Do you remember the first time..

[Chumsmum]

that you fell off? It happened to me yesterday. I was on a hack and attempted a small cross country jump on the edge of a field. Chum refused and then decided to jump it from a standstill - I stupidly lost my balance and fell off into a pile of dead branches. He proceeded to trot off towards the cows that were in the field - they had a sniff around him and then they all settled down for a graze completely ignoring me! I was more bothered that the bull might take a dislike (or a fancy) to him! I got back on and went over the jump properly and slinked off hoping no-one saw me

I first sat on a horse two and half years ago and have lots of near misses so sort of glad it's out of the way. Feeling a bit bruised and battered today but got off lightly - he's only 14HH so not far to fall! Tell me your stories.
C x

 

[Super_Kat]

I was 6 and I had been riding for about 6 weeks and I was off the lead rein about to trot down a line of trotting poles, the pony went over the first pole and tripped, went down on his knees and I just gracefully slid down his neck and ended up with a mouthful of sand

 

[tinker512]

Proper Proper fell off...not just messign about bareback?

Well my first proper proper fall was off a Welsh D I used to jump.Was jumping these barrels with another bit added on, was about 1.10.The horse was jumping just the barrels sooo big, about twice the size so i booted the jump up.Said horse stopped dead infront of the jump then jumped from a standstill!!He cleared it by miles....only we both didn't reach the otherside.On landing I fell spack on my head!!Was really pleased with him though!!

It still didn't knock any sense into me though!

 

[SillyMare]

First fall in 2 1/2 years! That is amazing!!

TBH I don't remember my first fall - will have been in a riding school when I was small - we used to fall off so often then and it didn't worry us at all!!

Funny, because if I fall off now (at the grand old age of 28) it is a big issue!!

 

[pixie]

It was at my very first show! We were in the large warmup arena when the pony I was riding spooked and bolted, only to skid to a halt at the fence and I carried on going... Was a bit suprised, but I stretched myself, got back on and won the class

 

[allijudd]

arrr..first fall from a hunter called virgil in scotland aged 19, and it was snowing....

upshot....crushed my spine...didnt know (have very high pain tolerance) i rode back to the stables with no left arm and head slightly crooked...a freind drove me to borders general to find ut i had crushed my spine...two weeks in traction then......

 

[lennysmith]

Ooo yes. I had been riding about 3 months, had fallen in love with this chestnut mare and had ridden her every week for about a month or so. Went to get on her, she trotted off from under me, my foot was caught in the stirrup. Ended up lading on her bum. She shot off round the menage at 3 thousand miles an hour I ended up sumersaulting off over her back end and in hospital in an ambualnce!!! OUCH!

That was about 2 years ago now, have fallen off twic since then. Never off my Josie though (touch wood) she looks after her Mummy xxx

 

[Marquire]

I can't remember the VERY FIRST time I fell off but then it was probably 28 years ago so hopefully I can be excused for forgetting.

However, I fell off my boy for the first time last month after having him for nearly a year. It was the most stupid fall ever. We were at SJ training and going around a course. After fence 3 you had to turn left, sort of back on your self, to the double. Unfortunately only I went left while he went right and I did a sort of somersault thing and ended up landing on my hip. Luckily I'm fairly well padded in that area so it didn't hurt too much. It was more embarrassing than painful especially when Squire stopped to look down at me on the ground as if to say 'What are you doing down there you stupid woman!'

 

[Rambo]

I couldn't possibly remember the first time...or how many times there've been so many...it would have been about 32 years ago though lol!

I do remember the first time after my long break though....it was about 6 weeks ago and we were jumping a large'ish upright but got the stride slightly wrong so the horse ducked out to the left and I went straight on

Had 2 further falls in a 5 days period since....

 

[lordflynn]

I bounced off coming back into trot from canter when I was 6-pony swerved to get back to gate. I was most indignant

 

[Greyhound]

Yes, cantering up a field when I was niave and had forgot to do up my girth, pony swerved left I went right into the old muck heap

.

Gh

 

[Haflinger]

Erm...my first fall believe it or not was about four years after I'd first started riding!

