Does falling off bother you?

Depends on who I fall off and why! Last time I fell off G it didn't bother me, but it wasn't a bad fall.

When S flipped out and decked me at dressage that scared me, and I shook when I took him out after that. :o and I am scared of one of the liveries horses because she spins and I am worried I am going to fall off her.

So I guess yes it does bother me more than it doesn't :rolleyes:
 
I fell off last night and I wasnt even on the horse! Decided to ride my OH's mare (she's 16.3hh+) so bit of difference to my 15.1h!)

I put my foot in the stirrup to get on and Amber decided to walk off, so I stopped, told her off and I tried again. Again she started walking off and this time started breaking into a trot and was heading towards the fence of the school so I tried to steer her away from said fence and to give me more room to break free. She then knocked me over, I fell and landed splat! Hit my head on floor and ended up in a daze! Head banging, blurred vision, totally disorientated and covered in the black marks from the school surface ( its made of shredded tyres), got back on, walked once round the school then thought better of it and got off. Went to A+E, am ok apart from whip lash to my neck, painful today when washing my hair!
 
Strangely, when I really think about it, it's the near misses that have bothered me more. Last time I actually came off it was jumping a grid (I'm particularly nervous of jumping but it had been going well, and I plucked up the courage to jump something bigger than I had ever done before - tiny to most on here I expect but the puissance wall to me!). I got back on and then came down and did it successfully before we called it a day.

Recently though, its things like spooking that really get me or a couple of months ago I asked the horse to go forward with my stick, nothing major, and he stopped to have a little buck and a bit of a tantrum. I sat it (just about) so logically compared to actually coming off I should have just been able to carry on but my riding fell to pieces for the rest of the lesson!
 
Yes and no...

My current horse touch wood I have only fallen off of her once, when I first got her she galloped down a road and wouldn't stop, didn't hurt too much actually I bailed out into some hedges :rolleyes:

The fall prior to that, riding a horse for a friend and went to get off she broke into a bucking fit, I had no stirrups or reins held on for a while eventually got bucked off... Suspected I had broken back and hips due to the immense pain and tingling...Luckily, I broke my arm in two places, bruised my back, pelvis and both hips... My hip still isn't right and I'm only 21! :rolleyes:

I do get particular about riding other horses although I won't ride anything ghat is really silly, or does big bucks or rears. my horse is quirky I know what she is going to do most of the time, and if she's terrible I just stop and get off.
 
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When Ive not fell off for ages I dread it more than when ive fell off, hit the deck 3 times this years, twice ending up with a trip to hospital with a badly bruised back/rib cage, but i just carry on
 
bliss87 said:
When Ive not fell off for ages I dread it more than when ive fell off, hit the deck 3 times this years, twice ending up with a trip to hospital with a badly bruised back/rib cage, but i just carry on
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Agree with that bliss. When there's been a long gap (as I now have) it's almost like waiting for the hell to happen - better to get it over and done with. Perhaps I should hurl myself off and hope I bounce.
 
It depends on why I've fallen off. If the horse has decided I'm getting off then yes, if it's a silly fall then no, but as others have said I'm getting older, I'm self employed, I can't afford to be badly hurt. My nearly four year old is being backed at the moment, I have ridden him three times and he's much less spooky than my 21 year old, but logic tells me there may be some hairy times ahead because of his youth, although when he did spook earlier this week (as a load of calves took off flat out next to us but hidden by a hedge!) the loop in my brain was on 'I must not fall off, I must not fall off' etc etc!
 
Antw23uk said:
Falling doesnt bother me .... It's the landing after the fall that bothers me ;)
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Lol!!

Never used to bother me until I had a loan horse that threw me off at every opportunity!
A stupid accident fall I think I'll still be fine with, but pure nastiness really knocks my confidence :(
 
madmav said:
Agree with that bliss. When there's been a long gap (as I now have) it's almost like waiting for the hell to happen - better to get it over and done with. Perhaps I should hurl myself off and hope I bounce.
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I agree too!

I have been back in the saddle for about 18months, and I am now 33, single mum and self employed. I haven't fallen off since I was about 17, and I am really dreading it.

