Falling off at walk...

EmmaB

EmmaB

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Yep, was walking along chatting away when my horse tripped and I did an amazing saumersault over his head...not even sure how I got the momentum?!

He was fine, but I managed to land knee first (??) on a pointy stone so have a bit of a bruise!

Please tell me your stories of falling off at walk so I don't feel quite so useless! :D
 
I was closing a gate and I leant over too far trying to reach the catch. My saddle slipped and I landed on my bum in the mud. My friend nearly fell off through laughing at me so much.
 
Gave my pony a big hug after jumping a big course clear walking out of the arena, of course he puts his head down and I go head first over. Landed on my back looking up at him and him looking down at me with an equally as shocked face :D
 
Same as you, my horse tripped - five minutes before I was going to do my first ever dressage test - and I was suddenly on the floor with a sore wrist. Nine years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday because it was so ridiculous!
 
I've fallen off at a standstill....... sitting on a horse with the lead rope tied round for reins, he put his head down to graze and I was slowly pulled head-first down his neck. The git didn't even lift his head as I crumpled in a heap over his ears.
 
I once fell off a stationary pony.
I was sitting on it bareback, the day before a show. A few friends were practising a dressage test and taking turns calling it out for eachother. Friend handed me the paper, pony spooked at it. I fell of :)
 
I had managed to complete a canter round the whole school, plus a 20 meter circle with no stirrups, came down to trot, passed the rest of the ride to join the front, back to walk, feeing very pleased, blessed horse drops his shoulder and I ended up on the floor!!! Much to the amusement of the rest of the class!
 
how about falling off without ever touching the horse ? I got a leg-up and ended up on the ground on the other side of the horse.

or standstill; completely didnt do up the girth (at all) saddle was such a good fit I was in the momentem of gracefully swinging my leg over :_)
 
I was half out of the saddle peering over someone's fence, horse did a massive spook and I fell off.

I have fallen off before getting on even, slipped on the mounting block, threw myself at the horse before slipping underneath him.

Oh and then better still, foot in stirrup and went to get on, decided to adjust numnah, didn't have hold of reins, horse thought I was seated and just walked off leaving me standing on the block. Luckily I called him and he came back to fetch me.
 
I've seen little kids come off when a pony shakes itself; I've also come off at walk when the horse took a little trip step, it's easily done :-)
 
It was the Canterbury A and P Show (big deal), we were Champion Arabian Costume Horse, so we got to take part in the Grand Parade on Show Day (bigger deal) on the Friday which is a public holiday.

Back then the show grounds were next to Addington Raceway and they took the Grand Parade onto the race track to parade past the grand stands - thousands of people. Zara (horse) tripped over her own feet (we were walking, I promise) and we both hit the ground, in front of the Air New Zealand hospitaltiy tent. I wake up and they are trying to put me in an Ambulance - which I wouldn't let them do. Had a horse to look after.

An inglorious end to what had been a fabulous show for me and my girl. She was only four then - she will turn 23 in December.
 
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We were walking out on a hack just the two horses and both very used to the giant yellow earth moving equipment being used to improve drainage up the road from our yard when my mare span 180 degrees and I came off, terrifying the instructor's horse to such an extent that she was unable to calm it, and come to my aid.
But dont you think that coming off in walk is more upsetting than coming a flyer when cantering? It is still spoiling my pleasure in our quiet wanders out hacking. I no longer trust the moments when the mare seems quite calm.
 
Same as. Marni?. About to start a dressage test asked horse ( well more pony really just to make things worse ) to trot. Horse tripped and slipped and I did a somersault landing on my shoulder and flipping over Resulting in a very broken collarbone.
Oh the shame. I'm pretty sure I heard that mare laugh at me.
 
It seems to me that the slower the fall the more it hurts! Stood still, horse erupted into bronco, firing me off, broken left wrist and right collar bone. Taking out a hack at a riding school, stood still, another horse attacked mine who spins around, I fall off under his belly into puddle, not hurt at all until horse tap danced down my ribs. Riding along a Bridleway, loose rein, horse shies and drops shoulder and I land in slurry - this was a farm track next to a stream used twice a day by dairy cows!
 
I fell off at a standstill when i was about 8 :o . I was sat on the pony with no stirrups, no reins, just daydreaming and fiddling with my gloves. you might expect me to say the pony spooked or shook, but nope... I just slid off the side and couldn't catch myself :D no idea how it happened.
 
