Have you ever got off a horse out hacking because it was misbehaving?

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Yes I definetly have, was out hacking and my horse tripped over a log and fell on me. Partly didn't get back on because I wasn't sure he was sound, but it also completely shook me up as I was trapped for 20 minutes!

It happens to the best of us, and I think if you think your at all in danger, it's better to save yourself rather then risk getting hurt and ruining your confidence.

Hope your feeling ok now!
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Hi folks
I used to school horses for a living (aka crash test dummy!) and used to get off when necessary - but the horse still had to go past whatever was the problem...and deal with it....no turning round and going home or you teach them to nap...
You do what you have to do....and use it as a schooling opportunity.
So don't feel bad - plan how to deal positivel with the NEXT situation instead of worrying about the last one.
S
 
i have once, in a field (would never do it on a road incase something happened and i let go of him..), i got bucked off as he was a loon in that certain field, so lead him across the field, opened the gate and got back on.
 
I've done it on occasion. Try to avoid it if possible but in some situations I would rather get off than stay on and risk a crisis.

For example, I always stayed on Taz because he was better with me riding him. However I got off Paris a few times hacking when she was going through her "phase" - getting really scared and worked up over a particular area on a hack and I found it safer to get off and lead her past to avoid the situation escalating. I would always get back on after though.
 
No never with my current horse, but with my previous horse I thought about it many times but like the_watcher I was concerned that I couldn't get back on again so stayed put no matter how silly he was being.
 
Having seen a hysterical horse rear, slip and come down on top of someone on tarmac and having had a lot of VERY close calls myself - a few ending in the hospital - I have a slightly different view.. My philosophy is that it's hard to train a horse from a hospital bed so safety first.

There are ways of managing most situations so you are not endangered but if things are escalating out of control I don't see any problem with having some sense and removing yourself as much as possible from danger. HOW the situation needs to be addressed is so circumstantial that it's really hard to say, "In this situation I would do X" because there are always a hundred variables.

As far as horses learning to nap as a way of not having to do what they're told I agree it can be a risk. But even so it's not the end of the world if it happens once or twice - I'm not convinced it's so cut and dried anyway. (Does everyone who has never "given in" have a perfectly behaved horse by default?) Much better is to figure out a way to keep the horse working in that situation - I don't think I'd necessarily just bring it back home and be done with it. More importantly I'd want to know where I went wrong and to have a plan for dealing with the problem more effectively the next time.

So, no, if you felt endangered you did the right thing. Fear is our bodies' way of keeping us safe. Just give some thought to how you are going to deal with the situation in the future and stop beating yourself up about what was probably just a sensible decision in the moment.
 
I refused to get off on a hack until I started riding Hooch and then self preservation kicked in! I got off twice, both times were eiter get off, or be thown off and his leaping and backing into wire fences, walls, ditches etc, was just too dangerous. This is the horse that is now advertised as "suitable for all but the complete beginner"
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I always lead them further on and get back on though. I would always get off on a road if they were mucking about - its just not worth the risk.
 
If my horse is really scared I have got off her. Sometimes you can ride her through it relax the contact talk and ask her forward. If she feels likely to bugger off or rear I get off talk to her and walk past the object. If save to do so I will lead past several times and then get on and ride past several times. There is no point fighting or frightening your horse. I have also had to get off once when she refused to go up a bridleway as there was a lot of traffic around and I did not fancy being squashed.

I would never dream of getting off my old horse though
 
I've never got off, for some reason I feel safer/more able to deal with the problem when I am on board. (Although I did once bail out off a bolting horse that I thought was going to kill us both - it was quite literally heading towards a cliff!) Not sure that throwing yourself off at flat out gallop actually counts though!)
 
I've never got off - although I have never been in a position where I felt that was the only option if a horse was misbehaving.

I just think you have more chance dealing with the problem safely on board than on the floor.
 
Did it yesterday, was riding new horse and leading my older (wiser) horse and a tractor came down the road. Older horse started the commotion and I had to get off the younger one so that she wouldn't follow his example - led them both past and got back on new horse and told off older horse as he is setting bad example!!! I think he just felt like scaring us all..
 
I have got off once, well didn't really get off!!
I was on a breeding stallion during stud season and the hacking route went past a field of mares which sent him round the bend. He ended up going over backwards on me in a ditch, so i didn't choose to get off. There was then no way of remounting safely without the possibility of him taking off towards these mares and all of them expecting his babies the following spring, so i led him home wondering if all my bones were still intact!!!
 
As a rule I far prefer to stay on board, I have more control than I do on the ground. However, each situation and horse is different - I regulaly used to take hacks out for the riding school, and when my boss was feeling particulaly evil he put me on something that was a bit green, or didn't like to lead etc - and on occassion it was just far easier to hop off and lead past something than causing a commotion and putting the clients at risk. Can't think of an occassion where I have been hacking alone and jumped off for anything other than opening a gate, picking up my whip, or moving something off the track.

As for falling off, that is something different, you generally don't make the choice whether to stay on or not.
 
In general NO, I wouldn't consider getting off a horse. I strongly believe that the best way to get through spooking/napping etc. is to ride them through it.

However on an old horse I did get off once, he was a big horse and there was one time it just went beyond nappy rearing ... to the point where I felt very unsafe ... I had 3 choices
1. try to ride it through it, but I suspect I would have ended up seriously hurting myself
2. turn around and go home, absolutely not an option for me
3. get off, lead horse 200m, get on and continue with ride which is what I did.
 
Yes, when riding alone or on my own horses I never really get off out hacking (especially as mine is brilliant at gates!) because I think I generally hold a better chance of staying on and settling the horse than I do of holding the horse from the ground, plus I am a lot more confident on top!

However, when taking out rides at the riding school, I occasionally get off and lead past puddles/objects to avoid causing a scene and upsetting other horses (usually with novice riders on board) If their horses are being difficult, I often hop off the one I'm on and lead them for a while, as I'm quite able to hop back on my horse, but most people are so inflexible that let them off the horse and they'll never be able to clamber on again. Sometimes I will ask them to dismount with particular horses who I don't trust - and I don't want to be held responsible for an accident I could have avoided.
 
yes regularly, i have a pony who has absolute hysterics at the mere sound of a tractor let alone the sight of one. The farmers round here are all wonderful and know me and him and ive borrowed a tractor before to try and sort the problem but it doesnt work. When we see a tractor he starts spinning, bucking and has on occasion bolted with me. the farmers normaly stop and switch off thier engines as soon as they see me, and to return the curtasy i get off and walk him past, if i tried to ride him past we would be there for at least 30 mins fighting with him untill eventualy he would bolt past, if i get off and lead he will dance and prance and snort and hide his head in my jacket but the whole preformance only takes 5 mins which means that the farmers are more likely to be nice next time they meet me.
 
Yes, quite recently. We had just started our hack when we could hear some machinery operating behind a hill but right next to the road, so it was very noisy. Horse just wouldn't go forward (tried reversing in that direction too!), so I got off and led him past. He was fine when I was next to him.
 
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