How do you get over a serious fall?

[Mahoganybay]

I came off my mare on the 22nd October following a spook, spin, tank. She then threw me off as I tried to stay on, gripping no doubt. ?‍

I landed shoulder first and following a 5 hour wait for an ambulance (where I was on the arena floor ?), A&E I was admitted to the serious trauma unit with a fractured collar bone, a few fractured ribs, transverse fracture of L3 vertebrae and right pneumothorax. Ouchies ? I spent 3 nights in hospital.

My mare was seen by my physio who suspected ulcers and she was scoped on 3.11.20 and was found to have grade 2/3 Squamous & Glandular ulcers. She has started treatment.

I‘m not surprised she has ulcers as we have had some lameness issues which did cause pain through her back, stifles & SI. ?? All sorted though.

Now, I have come off horses in the past, I know my mare can be reactive/sharp but I’ve never injured myself like this before.

I’m in no rush to get back on her, I can’t anyway until I’m mended (she’s on full livery & my YO will keep her in work via groundwork). But I guess it’s the psychological aspect of it.

I know I will be nervous, I plan on wearing a BP / Hit Air Jacket for a good while but there is that nagging thought that she’s too much for me. I so want it to work, she is my dream horse.

Anyone any feel good stories/experiences or advice/tips?

 

[paddi22]

I have ridden for years and fell off a million times, but I had a serious fall where I lost power basically in one half of my body, and lost most of the use of my left arm and hip. It totally messed my head up mentally for a while. I think I genuinely hadn't realised you could fall off and get seriously hurt and not just bounce back. I was riding a very sensitive tb at the time, and I knew he would pick up on my nerves once I got back on, so I went to hypnotherapy. It was expensive but it was the best thing I've ever done. I found it so helpful and it really made me ok with the whole thing and just be confident riding again.

 

[Goldenstar]

I have several serious smashes it’s never effected my nerves I have had to train myself to be more risk adverse .
Its never made me nervous of riding however I don’t want to end up in A and E and I plan now to mitigate risk as much as possible .
I know that sounds strange I have no fear of falling or riding I just fear all the hassle and horrible stuff that happens when you have a serious fall .

 

[Meowy Catkin]

It is a very personal thing, but setting everything in your power up to be as safe as possible is good. Then also make little steps of progression so that you keep having positive experiences.

I rode with the RDA for a while after my big accident, but that option won't be available to everyone.

 

[Pinkvboots]

You poor thing it all sounds very painful and you probably won't be the same when it comes to getting back on, but at the moment it's very fresh and your going to imagine the worst, just let yourself heal physically first and you may find it doesn't seem half as bad months down the line.

I had an accident mine is pathetic compared to your injuries though, my horse fell on me while we were cantering and I smashed my my ankle in 2 places so had to have surgery to plate it, that was 3 years ago it's fine now I ride quite normally but I am not as brave as I was and I struggled at times, I learnt that you have to sometimes take massive steps back and have very small aims, even if some days I just wanted to walk that's what I would do, one of mine is sharp funnily enough not the one that fell on me but i had times that I really didn't want to get on, so got help and had someone ride him first for 20 minutes then got on and had her teach me which really helped, I also did a course at the the horse combat centre in Hemel Hempstead which I would highly recommend.

 

[Sprat]

Sorry to hear about your fall, it sounds really unpleasant and I hope you are healing up well. I had quite a nasty fall not so long ago that ended up with a hospital stay for 2 days and minor surgery. For me what helped was analysing why the fall occurred (my stupidity) and how I would overcome the risk in the future.

I now double and triple check everything as I am tacking up, and I do a lot of groundwork to asses how my mare is feeling before I pop my foot in the stirrup. I am sure that I will get back to the point where I hop straight on, but I'm not there yet and that's ok.

I was given a very stern talking to by my husband about not being risk averse, and I've had to give my head a bit of a wobble about it. My mare is generally a nice laid back type, but those days when she's not, she can be very tricky. I think for me one of the things that I've had to get my head around is not trying to be a hero, and if I feel like I'm about to get buried, then get off before it happens and try and figure out what's causing the behaviour, rather than attempting to ride out a rodeo or similar.

I am sure there are plenty of others who would disagree with me, but this is what works for me.

 

[Antw23uk]

Sold the horse. Life is too short. I'll get something thats more suitable in spring.

 

[Winters100]

Oh poor you - it is a tough situation.

For me what worked was buying a lovely schoolmistress and riding every day until I got my confidence back. If you want to keep your horse and cannot have a second one could you loan / share / borrow a nice 'been there, seen that' horse to ride when you are able to start. Getting straight back onto a sharp horse is not always easy after time off. Whatever you decide I wish you luck and hope that you are soon mended from your injuries.

 

[benz]

I had a serious fall a few years ago and sustained a fairly bad head injury. I knocked my confidence which was already failing due to getting older/not bouncing anymore! and tbh other aspects of my life had caused me to lose confidence in myself in general.

I can only speak for myself as we all have different ways of coping. From my own journey I would say time has helped but a supportive and knowledgeable instructor on a good solid schoolmaster to begin with has been invaluable. The instructor must know when to push you enough out of your comfort zone that your confidence improves but no so much theres a big risk of falling and ruining it! Be kind to yourself and allow baby steps, the same as you would for a horse who had lost confidence. Have someone with you on the ground to begin with and eventually progress to going it alone if/when you can. Have patience and remember that horses are not machines, you may be up for it but if your horse isn't and if todays not the day to go for a hack alone/jump that 1m course or even just hop on in the arena, then there will be another day. Invest in the best safety equipment you can and use it, no use being an expensive ornament in the boot of the car! Understand that you will fall off again if you carry on riding, but this is a risk you are willing to take. This approach has allowed me, 3 years since the accident to back my (admittedly very placid!) youngster, who I never meant to buy and was born just a few weeks after the accident! but was a great incentive to get back in the saddle. While having lessons I was also jumping small courses of about 80cm which tbh I was nervous about doing before the accident so I was happy with that progress

I hope you feel better soon, do be kind to yourself and as she is your dream horse then you have a great incentive to work towards getting back on but do not feel you have to rush yourself, or if you feel the partnership is no longer working don't dismiss going your separate ways even for a short while.

