If you fall off and your horse stays with you........

Had a bit of scary moment today when daughter came off her pony in the middle of a forest we had boxed to (so horses didn't know what way was home other than the way we had come) Pony cantered off back the way we had come and I had the dilemma of staying with 10 yr old daughter in forest or trying to find pony. Worried he would cross the one road we had come across or mow down some poor unsuspecting walkers I set off in pursuit of pony only to find that he kept going if we followed and even when I was close enough to grab his reins he ran off again. Worried about daughter I promptly turned my mare and cantered back to her at which point he came back and daughter caught him. I learnt 2 things today - 1) he would rather stay with a friend rather than find his own way (phew) and 2) he was scared of me actually catching him because last time he bucked my daughter off I caught him and gave him a telling off in a moment of anger even though I knew I shouldn't have - he remembered that obviously and it did me no favours today. Lesson learnt...
 
First time I came off mine he stood there staring at me (it was an icy, unfortunate tumble). Second time he had to be caught whilst running around the road I believe (I was concussed so not first hand memory). Latest was a fall in the field and little pig pegged it up the hill screaming! luckily we were practically at the gate to the yard and he stood there fretting about finding mates. All I could think was 'please don't let anyone see this! i'll never live it down'! reckon he'd have stayed near if we were further away from home.
 
I don't actually know if my horse would stay with me or not, it's been almost 2 years now and I haven't fallen off her yet! Fallen off other horses at the yard a couple of times, but not her.

*touches wood*

I have a feeling she'd do off at top speed back to the yard though ;)
 
When i came off mine for the first time (id had her about 4 months) on a solo hack when we were ambushed by two seriously noisy scramblers (kids with no brains - not nasty just plain stupid!), she bogged off down the road after one but behind the other with me splat on the road. Scared ****less she did what any sensible horse would do and jumped into the nearest field and hid behind a hedge!! She wasnt difficult to catch and carried me home fairly sensibly (for a just turned 4 year old mare that had been properly scared by idiots), which was just as well as i'd broken my ankle!
 
Have only come off H once thanks to some rather enthusiastic tennis players that were playing behind a bush (there was a tennis court it just happened to back on to a bridleway). He started jig jogging along (at this point I had no idea what had upset him) so I pushed him into canter only for there to be a rather loud "thwack" and him to promptly drop his shoulder and hightail it in the opposite direction. Needless to say I went straight out the side door and got up to a rather bemused looking H wondering why on earth I was on the floor. Can't help thinking I've now jinxed tonight's ride...as it's our first time hacking at the new yard.
 
The desert Arabs train their horses to stay around. The do controlled falls and reward the horse with a treat. The last thing you want is to fall off in the middle of the desert and have to walk home!

My TB was a shocker for departing, last time he dropped me I hung on but the buckle in the centre of the reins cut my hand and I let go, he hi tailed it up the road. A nice car driver gave me a lift and we followed, found him at his old paddock, prancing round the front garden with his tail over his back!
 
My horse has always sort of stayed with me. By that, I mean she canters on about three or four strides to the nearest patch of something edible then stops to eat. It could be greed, or it could be love!!
 
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