Falling off at walk...

I wasn't even walking. Was getting a leg up and he threw me right over - didn't even get a leg over! Cracked two ribs as i landed on the concrete.
 
Last edited:
Yep, years ago I was given a leg up on the yard and went straight over the other side onto the concrete.

The other time I was ambling along down a narrow strip between the farmer's field and my old boy spooked at a cow who appeared from the hedge and I landed in stinging nettles!
 
I fell off at walk getting my leg caught in a tree. I stopped moving but the horse kept walking. Got dragged off, I kept hold of reins which freaked horse out who then reversed at speed over my legs and dragged me down a gravelly hill. Had one knee twice the size, a nice hoof print bruise on my thigh on the other leg and skin taken off my shoulder!
 
I fell off at a walk. My horse is as safe as safe can be, walking down a grassy hill, chatting to my friend who was behind me when a pheasant flew out of the trees, my mare did a slight side-step and I went out the side-door. Luckily my bum is well padded.
 
One winter decided to take horse for a leg stretch around the school - it was cold, dark. Decided not to tack up and as just wanted to give her a quick stretch just used head collar and left rug on. Couldn't get on from mounting block or fence, so used a plastic chair, still not enough height so jumped on the chair as had planned to spring on to horse, instead chair crumbled and I managed to fall under the horse, who jumped but realised I was there and stood like a rock whilst I rolled around on the floor!
Also fell when getting off a small horse - smaller than I am used to, forgot his size when getting off - jumped off and fell over. He took one look at me and trotted back to his stable - I swear he was embarrassed!
 
I was walking a couple of weeks ago when my horse went to spook, slipped and came down like a tonne of bricks on top of me! Did not see it coming at all :eek:

I have also managed to fall off a stationary pony. Said pony was 14.1hh. I am 6'2. I vaulted on bareback and promptly fell off the other side! I stood up rather quickly and did that sheepish look around to make sure no one had seen :o
 
Far be it from me to laugh at someone elses expense, normally, but some of these are really funny. I hope I'm not the only one giggling.
 
We fell on Monday going down a steep uneven hill - never had an issue before (odd minor trip but that's common for all horses going down!) and next thing I know he's on his knees. It was so steep I knew we weren't recovering and there was no way I could get off, so we ended up on the floor together.

He's OK whereas I have a badly bruised arm and a concussion, although I swear I didn't hit my head!
 
Babysitting a novice teenager out on her new pony.....got held up behind on the track on the way out of the farm, halted, chatting, totally relaxed, washing line reins....so was slightly behind them. Her pony has a hissy fit, and runs backwards into my boy, realises he's there and tries to double barrel him. So, he suddenly spins and goes to do the same back.
I found myself sitting, completely unharmed, in a muddy puddle, facing back the way I'd came. He looked a bit bewildered.
 
As my old boy had arthritis I would mount from a five bar gate at the bottom of the hill. I would climb up sit on it and then climb across. Horse would standstill and wait, he was a good lad. One day I had mud on my boots and had not noticed and as I scaled the gate I slipped. Before I could fall the horse used his shoulder to stop me slipping further and the got his neck and head under my butt and pushed me up. I am sure I heard him give a sigh when he did it. I am sure I embarrassed him!
 
I was hacking out with Geoff, not long after I got him, and it was a horrible cold day in November. He had very little coat, and was feeling very tense. However, instead of getting going and giving them a good trot to warm up, my friend suddenly asked me to stop. Her dog, who shed tried to being hacking, had disappeared. So we stopped, shouted, circled...

Then Geoff had had enough. From a stand still, he threw his front end up, bucked and twisted, sending me flying. He promptly galloped home. I had an undignified walk back through the muddy stubble field to try and catch him again... I put on an exercise sheet, lunged him for a few minutes, and then trotted the whole way regardless of my friend's dog!!

That was my first experience of Geoff's 'line' - he is very well behaved up to the line, and then has a tendency to go mental.
 
I once (when very young, about 11 or so) was practicing scissors only to get my jodpur buckle (button thing) caught in the D ring of the saddle. This riding schol pony was at least 16 hands and I realised I couldnt swing my leg over, so cue me dangling from the saddle calling for help. Before anyone could get to me my rather old johds decided they had had enough. An almighty tearing sound and a massive crash later I was on the floor, bare a*sed with a horse looking at me and sighing. The johds has split right up the gusset, but luckily let go of the D ring as i fell.

Mother thought it was hilarious. ¬¬
 
Last edited:
I once fell off one horse trying to get on at a competition... He moved when my centre of gravity was off the mounting block but not quite high enough to swing my leg over! And then to top it off the second horse i rode that day i fell off whilst dismouting! He spooked at something!!
 
Currently off work following surgery after falling off in walk!

Out for a nice chilled out hack, along the bridleway which was very overgrown. Ducked to go under a tree branch, which had a bit you couldn't see sticking out that caught me in the ribs and pushed me out the side door. I think as I was leaning forwards, my foot didn't come out of the stirrup until I was a couple of foot off the floor - certainly remember seeing my foot facing forwards as I was hurtling towards the ground looking at my mares side with my knee facing sideways.

She was a diamond and stood stock still, tried to get up and my knee collapsed sideways. Luckily my hacking buddy managed to position her next to a bank and held my opposite stirrup (did in my left knee so had to get up from the offside as couldn't bend it!) and I literally hauled myself back in using her mane. Rode half an hour back, she didn't put a foot out of line, trying to convince myself it would shake off. Went to A&E and discovered a week and a half later i'd totally ruptured my ACL, nearly ruptured my MCL and torn the meniscus. Just had surgery to graft me a new ACL and repair the meniscus and it'll be up to 6 months before i'm back in the saddle (2 months 1 week so far - not that i'm counting!).

