Have you been injured horseriding? how?

[CobSunshine]

Read many topics on here which relate to past injuries/falls/still going through recovery etc.

Have you been injured horseriding? how? Was there anything you could have done differently?

 

[MrsMozart]

Cracked arm - she slipped on the road.

Bleed on the brain - fast canter, she went left, I didn't.

Broken back - don't ride, never mind jump when one doesn't feel well.

 

[ladyt25]

I have only been injured once in 27 years of riding (well, excluding toes being trodden on etc!) and that was about 3 or 4 years ago when my horse slipped in the road (he'd lost a road stud), crashed down sideways and resulted in my snapping my collarbone.

I have had various other falls doing xc/sj etc but never really injured myself I did hurt myself a bit once when my sister's horse reared up and I came off the back - lost the feeling in my legs for a few seconds and i think there is a possibility now looking back i could have cracked my pelvis but hey ho, I am ok now save the odd twinge (my own fault, never went to have it checked out!)

 

[Katd66]

Jumped off a broncing horse!(First time in 20 years of riding I thought there is no way I can sit to this and stay on, im bailing!) Broke my leg and ankle and dislocated ankle.

I could have prevented it by not getting on the horse!

 

[moody_mare]

not strictly riding but i was turning out;
Horse reared up, kicked me in the calf on the way up (i fell) as the horse came down my ankle got crushed between the floor & his hoof resulting in a broken ankle withing a week of the new year
Could have worn better footwera, moved out of the way quicker, left the horse in so many more things but whats done is done so I'm not going to dwell on it

 

[Tr0uble]

approx 300 broken toes (obviously not all at the same time) -clumsy horses and I have big feet - bought steel toe caps but my little toe sits behind the toe cap!

1 broken foot - Snip had an oaf moment and I was too slow

broken ribs - Snip threw his head back and headbutted me whilst I was riding him.

Dislocated knnecap - kicked whilst clipping a naughty welsh pony

Broken neck - landed on my face after being thrown from a different naughty pony!

Lots of soft tissue injuries as well!!!

(I've actually broken more bones in non horse related accidents than horse related ones!)

 

[Boxers]

When I was about 12 I fell off the smallest pony in the riding school - 11hh - we cantered along and he swerved around a clump of thistles. I broke my wrist - but didn't realise it at the time and the instructor just told me to get back on and she led me while I held his mane with my other hand. Then I cycled home and eventually the next day my mum took me to hosp

When I was about 22 my horse bucked me off and I flew forwards and slid along the grass on my face, resulting in 2 black eyes and a fat lip! I was a receptionist at the time and when I went to work they put me to filing in a back office !

 

[ladyt25]

....oh I did get my head smacked between horse and stable wall the other day as I tried to 'rescu' my youngster who went into panic when he managed to get his rope over his head when tied up. I thought he was going to break his neck and (stupidly) jumped in to resuce him. Ended up with half a tonne of horse smacking into me with the wall as my 'cushion' . NOT the best idea. Suffered a bit of a bruised head and a very purple ear!!! Lol

 

[Aoibhin]

cracked kneecap - trying to race through those weaving gates they put up at the ends of bridlepaths to stop you galloping headlong out onto road.

touch wood nothing else ive damaged.

 

[freckles22uk]

Broke my collarbone... horse did HUGE buck..

and broke a bone in my hand which I had to had operated on and have pinned and then be in plaster for 8 weeks.......after horse bolted and fell on the road...

both in the same year....

and

broke toe being trod on... broke finger when horse treid to take of when leading and broke another finger when it got caught in a rug buckle and horse spooked..

 

[Chestnutmare]

Bruised ribs and concussion after being thrown from a bronco mad mare out on road.

Head dived after last jump in timed section after my boy bucked....I wasn't prepared for it...but we still got a rosette we got placed lol.....in style!

Couple when I was younger as you do....I jumped water jump not pony...lol

out hacking on a nasty pony called Viking - never forget him evil sod...he threw me on beverley racecourse via the pommel of saddle - ended up in hospital on drip with kidneys..

bout it really...so I have done pretty damn well....and I would like it to stay this way too

 

[M'n'M]

Wow all these injuries sound so horrible

I fell off my horse after a jump and hit a wall, breaking four of my ribs, bruising the rest of them, pulling the muscles inbetween my ribs and pulling three muscles in my neck. Other than that I've just gotten bruises occasionally. And rope burn...

