Just for fun, your most embarrassing fall......? Come on be brave!!

Stupid ones really. First one riding a 16.1 schoolmaster on the first day of a fortnights riding holiday, elegantly cantering across a flat open field feeling oh so clever, suddenly my saddle started to slide round, I fell off, horse stood on my ankle, spent the rest of the holiday with one ankle in a plaster cast on a Shetland. I never forgot to check my girth again :-) A couple of years later bent down behind a known kicker, sent flying into a very fresh muckheap, had to be hosed down before they would let me in the ambulance. :-) :-) :-)
 
Me!

Pub ride last weekend. Stopped in the beer garden. Went to dismount. Right leg sometimes fails to follow orders and didn't quite clear the cantle, cue me then falling/sliding down the side of my 16.3 DWB and into a very untidy heap on the ground :o

Then I couldn't get up thanks to landing on one knee, so Friend and one of the blokes who'd been sat having a quiet pint with his mate, picked me up... :o :cool:

Ho hum :cool:

Poor horse was very confused! When I was on the ground she kept her feet out if the way, even though by then she was stood at an odd angle, and she stood next to me with her head low and quiet, watching me carefully whilst I had a drink (water!), probably worried in case I slid off the bench lol
 
These are great guys, keep em coming!! Actually, some of yours have reminded me of a few more of mine :o:o

Took a very young horse hunting for her first time, horse was a 15.1hh Hanovarian X TB mare and known to buck. Said horse did NOT buck all day out hunting, in fact, only slight moment we had was when a quad bike appeared over the top of a hill straight in front of her at speed. She ran away for a while but I calmed her and we rejoined the hunt.

I was out with my boss at the time on his enormous hunt horse, and after a few hours we decided to hack home ( the meet wasn't far from home) so we tootled off home quite happily.

As we got to the gate into the yard, I kicked my feet out of the stirrups and jumped off, only for both legs to completely buckle underneath me!!

I ended up sat perfectly on both the mare's front feet! Bless her, she never moved a muscle, and my boss found it rather amusing as he had to help me up (boss at the time was 66 years old!)

anyway, she got me back the next time I rode her as she bucked me off! No-one to see that time though!! :o
 
Hmm... my horse has dumped me while I saluted at the end of a dressage test at a BE event before and galloped off out of the arena. Had another horse chuck me off at the very first fence in 2 BSJA classes, that wasn't a good day! Back in my PC days, I remember winning an ODE even though my ned spooked while we galloped through some heather and dumped me, I obviously got back on quick enough though! Only I could fall off nowhere near a jump though!

I'm also still very sore from being chucked off a little Welsh Cob I was backing a month ago - was only walking about on him when he took off full pelt, funny how with all the competing I do, I fall off a little pony that I assumed would be so easy to back...!
 
When learning at the rs, there wars a horse know for being a notorious bucker and broncer! I had been riding for about 6 months and had been put on her. The lesson was on practising our 2-point and each time I'd been asked to go into trot the horse 'took off' bucking. Sat it all very well. We then had to ask for canter and do the exercise in canter. Despite having already cantered about 5 times with the horse impersonating a rodeo, I came flying off to land on the back of one of the other horses and land in a lump on the ground. All fine, slight concussion but other than a dented pride no further injury.

I've fallen off far too many times to remember almost all of them pathetic :) x
 
In a pond,freezing mid December. Had to hack miles home,with covered in pond weed & with sopping wet knickers! Only had myself to blame, pony had refused to go into pond & I'd pushed him on. He was not the type to say no to things & when he sank to the top of his front legs & tipped me in he looked scathingly at me,as if to say 'tried to warn you'!
 
Many years ago in a riding lesson i fell off into the sandy orange mud in the school, i then had to go home on the bus, i was about 12 and got some very strange looks!!

Another time i stayed on a bucking horse all around the school, then fell off when he was standing still.
 
I wasn't as embarrassed as the horse.

