Just for fun -What's your most idiotic fall?

I was riding my previous Shetland back from the village field to the yard but I couldn't get on him (42" and I'm just under 5'4") so I had a leg up but I kept falling off the other side! Eventually managed to stay put, rode him quite happily home but when I got down to the yard a pheasant flew out from a hedge, he took off full speed and ditched me out the side door.

I have only fallen off my connie twice On the 5 yeas i have had him but they were both for exactly the same thing but over year apart! Exercise was to trot round the outside of arena, when get to E pick up canter and ride 20m circle - quite straightforward but every time I picked up canter he'd buck. So had a retry but each time I tried he'd buck worse - eventually I ended up on the deck at B - both times. I know the pony was fine and nothing wrong as a teenager did exactly the same exercise perfectly!! Must have been the way I was riding him.
 
Out hunting on a horse for the first time (horse, not me). Stopped for a check, everyone chatting. Horse lay down, no warning, nothing! There's nothing quite like sixty or seventy people all peeing themselves laughing at the same time :D

My most embarrassing one. I was asked by a dealer to ride a horse for show to a potential buyer. The horse dropped a shoulder, and off I came. One cross dealer, one set of buyers disappearing into the sunset, one very red face!
 
I used to ride bareback a lot but could never manage that athletic spring that other people did and which left them neatly sitting on their pony. After a lot of practice, I finally did it! So thrilled I shouted 'Geronimo!' clapped both hands above my head, pony spooked and I fell off again. I gave up after that and used a fence or gate to clamber on..
 
Walking quietly home at the end of a long hack. Pony 's foot kicked a coke can or similar that was in the verge. I looked down to see what it was - and slowly and inevitably the saddle slid the same way to the point of no return. Pony looked quite astonished. Neither of us had noticed the girth was loose until that point....
Of course just at that moment the neighbours who think I'm a complete idiot came round the corner of the lane.
 
I managed to untack as I fell lol -friend had a naughty pony doing clear round jumping I offered to get on it for a bit. Did about 2 jumps and it started broncing I was so suprised I fell off as bucks were tiny then I saw the saddle (which was poking up in air!) Something definetly went wrong there! I also ripped the bridle off with me, so pony was trotting around the ring face naked and with a saddle hanging off lol
 
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Went on a pony trekking holiday last year in Wales. Was put on a 13.2hh pony who was a delight the first day, the 2nd day he'd had a personality transplant! Jittery and a little spooky, we stopped for a little graze under some trees - I turned round in the saddle to chat to my husband when little pony noticed a tasty bit of grass deep in the trees. Resulted in me being pushed right back lying with my head on his bum. Had to dismount/slide off as couldn't convince the pony to get out of the tree or sit up.
 
I fell off in walk! No excuses for it, horse didnt put a foot wrong, saddle didnt slip either so honestly no idea how it happened!?
Worth pointing out I stayed on the same horse (ex racer) when she bolted out of the water so she was bareback and slippy only weeks before so I did have good balance at the time
 
How about having a lunge lesson without stirrups/reins on a pony that was known for getting you off at every opportunity?!
Looking back now I'm not quite sure why we used that horse for my lesson :p

But I do remember falling off a lot in that lesson and then getting straight back on again! :p I did learnt loads from that lesson though, really improved my stickability too :p
 
Me: After spending 4 days riding, I swapped to a shorter pony, and promptly 'mounted' by launching myself clear over the other side.

D2: Turning around in saddle to talk to the rider behind, when saddle on very wide little stallion lost it's tenuous grip on what passes for a wither, and she rotated slow-mo around his belly, finishing on her back right underneath him. He politely stopped and gave her 'the look'.

D1: Horse spooked sideways at a lawn mower, so suddenly that he left his feet behind, and horse and rider went over sideways.

D4: Failed to bend her head around a low-hanging vine, and got dragged off backwards by the throat - which gave her a burn mark across her neck such as I've only ever seen in films after a lynching. We didn't show that one to anyone for fear of a grilling by social services.

D2 again: Tried to get her mini to jump a ditch. He was up for it right until he got there, when he planted and sent her over his head and straight into the (happily dry) ditch.
 
Mucking about bareback (with horse in a headcollar) I slid off trying to get her to walk over a tarpaulin (she hates blue plastic with a passion) :D. I think most of my falls were riding bareback actually - first time I ever fell off her was riding her back from the field through the woods, and there were numerous cases of my sliding off in the years after that because we were always mucking about with no saddle. I did have one very nasty fall riding back from the field when I was 17 that cured me of my "I'll just jump on without a hat" phase though (well mostly!). I'm older and wiser now!
 
My favourites ......

Pony, Star, fell over at canter, I went over his head ended up sitting in riding position in the grass in front of him, I was holding his bridle,reins and fly fringe . He just stood there waiting for me to get up and put it all back on.

