How do you get your head around the prospect of falling off again?

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smanf

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I lost my very best friend (horse) of twenty years two months ago (utterly heartbreaking time). Much as I adored my dear old boy, having had him since I was ten and with little experience, for about the past twelve years I have had a yearning for a youngster that is a bit spiky to grow with, bring on and hopefully do a bit of light hearted competing. That boy made himself known the other day and so I have bought him, he moved in on Saturday :D.

I have never been afraid to get on a bit of a handful, but having not fallen off in such a long time (being so used to my old boy), I am actually finding the prospect a bit daunting :eek:!! (And let's face it, it is bound to happen, he is a 5 year old Anglo Arab!!)

Any suggestions?..
 
I went 14 years without a fall, then fell off twice in the same day, over the same jump off different horses :D Only advice I can give is don't think about it, if it happens it happens :)
 
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As I see it there are 2 things you can do - 1st option is to not worry about it & deal with it when it happens (the best option IMO) and the 2nd option is to just keep telling yourself that horses and not falling off just don't mix :), if you have horses and you ride (properly, not just plodding about) then you're going to fall off and you might very well get hurt but that's part of the attraction (the danger aspect) isn't it?! ;):D

Good luck with your new boy - my big lad was 4 when I got him and he was a saint so you might just get lucky anyway! (I'll add he started testing me when he turned 7 ish but he's calmed down again now!) :)
 
Sarah1 said:
..if you have horses and you ride (properly, not just plodding about) then you're going to fall off
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I will stop you there and say if you ride horses at all!

Once at a children's primary school fete there were some ploddy riding school ponies yoyo-ing back and forth. One minute the boy was on the pony, the next the pony bolted and the kid fell off!
 
You'll come off anything at some point. Even the oldest safest ones can trip and fall, as my saintly mare did earlier this year.

All you can do is make yourself feel as safe as possible and then get on with it. If that means a BP, new hat and maybe even an air vest, then do it ;0)
 
emma.is said:
how far along is he?
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Not very. I was told he was broken a year ago in July and then turned away for a year, and hasn't done a lot since, apparently he isn't nutty or spooky and can jump. He has an incredibly weet nature and always has his ears forward, but is a bit nervy (Arab trait I think!!)
 
I don't think I have...yet! I went five years without riding and then decided to bring my girl out of racing and thought 'I really should have a go again'. Then I hit the mental barrier of fear of falling off. I had a couple of riding lessons on a riding school horse with a fantastic instructor who let me get my confidence back in an enclosed space, then took me outside and told me to canter around (which at first was terrifying). Once I realised that I wasn't going to automatically fall off I felt a lot better!

Fortunately for me the big-earred one is quite quiet, and has the great traits of self-preservation and laziness so it's been a gentle reintroduction to riding. However, she is only 4 and is also a racehorse so she's not completely reliable! I'm now trying to convince myself that if I fall off, it won't be as bad as I think. I've done it before, I can do it again. I really don't want to though :(
 
I agree if you worry about it you will more than likely tempt fate!

The majority of falls don't tend to cause serious injury, just a few bruises and blushes :p

Make yourself as safe as possible, use an enclosed space with a soft landing if possible, wear a hat and body protect, gloves and get someone on the ground to help you if there is a problem.

Relax and enjoy your new horse x
 
Thanks for the replies and encouragement everyone, I feel better already ;)

What I am hoping is that when it does happen, it won't hurt too much and I will think "that wasn't so bad, let's go again!!" :D

@ RLS, I must admit, mild intoxication (or even heavy) does make it a lot less daunting, although all the more likely lol!! :eek:

I won't be tense on him when the time comes (will try not to be anyway!!)
 
You have to let that thought go and just get on with it - along the lines of, "if it happens, I'll handle it" kind of thinking. I would have lessons with a good instructor, on a safe horse, and build up your confidence and riding skills.

Another livery has this attitude (wrong word, sorry) and it's totally ruined her with her horse - she won't ride alone, she barely goes out of walk, she panics at the slightest thing - and yet her horse is as safe as houses. It's really hard to watch.

I really hope you manage to get sorted, good luck x
 
Suelin said:
Completely agree with this. I've had to do the same regarding my 5 year old Arab who is currently challenging.
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Oh yes....mine was ....ahem....challenging....when he was 5. He's a different horse now he's 7. Hang in there

I found either an alcoholic drink or a codeine based painkiller 30mins before riding helped my state of mind:D As did a neck-strap....

When I actually did fall off him.....in walk, I may add (oh yes, it can be done:o).....I kind of stopped worrying about it....
 