In WALK - SERIOUSLY!!?!?!?!?!?
 
Our only broken bone (so far, and touching nearest piece of wood) was my 7yo daughter on my most bombproof pony. He walked under the lead rope of another tied horse, and clothes-lined her off the back. She stuck out her arm to brace the fall and broke her wrist.
 
I've come off a stationary horse twice now. Once when the saddle slipped. The second I consider my finest hour - my horse coughed.

Haaaaaa, that made me laugh!! I have a mental picture of your horse coughing and you being flung off like a pea out of a pea shooter!
These are all making me giggle! I hasten to add that if falling off was considered an Olympic sport, I'd have been gold medalist material..... ;)
 
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.

Yes only time I fallen off my horse and really hurt my little finger :) Horse just looked at me and actually sighed and then put head down for a snack...
 
Stationery horse as saddle slipped, wouldn't have hurt if I didn't happen to land on thistles.
Same horse, almost fell off as the litte git walked away from the mounting block just as I had stepped off with my left foot in the stirrup. Git then proceeded to stand still nicely whilst I scrambled on lol.
 
Yup, was walking down a field on Dylan and he put his foot down a hole and both of us went down. I was looking back over my shoulder at the time and turned round just in time to see his head, neck and shoulders disappearing ...

When I was about 11 I fell off a horse that was standing still ... my instructor was trying to teach us the full scissors, so I ended up flat on my face in the middle of the arena with her standing behind me holding my feet up in the air!
 
It was at a group lesson and we were all lined up standing still listening to the instructor. Suddenly I was on my back on the floor of the school. Instructor said "what on earth happened there?" I didn't even get that "I am going to fall off feeling" one second I was on top, the next flat out.

Turns out that one of the other riders had brought her daughter with her, and the daughter suddenly appeared from behind a jump wing and my horse whipped round leaving me sitting on fresh air!
 
Last edited:
Have done this. Was chatting with my RI while hacking and stupidly lowered my guard while going down a pretty steep hill. Horse tripped and pulled her head down and I went over - there was just no horse left in front of me. Of course had I been anticipating a trip, I should have been able to stay on, so it served me right, really. As it was I just couldn't compensate for the rapid movement and change of angle! Was winter at the time so at least I got a soft, if undignified, landing.
 
Currently off work following surgery after falling off in walk!

Out for a nice chilled out hack, along the bridleway which was very overgrown. Ducked to go under a tree branch, which had a bit you couldn't see sticking out that caught me in the ribs and pushed me out the side door. I think as I was leaning forwards, my foot didn't come out of the stirrup until I was a couple of foot off the floor - certainly remember seeing my foot facing forwards as I was hurtling towards the ground looking at my mares side with my knee facing sideways.

She was a diamond and stood stock still, tried to get up and my knee collapsed sideways. Luckily my hacking buddy managed to position her next to a bank and held my opposite stirrup (did in my left knee so had to get up from the offside as couldn't bend it!) and I literally hauled myself back in using her mane. Rode half an hour back, she didn't put a foot out of line, trying to convince myself it would shake off. Went to A&E and discovered a week and a half later i'd totally ruptured my ACL, nearly ruptured my MCL and torn the meniscus. Just had surgery to graft me a new ACL and repair the meniscus and it'll be up to 6 months before i'm back in the saddle (2 months 1 week so far - not that i'm counting!).

In WALK - SERIOUSLY!!?!?!?!?!?

I think that you are the current winner of this thread by a country mile!!!!!!!
I wish you a speedy recovery.
 
Last edited:
My old boy H was the most bombproof horse ever. On one of my last rides with him, we were toddling around the fields near us, on the buckle end, relaxed as anything, and he took one step sideways in a half hearted startle. Only I didn't, and ended up on the floor instead. He looked at me with such an expression of disgust.

I fell over with Wolf if that counts. We'd just been for our first solo hack, and he had been ever so good. So when we got back I dismounted, gave him a big pat and started leading him back to the field, only I put my foot on an uneven bit of ground and knacked my ankle. That frigging hurt. And Wolf looked most disgusted that I was on the floor unable to walk.
 
OK, here goes-- friend dismounts and hands me her reins, friends horse turns head on to mine and inches closer, rubs his head against my knee, catches the pelham hook in my garter strap, continues to walk and pulls me backwards and sideways. I was briefly suspended between the nose of one horse and the hind leg of mine, gazing helplessly up at a glorious blue sky. The garter strap snapped and I landed flat on my back. Friend returned to find me on the ground and everyone else in stitches. Now tell me horses don't have a sense of humour!
 
Not sure if it counts as falling off if you're in the process of dismounting (on the grounds that not being on the horse was the intended outcome) but at my first ride for about 9 years, all had gone well, back to the yard, swing leg over horse, push away from horse, await arrival of ground, fail to bend slightly stiff legs and sit down in freezing muddy puddle.

This was in front of my fellow guest at the RS that week, my now husband who I met that week.

Very embarrassing. Now I still take a little time after a ride to ensure that my legs are still working, but had a near miss recently dismounting from one of the smaller RS horses when the ground arrived sooner than I was expecting - she's at least a hand smaller than the others I ride, but enjoys carting me around the school...
 
Many years ago someone legged me up onto a young horse whilst someone else was holding it. I was sitting on it not holding the reins and it did a huge buck and I landed halfway up it's neck. Before I had a chance to do anything it put it's head down to buck again at which point I leap frogged over it's head and landed on my feet in front of it.

I was just doing what the yard owner told me to do but it would of been nice if someone had warned me it had never been sat on before!
 
Years ago a friend and her pony had a mishap out hacking, they parted company and were both plastered in mud. I laughed so hard I fell off and both of us spent about 10 mins in hysterics in the mud. Ponies were bewildered.
 
Top