds on race day morning when it's supposed to be doing a quite stretchy leg half round.....old ****** still raced and won later that evening!


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

It seems like every time I fall I instinctively let go, or either lose my grip. 

I only remember one time when I hung on and it was one of the holy-crap-a-scary-bush-I-am-going-to-slam-on-the-brakes-and-send-you-flying-over-my-head times. The reins just slipped over her head with me. LOL.

Other than that, I usually let go. Sure, I've had to chase down some ponies, but no dislocated shoulder! :shock:


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## Kotori (Jun 18, 2012)

I'm pretty young, and at this point I've only fallen off once. I was trotting bareback for the first time, and I cued him to go back to a walk, and the stupid thing sped up! I, very gracefully, slowly slid off his right side, was only able to curl halfway, since it was only off a 14.2hh pony, and was immediately up. bruised ribs, small cut on my elbow. Put the saddle back on and rode more.

I let go of the reins when I was perpendicular to his head- I didn't want to pull him towards me.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> One thing I have learned over the years of dealing with high powered WBs (for dressage) is that you do not, under any circumstances, let go.
> Yes, I get dragged, yes the horse gets jerked on when it happens. But there are no injuries, which is the main thing.
> Lunging, leading, riding, you do not let go.
> 
> I think it is different in many other disciplines and with different horses but I would rather wrench my arm, get dirt down my pants and have a horse with a sore palette than deal with broken limbs or trying to catch the ******ed horse for 45 minutes (yes it has happened in a 80'x200' enclosed arena with about 4 people).


I'm deffinaty of the same mind, Except it was a connie who taught me never to let go!
I'd rather hang on to a horses mouth than end up in a worse situation, perticularly when a horse is trying to get you off.


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## Maple (Jan 10, 2012)

I think different circumstances warrant different reactions. 

I work in a racing yard - if you come off you better have a broke arm if you don't hold on. Can you imagine the disaster of a loose horse running back into the string of horses?? I know numerous top trainer and it is all the same - you hold on unless you are waiting on an ambulance.

My own horse I ride out on the road - you better believe my hanging off his mouth is a better option than him hanging out of a windscreen


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

A lot depends on how violently or how suddenly you get hurled off really, sometimes you just dont get a chance to stick on or hold onto the reins but given that I hate hitting the ground I will do pretty much anything to avoid it that doesnt put me at risk
I instinctively try to keep hold of the horse because if you're miles away from home its a long walk back and a loose horse galloping around is a huge risk to itself and others. I'd rather yank it in the mouth than have it run into a vehicle if I'm near a road. Horses in those situations can often panic bolt and not think about their own safety


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## TerciopeladoCaballo (May 27, 2012)

I finally teetered on the "unhorsed" line today; I was riding without stirrups and things were going real good with posting and sitting trot, so I asked for canter; I ended up sitting too deep while trying to focus on sitting on my seatbones and she dropped to trot--- I lasted four strides of that, she was ignoring my half halt. There is indeed a line where you figure Keep Trying or Dismount, I was only unbalanced and the nut wouldn't walk so yeah, I took up my left rein and gave her a short, strong pull that evidently gave her a consequence for the screwy trot and got my butt back on the saddle. I don't like using my aids strongly -_-
But I still think if I was really out of the tack entirely I would keep a hand on the buckle and just vault off. If she were the kind of horse to bolt away, I'd let go since it was in the smaller pasture, flatwork.


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

My gelding and i were jumping a pretty big swedish oxer once... he got down to the base, patted the ground, and pushed off to jump over it, about 1/4 of the way over he decided he wanted to refuse instead and tried to slam on the breaks. He went down right in the middle of the oxer and i went flying over his head, reins in hand. I was gripping so hard to the reins that i tore the bridle clean off his face. I felt terrible and had to have the vet out to check his bleeding lips. Horse was fine... but i try to be a little more conscious about not ripping on my horses face when i'm about to hit the dirt.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Maple said:


> I think different circumstances warrant different reactions.
> 
> I work in a racing yard - if you come off you better have a broke arm if you don't hold on. Can you imagine the disaster of a loose horse running back into the string of horses?? I know numerous top trainer and it is all the same - you hold on unless you are waiting on an ambulance.
> 
> My own horse I ride out on the road - you better believe my hanging off his mouth is a better option than him hanging out of a windscreen


Yup I spent many years at the track.....you hold on until the horse is running away with your dislocated arm hanging on to the end of that rope or bridle! We (and I say 'we' collectively as in the whole track community) had two nstances of a horse getting loose at the track and running all the way home through all the horses walking home.....two horses made it to the high way, one was hit by a freezer truck......so yup you better hang on!!!!


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

My first horse ingrained it into me to let go - because when I fell, he would bolt with me hanging onto the reins, and would kick out at me as he dragged me. If I let go, he would come to a halt a suitable distance away and watch me. He put me in hospital after nearly killing me, so some bad experiences with that one! 

