freak accident ? or regular occurance? please help !

[crazyponys]

hi all i got a new horse sunday a 15.2hh 19yr old schoolmistress , cleveland bay type, trained in all diciplines,
anyway to cut a long story short went for a hack yesterday and was going realy well but for no reason she tripped didnt regain her footing and i was thrown off the shoulder.
now im a v nervous rider so this realy hasnt helped re build my confidence. and i must confess i walked her home

my question is how do i convince myself it wont happen again ?
or do you think it will ?
sorry for ramble just cant believe my luck

 

[nikkiportia]

Did you have the horse vetted?

 

[Booboos]

I would consider it a one-off, bad luck and put it out of my mind. If it does happen again you'd need to get a vet out to have a look but more likely than not it was bad luck.

Try not to think about it and have positive thoughts about lovely hacks with your new horse!

 

[Rowreach]

Did she seem to trip at all before she actually went down? It may be because her toes are too long? You didn't say what the going was like. If it was stony and she feels her feet, that could cause tripping. Can you ride in an arena a few times while you build up your confidence again?

Don't be too disheartened, it may just have been a very untimely accident, and nothing more sinister than that

 

[crazyponys]

no didnt have her vetted, she only came fron 6 miles up the road and has been in that home for 5 years. and that was a competative home. all her history is known as well.
so i just took a chance
booboos i hope so just so scared to try again !!

 

[MICHAELA8228]

Probably a combination of nerves and bad luck

Have you anyone you can ride out with - once you get chatting you'll forget your nerves and relax a bit.

Don't worry, it's always a bit nerve racking when you get a new horse, I'm sure it was a one off and all will be fine........

 

[crazyponys]

hi , the going was very muddy edge of field bridleway, i did notice a skid mark and wondered wether shed slipped and could grip to get up ?
i havent got an arena ?
had her feet done today farrier said they wernt too bad but she was "heavy on the toe "

 

[flyingfeet]

Horses do trip occasionally, especially if ambling along and not paying attention.

If regularly tripping you should look into it, but needs to be more than once.

If it was muddy she probably just lost her footing. The key thing is to pay attention to where she is walking.

If you are wanting to gain confidence you could consider an aussie stock saddle for christmas! These are impossible to fall out of (unless you fall backwards off a rearer .. even then I should have been able to lock on to the poleys!)

 

[crazyponys]

i was riding with my partner !! i was feeling really good about it all then bang im on the floor

cant be v bendable as i have whiplash on my neck and my back is hurting lol. god knows how ill cope if i ever fall of at speed.

 

[crazyponys]

i was considering a western saddle lol

 

[OWLIE185]

She is probably unfit and has not been ridden much.
These things can happen when they are not fit

My advice would be to get your farrier to put rolled toes on the front feet and also get a pair of knee pads/skeleton boots so that if she does it again her knees will be protected. (Jeffries make them)

Also keep more of a contact with her mouth.

(I have two elderly horses 27 and 24 who I hack out and every now and then mine do exactly the same). I would not worry about it too much. Just get back on and start getting her fit.

 

[crazyponys]

owlie she is super fit at present, shes been doing 1hr dressage work a day and 2/3hrs hacking a day. so def not a fitness issue !! think i need to keep a better contact with her though, just thought a loose-ish rein would be better on a hack.

 

[flyingfeet]

A stock saddle is more secure and more comfy than a western saddle in my opinion!

I use them for youngsters, as they are very good for preventing you hitting the deck!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Def a decent contact helps a lot, if I bumble with my big chap he can trip like mad, esp if his toes are a bit long waiting for farrier, some horses esp big ones need your help to keep them together.

I reckon if you do that, you wont have any more probs. Also you are still feeling your way with her, so you wont react instinctively as much as you will when you know each other.

If shes fit doing quite a lot of work it doesnt sound as if theres anything seriously wrong with her. I would get knee boots tho just in case, and maybe a body protector for yourself just to give you confidence not to ride in an 'oh no I might come off next second' way.

I think you and she will be fine ))))

 

[flyingfeet]

[ QUOTE ]
Also keep more of a contact with her mouth.

[/ QUOTE ]

See I disagree with this - if you are having to hold your horse together on a hack, its not a good sign. English riders hang on to mouth far too much, which explains why we (UK) are rubbish at dressage as you cannot possibly "hold your horse" together.

 

[crazyponys]

thanks all for your advice i will followit all !!!!
ps cotswoldsj where do i get a second hand stock saddle ? thanks x

 

[flyingfeet]

Ebay and local papers are your best bet

 

[crazyponys]

yes i struggle with the "contact" as surely a horse should be able to stay upright without me holding her up !!! lol
seriously though surely schooling is contact hacking is loose rein enjoy yourself ?
western horses go trail riding with no contact ?