I'm another who's only fallen off 3 times in the last 20 yrs. I had been for a nice quiet hack with sister and was riding home down a quiet off-road track behind some houses. As we were very close to home and we were chatting, I had the 'bombproof' piebald 14.3 cob on a loose rein. She spotted a rolled up carpet which had been put outside one of the houses to await the rubbish collection. She had her eye on the carpet and tripped down a rut in the track, landing on her knees. She righted herself immediately but I slid down her shoulder and landed on the ground. She had a quick look at me to check that I was OK, then immediately looked away and ignored me as I climbed up her leg, checked her for injuries (none) and got back on. I could almost hear her say 'Who is this numpty?'
 
My funniest was probably my first fall off Ethel when she was 3. One day I did round the world on her and she stood like a rock so the next day I decided to show my friend how good Ethel was. As I was halfway round and sitting on her backwards with no reins or stirrups, I lost my balance and fell forward. I put my hands on her bum to stop myself falling, thinking she'd be fine and I could carry on. No, Ethel promptly took off broncing with me across the school, whilst I sat in shock wondering what to do. She soon sorted that out for me as she turned the corner and bucked, sending me flying backwards into the sand leaving me flat on my back. I lay there wetting myself as it was so funny, while Ethel went and stood with my friend with a look on her face as to say, "NEVER, do that again!" Poor girly :o

I have loads from the racehorses, the time I hung onto the side of a cantering racehorse for about a furlong up the gallops before giving up and letting go. Another time I hung onto the side of a different horse who had whipped round sending me over her shoulder but clinging on for dear life. I slowly slid down as the filly was cantering off until I was sat on the rail, then eventually fell down and got trampled :/ I once fell off as a result off watching my friend fall off as we were cantering back down the gallops, my horse jibbed to avoid running into the back of another horse who bucked to kick my horse but instead kicked me in the head on the way down!
 
tonitot said:
My funniest was probably my first fall off Ethel when she was 3. One day I did round the world on her and she stood like a rock so the next day I decided to show my friend how good Ethel was. As I was halfway round and sitting on her backwards with no reins or stirrups, I lost my balance and fell forward. I put my hands on her bum to stop myself falling, thinking she'd be fine and I could carry on. No, Ethel promptly took off broncing with me across the school, whilst I sat in shock wondering what to do. She soon sorted that out for me as she turned the corner and bucked, sending me flying backwards into the sand leaving me flat on my back. I lay there wetting myself as it was so funny, while Ethel went and stood with my friend with a look on her face as to say, "NEVER, do that again!" Poor girly :o

I have loads from the racehorses, the time I hung onto the side of a cantering racehorse for about a furlong up the gallops before giving up and letting go. Another time I hung onto the side of a different horse who had whipped round sending me over her shoulder but clinging on for dear life. I slowly slid down as the filly was cantering off until I was sat on the rail, then eventually fell down and got trampled :/ I once fell off as a result off watching my friend fall off as we were cantering back down the gallops, my horse jibbed to avoid running into the back of another horse who bucked to kick my horse but instead kicked me in the head on the way down!
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Ouch to all of the above :eek::eek:
 
Oh...I've got several...let me narrow it down to two....

First one...starting a 3 year old under saddle. In the indoor, asking for canter, instructor helping support and reinforce leg aids from the ground with a lunge whip. Had a western saddle on her, and the off billet was one that slid through the rigging and wasn't tied to itself. I put the girth pin through one hole of the billet. Missed the other. Tied it up on the nearside and when the filly rocketed into canter, the loose end of the billet slipped through the rigging and me and the saddle both came off, feet still in stirrups when I hit the ground. Oops. lesson learned, always tie the off billet to the rigging!

Second one I was reschooling a 13.1hh pony for sale. Took her to a local show to show over fences. Just before her class we were flatting then went to pop the warm up fences real quick. She popped the crossrail beautifully, then the oxer. Brought her back around on the other rein toward the oxer again and she stopped dirty. Me being a little too tall for her, but none too heavy, I went straight over her head and into the wooden poles. On my gravity induced trip to the ground, I caught a case of Tourrett's and said "Da**it, Valerie!" Probably should have controlled my mouth a little better since the ring was full of children on ponies. :o
 
Armas said:
Not me nor do I know who this is but had to share ouch. Well done who ever you are for the work after.