Admittedly he was a crazy horse, and I've tried to unlearn that instinct as I do believe hanging on is the best thing, especially with my new OTTB who would just go home... but when you've had experiences like that it's very hard to teach your reactions in that split second of 'I'm going down!' to change. I never, ever let go on the ground when leading, lunging etc, but by first reaction when I know I'm out of the saddle is to curl up and cross my arms over my neck for impact.


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## goingnowhere1 (Jan 22, 2012)

No offense intended, but I think it's a little too much of an accusation when you said the riders hang onto the horse's mouth. It's not intentional, if you stumble on the stairs the first reaction is to grab onto the railing. Same thing when you ride, that's the reason beginners have a hard time without the reins, they use them as balance.
I actually always blackout when I fall, the minute I know I'm getting off, my system shuts down and I wake up once I'm on the ground. I might scream, grab the reins, or do something totally stupid, but those occur when I'm blacked out and therefore if I grab the reins, it's just a reaction that I can't control because I'm not choosing to shut down, my body is.


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

I once asked a friend of mine who used to be a stunt rider how he organised a fall off a horse.

He gave me a complete description of how he prepared himself and the horse BUT - when I last fell off I realised that I remembered flying through the air but little else. And whereas he landed on his front, I landed on my back. He got up and walked away, I eventually managed to get to my feet.

He had planned his fall, mine just happened.

He got paid. I didn't.

But I am no stuntman.


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

I was actually having a similar conversation last night and someone said - there is no brave and cowardly, there is trained and untrained. People think - I will be brave if I fall off, but if they aren't trained, they won't he brave.
When something happens and I think "oh crap aim going to be in for a ride" I can stop my brain and break everything down into basic movements and moments without fear. This means usually I can keep on the horse, and if I do fall off, do so safely with the horse in hand. Because of training and experience.
For someone who is untrained and gripped with fear, its probably better to fall off without holding on. 
I was trained by track people on ground handling and their mentality. You hang on unless your arm is seriously broken. Eventually after being dragged enough, you do figure out how to derail most bolts before they happen as well.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## EquineBovine (Sep 6, 2012)

When my horse is been a twit the last thing I want to do is go splat. So I hang on for dear life.
Not the reins, to the neck/mane/saddle.
Once she stops her hissyfit (and if I've stayed on :wink I take the reins back up and turn her around and carry on as though nothing has happened.

Have seen a lot of people hauling on their pony's face/mouth though. I guess in the heat of the moment you react which ever way to save your butt :shock:

Personally, I physically cannot throw myself off a horse  I just can't. I can take my feet out and let the horse get me off, but throwing myself off is just no an option :shock: I admire those who can bail out! It scares the living day lights out of me haha


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## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

I had a horse this Winter trip at a transition between plowed road and deep snowbank - he was being ditsy and just wasn't paying attention (looking for scary squirrels, I think). In the 1.5 seconds it took him to go down, saving his mouth never crossed my mind. I remember trying to figure out which way he was going to fall so that I could fall in a way to avoid having him roll over me or kicking me as he flailed about trying to get back up. When you know you're going down, you really go into self-preservation mode. Like Anebel says, at that point, saving the horse's mouth is not a conscious act, it's second-nature due to training. I grabbed the poor horse's mane going down - not because I thought about it, but because I had practiced it so many times.


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

*A Nasty Fall*
My last big horse fall was off my cob gelding - Joe. We were out for a jaunt around the woods but Joe had been kept waiting and he was miffed and impatient. Having reached the top of a hilly local lane we had come to a tricky T junction. I had to bring him back to a stop from a trot in order to check if anything was coming up the road which we about to join.

At the very moment of stopping Joe whirled round to the left in revolt - as from time to time he was won’t to do. My usual counter was to pull him right through the whirl but this time that ploy did not work. Joe was now back on his hind quarters and about to take off back down the lane. As Joe lurched forwards, I shortened the left rein to direct him into the high earth bank but Joe could canter forwards even with his neck bent round to the left. He did manage to swerve around to avoid the bank and then we were off at full tilt back from whence we had come. 

I shorted the reins with both hands and tried to shorten and bend his neck but he was too strong for me. Then I realised I had a real problem: - the saddle was slipping forwards. As I pulled back on the reins - so I was pulling myself forwards onto Joe’s neck. The saddle I was using was a flat topped dressage saddle with minimal knee rolls. There was nothing on the smooth saddle to make a grip for my knees even if the girth had been tight. Next minute I had slipped almost off the saddle and was sitting on Joe’s neck up by his wither. In the meantime Joe had reached full galloping pace - although he couldn’t have stopped on the downward slope of a steep hill even if he had wanted to. I felt myself slipping further and suddenly Joe gave a flip with his head and then I was falling off his neck.

