LEARNING THE HARD WAY, Why you don't want to.

Big Ben

Big Ben

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My name is Big Ben, and I am an idiot. Currently I'm a broken battered and bruised idiot, you know that phrase, "Green on green equals black and blue"? Yeah, well I am the current poster child for that one, black, blue, and casted and in a sling.

On July 1st my life changed, fortunately all the damage will heal, broken left arm, smashed right clavicle, multiple rib breaks on the right, and a collapsed lung, and then extensive bruising, scrapes, cuts, etc. I spent 19 days in hospital, and am now home again, still living on morphine, and it will be a while before I can take care of myself again. I tell you this not to garner sympathy, but to explain the reality.

Ben was the horse of my dreams and wants, I wanted to ride that fantastic movement, I could close my my eyes and see me and him dancing together in perfect harmony. The harsh reality is that a nervous older unfit rider of little talent got herself too much horse, and through no fault of the horse, ended up in a wreck.

Also learned:

While you need to be fit to ride, you need to be even fitter to survive a wreck, re hab is hard work. Seriously, there is nothing like relying on others to make you rethink your weight and fitness, so start working on it just in case.

Fortunately I had in the week before the wreck, sold one, sent one to training, and another out on loan, so there are only two horses here, who are easy keepers, so non horsey hubby has been able to keep them ticking over. Do you have plans in place in case you are suddenly laid up?

I fortunately, and unusually had a friend with me on the day, she called 911 on her phone, and called my husband on mine. Another thought, if you have a password lock on your phone, maybe you should consider having your emergency contact details as your screen saver.

Last for now, although I knocked out cold for a while, broke my glasses, and mashed up my nose a little, THANK GOD I was wearing my crash hat. I ended up having sense knocked into me, rather than dealing with lasting brain damage, I know when I get my slings and cast off I will be able to cut my food and feed myself again, if I had scrambled the brain I may have been looking at being spoon fed forever!
 
Oh bloody hell, I wish you a swift recovery. What a blessing you had halved the numbers!

Cracking idea about emergency contact details as screen saver.
 
Oh BB. I was wondering how you were getting on and thinking of sending you a pm as you've not been posting much. What a shame this has happened now. I hope you manage to find a comfy pain free position to sit/ sleep in and wishing you a speedy recovery. How did it happen ?
 
God that sounds horrendous, I wish you a speedy recovery and hope that the pain improves soon. Sounds like a really nasty accident, thank god you had someone with you.
 
Good lord that sounds nasty. Don't feel bad at being looked after, you need it and we all do our bit in the journey of life...this is just a time for you be looked after, not do the looking after.

Take it easy and do let us know what happened...a lot of people get hurt when overhorsed so your thread is extremely responsible and welcome in the horse community.

Really wishing you the best and speediest recovery. You poor, poor thing. Xxx
 
That can't have been easy to type - some very good points raised.

I wish you a swift recovery. What will you do with the beautiful Ben now?
 
I have been following your threads for a long time but never posted.

Sorry to hear of your fall and I hope your back to normal quickly.
 
Oh my word that sounds as though you were so lucky to have your friend there and to have reduced horse numbers before hand too. Good job you were wearing your hat too. What happened to cause such bad injuries?
 
LOL, the fall was S T U P I D, but was actually a build up event lasting a couple of weeks. Two weeks before I was working with my trainer on canter transitions, and the big guy took a very enthusiastic plunge into the change, I got left behind, then got pulled forward, got in a muddle, stopped riding, and eventually left over his right shoulder. Managed to shake that one off, but Ben was confused by someone coming off of him.

Fast forward two weeks, I am mounting, using the block, and trying to get him stood up right, he is a little jiggly because he doesn't know the mare my friend had brought over to ride with us.

Another stupid admission, she was joshing me about being to fussy about mounting, and instead of keeping on standing him up, I made a lunge onto him, I felt the saddle start to slip, and then nothing, it's blank. My friend says he was worried by me being off balance, and kind of skittered away. Still not sure if I got kicked or trodden on, but did a bunch of damage for a nothing accident.

So the boy did nothing wrong, he is just green, and needs a balanced and secure rider to help him get his confidence back. He will be going for a month with my trainer, and then will be sold to a more suitable owner.
 