I was teaching once, with the ride lined up at the halt, when one kids' horse was "playing" with the toe of her boot, somehow got stirrup iron caught in it's tooth, fell over, kid came off, etc. etc. That all happened in the blink of an eye and is the reason why any horse I'm on that wants to investigate my toes gets a (light) kick in the nose.
 
Was out hacking and had got off to do a gate. Went to get back on by balancing on the gate but done it with a bit too much enthusiasm and went straight over my boy and landed on the floor the other side of him. He just stood there giving me a very strange look. 😀
 
Was getting on to lead daughters pony from mine so had hold of the lead rein. I put my foot in the stirrup my pony stepped towards me and quick as lightening I was on the floor the other side didn't even touch the saddle
 
3 of us out hacking in the fields behind our yard. One horse trips, rider falls off. We pull up, other rider leans over to hold her stirrup (still mounted) while she gets back on. Both horses are round 15.2ish cob types. Second rider's saddle starts to slide - all you hear is a *flump*.

Cue both girls on the floor looking very confused, horse with saddle square under it's belly, and me nearly peeing myself laughing. Fantastic :D
 
Just after returning to riding following a twenty something year break, walking along with my wife and her friend on my (then) new pony.

We were on a bridleway which always get waterlogged in winter (this was in November), with lots of puddles and mud. As we approached the puddles, I discovered that my lad HATES getting his feet wet, so he carefully stepped up onto a narrow, but dry part of the path. Unfortunately, there was a lot of overhanging foliage and branches, and slowly but surely the branches pushed me further up the saddle, over the cantle, along his bum and I landed with a splash on both feet behind him.

Of course the two girls were practically wetting themselves with laughter (great for deflating ego's), as my lad was standing next to them, minus his rider... ME.

Better yet, when I tried to remount, I found myself missing a stirrup, as it had been pushed back and off the saddle still with my foot firmly in the iron. I splashed back through the mud, retrieved my stirrup, reattached it to the saddle and remounted. The girls were still laughing and finally managed to ask "why didn't you stop?"... I had to answer honestly, "I didn't think of that".
 
My mum came off her horse last september in walk, horse tripped on a mole hill, she ended up round her ears then slid off one side landing on her feet then her bum. Couldn't put weight on the leg, it didn't hurt just felt weird - took her to A+E and she had shattered her kneecap with the end of her shin bone :o

Couldn't believe it Ive come off over 5 bar gates and barely had a bruise fps!!!
 
At the end of a hack, riding elderly 'bombproof' ride and drive 14.3hh piebald cob mare about 200 yds from home, down a rutted track behind some houses, on a long rein and chatting to sister who is riding alongside us.
One of the houses is being refurbished, we have, over the last few weeks, ignored scaffolding, power tools etc but today there is a piece of old carpet rolled up on the grass verge. Mare is so amazed by this carpet's appearance that she can't take her eyes off it and trips over one of the ruts in the track, almost (but not quite) landing on her knees. I slid down her shoulder and landed in a big heap at her feet. She looked down at me, checked that I was unhurt and then, as I used her leg to lever myself up, looked completely the other way. She was so embarrassed by my antics that she almost turned pink!
 
PMSL at these, but have to admit to having done it twice!!!

Once, years ago, out hacking on the riding school plod ... walking along a bridle path, came up against an over hanging branch which i thought would bend out of the way. It didn't, of course, so i was neatly hooked off the pony and left hanging in mid air by my armpits!! ...while pony walked out from under me. Of course, once the branch was bearing my weight, it snapped and i landed squarely on my bum on the path, while everyone else wet themselves laughing!!

The other time was when i was out with a couple of friends. I was riding on a newly acquired saddle, and the friend behind asked my how I was finding it. I turned round as far as i could to answer her (you know that thing where you sort of swivel sideways in your saddle) and remember saying something like "...it's lovely. I feel really secure in it..." and promptly landed on the grass verge when my mare chose that moment to spook at something in the hedge. lol ...
 
Oh bless, hope you're ok! Last season I got a leg up at the meet by an over enthusiastic foot follower (perhaps I looked heavier than I was?!) I went up and all the way over. Worst bit was I had to pay the tumblers club fine - before I got to the meet!
 
You remember when you were first told how to get on a pony? Put your foot there, and spring? Well I did. Only I didn't stop at the saddle, went straight over and off the other side.
My most recent fall was from a standstill too.

Maybe I ought to give up riding :)
 
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