How often do you fall off?

[dominobrown]

I have fallen off twice this year already... maybe fall off every other month. Actually I don't think I "fall off" much, more get thrown off. One was an extremely naughty fell pony that bolted and exploded... saddle was halfway up his neck so I was a goner. The other was a 17.2hh very well bred show jumping horse that has come to restart as his breaking in went array... had no chance staying on that. Need air traffic control! Sat him very impressivley on wednesday then he was fine.
Rarely fall of my own horses... normally its for something ridiculous.
My point to pointer decked me 7 times in one day... don't know why I kept getting back on! The 2nd year he was in training he didn't manage it once as I had learnt his tricks.

 

[Britestar]

This is the biggest problem. Over thinking.

Get yourself a 'jesus' handle and use it if you are nervous. I made one out of a leather lead rein, and attached in an arch to the two rings on a breast plate (stuck together with duct tape). It works a treat. I never ride without it on the big horse. As it sticks up a bit, its easy to grab as its right there. Any time I'm nervous or think he might launch/ spook/ take off strange at a jump, I just grab it.

I also never get on him without an air jacket. Gives you a bit more bravery (well it does me), as I reckon when I do come off it will be a bit less painful. (I'm the wrong side of 50, so coming off isn't high on my list of things to do).

I find that since I accept its inevitable that I'll hit the deck at least once every 6 weeks, I worry less about it.

 

[rosiesowner]

When I first got Chilli I went through a phase of falling off all. the. time. No joke, I must have fallen off about ten times in two months! That was while I was getting used to all of her 'quirks', shall we say!

 

[moodymare1987]

I have fallen of twice (touch wood) on current horse I have had for nearly 5 years. One was cross country schooling got very lively after a fence shot off. Very fast with no brakes then jumped a drop at faster than normal cross country speed and I flew off.

Then fell off in the arena a few weeks back. Nothing spectacular just a good few broncs and out the door i went. Feeling very well atm. I don't usually fall of so easy used to stick to buckers and broncers very well. But these days obv not got the knack.

 

[{97702}]

I keep going to post on this thread and then deleting my reply in case it tempts fate

I fall off a lot.....when I got Jensen I didn't fall off at all until I started doing proper jumping with my YO then I fell off every bloody lesson until (seriously!) I stopped having lessons because I thought I was fated The girls at the yard got used to catching him and bringing him back down to the school after he had p***ed off back down the track to his stable.....

Finally when I fell off in a jumping lesson with my YO in April last year I broke 3 ribs, lost £1,000 in pay and decided I'd better stop falling off! We are getting better.....however I feel further falls are inevitable (that's my way of avoiding fate!)

 

[Bernster]

Yes, feels like tempting fate to post on here, particularly as I'm planning on doing a bit of jump practice tmrw! Fairly rare for me, partly as I'm a big wuss and do try hard not to fall off, so it tends to be those unexpected things as we don't really do anything big or scary. I've never fallen off F jumping, it's been the odd spook and dropped shoulder that has got me. Fortunately that is very rare!

 

[Mule]

I tend to come off if my horse puts in an unexpected stop on xc. He's the type that, if you make a mistake or you're a bit nervous he wont jump. Although I haven't been injured it has made me wary of refusals.

We've been jumping for a couple of years now but he wasn't the best to learn on. I do tend to try to run before I can walk and I think that's been my problem. To be honest I don't think I've great balance anyway but I tend to get in front of the movement when jumping.

I think some of us are just more prone to coming off. Whether that's from lack of balance or doing too much, too fast I don't know.

I remember going to my first hunter trial this time last year. I was having a great time, until, after a sudden stop I came off and landed on top of a log. I looked up to see a puzzled grey face looking down at me!

 

[Equi]

The last time i fell off was about 4 years if not more ago. It was a slip off when bareback and a land but knee buckle onto bum...so not a real fall really. The one before that about 2 year prior, proper horse spun i went one way etc.

