Falling off...

[MagicMelon]

I couldn't fall off regularly, I think Id be a wreck. I (touch wood hugely!) fall off about once every 5 years or so. My last fall was 5 years ago. I went 10 years with my last horse not falling off (eventing / BS at weekends etc.) which I was quite proud of! After Ive now had 2 kids for some reason when I do fall off, it always hurts. So now I just think "oh great, now what new part of me is damaged permanently". I tend to fall off with silly things like tack malfunctions or the horse literally falling over (my last fall the horse slipped over while I was warming up for XC at a BE event).

 

[oldie48]

If you ride, inevitably you will fall off, however, it's only when you really get hurt that I think it affects your confidence, so I don't like to think about it too much. Most of the falls I've had have just given me a bruise or two and were forgotten in a moment but on one occasion I had potentially life changing injuries and it was quite frightening, tbh once I'd mended it took a lot to get back on board. I try to ride horses that are pretty predictable and always ride with a neckstrap!

 

[J&S]

I have had many falls that have not affected me in the slightest, one in particular was when my jumping pony took a corner too fast in an old fashioned "indoor school" with wood chippings for a surface..........pony slid down, I jumped off, she got up, i jumped back on and rode up a triple. I don't for one minute think it would be acceptable now a days! The fall that took my confidence away was out on the forest, jumped a big puddle in a dip, mare bucked massively on landing and I truly flew through the air. Once again jumped back on and rode home. Next day I went to ride and found I was quite incapable. Every ear twitch sent me into blind panic. I had never before had any idea this could happen to me, I was late 40's at the time. It took several months of riding practically one step at a time with a wonderful friend at my side to recover from this. On reflection I think this mare may have had KS, she was very unpredictable, it simply was never a thing that was considered in those days, one just had to "ride on" through bad behaviour. As they say, confidence can take years to be gained, but lost in a second.