First of all I hope you are getting some TLC and hope you get well soon.
We all do things we shouldn't and most of the time we get away with it. My daughter was getting on her young horse on a muck tub ( we were at venue with no mounting block), he got spooked by something banged the bucket, shot forward and she go dragged fortunately not far. We managed to work through it but there was always a chance he would panic when mounting.
The last time I fell off it wasn't the fall that did me it was the school fence that cracked a rib, I now say I am too fat and too old to ride. The last time I got on our old pony I realised I couldn't ride at all although in my head I can so I have decided I'd rather not put any animal through it.
Get well soon.
 
That just sounds like pure unlucky to me BB.

It amazes me how our bodies work. 5 weeks ago I land on tarmac and my 16hh lands on top of me and I am left with just severe bruising. Thursday afternoon a young livery at the yard fell over in her school playground...whilst just walking and has broken her elbow...not very nicely either.

I really feel for you. Accidents happen but being happy with your horse is important. He sounds so lovely...poor thing probably just had a, "what the hell just happened" moment after like my Molly did.

Really hope you heal up fast.
 
Oh no! Poor you that sounds awful :-( I think those nothing falls can be the worst, because youa are not expecting it you can't react and prepare by falling better, I broke my arm in a nothingy fall.

Hope you heal ok and you're right, improving fitness is always helpful, I definitely need to do that!
 
Sounds awful, I wish you a speedy recovery. Also a big thank you for explaining the reasons that it happened, and the consequences. Sometimes a 'nothing' accident causes huge injury, and if it makes people think just for a minute about safety, wearing a hat etc, that's got to be good. Also kudos for not blaming the green horse, but recognising the problem and dealing with it.
 
I hope you have a speedy recovery.
I think we all do ( or have done ) silly things, most of the time we are lucky and get away with it.
Kx
 
Sorry to hear about your nasty fall :( Often falls whilst mounting seem to be bad for some reason.

I was lucky when one day I was getting on standing on my tack box which I have used for 10 years and it flipped over as ground was a bit uneven and I landed on my back in front of my horse. Luckily all he did was stare at me wondering why I was lying down in front of him but if he had spooked it could have been very different.

Wishing you a speedy recovery.
 
Oh BB, not good to catch up and find out you've done yourself a mischief! Get well soon, take it easy!

Sorry to hear you will sell your dream boy... :(

xx
 
oh no Big Ben so sorry to read this! You poor soul. You have been really unlucky - I like others have done many far sillier things and got away with it (AND am old and stiff to boot). Hopefully though that means you will be lucky in terms of having a quick recovery from now. Thank goodness your friend was there to get help quickly. Sending healing vibes.
 
Big Ben said:
He is and always has been a great horse, he will do well with the right person, and that isn't me, I just wish that I had got there sooner, but Oh well, some of us insist on learning the hard way.
Click to expand...

We do indeed! My first horse put me off on the road because I wasn't a strong or confident enough rider to cope with her napping. She went to a home that could deal with her quirks and has done well with them. Your boy sounds very genuine, and I hope you find the best for him, and yourself x
 
Sorry to hear of your dreadful injuries. :(

Wishing you a speedy recovery, and a happy future for Ben.
 
sussexbythesea said:
Sorry to hear about your nasty fall :( Often falls whilst mounting seem to be bad for some reason.

I was lucky when one day I was getting on standing on my tack box which I have used for 10 years and it flipped over as ground was a bit uneven and I landed on my back in front of my horse. Luckily all he did was stare at me wondering why I was lying down in front of him but if he had spooked it could have been very different.

Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Click to expand...

:D I fell off of my tack box while training my last youngster, wasn't actually mounting, just doing the prep work, he was as good as gold!
 
19 days is a hell of a long time to be in hospital, you must have been really smashed up :( I hope you heal up quickly with no need for physio.
 
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BB, I'm so sorry to hear about your fall, I wish you a speedy recovery and it appears that this has given you a knock to your confidence and your self belief. I just wanted to say, years ago I read a book called understanding horses, it was such a fantastic book with many tales of horse ownership experiences, one of the many that impacted on me was this one:

The woman was backing a young horse, the day she sat on its back, all was quiet, she and the horse were on their own and she was focused completely on her horse, reading the language and listening, she got on, asked for a few steps dismounted, all went like a dream. Fast forward a week or so, she went to do the same, but her friend was there, she was focusing more on chatting than on what she was doing and a tad complacent because of how well the first time had gone, she didn't even see the signs, the horse threw a wobbly and she came a cropper.

It is simply a reminder, that we should always focus on our horses, not that we are aiming too high by riding them xx you will get better, and this will knock some of your confidence, but don't give up on your dream xx
 
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