Spot_the_Risk said:
It depends on why I've fallen off. If the horse has decided I'm getting off then yes, if it's a silly fall then no, but as others have said I'm getting older, I'm self employed, I can't afford to be badly hurt. My nearly four year old is being backed at the moment, I have ridden him three times and he's much less spooky than my 21 year old, but logic tells me there may be some hairy times ahead because of his youth, although when he did spook earlier this week (as a load of calves took off flat out next to us but hidden by a hedge!) the loop in my brain was on 'I must not fall off, I must not fall off' etc etc!
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I've had a couple of near misses, but have just hung on for grim death! I WILL NOT FALL OFF, I AM NOT FALLING OFF I AM STAYING UP TOP, I MUST NOT FALL OFF!

The thought of it terrifies me now :o
 
Marydoll said:
It doesnt bother you until you get one that keeps you out for a while or breaks you. Having had both, the falls not a problem the landing is !!:D
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You are so right, Marydoll. I had ridden and fallen off, sometimes spectacularly, for 46 years with no serious injuryand barely a second thought. Then my IDx bucked me off onto the road (she turned out to have a bad back), I trapped a nerve in my neck, collapsed at work and had to go to A&E in an ambulance as a heart attack was suspected. It took several sessions of physio over 3+months to sort that out. I really prefer not to fall off now and bought the Draft horse to make sure I don't.
 
Haven't fallen from a horse for a few years, but a fall at a dressage show a couple of weeks ago was a wake up call. With score sheets in one hand and a mug in the other (I was helping score) I managed to trip on the concrete and couldn't save myself. The mug didn't break but I landed heavily on my chest, and have had very sore ribs since. The thought of the potentially worse damage/pain that could follow a horse fall have been bothering me and I now own a new racesafe BP. Incidentally, my daughter fractured her elbow coming off her bike last weekend so wonder if it will affect her confidence?!
 
I never used to think about it but now I'm very keen to avoid falling off since I had a hip replacement.
Great big knee blocks help my fears :D and I don't ride youngsters anymore.
 
I'd prefer not to fall off, but I did manage to faceplant in the field today and I wasn't riding. Bootlace loop snagged on the opposite boots hooky bit, cue me going down like a felled tree. However I did manage to avoid the electric fence but not my daughter's peals of laughter:rolleyes:
 
It does and I try to avoid it as much as possible (manes and neckstraps help!)

I have not had any really nasty falls *touches wood!*, the worst one was when I was about 14 where I was knocked out (which meant that I didn't feel anything and actually had quite a nice high when I came round. Good job too as I had bitten my tongue which was quite sore!) It's the thought of being kicked or trodden on in the process or falling on/into something hard that worries me most. Having only properly fallen off once in ten years probably doesn't help.
 
Prize for the gutsiest/most stupid (!) rider must go to a former jockey I knew.
The horse she was riding spooked and shot into the path of a lorry. The lorry driver slammed his brakes on but in blind panic, the horse went down on the road.
My friend, still in the saddle had moments to decide whether to dive out of the way or try and get the horse up. She choose the latter, booted it hard and got it up just as the lorry screeched to a halt in front of its nose.
The driver, unable to see over the cab, was sure he'd hit them. In shock, he got out of the lorry and threw up all over the road.
Friend rode back to the yard. When I asked her why she hadn't dived off the horse instead of risking her life, she replied, 'No ******s' ever got me off and this one wasn't going to be the first.'

I guess, falling off bothered her.:eek:
 
Hmmm, well seeing that the very first time I fell off I fractured my pelvis in 7 places and broke my pubic bone, and the last time I fell off I broke my back, I now have no fear whatsoever about falling off, because I will never get back on again!!!!!
 
It used to bother me a lot and it would take me ages to do "what ever caused the fall" again!

Doesn't bother me as much now, I want to get back on as quick to give the b*gger a telling! :D:D

Had my first fall in over a year the other day, came from no where and was totally unexpected (as I seem to have mastered clinging on!) and I ended up smacking my chin off the pole :mad: got back on and continued to jump and he was brilliant! Couldn't close my mouth for a while after and had a nice little bruise on my chin, but suppose its all part of the fun!

:rolleyes::p
 
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