Dressage Falls

[sasquatch]

Had a fall about 2 weeks ago on Sunday doing dressage.
Well, to say we were doing dressage is a bit of a stretch. We hadn't even given our name to the judge before I came off.
B took offence at the car window, especially when there was a PERSON behind it. Absolutely terrifying and deserving of a 360 degree teleport and quick exit.
B also managed to run across the other dressage test in progress and was caught when stood patiently at the gate waiting to be let out.

as the teleport was only an equine teleport, so humans could not be teleported, I quite literally had a horse one second, and the next second no horse. I either landed on my left shoulder/arm or managed to hyperextend my arm back as I didn't let go of my reins at first as I know B has a tendency to run off and didn't want him running off as there was another test being performed in the other dressage ring. I know I had a dead arm for the rest of the day, and was very very sore for the next 3-4 days. A week after said fall, I noticed my shoulder was still very purple/red looking. And now another week on I feel very stiff and sore although it seemed to have settled right down. I have a job 3 days a week on a yard and can't afford to not be working atm so if anyone has any advice on how to manage pain, horses and not reinjuring myself it would be very much appreciated!

we did manage to come 6th somehow and 3rd overall in the league. Judge's comment was also something like 'determined rider today' which made me laugh, we had a few issues going near the car as well which made our circle at C very odd shaped and once I was back on B made it very clear he did not trust the car which had obviously eaten the people inside it.

 

[Cowpony]

Oh dear, that sounds awful! No real advice but hope you get better soon. Mine freaked at the Sunshine tour when the judge beeped her horn for us to start, but luckily I managed to stay on. She did do it when we'd only just passed her, which I felt was a tad unfair....but the mare has got to get used to it!

 

[pixie27]

Oh no! Hope you've fully recovered, and well done for going on to do well!

We had a similar incident a few years ago. I was riding a friend's pony who we'd recently backed. It was his first competition, and just as the judge beeped her horn, someone in the lorry park (right next to the field we were in) dropped their lorry ramp. Pony exploded, I came flying off and landed about 2 ft from the judge's very shiny sports car. Got legged back on, and off we went!

Didn't get placed as me and pony were very tense after that, but somehow we won best turned out (despite a grass stain the length of my thigh on one side )

 

[leflynn]

Get yourself checked over by a doc or physio incase you've done something worse than you think!

I had a one of those falls doing dressage, horse was uber spooky indoors and despite going past A while waiting for the bell, turning towards A and going near it caused me to be teleported to the ground Thankfully I hadn't entered the arena and I was fine, my test didn't go so well (was only an Intro as I knew I'd have bother) and despite gritting my teeth I retired 3 movements before the end, I made my point to horse and got 3rd in next test (prelim) lol

 

[Annagain]

I haven't fallen off doing dressage yet *touches every bit of wood she can find* but I have a fantastic video clip of me doing a test on A (aka The Thug). He's known in riding club for being a bit on the naughty side. It was our second test of the day. He'd been good as gold in his first test and all the way through the 2nd one, I could feel all his goodness being used up. He was getting stronger and stronger by the second. We were supposed to be coming across the diagonal in canter and back to trot at M. He got to about X, did a fart, a flying change and legged it. By some miracle, we stayed in the arena and by about E I had regained control. By this point, my caller was howling laughing, I was howling laughing, both the judge and the writer (I know them well) were in bits and the video is all over the place as my friend was shaking so much with laughter. The look on A's face suggest he was laughing too. The comment on my sheet for that movement was just "HAHA!"

 

[SEL]

Somewhere out there is a judge who has learnt that when it is a hot day do not - under any circumstances - think it is a good idea to take 2 chairs and sit in front of your car. Because along will come a rather fabulous looking bay warmblood whose patience with stressage tests completely ran out as we went down the centre line for our final halt. Except of course we didn't halt. In fact we didn't even slow down - complete brake failure right past the judge.

"well handled in difficult circumstances" - which I thought was incredibly polite seeing as he'd been an absolute a*** for the whole test.

I'd make sure you get that shoulder x-rayed if its still a horrible colour!

 

[doodle]

I was doing a test on soli. Medium canter down the long side. Set off in determined fashion. He managed to stand right in the end of one of the boards, so board flipped up and round in front of us. I was sat on the ground thing "what on earth just happened" with soli at the other side of the arena!

 

[ROMANY 1959]

Please go and see the doctor... I failed to let go when sons horse , I was plaiting her, spooked at a bike going past lorry... had I let go she would have been in next county!!
I ignored pain and took painkillers and used heat pads...but after 4 weeks gave in went to doc..to be told I had torn all ligaments in shoulder, and it took 6 months to go better as I ignored it..

 

[Orangehorse]

Please go to the doctor and get your shoulder looked at. I hurt mine and the tendon inside the joint was damaged and I couldn't lift my arm up. It took over a year to get completely better.

 

[scats]

The hooligan is a serial teleporter. Yesterday was a prime example, entered the school, walking around... one of the letters has come away in one corner and it very gently folded at the corner as we approached it. A normal animal wouldn't even have noticed it. The hooligan decided that it required an 180degree spin, whether or not the human was coming along for the ride or not! Fortunately the human remained in place (how, I don't know). Ridiculous creature then spooked his way around the rest of the arena, refusing to go near the fence for fear of death.

I'd get yourself checked out if I were you.

 

[sasquatch]

I'm going to go and see physio next week as she treated my back as well. Can't afford to take time off work but I also don't want to ignore it completely Swelling has gone down and it's no longer looking bruised at least (it was that awful purple/red where it looks like there's pin pricks last week) but I've had a weird tingling sensation in the muscles of my shoulder and found it's just feeling stiff. I can reach up and down fine, but carrying saddles on one arm is a bit painful and I can't manage to hoist my nets over that shoulder either. Haven't been taking painkillers and it was absolutely fine for most of the week so I think I must have slept on it and triggered something

I'm glad to know mine is not the only teleporter! To make it worse, we were only doing intro too! He spent the rest of the test looking round himself and was very counter bent which did make being accurate hard. He scored one of his lowest scores so far (61%) so to come 6th was a surprise and wasn't bad either as there was more than 6 in the class! The judge was lovely, when I was getting lunch in the cafe he asked if I was okay and we had a chat, he said he thought B was lovely. I hope he just assumed B was young or appreciated that he had mastered the 360 teleport

 

[essex_rider]

I had a youngster rear bolt upright in a test, i came off backwards, in the streaming rain, landing in soggy sand........got back on, did the teat and was presented with a "special" rosette because the judge felt sorry for me........at 25yrs old that was not really what the aim of the day was lol

Hope you feel better!