As I fell so I let go of the reins and grabbed his neck with both hands By this time I was stretched out with my heels in the air back on his hind quarters and my arms around his neck - just as though I was giving him a cuddle. Then gravity won and I fell to the ground with my back hitting the tarmac real hard. How I eventually found myself flat out, looking down on the tarmac I am not sure.. There I was laying inert whilst listening to Joe cantering off towards home whilst I was wondering which bones I might have broken. 

In the family album there are some indelicate photos of the serious bruising which I had suffered. The hump over my sacrum - the size of an American football - was already beginning to swell up. My shoulders were grazed by gravel; my upper thighs were to turn bloody blue from hitting the unforgiving surface of the lane at what must have been about 25 miles per hour. I banged my head so hard that the small gravel stones from the road surface became embedded in the plastic ring around the base of my riding helmet.

I was to be out of action for months and in truth I never properly recovered from the fall - perhaps the worst in my lifetime with horses. 
In the process, Joe had torn a check ligament which also put him out of action for over six months and which would eventually became a key reason for him to be put down.

Back when I was falling to the ground, I did not ask myself whether I could think of an elegant way to dismount from, a horse galloping downhill on tarmac? No of course not. I was thinking: “I hope this does not hurt too much”. But it did hurt.

What I should have thought of was pushing my feet out straight in front of me and leaning back - hunter seat style. What I also didn’t think of was the possibility of a car coming up the lane? Otherwise I might have prayed.

Whatever my friend may say, there is no way to fall safely off a horse. Nowadays I have some strong ideas about which saddle to use for cross country riding; 
I always wear a sturdy riding hat; 
and I also wear a 6 inch wide elasticated belt around my lower back to protect my lower spine.

*But , sorry, I cannot recommend a safe way to fall off a horse. B G*


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## EquineBovine (Sep 6, 2012)

Barry Goden - Ouch :shock:
Have never fallen on tarmac/gravel but omg you poor thing!

The worst I've had was on the hunt feild. I was riding a hyped up little chestnut mare who was greatly annoyed with me for riding away from her paddock mate. Half way through, on a scent, every one took off up a raise, which was fine, until she saw the front lot, encluding her mate, galloping down another hill and decided -screw you lady, I'm going that way.- She threw herself over the side of raise, sideways, as I tried to haul her back round. She put her head down and went for it, leapt sideways, sending me flying. I had lost my reins when she yanked her head down and as I was trying to grab them up she took off and my foot got stuck. I only came untangled when she dragged me into the backside of another horse :shock:
Thank god I was wearing my helmet as the rest of the hunt feild came roaring up behind me, lying flat on the ground, watching the bloody mare's ginger butt gallop off to be with her bud :evil: 
Didn't break anything and I must say, thinking about saving her mouth was the last thing on my mind


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

Barry Godden said:


> *A Nasty Fall*
> My last big horse fall was off my cob gelding - Joe. We were out for a jaunt around the woods but Joe had been kept waiting and he was miffed and impatient. Having reached the top of a hilly local lane we had come to a tricky T junction. I had to bring him back to a stop from a trot in order to check if anything was coming up the road which we about to join.
> 
> At the very moment of stopping Joe whirled round to the left in revolt - as from time to time he was won’t to do. My usual counter was to pull him right through the whirl but this time that ploy did not work. Joe was now back on his hind quarters and about to take off back down the lane. As Joe lurched forwards, I shortened the left rein to direct him into the high earth bank but Joe could canter forwards even with his neck bent round to the left. He did manage to swerve around to avoid the bank and then we were off at full tilt back from whence we had come.
> ...


To add to this, my worst ever fall was one where I thought I was safely bailing!! I was riding my old Welsh D/Irish Draught, who was terrible when out hacking for spooking and taking off bucking. He got a lot better when he was fit and going, but he had been out of work and I was trying to get him fit. I was out with sister, who I'd put on one of the youngsters I'd broken that summer, when he decided to spook at a rabbit in the bushes and took off across an open field. He threw in a few huge bucks, which I managed to sit, but then he was across the field and into a boggy patch, where he suddenly skidded to a halt and threw another huge buck. I fell forward onto his neck, and knowing how he normally freaked out at me being out of balance I thought the best thing was to let myself come off.

However, unfortunately, there was a large granite rock directly where I let myself fall. I fell head first into it, at quite a speed, and cracked my skull cap, knocking myself unconscious. I remember nothing until waking up in the x-ray room at the hospital, where I was in a neck brace being x-rayed for a suspected broken neck. Thankfully, neither the broken neck nor the brain damage they suspected were the case: I was very lucky. But I had the worst concussion I've ever had, and after getting out of hospital a couple days later, I could barely do more than move around my house for several weeks without feeling sick and vomiting.

