Fell off :( first time in 7 years!!

Fides

Fides

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Well after no falling off for over 7 years I came a cropper :( I had a lesson on my 6yo (our first) and wow she was on her toes. She is normally quite lazy in the school but I ended up having to throw the whip on the floor.

Fast forwards a couple of laps and we were working on leg yielding on a circle, spiralling in and out with the aim of getting her to step under more but also making me concentrate on her shoulder and stopping her falling out through it. Well she decided she didn't want to walk over the whip, I told her that she would, I said go, she said no and bucked like you wouldn't believe! I ended up getting out of sync and came off.

I came off over her right shoulder and landed on my right hip - think cartwheel! And massively winded myself... After a couple of minutes I got back on and continues with the lesson and she went like a dream!

i got off and couldn't move so ended up at A&E having hip xrayed - fortunately no breaks... Damned horses!

I have a question though. At one point she was evading waking past a spot by trying to turn away from it. Rather than haul her round I continued on the straight with her on 3 tracks - it felt more like half pass than shoulder in though... I got about 12 strides before I straightened her up and asked her to continue. It was an accidental move in that I was just having her continue doing what she was evading to and making it harder for her. But what was the move? It felt like half pass but we were going on a straight line and there was too much angle for it to be shoulder in as we were about a 45 degrees angle.
 
How do you feel about the fall now? Had you been worried previous to it? The reason I ask is that I've stayed seated for 10 years and am getting a bit strung out about it - imagining I'm overdue a big one. :(
 
Feel your pain, I came off my youngster for the first time last week. Went splat on concrete. Weirdly enough got up fine, just a bit achy. Itching to get back on, but hubby won't let me until the arena has been built.

Glad you are not hurt. Hope it hasn't dented your confidence.
 
WindyStacks said:
How do you feel about the fall now? Had you been worried previous to it? The reason I ask is that I've stayed seated for 10 years and am getting a bit strung out about it - imagining I'm overdue a big one. :(
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I fell off recently after 25 years (only been back riding 3 years after a long break) . Can definitely say I do not bounce like I used to, and that I an glad I wear a BP. I had got more and more worried how it would be rhe longer I went without a fall, but honestly it's like falling off a log, so to speak!

OP hope you are ok sounds really painful.. Can't answer the three tracks question, too complicated for me!
 
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WindyStacks said:
How do you feel about the fall now? Had you been worried previous to it? The reason I ask is that I've stayed seated for 10 years and am getting a bit strung out about it - imagining I'm overdue a big one. :(
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You know it was a relief that it happened and that although it hurts, I'm ok :)

Asha said:
Feel your pain, I came off my youngster for the first time last week. Went splat on concrete. Weirdly enough got up fine, just a bit achy. Itching to get back on, but hubby won't let me until the arena has been built.

Glad you are not hurt. Hope it hasn't dented your confidence.
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I can see where he is coming from ;) I backed both of mine on the concrete yard due to lack of a school and having one now definitely makes you less worried ;)

OldNag said:
I fell off recently after 25 years (only been back riding 3 years after a long break) . Can definitely say I do not bounce like I used to, and that I an glad I wear a BP. I had got more and more worried how it would be rhe longer I went without a fall, but honestly it's like falling off a log, so to speak!

OP hope you are ok sounds really painful.. Can't answer the three tracks question, too complicated for me!
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I know what you mean about not bouncing. I'm also sure I used to land on my feet too...
 
Aww I hadn't had many falls until I had a silly thoroughbred on loan, I definitely lost count then I finally broke my arm and had to have surgery, ages of recovery, rubbish! I have only had one fall off my girl and it was on the road and very dramatic (my worst nightmare!) but apart from being very winded and making that awful noise associated with it (like the undead I always think) and some minor bruises I was totally unscathed, someone grabbed my horse and we walked home and had a bit of a school (she had rodeoed me off!). Sometimes when you have a bad fall that results in injury you really need to have one that reminds you it doesn't all end in woe!

Hope you are not too sore now!
 
I came off at the weekend, first time for about 20 years! Don't remember a thing about it, I have a complete blank for about 20 minutes and haven't got the first clue what happened. Was out hacking alone and assume I landed on my head but no idea why!! Had been thinking it was too good to be true, bit stiff and achey but no obvious damage other than that.
 
Hi..hope your aches and bruising has eased. I recognise the move you describe and performed with the same reason..scary things in hedgerow :D my first and worst fall was off a pony! I'm still convinced that it was deliberate and that she just pretended to slip/ trip but it resulted in me doing a spectacular cartwheel and landed on my shoulder facing opposite direct with collarbone broken and bright lights flashing.. It hurt!
Maybe don't pick any more fights with her until she settles and learns to trust you :-)
 
My old mare bucks me off every now and again just to remind me that she can. Last time I must have sat on the floor for ten minutes with her staring at me like I was insane. Certainly don't bounce like I used to either! Its weird though, for all that I'm a bit of a chicken these days, it never worries me about getting back on!
 
Thing is, after you have been riding for years you don't dislodge that easily you have to be thrown and that hurts!