I have not yet *touch wood* fallen off my now horse despite a few hairy moments. I like to think that my confidence has came on that if i did, i would be ok. That fall approx 6 years ago was the one that "broke" me and lead to me selling him and after a while (and a bad loan horse x 2) quitting riding. So glad i did not quit for good though, im the most confident i have ever been in my life, but im also at a yard now not home..which also made SO much difference.

edit to add i totally forgot about the most recent one actually, it was a group lesson and he was a **** horse. I cant even remember if it was before or after the bad loan tbh. I got back onto another horse in the group (cause that one and me did NOT click) and i was fine...i dont even think about that one clearly!!

 

[Bernster]

Is it funny though equi how our brains work? Some falls I remember really clearly and it takes me ages to get my confidence back, others I barely remember and seem to have no impact! The brain is an odd thing.

 

[j1ffy]

I average one a year...but I didn't fall off last year so who knows?! I hope I don't make up for it this year.

I'm yet to fall off P, as if he does anything he tends to take you with him ("mum, there's something dangerous over there so I'll pick you up and move you away from it"). I've fallen off Indio four times I think, but three of those were in a jump saddle that I never felt secure in. I think I thought it was due to being used to a dressage saddle so I persevered, but I really shouldn't have. Now he's not jumping I usually ride in my dressage saddle, but I've also borrowed a friend's Fairfax jump saddle for hacking and felt far better in that than my old jump saddle. Lesson learned...!

 

[MagicMelon]

I can always think of 3 riders that I know of locally who seem to fall off pretty much all the time, I actually think they must be super brave to keep getting back on because if I came off as often as they did then I'd have no confidence left I don't think! I dont think 4 times in a year is that bad - (touch wood) I dont fall off often. Ive probably come off about 5 times in the past 15 years (of various horses) but I dont think it really matters how often. My horse in a million who is now retired, he chucked me off about 10 times in my first year with him as he was cold backed and unfortunately living in the cold windy NE of Scotland, that meant I hit the deck quite often within about 2 seconds of my bum touching the saddle! BUT he got over that and then turned into the best horse Ive ever had and I can only think of twice I ever fall off him thereafter (and I competed him for about 11 years before he was retired through injury). So he could turn into your perfect horse, so I wouldnt really worry much unless he is genuinelly starting to ruin your confidence as then you'll hit problems.

 

[LeannePip]

I have sympathy for every single person on here, falling off is the complete pits but I like to think we learn something from every fall and we need to get back on so we can put that into practice!

I honestly couldn't tell you how many times I've fallen off Ruby in the last nearly 3 years! Way too many times but it seems to be spreading thinner year on year. As long as we both walk away unscathed I try not to let it bother me and just put it down to one of those things. I have ended up hanging from the gate by an ankle after she was too enthusiastic to get through and it wasn't quite wide enough; as a real baby she just bucked me clean over her head when I asked for canter; landed on my feet XC schooling when I realised I hadn't plugged my air jacket in half way down; nose dived off the top of a bank 1/2 way round Bovington when she stopped very quickly on top of a mound . . . the list goes on

AE I think you are right in that you are doing a lot of learning at the moment and its not an easy sport either so chances are you will come off more than usual. Please don't loose faith you will get through this stage, I find it better to cope with falls if i know why it happened, i.e didn't use *any* leg coming in, so next time i make sure i don't let that happened again - the worst ones to recover from are the unexplainable ones!

 

[Ambers Echo]

the worst ones to recover from are the unexplainable ones!

Thanks for the encouraging words. Glad to know I am not the only frequent faller! The above is very true. Of the 4 falls the one I was most bothered by was being pinged off because I just could not see why I should have fallen. I was hurt most when the leather snapped because she landed on me - but that did not worry me at all as it was not her or my fault at all.

 

[missallym]

I have fallen off my horse of 2 year, that many times I have lost count now. when I firsts got him, he was only 5 and I probably came off every 2 - 3 weeks for about the first 6 months. It knocked my confidence too, even though I always got up and got straight back on. Hes a big lad at 17hh. so a long way to fall. It was caused mainly either by bucks, or 360degree spook spins. I ended up getting help with him, and gradually built my confidence back up. My most recent fall was being pinged out the saddle from a huge overjump over a small 65 fence. The falls are getting a lot less now, as he grows up and has stopped the spinning and bucking, and I am getting more used to riding him and have stopped tensing as much and leaning forward.

