Does falling off make you a better rider?

[Apercrumbie]

I would say that nearly falling off but managing to stay on is probably better. You practice your 'gripping' skills, learn to ride the horse out of the problem, whatever it may be, and you don't injure yourself!

 

[Pennythetank]

I bloody hope it makes me better! I've just done the maths and I average 1.5 hospitals trips a year (for the last 9 years at least) and countless other falls as well.
I only have my self to blame tho as I will take a ride on anything I am offered but it's the only way I can get the rides on talented horses who can teach me loads. I learnt a very young age to wear a backprotecter getting up on anything you havnt ridden before (even if it's your cousins ancient 11.2h that you have seen ridden many times before!!) Learnt that one the hard way!
I agree with whoever said that's it's the experience that lead to the fall that counts not the actual fall.

 

[njyr]

I never took it literally but thought it meant that to be a good rider you had to put the time and work into it, and, most importantly not give up when it gets hard.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

My best dismount was from Diet, a well respected barrel ribbed veteran sprinter. When I tried to find the stirrup it seemed a long way away, so I pressed hard, and ended up underneath him. He was well used to such capers, and stopped as requested, the Head Lad gave me "look" when I walked round for a second "leg up"
Its usually safer to stay on board, but if nervous, make sure you wear your lucky socks.

 

[fatpiggy]

My best dismount was from Diet, a well respected barrel ribbed veteran sprinter. When I tried to find the stirrup it seemed a long way away, so I pressed hard, and ended up underneath him. He was well used to such capers, and stopped as requested, the Head Lad gave me "look" when I walked round for a second "leg up"
Its usually safer to stay on board, but if nervous, make sure you wear your lucky socks.

My most spectacular involuntary dismount was as a 14 year old from an 11.22hh pony (yes, I know) - double front somersault into some bushes with full pike Unharmed apart from my pride.

 

[pansymouse]

My best for amusement value was from my first pony - I'd got on behind my sister and the pony clearly wasn't game for two up so did a vertical buck and catapulted me over my sister's and her head landing on my head in front of her. That pony was a spectacular bucker; a skill she honed through almost daily practice.

 

[Goldenstar]

I'll just pop and ask MrGS he fell off this morning .

 

[D66]

If you get on horses you will at some point fall off. If you don't get back on you won't fall off again. If you have persevered sufficiently to have fallen off 7 times you will probably have established some skill and got your head round the notion that the falling off is an unusual occurrence that is either instigated by the horse or circumstances beyond your control.
Surely if you think the falling off is your own fault you don't remount.

I managed to dislocate my knee without falling off the horse.

 

[sasquatch]

Yes and no.

I had been riding for 5 years before I finally fell off - and it wasn't due to riding RS plods either. There were definitely a few instances I should have come off, but didn't. My first fall was a rather silly one I nearly landed on my feet coming off a relatively green/silly cob who came into a small cross country jump, overjumped and then pecked as he landed. Since then I can't seem to stay on

I don't think how many falls dictates how good you are as a rider, I seem to stick when I really shouldn't and come off at the silliest things or when B uses his ejector seat - normally when I'm not paying attention.

 

[smja]

I would say that nearly falling off but managing to stay on is probably better. You practice your 'gripping' skills, learn to ride the horse out of the problem, whatever it may be, and you don't injure yourself!

To be fair, I actually managed to pull a muscle in my thigh/hip whilst gripping to stay on once - that was actually more painful that some of my falls!

 

[Groom Mum]

No I don't believe it makes you a better rider, the clever bit is trying to stay on because it hurts like heck when you fall off LOL

 

[FFAQ]

I suppose that having a horse that keeps throwing you will make you a better rider... eventually.

It certainly gives you a stickier bum! I suppose it depends on whether it's your riding 'skills' that cause him to throw you off in the first place!!

 

[Illusion100]

Who was it that said something like 'Riding - The Art of keeping yourself between the horse and the ground'?!

IMO, falling off does not make you a better rider, neither will it make you any worse a rider (unless your confidence is knocked).

If I fell off I would be pretty p****d off about it as it means I deserved it. If I get thrown off, I can learn from it (would still be p****d about it though). If I go down with the ship, fair enough, can't really avoid that one.

