Do you jump by yourself?

Firewell

Firewell

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I jump my horse once a week and i cant always have someone with me, my OH is irritating, he gets in the way and cant put the jumps up properly. Apart from when I have a lesson I usually jump by myself. The jump field is tucked away from the yard out of sight so no one on the yard can see if anything goes wrong. However I am careful, I keep the jumps to a height I am comfortable with and I only push myself to jump bigger or a trickier line if the canter is great and were hitting everything spot on. I leave the more challenging stuff to my lessons.

I dont mind being alone, I actually prefer it as im more relaxed. I set the jumps up how I want them first and my horse rarely knocks a pole so I dont have to worry about getting off too much.

I was driving home today after a good jumping session with my horse and I started wondering if lots of people jump on their own or if im being irresponsible... if something happens it could be a while before someone found me! When I was at Hartpury it was drilled in to me to only jump with someone present and to always wear a backprotector which I assumed was for insurance and health and safety. I do neither of these things now! Do you jump on your own??
 
I did with G, but only if I knew someone would find me if anything went wrong!! Wouldnt with my current horse as she is too green and it is too risky!! But yes, but only if I knew I would be found quickly if anything happened!
 
It wouldn't stop me if there was no one else around. I've done it a couple of times recently. I hack out for miles on my own regularly and there's as much risk of something happening in the middle of nowhere with no one around when doing that as there is when jumping on my own.

I do have a very sensible older horse though. If it was a new horse I was still getting to know or a baby/green horse I might take more precautions.
 
I do leave the gate open with the thought that if the worse did happen hopefully my horse would run back to the stables and get help. Lots of grass on the way though so not sure that she wouldnt just park her arse for a good old munch instead
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There are always people at my yard so someone would hopefully notice if i didnt come back 4 a while! I also keep my phone in my pocket..
 
yes agree re: hacking. Thats my thought as well, Im just as likely to fall off out hacking on my own! I do trust and know my horse. I wouldnt do it i dont think if i was worried in any way.
 
i jump on my own all the time!!

i hate people watching me ride on the yard...and my horses rarely touch a pole so i don't have to get off and on much. i tend to set up a few fences and variations at different heights - so i dont have to get off and on much.

re. hacking - i hack out on my own a lot too...i always have a mobile with me, and there are people on yard who will notice if im not back in a few hours
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haha

xxx
 
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I also keep my phone in my pocket..

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Be careful doing this! I had my phone in my pocket once and fell off over a jump. Not only did I smash the screen on my phone, but I injured my hip on the phone in the process. I ended up with an incredibly painful and swollen hip (that was horrible colour) and couldn't walk properly for like 2weeks! I now always use a proper phone holder on my leg (just above the top of my boots) so that if I were to fall off, the phone will only bruise the side of my calf and not press into my joint!

Regarding jumping alone...it's something I don't do, partly because I always have someone at yard with me and also because the outdoor school is so visible to the rest of the yard someone would see if anything happened to me. I would probably not jump somewhere where I couldn't be seen/heard.
 
Yes I always ride by myself unless OH is doing some jobs at the field. I jump with a back protector & a phone in my pocket. I also tell my OH that I'm jumping so he'd (hopefully!) check up on me after an hour or so. I think doing all the above reduces my risks
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i do sometimes, and sometimes i have help, i only have a baby horse so never jump too big anyway, but do jump on my own but its probably not the brightest idea
 
I do. It's not too bad at the yard, people pass the menage fairly often anyway. But I also do jump on farm rides, anything up to around 2'9-3ft, with nobody with me. It's not what I'd choose, but unfortunately I either have to go alone, or not at all. I always wear a back protector when jumping solid fences anyway, and take my phone, just incase. And there are usually enough people going around farm rides that you'd hope your loose horse might be noticed at the very least! Last time I checked horses weren't allowed to go around alone xD

If I was worried about it or the horse was being very silly, I wouldn't jump. But then again, not long ago the horse I trusted most decided to randomly freak out and broke my elbow as we were going on a hack - luckily we were only about 100m from the house and the neighbours saw! But I guess with horses you're never going to be 100% safe anyway!
 
I do but feel that its irresponsible - still do it though but only if I feel I need to jump for a show coming up etc. It doesn't matter the size of the jumps, just think of Supermans accident.
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I try and make sure that its when I know someone is due to visit the yard etc as its pretty remote & my phone doesn't have a reception there. On the main though, I make sure someone is around, especially to help with the poles
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If something does happen and you arent wearing a backprotector insurance wont pay
I often jump when I am my own in fact more often than with someone as it all goes alot better with no one watching!!
 
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If something does happen and you arent wearing a backprotector insurance wont pay

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Ooh dear, is that with showjumps? Its showjumps I use in the field and you dont have to wear BP when competing... I wouldnt go xc without a BP. Also how would they know that you fell over a jump if you were on your own and not slipped on the flat or if horse was spooked by a bird and just so happened to be near a jump? Im not sure I have insurance anyway for horse riding
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, my horse is insured properly but thats it.
 
