How often / how many times have you fallen off?

Many many falls in the first year of owning my current horse, all jumping related. Usually when he jumped me out of the saddle with his mahoosive jump when I’d messed up and got him too deep, but he was honest enough to take off from under the jump, awkward huge leap and we’d part company. Occasionally when I’d got the striding so wrong that he couldn’t even try and would stop and I’d go over his head.

After a year of falling off at least once in most of my lessons I’ve given up and am now sticking to dressage as it seems safer. Saying that, he bucked me off in spectacular style in the warmup at a dressage comp 2 weeks ago. But that’s fairly out of character and there were extenuating circumstances. Plus he then went on to win me our novice class so all was forgiven (although the warmup was an absolute swamp and my white jods are now completely ruined ???)
 
I must have fallen off hundreds of times, although mostly as a child when my pony used to eject me nearly every time I rode. Over years of working with horses I became such a secure rider that it would take quite a bit to shift me, and I actually used to enjoy the challenge of a 'difficult' horse, or more generally, pony, as I was also a small lightweight rider (5'4" and 8 stone).
Now I am a fat old woman and no longer ride, but I do have a heck of a lot of aching joints!
 
In total, couldn't tell you! I fell off a lot as a teenager, mainly doing daft things like charging around bareback. In my 20s I've only come off 3 times - most recently when my share horse spooked and his saddle went sideways (it's a western saddle on not hugely secure as doesn't fit him amazingly).
 
I fell last Sunday; first fall in ages.

Two jumps in a staright line, not at all high (around 30cm), on a horse who can be a bit slow.

We went over the first, but I didn't encourage him to keep up the speed and I was leaning too far forwards, so when he slowed right before the second jump, I very slowly went over his left shoulder and ended up on the sand, still holding the reins, and he stood looking down at me.

The fall before that was a few months ago. This is a different horse who I've seen throw much better riders than me, but each time it's been in exactly the same way: asking for a transition from walk or trot to canter, he throws his head and shoulders down and to the left and lifts his back end: the rider goes over his right shoulder.

Last time I rode that one, he tried to throw me three times when I asked for a transition from trot to canter in the same spot in the arena. The first time, I thought hie had just stumbled in the wet sand; I let him steady for a couple of strides and asked for the canter again and he did it. Later in the same lesson, same place in the arena, asked for a canter and he bucked me off. Same lesson, same transition, he tried the same trick, but I let the reins slip through my hands, leaned back a bit, stayed on, and immediately asked again for the canter... he seemed to have got the message that he couldn't buck me off like that any more. For the rest of that lesson and every other time I've ridden him since he's been better behaved.
 
I've lost count of the times I've fallen off over the years. At least 50 if not closer to 100 I think. I must have fallen off Archie about 15 times alone - mostly jumping although I remember him tripping once and me coming off. It was 3 days before my sister's wedding and I grazed my chin. It gave the make up woman a challenge if nothing else!

At the moment, I'm looking for a new horse and have fallen off two I went to see (one evil horse and one a silly accident) in the space of 2 months - ending up in A&E both times. Before that I hadn't fallen off for about 2 years - since the infamous goat incident - and before that it was about 9 years. As soon as Arch stopped jumping, I stopped falling off him! I hadn't ended up in A&E for about 18 years so I suppose if you look at it as twice in 18 years it's ok, twice in 2 months not quite so good!

In the 18 years we've had Mont, nobody has ever fallen off him (touch wood) just fallen over with him. He's an absolute darling bless him but a bit clumsy. Incidents range from being so busy spooking at a tractor that he didn't look at where he was putting his feet and tripping himself up, gathering so much potential energy going down a steep hill that his legs couldn't keep up with his body and over he went, tripping on a mole hill and tripping over dressage boards (luckily just in a test riding session, not a competition with people watching!) as he was too busy looking at cows playing in the field next door.
 
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I would say about 10 times in 12 years, which sounds okay until I mention that 5 of those times have been off one specific horse in the space of about 16 months >.<
 
Over the past year I haven't fallen off once (touch wood lol)
Altogether I have probably fallen off 10 times! But Ive never blamed the horse ? it's always been because they spooked and I wasn't ready for it when I should've been! Or going over a jump wrong ?
I would be quite concerned if I was falling off every month! ?
 
I have my statistics - 16 falls. I fell on average once a year while learning to ride.
I hack. Hacking is higher risk. 12 falls out hacking and only 4 in a school. All my falls out hacking were with another person which is supposedly safer and due to their horse. I havent yet fallen when hacking on my own.
I had many many lunge lessons designed by a skilled RDA teacher to prevent my falling. She taught my OH and grand daughter to ride and they fell only once each. I think that is what people are saying about old fashioned riding and getting a good seat? But when you actually manage to sit a spin and flight, which last happened a couple of weeks ago, it seems like a fluke.
 
Had current horse 10 years this month and came off him once (we're well over due one and I've probably tempted fate by answering this...)