I was riding with a friend, I was on Star, she was on my mare, Red. We were bombing through a local wood. As we went along This track, Red and Marie in front a branch, which was hanging down, went between Marie's hi viz and coat and lifted her out of the saddle, mare cantered on, before looking over both shoulders , visibly sighing, before turning around and coming back. Marie at this point is suspended in mid air, I've pulled up and am attempting not to laugh( badly) , the branch is having a difficult time holding the weight of a human and is slowly giving way, getting lower and lower. I'm loosing the fight not to howl with laughter and am doubled up in the saddle. Branch snaps loudly friend hits the ground, my pony spooks sideways, I go out the side door. Both me and Marie are now on the ground laughing with two bemused equines looking on....
 
Out hacking one day, had to dismount briefly. Back and hips being crocked I looked around for some help to remount and (rather unwisely) selected a very thin wooden post in the ground. Pony also thought this unwise and made her feelings clear by waiting for me to begin swinging my leg over and then did a massive side step away from me.

I fell splat on my backside breaking my coccyx and then had to walk the 2 miles home as sitting down wasn't going to be an option for quite some time! I'm not sure I should admit that the pony was 12.2hh.
 
Sukistokes2 said:
I was riding with a friend, I was on Star, she was on my mare, Red. We were bombing through a local wood. As we went along This track, Red and Marie in front a branch, which was hanging down, went between Marie's hi viz and coat and lifted her out of the saddle, mare cantered on, before looking over both shoulders , visibly sighing, before turning around and coming back. Marie at this point is suspended in mid air, I've pulled up and am attempting not to laugh( badly) , the branch is having a difficult time holding the weight of a human and is slowly giving way, getting lower and lower. I'm loosing the fight not to howl with laughter and am doubled up in the saddle. Branch snaps loudly friend hits the ground, my pony spooks sideways, I go out the side door. Both me and Marie are now on the ground laughing with two bemused equines looking on....
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^^^ :D :D :D Brilliant!!!

I'm world class at falling off but a couple of favourites are:

Trotting my hunter up the village past the pub, daydreaming as usual, horse spots an apple on the road and stops dead to eat it ..... cue me going straight over his head onto the road which in turn caused great hilarity to the diners in the pub window....

Jumping a Grade C qualifier and coming to the last oxer thinking "hang on, I'm getting a bit far away from his ears".....girth had snapped so upon landing and going round the corner I got unceremoniously dumped over the barrier into the stand, landing at the feet of those watching!! I did get a round of applause for that however :p
 
My most classic was when I was riding through some woods and there were trees down all over the place. Anyhow, went to jump a little log, horse stopped, I flew over her head, and landed on my feet on the other side of the log holding the reins as if I were ready to lead her in hand. I have no idea how.

I've now got another one to add to the list and I feel like a right muppet. Took Wolf to a pleasure ride, it was blowing a gale. Got 100 yards down the road and he started getting a bit worked up because the map case was flapping. So I sat on the map case, and then a large tractor came down the road. I thought discretion and valour and all that, and decided to get off and lead him for a bit (the route was about to take us left down the hill and out of the wind). Only in my hurry to hop off, I forgot that I had my new saddle which is a bit western style and has quite a built up cantle. So I got my leg stuck. And then in trying to free my leg, I kicked Wolf up the arse. Quite hard. Don't kick your already wired babypony up the arse, it generally doesn't end well. Wolf leapt in the air, I went flying. And then to cap it all he wasn't that bothered about the tractor.
 
Sukistokes2 said:
My favourites ......

Pony, Star, fell over at canter, I went over his head ended up sitting in riding position in the grass in front of him, I was holding his bridle,reins and fly fringe . He just stood there waiting for me to get up and put it all back on.

I was riding with a friend, I was on Star, she was on my mare, Red. We were bombing through a local wood. As we went along This track, Red and Marie in front a

branch, which was hanging down, went between Marie's hi viz and coat and lifted her out of the saddle, mare cantered on, before looking over both shoulders , visibly sighing, before turning around and coming back. Marie at this point is suspended in mid air, I've pulled up and am attempting not to laugh( badly) , the branch is having a difficult time holding the weight of a human and is slowly giving way, getting lower and lower. I'm loosing the fight not to howl with laughter and am doubled up in the saddle. Branch snaps loudly friend hits the ground, my pony spooks sideways, I go out the side door. Both me and Marie are now on the ground laughing with two bemused equines looking on....
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Love this!
Makes falling off sound like a barrell of laughs lol
 
I had just bought my old horse (a nice warm blood mare) a new GP saddle and put it on her when we went out for a hack with a couple of friends. Walking along a lane in single file, friend behind asked me what I thought of the new saddle. I half stood in my stirrups to turn round to reply and had just said .... " ... it's lovely. I feel really safe in it ...." (famous last words!!!) when madam spooked at a piece of newspaper on the grass verge, dumped me in the hedge bottom and proceeded to tart up and down the lane with her tail in the air until I could catch her. That'll teach me to keep my bum in the seat!!!
 