 

[MrsHutt]

Previously only a bashed knee (falling onto it) about 10 years ago and then 3 falls within 5 weeks in September:

1) horse bolted, turned right - I didn't! Landed on my back and was KO'd briefly, otherwise fine
2) bucked off in the school, landed on back - bruised vertebrae
3) bucked off in the school, landed on leg - damaged ligaments in ankle, knee and back (different bit!) and bu**ered cartilage and broke leg (although they didn't discover that until MRI 8 weeks on)

I don't know what I could have done to prevent it - not ridden that horse, I suppose!

Hopefully new one is not prone to bolting or bucking!

 

[nosenseofdirection]

Broken ankle- arab/jack russell interface
broken arm- flying change/sudden change of rein not required at E
dislocated collarbone- got a bit 'in front of the movement' while jumping- admittedly we were not supposed to be jumping at the time, just going down a bank...

These are the only ones that needed visits to A&E. Also numerous other accidents including need to visit dentist due to misreading directions and failing to dilute hibiscrub before attempting to treat mud fever on off hind. I probably asked for that one...

 

[monkeybum13]

Hmmm, where shall I start!

Horse falling on top of me, being dragged across a field at gallop resulting in a dislocated hip, breaking my collar bone (on separate occasions) the list goes on...

Would I have done anything differently? Nope. In all the cases I've been wearing a hat and a BP and if you horse ride you expect to fall off, especially if you are rubbish like me!

 

[Dowjones]

Wow, some injuries there!

Have had concussion and damaged jaw after being bucked off a 13.2hh at a flat out gallop.

Back injury after Nikkita did one of her dirty stops, i went out the side door and landed on a pole that was lieing on the ground.

Shin injury after being galloped into a tree (lol!)

Went through a phase of dislocating my index finger regularly riding a cob which bolted too often.

 

[namordor]

Not actually riding, but when i was 11 a pony tripped and fell on me and i chipped the bone in my knee.. in plaster from my ankle to my bum-what a way to start secondary school!
Other little things like messed back up a bit, sprained wrist and broke finger but they dont count

 

[Paint Me Proud]

does six years of riding as a child that leads to needing double bilateral knee arthroscopy count?

I was a very active child and rode every week for 6 years, aswell as weekly rock climbing and martial arts. Resulted in me needing two lots of key-hole surgery on both knees. Now got cute little scars to prove it!

With regards to recently -only one injury - took a tumble and must have caught my finger on the reins and it doubled in size, went bright purple and still, months on, isnt quite right again.

 

[Tilda]

In July of this year I was airlifted to hospital with concussion and a ruptured spleen after my horse followed a bolting pony and then bucked me off.

No one really knows exactly what happened (I have absolutely no memory of the whole day!) but the biggest mistake was riding a brand new route on the day of a thunderstorm (had stopped by then but horses were probably a bit wound up).

 

[Jasper65]

november just gone i was jumping and my tb threw in a very nasty run out (never usually runs out or refuses) and i went over his shoulder and landed on my wrist.

Broke it in several places but didnt realise this at the time and carried on jumping him and caused alot more damage

Now having to go for an MRI cos they dont know why its not healing and im still in agony despite lots of painkillers

 

[Chellebean]

I came off stupidly and it triggered what could of been a generic problem! it resulted in a prolapsed disc which after surgery has resulted in an extremely weak section of my back

 

[dafthoss]

I couldn't sit down for 2 and a half weeks fell over getting on fell on my back
Try explaining that to the doctor "you fell off a horse?" "no I hadn't got on the horse yet I was getting on" leaves one confused doctor

 

[Kellys Heroes]

Fallen many times however in 13 years of riding have only ended up in A&E once - when a horse slipped on the yard after having a bad reaction to medication and fell on top of me! Tore ligaments in my foot, hyperextended ones in my knee, took a kick to my back, nice big gash there.

From falls, I've had maybe 3 or 4 bouts of concussion - generally hitting my head on jump poles - have now learnt to NOT get in front of the horse before takeoff!

Cracked ribs, inflamed intercostal muscles, taken a kick to my back - couldn't have been avoided, she was spooked whilst out hacking and I came out the side door

Knocked out briefly, cut hand and face, bruised all my back and left leg - again, spooked by sheep, bolted and on her way back to the yard (without me) took the whole fencing down too!

Been pretty lucky on the whole I think, no serious injuries.
K x

 

[burtondog]

Fractured wrist - previous horse and I took a tumble when he tripped over the boards - I should have watched where we were going.