 

[eventinghenry]

You poor thing! I hope you heal up quickly!

I’ve (touch wood) not had a fall where I was particularly badly injured, but had a fall that my lovely horse didn’t walk away from. It’s not quite the same, my fear is of my horse getting hurt rather than me. but it’s still been a long old process getting my confidence back, and definitely having an understanding instructor, who is willing to take things slowly but also give you a little push when you need it has helped massively!

 

[IrishMilo]

Was this a one time thing? From what you’ve written it doesn’t sound like she’s your dream horse. There are horses out there who don’t do what she did and plenty of people who enjoy the challenge of horses like her.

With regards to nerves, you kind of have to just feel the fear and do it anyway if you want to get back on. You’re not going to not be nervous, but you can do things to help ease them.

Hope you heal soon. Sounds painful!

 

[ozpoz]

Heal up soon, and don't worry about getting back on right now while you're mending. She will hopefully feel like a different horse when she is mended from her ulcers too, and you can take it from there.

 

[Ceriann]

Give yourself time to mend. I came off a young and opinionated mare a few times - she was too much for me and it ended with me breaking my hip. She taught me that falls can hurt. I didnt ride for 14 months. I got myself a lovely natured mare and she’s a huge help. For me, blips and bad rides (they happen with the nicesr horses) aren’t brushed off any more - it takes longer. Focus on getting better and if she’s too much, sell her on.

 

[claret09]

i am so sorry you got hurt. i really hope are feeling better soon. my boy was really sharp when i first had him and i have to admit i almost always popped him on the lunge to get rid of excess energy before i sat on him. i did that routinely for well over 12 months and after that i still did if i thought he was going to explode. it really helped. having had him for over thirteen years and him being in his twenties he is now generally golden but he can still be very sharp somewhere new, and yes he is still in full work and goes out competing regularly. he is very special

 

[Flicker]

I had a serious freak fall off my perfect horse a number of years ago. We were at a show and another competitor’s horse spooked into him, he did a massive jump to the side to avoid them and fly bucked on landing. I flew off and hit the deck hard.
Fortunately nothing broken but it really affected my nerve.
When I was physically ready to get back on, I just walked him in the school with a friend, until I felt ready for trot, then canter, then popping a small fence.
Just take your time, build up gradually and only do what you feel ready for.
Also, set yourself up for success - pop a balance strap or neck rein on, have a friend or trainer in with you, lunge first, wear a body protector - put the prep in to make sure your ridden experience is as safe as possible.

 

[Carlosmum]

My gelding has a good buck and I have had an ouchy fall twice, both time rib bruising and 10 and 5 weeks off riding. It didn't put me off, however I always ride with air bags! (Failed 2nd fall because wrongly adjusted) I tell myself I am not afraid of the pony, only of what he can do. I would love a pony I could trust 99%, ( like my previous one), this one I'm may be at 75%! Sadly finance would not allow, and I would never sell him as I wouldn't forgive myself if he chucked someone else off.

 

[maya2008]

As others have said, riding a sweet, steady horse you can trust is the way to do it. When you've got your confidence back on them, you should be ok on the sharper one.

 

[Frumpoon]

Lots of lunging before you get on - by that I don’t mean lunge them into the ground, I just mean make it a regular thing that you ask them to do 2 canters on each rein before you get on...this gets any bucks out but also helps you learn to read them and builds on the bond you have

Do this 3 times a week, you could start now if your current injuries allow

Learn how a one rein bridge and a neck strap can stop Horse buggering off forwards or sideways

You do need to get back on horse though, unless it’s all just too scary, that’s ok too

Ive had 3/4 serious accidents on the one horse and there was really no substitute for getting back on him

 

[RachaelJC]

My worst accident was when i came off had an air ambulance whisk me to hospital where I had my spleen and kidney removed as they both popped.

It was the first time I wasn't able to just get back on and get on with it. I didn't ride for a few years after that but always wanted to. Now I have a bonkers seven year old and couldn't be happier.

Some of the things I found useful are listed below, almost all of which require getting back on a horse (I didn't have my own horse at the time)

1: Getting lunge lessons at a riding school without reins or stirrups - they helped me believe in my own balance again!
2: Schoolmaster lessons - I wasn't worried about the horse so could focus on me and getting over any fears, plus this helped me understand riding is supposed to be fun
3: An instructor that you get on with - I learn best when my instructor and I can laugh at my sometimes feeble attempts at dressage, jumping, etc. as it gives me confidence to try and try again!
4: PTSD/ anxiety/ mindset resources - there are loads online. YouTube videos helped me with my mindset a lot and it doesn't need to be equine related.

 

[Mahoganybay]

Thank you everyone for your replies, I’ve picked up some good advice.

I am hoping that by the time I get back on I have got a different horse, but I guess time will tell.

in the meantime, and whilst we are both recovering I was looking into starting the TRT Method. Has anyone got any experience of it? I think some good groundwork is the way to go, any other suggestions of programs we can follow?