Frequently, there'd normally be someone around to pick up the pieces if need be but not always but it doesn't stop me! Always make sure my phone is on me as the chances of being knocked cold for anything length of time is low so I could summon help if needed pretty quickly

IMHO it's incredily rare to come off and be immobilised so think the risk is worth taking
 
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If something does happen and you arent wearing a backprotector insurance wont pay

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Pay for what though? I have BUPA and pretty sure my work policy pays something for limbs lost etc!

I jump alone, but only when there is someone at home on the farm.

Ironically my worst accident was leaving the arena, wind blowing gate shut on us and foot jamming in gate. If horse had panicked I would have had a severely mushed leg. As it happened I called home and squeaked for some help.

So horses are dangerous, so try and limit the danger when there is no-one to call that can help within a few minutes. Also I always carry my mobile in my jods pocket.
 
I keep my horse at my aunties yard behind her house (just my horse and her pony there) and quite often have to jump on my own. I try to jump when I know there is someone at the house, and always have my phone with me. I do try and persaude someone to come and build jumps for me if I can but it's not always possible. If I do fall off my horse gallops back to the stables screaming his head off so someone would hear him anyway! I once shut the gate and he decided to jump it so I now leave it open as it's metal and rusty so I don't want him to hurt himself on it! I had a fairly bad fall quite recently and so now I usually call someone to say I'm jumping and if they haven't heard from me in 40 mins I've been knocked out.
 
I have done in the past, the yard I am at is fairly busy but there are times when no-one is around and I have jumped solo if I need to (hate getting on and off to put jumps up though!!). I have always thought that I usually have a good landing when I fall and that if I did things within my comfort zone I could be fairly confident that I wouldn't fall off so therefore didn't really worry about it.

Have had a re-think about this recently though as I fell off and broke my leg when jumping on my own (over pathetically small fence
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that I would never have dreamt there would be a problem jumping!!). Luckily someone arrived at the yard just at the right moment but I think I will avoid jumping on my own in future.
 
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If something does happen and you arent wearing a backprotector insurance wont pay
I often jump when I am my own in fact more often than with someone as it all goes alot better with no one watching!!

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i can't believe that is true in all cases (about the BP (are you sure thats not just your policy?

i do lots of irresponsible things on my own, jumping, farm rides etc. i'd rather do soemthing on my own than not at all
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i also often school at 9pm when there is no-one at the yard- thats just as dangerous really, would be hours before my OH realised i wasn't home (seriously
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i once went to somerford park XC schooling on my nutty TB who hadn't (at the time) jumped for two years and i had the whole place to myself- wonder how long it would have taken someone to come find me
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i always do whether is baby or more experiance just cos there is no1 else around to help me!!! i drive alone and can have an accident then so in my opinon jumping is the same
 
I will jump on my own if there isn't anyone else about, and I don't give it a thought. I do always have my phone on me, and there is somebody on the yard 24/7 (ish), so I'm sure I'd be found in the end!
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I guess it could be viewed as irresponsible, but I know and accept the risks I take; and I have no dependants to consider.
 
I do, but after me and my horse having a bad fall in the XC fields one evening last year I now text a friend before I start telling her I'm jumping, and that if she doesn't hear from me within a reasonable amount of time to come up to the yard and resuscitate me!
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Yes - don't always have anyone around to help me. But it is a busy yard so I'm sure I'd be found before too long if something went wrong!

As for going eventing alone...that worries me more...
 
i don't really think about it to be honest its not something that i can remember worrying me. I feel experienced and competent enough not to be concerned because i rarely fall off (touch wood), i know anyone can fall off any horse at any time but i don't personally feel there is any more risk to my safety than there is hacking alone or any other activity involving horses. the only time i've broken a bone so far was actually putting a practise fence up for someone else
 
I do quite a lot but i dont put the jumps very high, and i always wear a body protector on my own. There is usually someone on the yard, and my house is only down the road, so its not that unsafe.
 
sj - very rarely, and only a couple of pops over small stuff if i do.
if it's anything big or technical, i will only do it if someone is there. i can't keep my concentration if i have to keep getting off to change stuff, and i know i ride differently to a fence if i'm thinking about having to get off if the horse knocks it down - at home is not the place to ride protectively.
xc - yes, happily, but i'll tell someone exactly what time i should be finished and to send out a search party if i'm not back by then.
actually, thinking about it, that says a LOT about my confidence to a xc fence compared to a sj, doesn't it?! i'm much more worried about getting it wrong to a 3'6" sj than a 3'6" fixed fence!
 
Yes, sometimes. I think well its no worse then when I plod off for a 2hour hack on my own, and jump things when I'm out. But I always have my phone with me.

Saying that though, I was jumping on my own back in february when my horse fell and I broke my collar bone. I couldn't get my phone, and was in two much of a state to phone someone, as i was in shock and it bloody hurt!! Plus I landed on my phone and broke it when I fell on it
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Not a good day. Luckily my friend rode past a minute after and helped me.
 
Yep. I really like jumping on my own and I figure one of our neighbours would notice if I'd fallen off seeing as they seem to think our arena is there for their viewing pleasure!!! Never go in arena or out on hack without my mobile phone though just in case.
 
I have lesson once a week and a knowledgeable helper once a week although occasionally I do go and set up small exercises that are less likely to come down and I do that by myself.
 
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