And that was me thinking the safest thing was to bail before he properly freaked out.


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## EquineBovine (Sep 6, 2012)

Woooooah...that's awful :shock: It takes some guts to get back on a horse after a fall like that. Thank God for helmets!


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Minstrel. Oh agh agh agh. Ouch.

My stuntman friend said that the first priority when coming off a horse is not to fall onto something hard - like a rock. That was one of his prime reasons for jumping off voluntarily so that at least the rider has a small choice of where he/she would land.

After my accident and those that followed, I have spent some time researching what I call 'Post Traumatic Fall Disorder' - in other words a response by your sub concious brain to make you tense up when sitting on a horse. This perhaps is an indicator that the part of your brain which controls your instinctive reactions (and keeps you in the saddle) doesn't want you to put yourself again at risk by riding a horse. (Do you understand what I have written?)

The link seems to be whether you lost conciousness ----- and you did.

I personally have never been the same rider since my accident and certainly my ability to sit the modern dressage seat - ie bolt upright and minimal weight in the stirrups - is now minimal. If I do ride, I now adopt my original 'forward' (as per Littauer) seat with bent knee and weight firmly in the stirrup irons and leaning forward so as to be over the horse's centre of gravity for most of the time. This forward system is very much as I was originally taught in the 1970s. 

If you feel that you are nowadays riding as you did before your accident - then well done.

B G


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## TBforever (Jan 26, 2013)

lol i went over my first jump and which was a pony club activity, ive never jumped choco hasnt jumped 2 yrs..so i attempt the 2 point posistion not knowing what im doing, as he has jumped i sat down then his butt went up and i ended up hanging on just behined his ears my left foot out of stirrup and right foot still in..i thought to myself i better just drop while i can cos he was trotting lucky hes been of the track for few yrs or he would of galloped LOL...so i dropped and got touched by the hoof..godbless him he tried so hard not to step on me


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Tercio. Apologies for hijacking your thread but you had attracted viewers to an important topic - how best to fall of a horse. Most of us riders are heading for a fall sometime - it merely is a question of whether we can learn to fall in such a way as to minimize the injury.
Part of the problem is that we owners have to use the horse we own - regardless of whether that horse is fit and suitable for our purposes. We believe we can re school the cussed ones but sometimes we can't.

But a discussion amongst members makes us think about the issue and that usually is a good idea.

B G


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Interesting video of professionals learning to fall correctly


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

Barry Godden said:


> Minstrel. Oh agh agh agh. Ouch.
> 
> My stuntman friend said that the first priority when coming off a horse is not to fall onto something hard - like a rock. That was one of his prime reasons for jumping off voluntarily so that at least the rider has a small choice of where he/she would land.
> 
> ...



I was determined to get back on a horse as soon as possible, but after a few weeks I realised that I wasn't the same - every time a horse looked at something, or had a spook, I tensed up and tightened my hold on the reins. Took a year of breaking and riding young horses to cure me of that. Sounds crazy, but starting young horses myself was the best thing - while they are unpredictable, and can spook or buck, twy generally haven't learned how to do anything horrible yet. So I got my confidence back by dealing with horses that are unpredictable yet predictable in how they are unpredictable... If that makes sense. I'd say I'm a much braver rider now than before, but I'm not stupid - I've learned to judge what I will and won't risk riding!


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## 40232 (Jan 10, 2013)

It is truly one of my pet peeves, watching people fall over there horses head with reins still in hand. Those poor horses get their mouths cranked open! I've seen some with martingales where their mouths get kind of "stuck" open. /: I always release the reins when I fall, because I know my horses stay by me. Plus, having that one big yank in the mouth when I have a soft dressage horse, can really put his training back. :/ I just don't want him to have consequences of me falling


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

minstrel said:


> I was determined to get back on a horse as soon as possible, but after a few weeks I realised that I wasn't the same - every time a horse looked at something, or had a spook, I tensed up and tightened my hold on the reins. Took a year of breaking and riding young horses to cure me of that. Sounds crazy, but starting young horses myself was the best thing - while they are unpredictable, and can spook or buck, twy generally haven't learned how to do anything horrible yet. So I got my confidence back by dealing with horses that are unpredictable yet predictable in how they are unpredictable... If that makes sense. I'd say I'm a much braver rider now than before, but I'm not stupid - I've learned to judge what I will and won't risk riding!


