Falling off.. any tips to land better?

After 2 yrs of not falling off after purchasing my air jacket (despite the previous month before purchase when i was violently thrown outof the saddle and projected upwards with such force my body actually accomplished a full sommersault in the air before crashing onto an arena surface on my back) i decided to deliberately set my jacket off to see if it would go off as i had three spare cannisters at home. So i got my Y.O at the time to hold my dear horse whilst i swung my leg forwards over the saddle and jumped to the ground. Yes its loud but its not deafening. Said horse just stood there - no reaction. When i did actually fall off some two years ltr for real (more a slide out the side door than a fall, loss of balance and slightly loose girth) it was less of a noise but horse bolted and i found her with her head down stuffing her face with grass lol which is why i suspect she bolted


It inflates outwards when it goes off and its easy enough to undo even when its fully inflated. Total godsend even for what i do now which is just happy hacking and 2 short canters on grass once a week.
 
Suechoccy said:
If you can afford it and can get to Hemel Hempstead area, then book yourself onto the Rider Confidence 1 day course at the Centre for Horseback Combat. It's a How To Fall Safely course, with how to sit rears, how to extricate yourself from underneath a fallen horse, and some excellent mindstuff and relaxation techniques thrown in too. The falling off practical work starts with work on a big plastic horse surrounded by gym mats and you progress onto a 15hh led-in-walk horse which you sit on, fling one leg over withers so you are sitting side saddle then slide off and as you get to ground, practise landing in the way they have taught you. "Hug yourself cos falling off isn't nice" - stops you sticking arms out and breaking them or collarbones, "roll to dissipate the energy". Highly highly recommended. Did it 7 years ago and it's still fresh in my mind.
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I had a look at the web site, and it looks great! If I had a way of getting there, and of organising time off work (and from taking care of the four teenagers I have this week), I'd be there like a shot!
 
littleshetland said:
Please never never never try and land on your feet.....I tried this once and and now have an ankle that looks like a fetlock joint with loads of metal work in it and a permanent limp.....
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I'm similarly broken from landing on my feet from a 17.3hh - badly damaged left ankle and the ACL in my right knee is next to useless.

As a child I was fearless and rode all the devil ponies so falling was an almost daily occurrence - I was taught to tuck and roll and experience taught me to hold onto the reins. Why as an adult after all my "good" childhood falls I chose to fall onto my feet still mystifies me.

To answer the OP the best why to learn to fall well is to watch rump racing - those jockeys properly know how to protect themselves and minimise injury.
 
When I was learning to ride, someone on another forum taught the unintentional dismount. One landed on one's feet. I only had the opportunity or need to do this once - It was out hacking in my early days of ignorant riding. It worked so well that the RI with me thought I had dismounted on purpose.
 
Skib said:
When I was learning to ride, someone on another forum taught the unintentional dismount. One landed on one's feet. I only had the opportunity or need to do this once - It was out hacking in my early days of ignorant riding. It worked so well that the RI with me thought I had dismounted on purpose.
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I have been taught that too, but it was more a case of sliding off into one's feet than landing on them, but maybe different to what you're thinking? When I'm backing horses I'm big on teaching them a reliable whoa command, so if I'm out of the plate but haven't hit the deck (read clinging on like a demented primate) I can generally get them back to a halt or at least a walk by the time I slither down onto my feet.
 
At school, we learnt the parachute landing fall. I don't remember why... but we practised it from benches, then tables, then from the climbing frame, onto thin gym mats.

I only needed to use it once for real... I must have been about 10, and I was playing in the garden at the back of my parents' house, knocking a tennis ball against a wall. The ball bounced the wrong way, and went over a different wall, that separates the gardens of the houses on our road from the gardens of the houses on a parallel road...

Rather than go round to the front of the house, walk 300 yards down the hill, turn right and walk another 100 yards, then turn righ again and walk 300 yards up the hill, I decided I would climb the wall and drop down the other side. But this is on a hill, and the garden over the wall is not on the same level... it was about a four foot drop down to a wide ledge, then a 16 foot drop down into the garden.

I survived, no damage to ankles or knees, but one knee knocked me on the cheekbone and left a small bruise. I left a big ding in the grass and got my clothes mucky, but I got my ball back and saved a 700 yard walk.
 
pansymouse said:
I'm similarly broken from landing on my feet from a 17.3hh - badly damaged left ankle and the ACL in my right knee is next to useless.

As a child I was fearless and rode all the devil ponies so falling was an almost daily occurrence - I was taught to tuck and roll and experience taught me to hold onto the reins. Why as an adult after all my "good" childhood falls I chose to fall onto my feet still mystifies me.

To answer the OP the best why to learn to fall well is to watch rump racing - those jockeys properly know how to protect themselves and minimise injury.
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Ouch. I can't even dismount onto the floor unless there is a mounting block there. My back gets a jolt otherwise as I have a slipped disc.
You can damage your back quite badly if you fall with any velocity onto your feet.
 
Keith_Beef said:
At school, we learnt the parachute landing fall. I don't remember why... but we practised it from benches, then tables, then from the climbing frame, onto thin gym mats.

I only needed to use it once for real... I must have been about 10, and I was playing in the garden at the back of my parents' house, knocking a tennis ball against a wall. The ball bounced the wrong way, and went over a different wall, that separates the gardens of the houses on our road from the gardens of the houses on a parallel road...

Rather than go round to the front of the house, walk 300 yards down the hill, turn right and walk another 100 yards, then turn righ again and walk 300 yards up the hill, I decided I would climb the wall and drop down the other side. But this is on a hill, and the garden over the wall is not on the same level... it was about a four foot drop down to a wide ledge, then a 16 foot drop down into the garden.

I survived, no damage to ankles or knees, but one knee knocked me on the cheekbone and left a small bruise. I left a big ding in the grass and got my clothes mucky, but I got my ball back and saved a 700 yard walk.
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I did something similar about 8 years ago. Was on my way to a meeting at work, but thought id just check the neddies first. Kitted out in my suit, thought id be sensible and pop on some overalls before going near them. I cant remember why, but I needed to go into the field, so went through the arena, and climbed over the fence ( there was a further 2ft drop on other side ).jumped down and landed awkward ankle went right over. Had to crawl back to the yard. Pulled myself together, took overalls off, thought id escaped clean with just a bit of a sore ankle. By the time id drove to Bradford and got out of the car my ankle was huge. I couldn't get my heels on, so had to use my yard shoes. Brown muddy shoes with black tights.. Hobbled into the meeting whilst apologizing to the customer ( after me and the marketing manager had frantically scrubbed my yard shoes !) did the presentation, on leaving the meeting my colleague announced I had mud down the side of my face. Mortified. But we did get the business , so its all right then. Lesson learnt that day, landing on your feet from a height isn't recommended
 
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