Previous horse was too sharp for me but only managed to have me off twice in 3 years, I learnt an uncanny knack of landing back in the right place after being sent in to orbit :oops:
 
When I used to compete every weekend without fail I would have a bad fall about every 8-10 months. The last fall I had competing I ended up being thrown upwards and actually sommersaulted in the air before landing on my back.

I've been unconcious about 6 times in my life, four from the same horse. Each time for a few seconds, suffering concussion and ending up in A&E and having either xrays or a CT scan or both. Apart from the first time when my horse fell and I ended up in A&E eyes rolling in the back of my head and repeating the same words over and over again which necessitated a blues and twos trip for a CT scan with an Anaethetist in the back of the ambulance as they thought I had a bleed on the brain. It resulted in an overnight stay in Intensive Care and stay on an Orthaepedic Ward for four days and lots of time off work, such is the case with a head injury.
 
Since tiny to around age 12/13 I would regularly be flung or dropped in all sorts of new and exciting ways of my first pony. After that I'd say I was rarely dropped save for a few mean stops from high speed by my mare... Now I've bought myself a new horse after a break in riding who flung me last weekend much in the same way my first pony used to... so I see a long road of bruises ahead before I re-learn how to sit a buck effectively!!
 
like so many other can't count the times! Way too many. but my most famous one was when I was on a mounting block, got on, horse still stationary you understand and my instructor said, now hit him now because he's a lazy blighter, so in my naivety I did just that. Cue huge buck and me face planting the surface of the indoor school. Apparently the noise I made stopped the tractor driver who was driving past the school at the time and he came running in to help. ?. I've always thought I should have a medal for falling off at halt...........?
 
I have one horse that is 20 had him from 6mths old and have never fallen from him. Makes me feel better now after lots of falls as a kid
 
Less than 10 in the 2-3 years I've been riding my own horses. I do tend to take risks and do things when out to get my heart racing but trust my horses emphatically. Last time I fell was because I had committed 100% to going through a boggy part of the field and Bonnie refused and planted at the last minute, I just sorted of flopped off her shoulder and she stood and looked at me...
 
Quite often when I’m taking young horses out it’s just one of those things. I mean come on... they’re horses!

I’ve probably fallen off my bike just as often.

I once fell off and really hurt my back... three days later I fell off again, heard an almighty crack and my back was fine again ?
 
I have had more falls off standard horses than any skittish fruit loops!
I think you let your guard down with them much quicker and they catch you out!!

I'd say roughly once a year on average :)
 
Literally 100s of times, which sounds alarming but I grew up with horses and spent most of my childhood riding my mum's project horses and getting cheap lessons at the local school for getting their youngsters jumping. Then I worked for a dealer for a couple of years.

My record was three in an hour in a jumping lesson, when I was about 12. I had my stirrups taken away for a solid month after that!

But lots of them were silly falls doing daft stuff - bareback jumping, gymkhana games on very whizzy ponies, and galloping around like a lunatic out hacking. Does it really deserve to count as a fall if you're riding two up, bareback and the pony just stops and you slither backwards over the quarters?!

Last time was in a flat lesson and the silly beast I was riding tripped and went down. He was a clumsy baby and we did lots of raised pole work to help him balance.

I have a brand new 4 year old who is probably going to deck me sometime next year, having said all this.
 
Gosh I lost count MANY years ago!

I once fell off 3 times in a one hour lesson thanks to a riding school pony who did a mean rodeo impression! That was the same pony who smashed my shoulder......with hindsight jumping bareback on a pony known to buck energetically after a fence might not have been a great decision ?

I tend not to fall off quite so frequently anymore. It hurts more these days. Last time was out hunting, jumped a wall, horse gave it some air which put me off balance then it had a bit of a drop on the landing side so she pecked and I went over her shoulder.
 
I fell off my old mare a lot years ago, to many times to remember. But my gorgeous little gelding who was put to sleep 3 weeks ago, owned him for nearly 6 years from a 5yr old. I can honestly say I backed and produced him myself to a decent level, and didn't once fall off him or come close to it. He was so genuine.

My other gelding I backed and produced him myself too.. hes rising 8 now, and touch wood never fallen off him either. Touches wood. Bet I do tomorrow now! Ha..
 
Fallen off plenty, but it goes in fits and starts for me. Current mare has had me off twice whilst backing her. Last winter I surpassed myself, though, and managed 3 falls in 2 days hunting on 2 different horses in the space of a week! Think I need velcro...
 
Millions of times as a child, then every now and then as an adult until my horses got older and I stopped jumping because I was busy having children. Then not at all for quite a long time (years). But then my older horses got too old and I got youngsters again... I had almost forgotten how to fall off when Mr 4yo did a ginormous spook sideways at canter the other day and deposited me on the floor! My fault for teaching him to go sideways - I'm used to him going a foot or so, he must have leapt at least 8ft, all the way over the track and onto the field boundary on the other side!
 
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