 I'm usually one of those people that seems to try to hang onto to the very end but the one time I did decide to bail was definitely the right decision. I was just about to get off a young horse I'd been schooling over jumps for someone and had taken my feet out of the stirrups and looser contact with the reins as I prepared to get off when someone decided to shoot at a rabbit in the next field & the horse bolted off, I was already unbalanced and it was heading at a fence that had been put up to keep the horses off a patch of ground that was full of rabbit burrows. I hit the ground at such speed that I did a series of backward gambols before I stopped, the horse jumped the fence and fell on the other side - I could well have been underneath it. As it was I was left with only badly sprained back ligaments


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## TerciopeladoCaballo (May 27, 2012)

No problem, Barry, the discussion is still relevant to the topic of falling, though what I was griping about in secondary were riders who fall as a result of their own mistake that could have been more or less easily prevented. The other kinds of falls, though, surprises and horse accidents, are part of the deal when anyone sets foot near a horse (much less decides to handle or ride it). However... I do believe that when a person has self-discipline and finesse, that only comes from proper experience and training, to be quick on the draw when handling horses, the person can almost surely prevent any horrible damage. Sometimes these people are only the ones that have the natural feel, in such a way that horsemanship is second nature to them. It does depend on what area you work in, as in, bull fighters on horseback run the very high risk of serious injury to all involved whether or not they are highly skilled. I haven't seen nearly as many deadly accidents in pony jumping as I have in a hunter derby. Perhaps a portion of that fact could be that foundational flaws and weaknesses a person/horse has are drawn out when the task at hand is strenuous?

Personally, my worst horse-related incident did not happen under saddle or even purposely training a horse. I was interning at a stable and the manager's horse mauled me--- I was going into each stall cleaning out hooves that hadn't been cleaned in weeks. The incidentally bitey and grumpy horses I interacted with were no issue, but this attacking horse in particular had, unbeknowest to me, a list of badly injured victims, and the horse himself was warping into a real psycho due to abuse. I chose to back off and leave him without cleaning his feet after I realized quickly that he was not calming, but when my fingertips touched his flank on the way out of his stall, he apparently assumed that I meant to strike him harshly as he always would be by other handlers, so he spun around and meant to defend himself. 
Both bones in my arm were broken clean through so that the ends were floating, I had a nasty bite wound on my shoulder, and my left side was temporarily paralyzed. The manager, who was standing nearby and present for the entire incident with the full knowledge of the horse's history, having never told me, and knowing I walked in there, did nothing... Oh, besides call to me casually as I lay on the ground in shock, "Don't go in there; he'll throw you." No sign or lock existed to differentiate the horse from the other horses.
For a few months after the attack, I would tense when horses moved past me, and anxious when horses nuzzled my shoulder. I kept expecting them, subconsciously, to grab me with their teeth. I never went back to that stable besides to see the veterinarian twice. After I bought my lesson horse my post-traumatic terrors eased as I was able to interact with her every day and steadily was desensitized. I've never been injured while riding; I've had some areas rubbed raw and my leg scraped against the fence, sometimes a bruise from falling on my side. My worst fall was when I was jumping a 3ft fence and got left behind, so was jolted right over her shoulder mid-air and tumbled... however ended up bouncing to my feet and holding the reins with one hand at the buckle while my mare halted on landing. If I had felt resistance on the reins, I would've let go entirely. I always tense up and ache a few seconds after I fall hard, not before or during.


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Tercio - that horse which broke your arm(s) had no place on a stable yard frequented by third parties. The owner was grossly irresponsible. Yes, the horse may have issues with humans but that is no excuse for aggressive behaviour towards other
unsuspecting humans.

As for your original question: at home we always ride our horses on the mildest bit we can justify for being used with the horse in question. Some of the Western levered bits are regarded as being too fierce by we Brits. Most of us expect to be discarded sooner or later, so it is important not to wrench the horse's mouth - so the only answer must be to let go as one falls off - that's if one is quick enough to do anything other than shout out: "bug**r, this is going to hurt"

BG 

PS "tercio" = Latin? , Italian? Spanish? or Portuguese? 
What does the nametag mean ??


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## EquineBovine (Sep 6, 2012)

Clava said:


> Interesting video of professionals learning to fall correctly
> How to fall with Horse & Hound - YouTube


:rofl:
I know this is serious but heck that gave me the giggles :lol::lol::lol:


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## TerciopeladoCaballo (May 27, 2012)

Barry Godden said:


> Tercio - that horse which broke your arm(s) had no place on a stable yard frequented by third parties. The owner was grossly irresponsible. Yes, the horse may have issues with humans but that is no excuse for aggressive behaviour towards other
> unsuspecting humans.
> 
> As for your original question: at home we always ride our horses on the mildest bit we can justify for being used with the horse in question. Some of the Western levered bits are regarded as being too fierce by we Brits. Most of us expect to be discarded sooner or later, so it is important not to wrench the horse's mouth - so the only answer must be to let go as one falls off - that's if one is quick enough to do anything other than shout out: "bug**r, this is going to hurt"
> ...