 

[flyingfeet]

Just thinking - if she is the product of a serial rein holder, then she may not know how to hold herself together.

Having had polo ponies I believe all horses ought to be trained to hold themselves up without a contact (and neck rein!).

You might just need to apply more leg if she is doesn't appear to have much purpose in her stride.

 

[Donkeymad]

It's not unusual for a horse to trip on the odd occasion. You are new to each other, so I would carry on and see what any differences, such as contact, make.

 

[SillyMare]

Lex once spooked at a phesant, got her legs in a knot and we both ended up going splat in the mud!

She has never done it before or since (although she did develop a phobia of phesants...).

I think horses are just like people really, sometimes they just make a mistake when they aren't paying attention. If there was no obvious cause and you are both physically OK I would put it behind you completely.

 

[minesadouble]

Just one of those things I expect. Just grit your teeth and get back on board - we've all had to do it but it's easier as a kid than an adult.
Are you having lessons? Get a good instructor to help you with your position.
The more you ride the better your seat will become - one of the girls on our yard (quite novicey) used to regularly fall off when her horse tripped (he was young and unbalanced - not the best buy for a novice!) but she got there in the end.
Good luck with your new horse

 

[JM07]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Also keep more of a contact with her mouth.

[/ QUOTE ]

See I disagree with this - if you are having to hold your horse together on a hack, its not a good sign. English riders hang on to mouth far too much, which explains why we (UK) are rubbish at dressage as you cannot possibly "hold your horse" together.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed.

 

[DuckToller]

There's no shame in walking home - I think the old advice to get straight back on there and then is dangerous under certain circumstances. Personally if I had whiplash and a sore back, I would lead the horse home and get back on another day, when I felt better!

(I have a friend who used to event at advanced level, and on a hack her mare started acting up. She just slipped off quietly and led her home - said she didn't fancy being bucked off in the middle of a field

- quite right.)

 

[lauraanddolly]

I used to work at a riding school, and one day I was taking out a hack with just me and one other lady, we had a lovely hack then on the way home we were just walking down the track into the yard and I turned around to say something to her and watched as the horse tripped and fell over luckily he did not land on the lady and both were fine - moral of the story - you can still have a contact (and should have) when riding on a longer rein. A long reins should be reserved for warming up and cooling down, loose rein(but still maintaining a contact) when hacking home on a safe stretch!
Now you know the horse can trip, have a bit more contact and it probably will never happen again, have fun with your new horse!

 

[Tuppence88]

Know this is silly but when was the last time you fell over?
No joke I fall over literally once a month and graze a knee or twist an ankle

I bet she had a me moment. Nothing to worry about.

And *frown* generalisation on the UK riders hanging onto the mouth. My horse and most I ride go perfectly well into an outline without a contact. And everyone I have ever taught to ride knows that reins are there only so it LOOKS like your in control!

 

[Hedgewitch13]

I agree with Minesadouble.

Working on your seat and balance will help as it seems you are a bit insecure in the saddle. Plus as it's as new horse a few lessons together will help you gel better. Are you a bit frightened of your new horse? Again lessons would help you. I wouldn't worry about your horse stumbling/slipping once out on a hack! If it was doing it regularly then yes I'd get the vet out to do some checks.

 

[Silverspring]

[ QUOTE ]
There's no shame in walking home - I think the old advice to get straight back on there and then is dangerous under certain circumstances.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to say I disagree with this, the only time you should not get back on a horse is when you are too injuried to do so (and even then I've seen a girl get back on after a nasty fall and continue for 5 minutes, she then got off and went to hospital with a fractured leg). If you have fallen due to a 'situation' maybe walk them past it and get on a few minutes later but you should always get back on for both your own and the horses confidence.

I agree a stock saddle would be far safer than a western saddle, if you are not used to the horn on a western saddle it can be extremely dangerous (a lady I knew perforated her stomach muscles on the horn of her western saddle when her horse stumbled and fell) cowboys ride tilting slightly backward, in the UK we have a tendancy to tilt slighty forwards due to learning in GP forward cut saddles.

Though I wouldn't pick one up from ebay or a local paper unless you know how to fit a stock saddle and are willing to sell it on.

Re the vetting, I don't really understand how knowing a horse's full history means you wouldn't get it vetted. Just cos the girl up the road has owned it for 5 years doesn't mean it will pass a flexion test, has a sound heart, teeth, eyes etc

 

[PapaFrita]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There's no shame in walking home - I think the old advice to get straight back on there and then is dangerous under certain circumstances.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to say I disagree with this, the only time you should not get back on a horse is when you are too injuried to do so

[/ QUOTE ]
What if the horse is injured/ lost a shoe?

 

[PapaFrita]

I expect she slipped and was unable to regain her footing in time. Same thing happened to me once.