Control in a fall- Pointless Post

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NeilM

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The reason I have titled this a pointless post is because in my experience no one will take a blind bit of notice. There will be a number of people who agree and say that they will definitely do something, but they won't, as something else will always consume their time. I apologise in advance if this seems offensive, but it is my experience over the last few years.

Given the number of minor falls I keep reading about, that result in some serious bumps, bruises and breaks (including several who have broken their coccyx), I feel I have to get this off my chest (again).

It is possible and relatively simple to learn how to fall and how to control your decent / trajectory during a fall. It does not matter your age, height or your weight, you CAN exert a degree of control which will help lessen injuries.

As an example; some while ago, jumping on a slight downhill, my gelding jinked on landing and I went headfirst over his shoulder. I landed on a rock hard patch of earth, which had rocks embedded in it. Now the important bit: I landed on my back, performed a breakfall and walked away without so much as a bruise.

As part of your (extensive) training as competition riders, I would ask you to consider finding a local martial arts group, ny form of Aikido would be the best place to start. Speak to the instructor and explain that you ride and that you would like to learn the basics of rolling and breakfall techniques. Offer to pay for their time and let them know you are not a potential Aikido student, but that you wish to increase your ability to survive a fall.

Some instructors will be sympathetic and some will not. Those who are unhelpful are not people you would want to engage as instructors, so move on.

If you cannot find an Aikido group (and there are thousands out there), I would suggest a Judo group, although Judo is a sport as much as a martial art and can be a little 'macho', so you may get mixed responses.

I am based in North Somerset, I would happily teach anyone who wishes to learn FOR FREE, if you have a school available. I might even be able to arrange for somewhere to train. It is not glamorous training, you WILL get hot, sweaty and dirty, but it's cheaper than a new hat and BP and a lot more fun than a visit to A&E.

Please act on or ignore this post as you choose, at least I have (once again) said my piece.
 
This makes a lot of sense as someone that did judo in the distant past the first thing you were taught was how to fall and to break your fall. A lesson that I must have long since forgotten as I don't fall off the best!

Wish I was nearer NeilM as I would certainly take you up on your offer but whether I am able to find someone down I am not too sure.
 
Very good tip!
After falling off my mare on sunday whilst jumping i ended up under her legs as a result of falling off at her shoulder - i guess i tried to sit to the fall (i usually have a very good seat and manage to stay on) of course this resulted in the stirrup leather coming off the other side of the saddle as i clung on - should have just gone with it - instead ended up being trodden on under her belly :( thankfully i got away with a very bruised arm, could have been alot worse.
This is something i will most definitly be considering.
 
QUOTE

I am based in North Somerset, I would happily teach anyone who wishes to learn FOR FREE, if you have a school available. I might even be able to arrange for somewhere to train. It is not glamorous training, you WILL get hot, sweaty and dirty, but it's cheaper than a new hat and BP and a lot more fun than a visit to A&E.

Please act on or ignore this post as you choose, at least I have (once again) said my piece.[/QUOTE]

Neil this is something we have been considering for a while -have PM'd you.:)
 
I went to a falling off clinic and I am so glad!

It sounds silly but I must admit it is so helpful, I think they should teach the tuck and roll and break fall techniques at pony club! The kids I'm sure will love throwing themselves around and they will probably take it in better :)

I would highly recommend what Neil is saying as it makes the sport so much safer once you know how to fall off!
 
Ditto what NeilM said; I'd also add Ju Jitsu to the list of martial arts that should teach you breakfalling. I learnt Kempo JJ during my undergrad degree and have since then put the ability to breakfall to good use coming off both the horse and my bike. I'd add, that if you just go to one or two sessions to learn what you're supposed to do it'd also be important to practise regularly until it becomes an automatic reaction and overrides your 'natural' reactions to e.g. (if coming off face first) stick your arms out to brace the fall, rather than tucking into a roll.
 
When I was point to pointing 20 years ago, the male jockeys gave me a special prize at the end of the season for the Best Girl Faller-Offer :o:D

One of my rides was a very dodgy jumper, and I got unseated (very important distinction there between that and falling off) many a time, but the only injuries I got were from the hooves of other horses, not from the actual falls. Most women try to "save" themselves by sticking their arms out, hence the wrist and collarbone injuries.

I also notice a correlation between the heaviest most injurious falls and the heaviest, least balanced seats of riders.

I would also support falling off clinics, and teaching kids to fall properly as well.
 
Hear hear Neil, nice one. Countless hours of dressage training &/or practice seem to be the norm, but an hour a week on something that might literally save your neck, or back, or collarbone, or LIFE ffs...
Really hope people take you up on your amazingly generous offer, or, if they're too far away, take you excellent & totally sound advice...
 
I go with the calcification approach ;) Fall off enough times on the same place and come back stronger :P

I'm joking obviously :) Good idea!
 
My sister fell off last night.

She has broken for forearm – and the bone came thru the skin

She has also shattered her wrist.

She is being operated on now, she'll also need future operations on her wrist

Might have been preventable:(
 
I was having this discussion with some friends the other day. I've been riding my whole life and I've never hurt myself beyond being winded or some minor bruising (apart from the time the horse bucked, I came straight off and landed on my feet - would have been fine, but the ground was uneven and I broke my ankle!) and I'm sure it's because I did Judo when I was a kid. I stopped when I was about 16, but how to fall properly has obviously stayed with me!

I think a 'falling off' clinic is a fantastic idea - I'm near Bath so you're probably not far from me either, I don't have the facilities to hold one, but I'm going to suggest it to as many people as I can

Dieseldog, I hope your sister's OK xx
 
I hate talking about this as I think it can tempt fate!! I've never had an injury from a fall, apart from the odd bruise - and I've had some cracking bad falls. I think it's because I was a keen gymnast in my youth and it's instinct to tuck & roll. These days though I think I would just hit the ground hard.