I was jumping this pony and she did a flyer over the jump a turned sharply straight after...which ended up with me on my bum laughing my head off

My worst fall so far was at the last riding school I went to (before I got Toscar) and I was jumping this insane pony. We didn't match at all I ended up falling off after the pony swerved very suddenly (virtually going back the way we'd come) and my foot got stuck in the stirrup so I ended up being dragged along and almost flung into the fence. My foot came out just before though and I landed on my nose!
For days after I had a huge purple bruise on my nose

 

[Claireg9]

I think i was to youngto remember.. well ihave been riding since i was 18 months old and im now 25 (Almost) but i do remember at one riding school a pony called sparkle used to get me off every time i rode it, and in one lesson chucked me off 13 times!! It never put me off though, and my first fall i can actually remember was probably on my pony called guinea, i was only about 5 or 6 and he had a really low head carriage! I used to do lead rein gymkhana, and i used to like cantering as fast as the runner could run, well my Pops had bad hay fever so a guy called Keith lead me, not knowing how low guinea put his head down Keith ran off in front and i slowly toppled forward, as i was going i let out a little scream keith stopped turned round and sore me on the floor with guinea rearing, he was trying to get out of my way in doing so landed on my face, i had a big cut across my nose and on my lip, the ambulance man cleaned me up though and i got back on to win the next race

Funny how you have no fear when your young...

 

[TGM]

I must have been about 8 and was riding a riding school pony that was blind in one eye. We were cantering in a field and something spooked her on her blind side, she swerved and I ended up landing in a patch of nettles!

 

[matthew]

agree with silly mare- i learnt in a riding scholl and we used to fall of all the time ( funny how ponies are so much easier to fall off!) i dont remember the first time at all !

 

[Toadeyes]

It was about 23 years ago - the first time I jumped a jump.

 

[serena2005]

nope i cant remember iv been riding since i was 4 so the 10hh shetland i rode for many years i fell off at least once everytime i rode her!

1st proper fall off, i was trying to get the worlds laziest horse to canter he must of been about 14hh i was about 8 my stirrup came out as i kicked with all my might, he wet into canter i fell out the side door and broke my arm in 2 places

 

[GinaB]

The first time I can remember wasn't too bad. I was about 7/8 not paying attention. The pony stuck his head down to have a munch on some hay and I went toppling over.
Worst time was a pony bolted on me after getting spooked and done about 3 laps around the indoor before I fell off. Was only winded though. Also nearly fell off on Saturday after losing balance after a jump. You definitely get more worried about falling off as you get older!
Best one was my friend, vaulted onto a bareback pony who had been all washed and groomed earlier in the day and just slid right off the other side. We all were in stitches laughing at her.

 

[JessPickle]

Think it was when I was 7 was at a riding school (which I left shortly after) the horse they had put a 7 year old begginner on sometimes decided to get down and roll in lessons! (talk abnout putting riders on inapprocpriate horses) he rolled 3 times in the same lesson in the end they said I needed to go back on the lead rein so I moved to my yard

 

[Joya]

I was on a horse at the riding school called McCauley, was coming back from a hack and the people next door to the yard started smacking a shovel on the floor in their drive when we walked past, McCauley spooked and I landed on the road on my back...I was so embaressed...we were like 5 seconds away from home...McCauley just trotted in bless xxx

 

[maddielove]

i remeber mine was a little while after i had started jumping.
i was on this 14.2 mare at the riding school where i learned to ride at..who was hightly strung and wasnt the easiest to steer!
we were going for a cross pole in trot and she all of a sudden started to go into full on gallop and cleared the top of the jumpkins..throwing out of my seat onto the ground. managed to get back on her though and jump well afterwards. that was about 5 years ago i think.
first time i fell off maddie was the time i went to try her!!! we were cantering up a hill in her field[ i had to ride her in a field with her foal which hadn't been weaned off of her and with her field companion] and wearing a 16.2's tack and all of a sudden she started wildly shaking her head[turns out her teeth were really bad!] and as i started to slow her back to trot..her head dissapered between her legs..which threw me off balance and landed me in the muddy field. thankfully it was a freezing cold febuary afternoon. so i was well padded up with jackets etc..good times, after i stood up i recall yelling to my mum"i want her so bad!!"..good times, we've got it on video!

 

[EllieBeast]

i cant remember the very first, but the most memorable fall was from Honey - my previous loan pony. we were cantering on a stubble field, she stopped dead, bucked me off over her head, galloped over the top of me and rejoined the group. little ^&$*!!!! i had hoof shaped chunks taken out of my body protector. i dread to think what would have happened had i not been wearing it!
i got back on and carried on as usual.
Sarah xXx

 

[Taz975]

I was tiny, about 5, ....and my sisters were leading me round on this little pony we used to have. The only was I could get it to trot was to take it to the far side of this field, and let it off the lead rein and he would trot back to the gate.
so they let go of him, off he went, me bouncing away, and he took the short cut, under the tree, and the branches knocked me off!!