 

[Boulty]

Current horse I tend to fall off a couple of times a year and given that he spooks in a ridiculous fashion sometimes I can see this number increasing. Mostly jumping related (he does a good line is feeling like he's going and then ducking out sideways (he can teleport swear!) or screeching to a halt at the last second.) He's also very nearly had me on the deck a few times launching himself into space over things that really don't require it (ditches normally... you'd think I'd learn!) although did have an amusing one where we were playing with cantering bending poles and had an argument over which way to turn after them... he won the argument and I got thrown into the arena fence! Previous one I came off 3 times in 9 years... first time I rode him my stirrup came off (not my saddle as hadn't actually bought the horse at that point!) going around a corner, pony dutifully stopped and I slithered off as I was past the point of climbing back up. Second time was when he got in a pickle going over a fence (watching video back we think he briefly got a pole stuck between his legs) and third time I threw myself off after saddle slipped in canter to avoid being taken out by a tree out hacking (still hit the tree but not as hard as if I'd still been attached to horse!).

 

[Farma]

The sharpest horse ive ever had I have never fallen off its so weird, in total I would say I have fallen off maybe twice in the last 10 years.

When I was a kid I used to fall off weekly though! cheeky ponies are much more tricky, my bigger horses seem easier to stay on, my sister has a little connie and I feel like I would fall off that so easily if she wanted me off!

 

[Chinchilla]

bigger horses seem easier to stay

This is SO true - big ones there's SO MUCH NECK in front of you but littlies it's like sitting on the edge of a cliff. (And if you ride natives it's a sassy cliff with too much freaking attitude!)

 

[Pippity]

I've come off my current share horse once in three years, but that's because I know he's spooky so tend to be prepared for silliness. The only other time I've come off in the past eight years was a riding school horse. On both occasions, I just got jumped out of the saddle. (Particularly unexpected with my share horse because the 'jump' was just a raised trotting pole.)

However, I jump once in a blue moon, and tend to play things very safe. I might live more dangerously if I rode a smaller horse, but it's a long way down from 16.3hh!

 

[Nasicus]

I wouldn't worry, just take each fall as a learning opportunity. I tend to fall off a couple times a year, sometimes more if I've been feeling brave and gone out of my usual comfort zone a bit prematurely haha

 

[iknowmyvalue]

All the time haha. Although I do find that the longer you have your horse, the less you fall off! I fell of Rosie an awful lot when I first got her, and in one memorable session I hit the deck at least 4 times in 45 mins... Towards the end, I fell off much less, but still a couple of times a year. I've had Henry 18mo now and I've fallen off him quite a few times, maybe 4/5 or so? He's not a nasty or particularly naughty horse, but he does tend to stop at jumps when unsure, so it's mostly been that or a disagreement about which direction we were meant to be turning. I managed an impressive one the other week, we were warming up and just cantering around the school, and clearly I wasn't paying attention because he saw something scary and backed right off, and I came straight out of the front door to land smack on my bum in the middle of the school. Embarrassing much

 

[Bernster]

The sharpest horse ive ever had I have never fallen off its so weird, in total I would say I have fallen off maybe twice in the last 10 years.

When I was a kid I used to fall off weekly though! cheeky ponies are much more tricky, my bigger horses seem easier to stay on, my sister has a little connie and I feel like I would fall off that so easily if she wanted me off!

True for me too, I only ever fell off once with my mare, who was pretty quick and sharp off the leg. That was when she put a foot down a hole and disappeared from under me. I did a forward roll off her neck onto the road. Landed on my bum. Neither of us hurt just a little shocked. Did tons of things with her and never once in any danger of falling off. She was fast, sharp, quick, but straight as a di and never had me off once, bless her.

 

[Lisalou]

I am learning to canter, I have been for quite a few months, I can get the canter and I’m normally well balanced but struggle to keep him going in it, I fell off about 6 months ago Iv just got the hang of it and fell off and broke my shoulder it’s so frustrating as it looks so easy but I really have found the canter challenging, like one of the other ladies said there’s so much to think about sometimes my brain goes in to overload, I’m hoping once my shoulder is better to get back on a ride a slower horse until iv got it masterd,

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My very first pony (Exmoor, says it all!) had me off more times than I can remember, the little monkey!