[youtube]998oZvL-jy8&feature=related[/youtube]
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I was about to post when I saw this - it's not me in the film - but almost exactly what happened to me the other day :o

The other two that spring to mind are:

Being dumped into a log fence at the side of the school - with witnesses - painful - but more embarrassing than anything.

Second was on a beach ride on holiday this year - I was dumped into the sea after the pony I was riding put a foot in a sunken spot in the beach - I was absolutely drenched and poured out half the ocean from my jod boots - i'm so glad no-one filmed it :D
 
Best fall off my pony - bareback on mine 12.2hh mind, friend bareback on hers, out the field, down the back lane and back up through the yard, had a canter race across long diagonal of outdoor school as that was the way to get back to our stable block (through the school), it happened to be half term or similar as hut was full of kids watching, canter to halt at entrance to stable block ensured i lost my balance and ended up in muddy puddle .... whilst wearing cream jodhs and kids laughing

Best jumping dismount, 13hh possibly, dunno quite what happened but ended up stood on top of the poles, with pony stood alongside ready for me just to mount
back up

Have also done the "riding small pony towards low branches" thing, friend (instructor) shouts "DUCK" and me going "eh, where" before managing to avoid the extremely low one somehow, pony was probably smaller than 12.2hh as well ... Friend can still remember this as well and reminded me of it on the phone after we hadn't spoke for like 15 odd years ... and she was still laughing her head off about it !
 
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Best one I have is from when I first got Cobby. Cobby was (and to some extent, still is) spooky and anxious and AFAIK had never been hacked alone. It was the second time I'd taken him out and we went up the lane the yard was on, round a short circuit in some woods and then back down the lane to the yard. We were just coming down a path in the woods when Cobby spooked and took off in trot (very fast "driving" trot) anyway we came up to a corner but whilst he went round it I did not! Cobby then buggered off back to the yard...

However at the end of the lane in front of the woods was a pub, so by the time I got out of the woods about 20 people in the pub had seen Cobby high tailing it back to the yard without me so they were all about to come looking for me, as well as the people from the yard (another 10 or so) who were bringing Cobby back to me to ride home. Talk about a walk of shame! :o


There is also this lovely sequence from last year...
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whizzer said:
In a pond,freezing mid December. Had to hack miles home,with covered in pond weed & with sopping wet knickers! Only had myself to blame, pony had refused to go into pond & I'd pushed him on. He was not the type to say no to things & when he sank to the top of his front legs & tipped me in he looked scathingly at me,as if to say 'tried to warn you'!
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Sorry to be thick Whizzer, but why were you trying to ride into a pond??!! :confused::D
 
Was jumping at a riding school back when I was fairly novice still. Mare was a green and slightly hot ex-racer who had a habit of shooting off like a missile towards jumps - but only jumping them about 50% of the time. Jumped a st. andrews cross, and my stirrup broke over it.

Cue me clinging on pretty much underneath the horse (still not sure how). Managed to pull myself up, to lots of cheering and finally pull galloping horse up...she stopped, then put her head down and I very slowly slid down her neck past the point of no return.

Instructor and all other student laughing hysterically, and instructor just says 'I have your stirrup leather'
 
I fell off my god-daugthers 10.2 pony aged 35 in front of a camp site full of bikers. I'm 5'10" and my feet touched the ground but the little ***** dropped his should and I was on my back on the ground before I could organise my thought to exit in a more dignified manner. He was build like an outside convience and I'm slim so there wasn't a cruelty issue.
 
pansymouse said:
I fell off my god-daugthers 10.2 pony aged 35 in front of a camp site full of bikers. I'm 5'10" and my feet touched the ground but the little ***** dropped his should and I was on my back on the ground before I could organise my thought to exit in a more dignified manner. He was build like an outside convience and I'm slim so there wasn't a cruelty issue.
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ROFL!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D
 
First time I trialled one of my ponies, fabulous little mare very pretty to look at but had spent a couple of years with a family who only used to jump the same couple of jumps on the odd weekend, poor thing was bored to death, unfit and fed too high a diet. Was taken out with a couple of the girls from the yard got to the first canter she gave a wacking great big buck jumped sideways and unseated me, second buck and off I came.... my first fall right on my behind whilst the others galloped off into the distance :o She spent the first year bombing off, totally unpredictable and I spent a lot of time on the wrong side of hedges with subsequent walks home. Had her 10 years total pride and joy bombproof by the time we finished with her :D
 