Broken ankle and leg - current horse lept and bucked when I poked him in his side while mounting - should have used a mounting block, plus should have remembered that even a good horse isn't always bombproof.

 

[TJP]

# ribs on xc fence on pony I didn't know - realised he wasn't so clever over fences lol, # jaw (top bottom) & broken teeth on ponies head when SJ - should have worn a martingale, # skull when SJ new 14.2 pony - jumped a fence & she spun & jumped another as soon as she landed, I came out the side door, Knocked out XC on a horrid 15hh about 2mths after I bought him, bruised leg (? # hip) after a horse I was breaking smashed through a D rail fence, then back through again and fell on the track , other bumps & bruises over the years . That does cover 32 yrs, I've been riding since I was 6 so could be worse

 

[Dexter]

I havent read the replies, but I took on a project horse. He was a 4yr old Section D and his owner was threatening to have him PTS as he was 'lame' and her vet had apparently advised her he was 'no good!' I took him on, he came to me 100% sound and has remained sound ever since, in fact hes passed 2 5* vettings with flying colours!

Long story short the first time I sat on him, literally sat on him! he bronked me off in a way a rodeo bull would have been proud off! I sat the rodeo until my ears started ringing then bailed out. Unfortunately the bail out didnt go well! My lung ended up collapsed and was mis diagnosed by the NHS. I should technically have died over a year ago!!!

The fall out from that was cataclysmic! I suffered a nervous breakdown and lost both my jobs and my house. Last year was the year from hell! For me and all my family! They ended up spending thousands getting the horse 'put right' when I lost the plot BIG time!

The only plus in this sorry tale is that the horse is in a fab home and is doing really well at PC etc. We held onto him for nearly a year and had him on loan for a fair wack of time as well, until it became apparent he was secure. He was sold for a token sum, way, way, WAY less than he cost us. The person I got him from posts on here regulary . The tradegy is, had she been honest I probably would have taken him anyway, I'd have just done things very differently! I wont EVER take on another project from a private person!

 

[rara007]

Mine could be summed up by not being stupid...

Vaulting on bareback- bent arm.
Mounted games trying to prove you can pick up bean bags from the floor without getting off- broken wrist.
Playing cowboys and indians- pretending to ride like a cowboy, bucked head down, knocked out and abit off for a while

 

[neddynesbitt]

Severed Ear & perforated ear drum & badly fractured skull which all required surgery!! Happened whilst mounting a mare (with an undiagnosed ovarian cyst). She went ballistic just as I had put my leg over her to sit down, she bolted resulting in me being thrown onto her rump.

She bucked & bucked until I fell off, she then turned & literally with teeth bared & ears back attacked me whilst I lay on the ground!!

My hat eventually shattered after repeatedly being kicked in the head. Part of the hat sliced my ear clean off.

At first I couldn't remember what happened & the hospital got social services involved as they were convinced that someone, possibly my Dad had cut it off with a knife as it was such a clean cut.

Luckily my Dad got the all clear when they shaved my head in preparation for surgery & there for everyone to see was a perfect hoof shape in my skull!!

 

[SonnysHumanSlave]

Read many topics on here which relate to past injuries/falls/still going through recovery etc.

Have you been injured horseriding? how? Was there anything you could have done differently?

broken pelvis - My own 16.2hh tb. decided to go bronco after plastic bag flapped in a bush. I came off hit tree and pile of bricks. Prob not use tack that I have difficulty riding in i.e dressage saddles.... or dressage saddles with too big a seat. It was the tack he came with and i'd only had him a week.

broken wrist - riding my stage 2 mock. out in field jumping pony (pony 0 how ashamed am I lol) bucked, i went over head landed on hand, but totally flipped over, bending wrist wrong way. Not alot I could've done differently, pony very good at jumping as has springy back legs.... also makes bucking easy for him. I got my cast on and competed on him show jumping the next day! He's still my favourite on that yard!

 

[SophieLouBee]

in 15 years the worst I've had is pretty bad whiplash (apart from scratches, bruises and being winded), taking my horse for a gallop after not riding for a week, naturally this gallop was out of control and I tried to pull up, he dropped his shoulder and off I came (onto my head). Lucky not to have broken my neck really!

I have landed on jumps, ended up with my leg through a jump wing, been thrown into a tree, been hit in the face by a low branch, almost struck in the head by two (seperate) rearing horses, horse reared over backwards and landed on me, dragged up a gravel drive, and all the usual crap that comes with the job.

I have ridden some serious 'problem' horses too. I should be in a wheelchair by all accounts!