Next pony was foot-perfect, a real gentleman, and the falls we did have were ones which were pure accidents rather than malice, tho' I do remember one where he'd stopped at a jump (he'd never jump if he wasn't totally sure bless him), and I'd gone over on my own! Landed in a filthy cowpat, it was a boiling hot day and there were horse-flies everywhere, which immediately pitched into me!

As an "older rider" now I know damn well that you just don't bounce anymore! I fell off my old gal about 5 years ago when we went for a hoon in an open field with a friend and she got just a bit excited and bronced! I think she'd totally forgotten I was up in the plate in all the sheer excitement of it. Obviously thought she was hunting! Then last year I parted company with my little 4yo. Not her fault, we'd gone through a very deep peat-bog, and she was wearing boots for the first time; she'd somehow trodden on herself and just lost her balance and pitched over - and off I came! Ended up filthy, but can't complain as it was a lovely soft landing! My girlie was obviously genuinely mortified! Bless her!

There is only ONE horse who I never fell off of, and that was my old boy (profile picture). He did his best and pulled out the very best of his corkscrew bucks to try me out when I first had him, but miraculously, I stayed on! Dunno how I did it, but I did. Other people who rode him didn't, he'd just dump whoever he didn't fancy on him. Bless him, he never tried to get me off again after he'd tried but I'd still stayed in the plate!! He was easily the quirkiest horse I've ever had, and the one needing the most "remedial", but he never ever got me off! He was PTS last month, I can't believe he was the only horse I've ever had with that distinction.........

 

[JFTDWS]

This is a zombie thread...

But I fell off my mare in August - miscommunication about direction and a skinny double didn't end well (she's pretty green jumping, to be fair). Before that was a couple of years back at Thetford when Fergs got stuck in deep mud in the river bank and fell over. Going back further? A couple of years before that when Dae tripped over a show jump and went over. I used to throw myself off ponies for fun as teenager - now I try to avoid the ground if I can!

 

[siennamum]

I never used to fall off. Until quite recently with Sienna, I only ever fell off 3 times in 20 odd years.
My last horse was a nappy shit & I fell off him reasonably regularly which was less than ideal. Rusty is the whippiest thing and I fall off him about twice a month when we are competing, which is less than ideal as I am approaching 60. Having said that I read that you lose your balance once past 50 so that probably explains my affinity with hitting the dirt. I have clearly landed on my head hard at some point.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I haven't had a fall in a while, but then I've not ridden much since the classes started up again after the summer break.

I'll sometimes go for twenty or so hour-long lessons plus two or three hour or two-hour hacks without a single fall, then have two falls in ten minutes. A fall on the sand in the manège or in the arena is not a problem (unless it's very wet).

But I once fell twice in ten minutes on the packed hard ground and rocks in the forest: literally a real pain the arse! I had a bruise that went around to the front of my hips, up the small of my back, and down the backs of my thighs into my knees...

But as I believe pilots say: any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.

 

[Mule]

I spent the summer hacking and I'm working a lot on our dressage these days. I've lost interest in jumping (never saw that coming). Interestingly I haven't fallen off since I've stopped attempting to jump. I did a lot of eventing last year but I realised my favourite part of it is the dressage. I get more of a buzz from a good transition than from x country so I think I must be a dressage rider in disguise 😉

 

[Ambers Echo]

Well I have only fallen one more time since I posted that back in March. So at least the rate of falls is slowing!!

 

[milliepops]

Brill AE 😄
I got spooked off kira in the dark since this thread started😁she stood and looked at me sitting in the sand as if to say "what are you doing down there? " 😂

 

[Fiona]

I've fallen off my Connie twice in the past week 😣😣 both last minute stops at an arena based xc lesson.

Before that, I'd owned him for 18 months and fallen off twice.

My Welsh cob I only fell off about 3 times in 20 years, and my TB I'd rather not talk about, but hospital with concussion was only a v small part.....