 

[GTRJazz]

I have fallen off ten times as a 40+ adult in seven years of riding , a good mix, two were horses that had kissing spine for sale, I always ride before I buy nice try but two big offs for my trouble. Two horses fell jumping one on a bend and the other one tail over head which nearly landed on me. Another one trying to jump over a jet aircraft but ended up on the tail instead, knocked out for a mo during a pre hunt holiday in Ireland yes jumping again. Next one was riding a high level dressage horse that did a spook. I then brought a horse with a good jump higher than needed sometimes, was soon heading down to the shop for a jumping saddle once the cracked ribs got better that is . Then got back on and pushed him too hard until he had enough and I was thrown into the arena wall . But thats it so far anyway, and never during general hacking.

 

[Lunchbox legend]

[...]
My most embarrassing fall was my fault, and it couldn't even be classed a fall, more of an involuntary dismount, I hadn't had breakfast, so one sherry for each foot at a Meet was probably not such a great idea, but hey, it was cold I reached over to do up my girth, and just slid off, plop, again in front of everyone, I seem to specialise in the art of hitting the deck in public. That has to have been about 15 years ago and my dear friends never fail to bring it up What I learned from that was to eat breakfast before taking a stirrup cup or two and have a foot follower do my girth

Absolutely howled with laughter at the image of this. Laughed and cried so much I was making the dog nervous

I fell off the same horse 7 times in one day. It didn't make me a better rider, because I fell off him 9 times the very next day.

Was just pulling myself together again after Enfys' post when I fell apart again at yours. The dog's looking very unsettled now

[...]
Falling off: it's not big and it's not clever!

There is usually one horse that significantly raises your game. I had just passed my AI and was feeling invincible but I over rode a massive ditch and I was flung off (right over the ditch ) - he gave me the look "you ride like that you get off and walk" - I just sat there in the mud with the look "ok point taken"

You know that feeling when you laugh so much your face and stomach hurt. This whole thread is causing me pain and I think the dog's about to leave home

I'd only just started learning to ride and was on this hunking great big thing (with hindsight, she probably wasn't the 94 hand beast I thought she was). I'd just started to learn to trot and we were going round the school. All was fine until we came to a bend. I'd been riding motorbikes on and off since the 80s and all my fellow bikers on here know you have to lean into the bends. It took me ages to learn not to do that on a horse and I came off every time.

The best one though, was when I'd decided I was NOT going to come off this time and hung on tight as I realised what was about to happen. Again. I slipped down one side of her and hung on with my arms around her neck and trying to grip her saddle with my foot. With every trot I slipped lower and lower until it felt like I was almost hanging upside down underneath her. The last thing my trainer said (in a really confused tone) before I finally fell in an undignified heap in the dirt was "er... what are you doing?". It was the look of 'WTF?!' on the horse's face as she looked down at me on the ground beneath her that finished me off and I could barely get back up for laughing. I swear the look she gave me was '...and you think you're gonna get back on after that?!'

 

[hackneylass2]

I think it is said to improve confidence and let people know that falling off is at some point, to be expected!

Like Lunchbox Legend, my most embarrassing fall was the slow slipping round the neck and the long period of thinking, do I bail or hang on grimly? I bailed when I could no longer stand the sight of the underside of two hairy jaws any longer!

I had a few falls when I was eventing, some broken bones but nothing serious...most painfull were broken noses through head tossing (the horse, not me)

Falls teach you how to fall better, well my trainer outlined this from the start but it's hard to put into practice unless you have a few goes at it!

 

[WindyStacks]

I've recently hit the deck after 10 years without incident. I'd built it up in my head that the next one was going to be a big, nasty one as I'd "got away with it" for a decade. It happened so suddenly I had no chance and landed almost on my feet still holding the reins (rare for me!) - and I thought "oh, that wasn't so bad". But the fear of falling was way worse than the actual doing it.

I must admit when I'm out hacking I do scan the tracks and think "oooh, wouldn't want to land on that" or "oooh, that looks soft".

I grew up with the "7 falls" thing - and agree with others that riding a large variety of PITA horses is what teaches you - my happy 10 years was on my very trusted own horse. She was far from an angel but I knew her moves!