I fell off last year for the first time in 15 years (and I do ride, not just plod about), the main difference between the last time and this time is that I'm older and not as quick as I once was, so ended up on me backside instead of me feet. Oh, and I managed to fall off practically at the halt, which I think is an accomplishment all in itself! The trick is not to think about the what-if's, just get on with it, ride the best you can and realise that we all fall off from time to time. The G&T seems like a jolly nice idea too......
 
I stared riding regularly again after 9 years off, with a horse with an "interesting" CV... First thing I did before I got on was buy a new hat, and a body protector with shoulder pads, mostly to make myself feel safer so I didn't transmit anything to horse.
I did fall off too - but not off him, off someone else's ploddy horse I rode one day for a laugh!
 
I read the title and though. I know the answer to this :rolleyes: just say ." I refuse to accept that it will happen" but then thought ' can't say that' but then I read the replies and I realised it is how we all cope. Block it out and don't take unnecessary risks.. And don't ask me what they are because I broke falling off a trotting 14hh pony! :eek: on my way to do a dressage test.
I do however now wear a body protector. It keeps me warm and gives me a sense of security. :) good luck with your new horse.
 
Hippona said:
Oh yes....mine was ....ahem....challenging....when he was 5. He's a different horse now he's 7. Hang in there

I found either an alcoholic drink or a codeine based painkiller 30mins before riding helped my state of mind:D As did a neck-strap....

When I actually did fall off him.....in walk, I may add (oh yes, it can be done:o).....I kind of stopped worrying about it....
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I am praying that my boy will eventually grow up, I seem to have been waiting and hoping for a very long time.
 
My old boy in the early days used to dump me probably every second or third time I took him out. But I was 10 then and bounced a lot easier!! I was probably about 20 the last time I became a cropper, probably still bounced a lot easier then too!!
 
Just don't do anything you really don't want to do - that's how I always fall off! Its people pushing me to jump higher so I approach the jump thinking 'oh *****!' So the horse refuses or picks up wrong striding due to my mix of signals so leaps over it and I go flying. But if its a jump I'm happy with I always fly it!
So advice is, don't do anything you feel you can't do - obviously be confident and push yourself at times but don't do anything silly!
That aside, when a horse spooks it can be impossible to stay on at times so always wear a hat (dur) and have a phone on you if no one's around.
And.. If something bad were to happen (touch wood it never will to any of us) then at least you can say you were having fun at the time - so just enjoy it! :)
 
Falling off is par for the course unfortunately! I try not to think about it, if it happens it happens, but I try my hardest to be safe, I always wear my body protector, even for flatwork because I also have a 5 year old. He is just brilliant, but he has his moments and it's in those moments that you remember that you are riding a green and inexperienced horse and even the sane ones can be unpredictable :)
 
smanf said:
Not very. I was told he was broken a year ago in July and then turned away for a year, and hasn't done a lot since, apparently he isn't nutty or spooky and can jump. He has an incredibly weet nature and always has his ears forward, but is a bit nervy (Arab trait I think!!)
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By the way, I've had a lot of arabs and anglos and once you have a bond with them they really look after you. Spend lots of time getting to know him, and then he'll take confidence from you. They also tend to spook at nothing (leaves moving in hedges, small birds etc!), but very rarely do you find one that does anything more than fizz up and have the odd buck, i.e they never try and unship you on purpose (dunno if that makes you feel better or not!).
 
The idea of hitting the deck doesn't bother me quite so much as the risk of getting tangled up with their feet!

I will be wearing my vest, even though it is so restrictive :mad:
 
Polotash said:
By the way, I've had a lot of arabs and anglos and once you have a bond with them they really look after you. Spend lots of time getting to know him, and then he'll take confidence from you. They also tend to spook at nothing (leaves moving in hedges, small birds etc!), but very rarely do you find one that does anything more than fizz up and have the odd buck, i.e they never try and unship you on purpose (dunno if that makes you feel better or not!).
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Yeah, that really does, thank you, that is what the lady I bought him from said (about forming a relationship), so it is good to hear it from someone else. Only had him 5 days so just giving him lots of grooms and getting to know him from the ground for the minute. Have taken him for a couple of walks around grounds to show him his surroundings.

The odd buck is ok. It always used to be about the 4th one in a row that would finish me off lol!
 
Polotash said:
By the way, I've had a lot of arabs and anglos and once you have a bond with them they really look after you. Spend lots of time getting to know him, and then he'll take confidence from you. They also tend to spook at nothing (leaves moving in hedges, small birds etc!), but very rarely do you find one that does anything more than fizz up and have the odd buck, i.e they never try and unship you on purpose (dunno if that makes you feel better or not!).
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I would agree with that.....get a good relationship with an arab and they will do anything for you. And they can be very brave....remember, they were bred as war horses and had very close relationships with their people, lived in tents with them too....there's truly nothing like an arab:)
 
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