Most embarassing (due to the sheer number of people who saw it happen) and also the most painful (resulting in years of problems that thankfully now are fixed):

Out hunting on an open mountain and giving my cousin chase (he'd been winding me up about how much better his horse was than mine - we were both 14). My parents and all the other vehicle followers were travelling parallel to where we were galloping on a military road and could see me heading flat out towards the road, where there was a three foot hidden ditch. The horse spotted it before I did and slammed the brakes on, I went cartwheeling through the air and landed on my back half in the ditch half on the road! All I remember was seeing vehicles driving by upside-down and my mare looking at me from above the ditch as if to say 'well how did you get down there?'

Oops!
 
I have two.

The first was off my first pony when I was about 12. We had gone to our first pony club clear round event and I had got him round a whole round of jumps (not clear but that was an achievement!) so was feeling particularly smug as we were heading home across the common, where we would normally canter. There was a rugby match on with quite a crowd so we decided the sensible thing would be to go past slowly. Blue took exception to this and decided he wanted to canter. I told him no so he decided to buck me off instead...in front of a crowd of about 200 people. You would think that was enough but he wasn't finished there. Oh no. As I picked myself up, a bit dazed, I looked up to see him munching some grass.....somewhere around the half way line as the referee blew his whistle to stop play. Some kind prop spared me the embarrassment of having to go on to the pitch to collect him, brought him to me and chucked me back on him. He was allowed to canter then - anything to get away.:o

The second was at the Badminton ride. I had been determined to go for years but things kept getting in the way and my old horse was getting on a bit, so when friends dropped out one by one, I decided that with him being 24, it was my last chance and I was going regardless. I set off, went through the water beautifully (great photos!) and then on to the big long stretch of grass (its name escapes me now). There were fences all up the left hand side and a big open space up the right, but as I was aware I needed to take things slowly as we had a long ride ahead of us and he was starting to feel his age, I didn't want to gallop or jump so tucked myself out of the way between the hedge on the left and the jumps and walked quietly. The next thing I know something (I later worked out it was a squirrel) flew out of the hedge, landed on my boy's neck and then, with a powerful leap disappeared. By this point, I am lying on the floor laughing my head off and Eb is looking at me with a very bemused expression that seemed to say "Wtf just happened?":confused:

A couple of young girls (they can't have been more than about 13) heard the noises coming from me and thought I was crying, so rushed over to help me. I was laughing too much to explain why it was so funny. If you were one of those girls though, I was very grateful you stopped, if a little embarrassed that you as kids thought you needed to help me as a twenty-something adult!
 
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We were selling a really bombproof type school mistress to a family and even tho I had broken ribs at the time I decided I'd ride her as the other guy I worked with was way too tall! I got on and rode her round and was saying bla bla she's really anybodys ride and you just really couldn't fall off her, she jumps pretty much anything under 4ft etc etc!
So I turn in on a bad stride but thought she would sort me out as usual to a 2'6 x pole and she stops dead, cue me falling straight over her head and landing flat out on the poles! I obviously was in a lot of pain as I all ready had broken ribs and start wailing and screaming swear words at the horse! Family look shocked and hurry away!!
Sadly I was just starting to stop cringing when they came up to speak to me at a show when I was trying to show off again and tell the story to anyone who will listen :(
 
A funny one about how karma works.

During a round of chase me charlie another girl was being horrible about useless me and my fat hairy Ardennes. I was a big wimp jumping and used to wince at 2ft6 but I was determined that day to out jump her. It got to about 4ft and I was so scared that I thought if I subtly dropped all contact a few strides out he'd grind to a nice safe halt. I did that and bless him he performed the ugliest cat leap and dropped me in some muck. Other girl was creased up in laughter.

She goes up, arms legs and whip going, shiny new TB bolts to the gate and dumps her in the water trough.

Our parents made us shake hands, me covered in horse pooh, her soaked.

Another one was going on a riding holiday hack, saying I was confident and experienced (hah) and having the horse go down for a roll in the river. Thankfully the mare was unhurt, I felt an utter idiot!
 
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