"Tercio" is Spanish, the nametag means "Velvet Horse," I had the idea because my horse's nickname is "Velvet" and I speak Spanish, as well as some Italian. My father's Austrain bloodline ended this generation, before that the family spoke Italian and German, we all tend to travel widely but like to marry eastern Europeans to keep the families familiar.

To sue or not to sue is still a question, as unfortunately I was not the first or the last victim; a few months after I was injured, a girl was picked up by her breast in the same manner. Knowing what my shoulder looked like, I can imagine the girl wouldn't be back either. I ask about the horse when I get the chance, and now he apparently was moved to a stall in a corner, as far from other people as he could be however still in easy access. They used to gear him up with God knows what to ride him over jumps, but now it seems they can't even get close enough to tack him up without him becoming defensive (which I understand, because the first day I came back to the stable to officially quit, I watched the stable hand cleaning stalls punch the horse in his eye immediately upon entering the stall and exiting regardless of what the horse did in his small stall). 

Maybe he had an issue before that made them start hitting him in front of the throatlatch like that, I don't know, but I will say that no matter how he behaved when they brought him on property, striking him certainly hasn't helped. I believe this is not a respect issue, that the horse is just being bossy, because once I was flat on the ground out of breath the horse had automatically retreated and pressed himself against the far side of the cramped stall, head down, tail swishing, his whole body shaking terribly. He did try coming into my space unwarranted when I asked for his leg, and I would tell him Hey while flicking my hands to shoo him which did have him surprised; I remember he pinned his ears when I pointed to his leg and after I pushed into his space with the intent to tell him to listen up, he did take a minimal step back as much as he could and raised his head with a "What's this?" expression. He was perfectly quiet as I began to leave the stall, only when I touched him he shook so terribly it looked like he had a seizure, and as I lay on the ground he pressed himself into the far wall, tail swishing, ears pinned, shaking all over, and made no further move as I limped out. It's my belief that he only wanted not to be hurt, or else he would have put me out like a fire while I was on the ground or gone after me as soon as I started moving again.

The only other time I saw him react violently was when a horse passed his stall, he literally hurled his body against the wall between him and the horse, ears pinned, mouth gaping.

To this day whenever I ride near that stable, the boarders will move to the far side of their arena away from me. There were only two girls who acted polite toward me and liked to talk with me. I used to clean the dirtiest horses to a spit-shine, and at least they appreciated it. The others are real standoffish. I advise anyone who wishes to intern or volunteer for horse care to please, please, please go to a place such as an equine assisted therapy center or a horse adoption center, because I now realize that many show stable owners get a greedy gleam in their eyes when you mention working hard for free. I'll volunteer for any farm or stable, but I'll be damned if I work at a show stable again.

Heh, that's getting off topic, but I felt it deserved some elaboration.
So regardless of what one does in the horse world, it is important to plan ahead what one might do should a ride go sour, like having a fire escape plan, and identifying the warnings signs. When I rode with other people for the first time, I would point out everything, and they didn't appreciate it, but it did make them pay attention better and I had less spooking-breaks on trails. Of course, the Plastic Bag that Flapped in the Wind may jump out to eat your steed at any time, in which case the rider would need a good deal of balance and a little glue for the unexpected.


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## Shadow Puppet (Aug 15, 2011)

I don't know about anyone else but no matter what I always try to stay on... But along with this I have gotten into the habit of letting go or loosening my reins without thinking so I more use my leg strength and the saddle if I have one. But if I do find myself falling for sure, I always make sure I drop the reins, and now I do it without trying. But I always make sure that I am completely off the horses mouth before I do anything because it makes me mad when riders cling to their horses mouths.


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## EquineBovine (Sep 6, 2012)

Shadow Puppet said:


> I don't know about anyone else but no matter what I always try to stay on... But along with this I have gotten into the habit of letting go or loosening my reins without thinking so I more use my leg strength and the saddle if I have one. But if I do find myself falling for sure, I always make sure I drop the reins, and now I do it without trying. But I always make sure that I am completely off the horses mouth before I do anything because it makes me mad when riders cling to their horses mouths.


 Exactly what I do  I atcually find I drop the reins really quick if my girl is going to try and get me off :wink: Sucks when she goes to spazz, then doesn't and I have to grab back my reins


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## BigBenLoverforLife (Sep 19, 2012)

It really depends. If I am using split reins I will hang on to the end of one of them, but I usually only ride in snaffles and my horse always stops when he feels me falling. If I am in closed reins, I will just let go. If I am at a show, out by a road, or on a trail, I will always hang one, but like I said my horse just stops. Like once I was galloping inside and he stumbled and threw me forward but got right back up and kept going. I was hanging on barley and when I let go I feel forward and right in front of him and my grandpa said he has never seen a horse stop so fast I literal rolled over after the fall and his front hooves were inches from my nose, and I had let go of the reins. 