I WILL suggest to the Banwell DC this afternoon Neil that we get you along for a session this Winter if that's ok. Good fun on a wet day, indoors somewhere and I would really like my 6ft lump of a son to learn this. It might be fun to get the riding parents to also take part - I would.

Interstingly we did have someone come along to Junior Camp a few years ago to teach this at Barrow Gurney - don't suppose it was you?
 
Do you want to come and do something for our RC? Especially if free ;)
Our RC is Blackdown Mendip.
 
You need to jump off the fence and join the BEST club in the area!! ;)
 
Malibu Stacy: Jujutsu is even more macho than Judo, you have my R E S P E C T :D

I have a few PM's to answer, but in answer to all the requests; yes I am happy to come along to your clubs and get you all started in the art of 'fallingonyourarsejustu'.

It really is very simple stuff, that just needs to be ingrained until it happens without thought. As Kerilli says, an hour a week of practice or ten minutes at the end of each dressage or jumping session (after all, you are already in the school) would soon have the basics in place.
 
I have to say, I for one have never even THOUGHT of this. What a fantastic idea. Why has it never occured to me that you can learn to fall off a horse better?! I also think it would improve my confidence if I felt more prepared for a fall.
 
I've been sitting here thinking about this, and I'm seriously considering getting my two sons to some martial arts classes so they can learn how to fall properly! My oldest is 15, is over 6ft, and rides my 16.3 warmblood. He hasn't fallen off him (yet) but when he inevitably does, I want him to hit the ground properly!
 
Aikido is what police officers are taught, yes? Just curious!

I don't ride at the moment but will look into this when I start again:)
 
Aikido is a relatively 'soft' art and almost every instructor I have come across has been a person who is kind and understanding. It is however and extremely effective art and is indeed what the Japanese police are taught. They are also taught jujutsu which is a 'harder' art (not in difficulty but in application).

With regards to confidence, if there is no fear of falling, then the fall itself is of little consequence other than to highlight a failing in the ability of the rider. This means you can learn from the fall rather than just survive it.

That said, in the case of a rotational fall, surviving it is the most important thing, after that comes the well being of your horse and after that a stiff drink.
 
I am one of the unfortunates who only learns from experience. I have had all sorts off falls, from different angles/speeds/heights etc (including dismounting by swinging my leg over the horse's neck, hitting it's head with my foot and ending up falling head-first to the ground followd by a quick "action roll" and a look around to check no one had seen how stupid I was). None have been the same. To teach me how to fall "safely" from a horse you would have to put me through all those experiences again and I am not sure how keen I am on that!

Jockeys are taught how to fall and they generally do so at high speed, being thrown futher distances than, say, the event rider who would have to learn how to fall from a wider variety of speeds/angles/heights/trajectories. (The jockeys may have more time to plan their defence).

This is a slightly lighthearted post from me. Obviously education is a good thing, especially if it makes us safer.
 
A very opportune post for me: I was just about to post a thread asking how to go about learning to fall better! :D

I did some martial arts in the past, but it was Gong Fu (different flavours of Northern Praying Mantis style), and while I have a pretty good idea of how to punch someone or deflect a punch, we didn't learn much about falling...and in my riding, I've always been more focused on tenaciously clinging on. However, it appears that with my current ride, I'm doomed to tumble roughly once a month, and I've noticed that I usually fall off over his left shoulder (could have something to do with his tendency to stop suddenly and drop said shoulder...). Now, it seems to me that the predictability of my trajectory suggests the potential of doing something about how I land... :o

Question: do falling-off lessons actually involve, well, flinging myself groundwards off my pony at high speeds? Not so keen...argharghargh... :eek:
 
spookypony said:
A
Question: do falling-off lessons actually involve, well, flinging myself groundwards off my pony at high speeds? Not so keen...argharghargh... :eek:
Click to expand...

Off your pony, no. At speed, no. Flinging yourself on the ground, yes.

The reason I suggest attending a martial arts class, is because they will have crash mats that allow you to get used to falling to the floor without the fear of impact when you get it wrong.

If it is any comfort, my lad used to regularly dump me over his right shoulder, due to his ability to either stop dead and turn 90 to 180 degrees to the left or his ability to spin 100 degrees to the left at the very moment of landing a jump. I swear he can pivot around his left fore in a break dancing type move :eek:
 
Well, you've convinced me to look up the local Aikido training centre...will toddle along and talk to someone, although I suspect I need to wait with actually taking classes until this bl**dy shoulder (courtesy of pony) is somewhat more healed!

I never thought of breakdancing as a possible career choice for my pony! Hmm...worth considering! I always maintain that if we ever figure out how to harness his rather extreme sideways teleportation abilities, he'd be unbeatable in a jump-off! He'd make an amazing polo pony, if only he weren't so terrified of so very many things! :D
 
Mmm - I'm not saying it's a BAD idea - some people DO fall very heavily and awkwardly and just HAVE to break something. I learnt to fall as a kid, riding ponies bareback, and in over 50 years of riding and countless falls - particularly while riding racehorses - I have broken a bone in my hand, cracked a vertebra in my neck (knowing how to fall didn't help me with that one as bloody horse threw itself on the floor and me into a manege post!) and had bruising and a couple of concussions.

Now I try to AVOID falling off as I'm just too old for it!

But I suspect that MOST people would be better off concentrating on improving their seat so they can stay on! AND using a neckstrap - I never get on a youngster without one, and neither do my riders who are a lot younger than me!
 
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