At a standstill in the school, Standing to the side of a few jumps, One of the other girls passed me, way too close and our knees were going to catch, lifted my leg to stop this from happening and landed in a heap on the floor, Funniest fall I have ever had, My girl just looked at me like, 'What are you doing down there'
 
On Sam. He started coughing and tripped over his own head, fell to his knees and I rolled off the side

On kelsey I got on with so much force I came off the other side. Needed to remember she was only 15'1 not 17'1 haha or when she spooked at a carrier bag, mid canter and I came off the side. I wouldn't let go of the reins so got dragged around the field until she finally gave up. If I had of let go she would have taken herself home/ or got killed as it is a busy village, so I had to hold on haha
 
Dismounting wearing a body protector which caught on the saddle. I ended up sat underneath the horse looking at her belly.
 
I got on my usually calm loan horse at the time and I used to wander around the field where we did a bit of school while I got my stirrups just how I liked them - he was ridden one day a week by a man who was much taller than me, so this was the 'omg, how long are his legs' moment while I tried to get them right for me. So...no stirrups, reins just looped through my arm to stop him grazing, and we were wandering slowly around the fence line. Something spooked him - never did find out what - just as he was walking between a jump wing and the fence. He spun on the spot, I went straight out the side without a hope of holding on. Face first in to the wing: pierced my upper lip on a nail, scraped my face, squished my nose, and knocked myself out. Came to with him grazing as if nothing had ever happened and enough blood on me to look like some massacre - mouth/nose/face bleed so much and I was wearing pale colours. I had to call my mum to come and get me cause I couldn't drive my car home after knocking myself out like that. Fortunately no lasting damage, and it was a good reminder not to get complacent and wander around with essentially zero control of the horse. Seems sensible when you say it afterwards...
 
Falling off in walk. Was in arena when the other person I was riding with went splat behind me. I turned around in my saddle on hearing hooves behind me and the sharp Orange Donkey though 'ha-ha, her up-top isn't paying attention so if I just do this....' Cue a drop-shoulder and spins manouvre. In the blink of an eye I was sitting on the arena floor.

I also fell off in halt. My late Grey Monster took off with me on the gallops and carted me back to the yard via a gap not large enough for both of us resulting in pranged kneecaps (mine). I only fell off when he stopped outside his stable and landed in a heap on the floor- the pain was too much and I couldn't sit on him any longer.
 
Getting off - I swung my leg over, had just started my controlled descent and I thought "ooh, grab the stirrup so you don't have to bother walking round the other side to put it up" (we were still walking home). I was too far down by that point, so my brain had the fab idea of launching my weight "forwards" (i.e. to the horse's right) so I could grab it. Did it with so much force that I almost launched head first off the other side, so I counter-balanced myself and promptly fell off the "correct" side! Apparently there's no way it could be mistaken for a controlled dismount, I was arms and legs everywhere :D
 
Not really idiotic but a girl came to view my tb gelding whom I've had for 5 and a half years and never fallen off which I'd advertised for part loan. He frightened her and she got off so I got on to show her how it was done and he dropped me the far side of the field and legged it back to his stable. After walking back I uttered 'he's never done that before...'
 
My best two were some racehorses at work:

First one, I was schooling over hurdles, horse was determined to run out to the left, I was determined to get him over. Jumped the first hurdle on the far right, the second one in the middle, and the third one so close to the left wing that my foot caught on it, I got pulled off backwards and landed on my head. And I got a *******ing from the head lad for my troubles.

Second one, the horse I was riding was a bit fresh, and stuck a big buck in whilst cantering. This didn't unseat me, it did, however, make me drop my right rein (WTF?):o. As I'm leaning down to pick it back up again, horse very politely stops, takes a step to the left, and tips me straight over his shoulder. To add insult to injury, my right foot got caught in my iron, leaving me suspended upside down. Poor horse **** himself, galloped off, dragging me about 50 yards, before my foot slipped free, then stopped, turned round, came trotting back to me, and looked at my like "How the **** did you get down there?":D
 
Loving these!

My best was when I was working as a polo groom in NZ. I was riding sets and leading two ponies, and was just loping around the track day dreaming when both the ponies I was leading shied and pulled back - the pony I was riding carried on and I was pulled off backwards, over the saddle and onto my bum! It was in front of a lot of people, and the guy I had a massive crush on at the time. I then had to try to catch the pony I was riding who was bucking and farting across the field!
 
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