Another time one of my friends was riding my old horse bareback and was canter and was wearing sweats and fell of and slammed in the arena wall and her arm was twisted in the closed rein and as soon as my mare felt pressure she stooped dead in her tracks and put her head down toward my friend until she untangled her arm from the reins. It could have turned out a lot worse. A trainer that saw the whole thing looked over at another boarder and said "have you ever seen a horse do that?" and they replied "never" then they looked at me and said I give kudos to who ever trained that mare. I was never more proud of my horse as I was that day. 

Anyway with holding onto the reins, it depends on the horse, the time, and the extent of the fall!


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

I am seriously disturbed by how many people fall off their horse unnecessarily.

I am not formerly trained, I learned by age 11 to _stay on_ regardless of the situation. I was usually miles away from home, alone, bareback, riding rough terrain. (most of the time even barefoot!) Falling was not an option. I haven't taken a fall in over 20 years and have been in some pretty serious and hairy situations. Of course the inevitable can happen, like the horse falling, flipping over, etc. But, if someone is jumping (which I have done plenty of on the trail, way more dangerous than in a paddock over some plastic tubes in an arena) they should be far more advanced in their basic skills to ride out a refusal at that point than what I often see and hear about. It's just far too dangerous, for both involved.

When I rode my daughters horse for the first time at home (dead broke) he got spooked by something. One second we were moseying along the fence line, head hanging down after a long ride, the next we were 20 feet away from it in one solid leap. I was certainly not anticipating him to do something so extreme and was pretty relaxed on a super loose rein. Still, something inside me knew the split second before and I gracefully stayed with him. There is usually always a warning sign.

Maybe I have a super strong sense of self preservation, and also for my horse. But, riding (to stay on) is not in the hands or arms and shoulders, it's in the core and thighs. It's reading their movement, anticipating their reactions, and balancing your body with their momentum.
When people fall and hang on the reins hard enough to slam the mouth, well...
They need to go back to the basics.


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Tercio, The story you tell is alarming. That nowadays such scenarios can be present in a commercial livery stable beggars belief. From what you write, the horse is mentally disturbed and as such is obviously very dangerous to both visitors to the yard and to the workers on the yard. 

Such horses can present to specialist horse trainers an object lesson but whether the animal can be cured of its misbehaviour in general towards humans and other horses is a question way beyond my level of expertise to answer.
In the UK I doubt if I could find a farrier to shoe the animal or a vet to inject it.

The HF.com is probably not the place to discuss such a situation.

Velvet - be safe and walk away. 

B G


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

I was taught to hold on to the reins when falling offso the horse didn't run away (many years ago) and it is a very hard habit to break, but fortunatley I haven't fallen off since 1987 (touching every available piece of wood) so I don't know what I'd do now.


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Clava
1987 to 2013 is almost 26 years. Ar you sure you have been riding a horse - or has it been a four legged created with pointed ears that goes oinK oinK.

B g


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Barry Godden said:


> Clava
> 1987 to 2013 is almost 26 years. Ar you sure you have been riding a horse - or has it been a four legged created with pointed ears that goes oinK oinK.
> 
> B g


 
No, I'd definitely fall off that :lol:

(I've just been lucky so far :wink: and probably made up for it the number of times in my youth:lol: )


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## BlooBabe (Jul 7, 2012)

I always let go. I rarely ride in a bit but I think a fall and yanking back on the nose is worse than yanking on the mouth. Either way my thought process is "Let go" and then "Cover your head" or ", "don't land flat". Most of the horses I ride know to stop when the rider falls off even if they're spooked. I feel like most horses would stand by their owners/riders if they fell. I've seen more horses stop dead than run off, even green broke and new horses.


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

BlooBabe said:


> I always let go. I rarely ride in a bit but I think a fall and yanking back on the nose is worse than yanking on the mouth. Either way my thought process is "Let go" and then "Cover your head" or ", "don't land flat". Most of the horses I ride know to stop when the rider falls off even if they're spooked. I feel like most horses would stand by their owners/riders if they fell. I've seen more horses stop dead than run off, even green broke and new horses.


Sadly most ponies I know do actually run off...it is a real worry in a country where all our roads are reasonably busy. My friend was riding my pony on a fun ride in a group which consisted of the rest of his field mates - and he still galloped off when she came off (fortunately he was caught by a steward).


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## BlooBabe (Jul 7, 2012)

I always though people trained their horses to stand when they leave of the saddle. When I train a horse I do emergency dismount to train a horse to stay if I come off. It's a pretty common practice around here so it's fairly surprising that it's not typical everywhere. Shows what living in a small horse community does to your thinking.


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

BlooBabe said:


> I always though people trained their horses to stand when they leave of the saddle. When I train a horse I do emergency dismount to train a horse to stay if I come off. It's a pretty common practice around here so it's fairly surprising that it's not typical everywhere. Shows what living in a small horse community does to your thinking.