I came off a few years ago, first time in donkey's years, I sounded like a bag of wet washing being dropped. I just sat on the floor saying to the horse "I've fallen off, I've actually fallen off".

Hope you make a swift recovery Fides.
 
I hope you're ok. It's awful coming off - it's not like it was when you were a teenager... defo less bounce than then!

I've only just recovered after my fall a week and a half ago (think you commented on my thread about it), so don't rush your recovery. A dip in my freind's hot tub did me the world of good ;)
 
I hadn't fallen off for about 12 years and when it finally happened, or started to go wrong I have never been more determined to stay on in my life! I think that actually made it worse, had I just let go after the first few bucks I wouldn't have been doing a stunt act at gallop. I didn't bounce and I didn't even roll it was like dropping a shipping container on the ground *THUD*. It hurt, a lot even with an EXO on, but I have to say, Cheshire Chestnut has the answer right there. I was 'suffering' for over a week until I got myself to the gym and into the jacuzzi and rounded it off with a full body massage, it was bliss and I felt instantly better! Hope you feel better very soon.
 
TrasaM said:
Hi..hope your aches and bruising has eased. I recognise the move you describe and performed with the same reason..scary things in hedgerow :D my first and worst fall was off a pony! I'm still convinced that it was deliberate and that she just pretended to slip/ trip but it resulted in me doing a spectacular cartwheel and landed on my shoulder facing opposite direct with collarbone broken and bright lights flashing.. It hurt!
Maybe don't pick any more fights with her until she settles and learns to trust you :-)
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Glad the 'moves' happen to others ;)

As for trust - I've had her since she was 18 months old and backed her myself. She had never put a foot wrong until this moment lol

sleepykitten said:
My old mare bucks me off every now and again just to remind me that she can. Last time I must have sat on the floor for ten minutes with her staring at me like I was insane. Certainly don't bounce like I used to either! Its weird though, for all that I'm a bit of a chicken these days, it never worries me about getting back on!
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Yeah that's the thing - once the winding had gone I hopped back on without thinking about it
 
Once in seven years?! well done! Glad your not hurt though. My mare is super sharp, last fall was Saturday. Was going for a little cool off round our back field when one of my liveries was struggling to catch their pony. I jumped off to help and chucked him the reins to my mare. Couldn't catch pony so went to get back on my mare, tried to mount off the steps to the muck trailer.........in my mares eyes this is totally not allowed! With only one foot in the stirrup just as i'm about to swing my leg over she buggered off in flat out canter across the car park with me in a kind of vaulting but sort of stuck position. She didn't like this at all so stoped dead, where i departed flat on my back onto the car park. She then decided to take herself off round the back field anyway for a canter and a munch on the grass. Sometimes i hate horses!
 
TrasaM said:
Apologies Fides.. I misread.. Though you'd just got her.. Specsavers here I come ;-)
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It's understandable - I did say it was my first lesson. We've reached that stage where I can't teach her any more and need input :)
 
I went about 5 months without a fall and I thought that was doing well haha.
Last fell off not last Friday, Friday before on my first visit to see Alfie. We were trotting towards a jump (nothing huge, had my confidence knocked before) and I just didn't keep enough leg on. Got to the base of the jump and he's like right, I can jump his from borderline walk! And completely cat leaps it. I'm talking clears it by a decent 4ft. I get left behind, land splat on his neck and it freaks him out. He swerves to the left and I go straight under him. Was rather comical really. Just got back up, shouted 'my fault!' and got back on. Then cleared a 2'3 oxer! That for me, is a serious achievement.
 
I hope no-one takes this the wrong way but hearing these tales is making me feel SO much better. I had my old boy for 16 years and didn't fall off him once. A few weeks ago I came off my new youngster 3 times in 2 weeks! Last time was pretty painful (yep, confirmation I no longer bounce). Third time was a real 'get off' from my mare but the falls have really damaged her confidence and undone all my careful work of last year.....horses eh?
 
Fides said:
You know it was a relief that it happened and that although it hurts, I'm ok :)



I can see where he is coming from ;) I backed both of mine on the concrete yard due to lack of a school and having one now definitely makes you less worried ;)



I know what you mean about not bouncing. I'm also sure I used to land on my feet too...
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I came off my tb about 6 1/2 years ago and broke both ankles (result of landing on my feet - not to be recommended at speed) and since then haven't come off until I came off my cob girl in the school a few months ago. Rather slow mo at a trot thing which slightly winded me but nowt more than that - the relief at that fall was immense, I'm no-where near as scared of coming off as I was
 
Well lesson number two, we started off with the schooling we had done last lesson and she was calm and rhythmical - not at all like the zoomy thing of last lesson. We moved on to trotting poles and then to jumps. I warned my instructor that she puts minimum effort in and sure enough a 60cm jump and she treated it like trotting poles *palm face*. 65cm and she jumped it in front but trotted at the back... Being a bit (lot) stiff still after last week, and also having my confidence knocked a tad I asked my instructor to have a go ;) she finally jumped properly.

Totally different mare to the last lesson - I bet she thought I was doing the usual 'she never normally does that' when we had the last lesson lol.

I know the thread is useless without pictures so I apologise!
 
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