I wouldn't regard us as a small horse community unless you mean your own, it just isn't something we train horses to do as a general rule, and as I have always stupidly kept hold of the reins I have never needed it. It certainly isn't typical to train horses to do this in other parts of the world from what I have seen in Europe. I suspect quite a few horses will stop anyway, but the ponies I know are another matter:lol:.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

BlooBabe said:


> I always though people trained their horses to stand when they leave of the saddle. When I train a horse I do emergency dismount to train a horse to stay if I come off. It's a pretty common practice around here so it's fairly surprising that it's not typical everywhere. Shows what living in a small horse community does to your thinking.


 Theres a whole big difference in falling off a horse thats sedately and calmly walking along in a controlled situation (thats pretty much not when people fall off) and parting company with one thats bucking its brains out, trying to catapult you over a fence or spinning around at a flat out trot and going the opposite way when you least expect it
Even then I'll avoid hitting the ground if I can but a horse thats in that frame of mind if/when it dumps you is hardly likely to be thinking 'Oh havent I been trained to stand still after I've done' this because if it was thinking 'nicely' you wouldnt be on the floor in the first place
Nice idea but mostly it aint going to happen!!!


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Some emergency dismounts, falling with style, badly executed landings..................................
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnfRRtrVrzU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKD4AdvWeaI


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## xeventer17 (Jan 26, 2009)

I have had many falls in my day. When I was young I was taught the "correct" way of falling off and thus developed a bad habit of bailing all the time, incorrectly assuming that I would be okay. I've been fairly badly injured four times in the fifteen or so years I've been riding and it wasn't until the third time that I figured out it was a smart idea to try to stick. It's been four years since I figured that out and I have only fallen off three times since then (one of which was more of an emergency dismount in which I landed on my feet, and is the only time I can ever remember landing with the reins still in my hands). Note, most of my riding career up until two or so years ago was spent in arenas or enclosed fields, and I've never had fall out in the open (knock on wood). I don't think letting go of the reins when I fall is as much of a decision as it habit. I am an incredibly empathetic person and there's nothing I hate more than accidentally yanking my horse in the mouth. If the situation warrants that I must be a little harsher than usual (i.e. my horse having a fit or trying to take off with me, which is a somewhat common occurrence) I will, especially out on the trail. But if it's an accidental situation that is cause by me, getting left behind over a jump for example, my first reaction has always been to release the reins. I will never let go of the reins while jumping, but I will let them slide through my hands to supplement an inadequate release.

During my most recent fall, which actually sent me to the hospital, if I had held on to the reins my arm likely would have been broken or dislocated in some way and some serious damage would have been done to my horse's face, as he was galloping flat out one direction and I was flying in the other. We were jumping for the first time since winter began, and long story short my trainer (who is really awesome for certain horse/rider combinations, but I will no longer be riding with her as she's not the best for my horse and me) over faced the both of us with a large oxer. I knew it was too much, but have never told a trainer no in my life, so I decided to do it anyway. Both my horse and I have the skill to jump it, but we've been through a lot in the past year and our confidence was, and still is, a little shaky. So as we approached the jump he was off balance and tried to duck out, I didn't let him as we used to have a serious refusal problem that I didn't want to revert back to, and we ended up jumping the oxer diagonally right from the base. I was thrown out of my tack but landed in a fairly balanced position (sans stirrups and reins at the buckle, which usually isn't a problem) and would have been fine if he had continued cantering forward as he generally will do in such a situation as long as we're in the arena. However, at some point during the jump the back left standard got knocked either by him or my foot, and fell into him after we had landed. He spooked, spun to the left and took off galloping like a bat out of hell, and I went flying headfirst into the ground on the right. Thanks to my helmet I ended up concussion and break free, but dealt with severely bruised ribs for a month, and am still dealing with a deep bruise to the muscle and tendon that run down the outside of my right tibia after almost two months.

Anyway, my point is that through my experience, if I'm falling inside an enclosed area I will always let go out of habit, and find it safer to do so. I'd rather spend an hour trying to catch a horse then end up with injuries to the both of us. Out on the trail is a different topic, and I think it depends entirely on the situation. But have no first hand experience as I'm lucky enough to have never taken a fall when I'm out and about. I attribute this to the fact that my horse tends to be a bit quirky and excitable when out on the trails so I tend to be paying a bit more attention to keeping my seat.


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## Shadow Puppet (Aug 15, 2011)

No matter what happens, my horse always stops when I fall off. Even when she used to buck me off she always stopped. My good horse, and I didn't even have to train that into her.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

If I am falling off my horse, he has done something to cause that. I have a pretty good seat and can stay on in most situations. If I am indeed about to hit the ground, I am not terribly concerned about his mouth, and I would hang on, if possible.


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