Nearly died!!

[AngieScorpio]

So today i had my riding lesson (30 minute private) and the pony i ride stumbled and went right down onto his nose and knee while we were in trot he managed to stumble back on to his feet seemingly unhurt just a bit shocked i think.... the title is a bit dramatic but you never know could of ended badly for us both! My instructor was impressed i didn't lose my stirrups and i stayed on but i'm concerned that it was my fault somehow, he has had little trips before when i have rode him so now worried it is my riding?! (I did ask her if it was something i did and she said no) We were riding in a field as there is no school at the yard and it is a bit slippy and the ground isn't perfectly smooth (grass) but it's not that bad. So what i wanted to know was could it have been caused by me or could i have done something to help him (It all happened in a split second but as his front end went down i leaned back to stay balanced)

 

[be positive]

Well done for reacting so well, leaning back meant you stayed in balance and gave the pony help to get back up rather than continuing all the way down, if he trips a lot or the ground is uneven try and stay in a good balanced position at all times ensuring he is moving forward purposely, if you become too defensive and try to "help" him it may have the opposite effect and he could trip more, if he trips too much it may be that he requires some attention to his feet but that is not something you can do anything about assuming this is a riding school.

 

[Orca]

Firstly, it's unlikely it is your fault. My pony went down briefly yesterday when she lost her footing. She was unridden and having a little panicky dance about something.

Is he an older pony? I only ask because my first one started to trip up as he got old, a mix of stiffness and arthritis setting in. To be honest, a pony which trips regularly isn't really safe. All horses will trip, slide and even go down sometimes but if this really is a regular occurrence, then I think I'd use or ask for a different one. You did very well to counter his fall this time but unfortunately, it's not always possible to. We retired my trippy pony for safety and his own sake.

 

[AngieScorpio]

Thanks for reply, i feel better now. He isn't a riding school pony so i informed his owner of the fall and she checked him to make sure he wasn't showing signs of being lame/hurt. I think she is quite good with having farrier/dentist etc out so hopefully if anything is wrong with his feet it will be picked up. You mentioned him going forward purposely which made me think could he trip because he is a bit cheeky and difficult? He tries to get out of what he is being asked to do he will try to slow down and if that doesn't put me off he will try speeding up. We were doing work on circles as well and he doesn't like to bend my instructor said (He is a 7 yr old connemara) on some bits of the lesson i was getting half a circle and then on the other side a lovely skipping sideways down the field haha He even threw in an unexpected canter, my instructor made me persist until i got him to comply so maybe he had the grumps? He never tripped for the rest of the lesson after that big one but still continued to be a bit cheeky but i do love his little attitude.

 

[AngieScorpio]

Thanks for reply. He is 7 i believe. I have another lesson on him Friday so i am having fingers crossed it doesn't happen anymore as although it didn't scare me i know it could end badly for me , pony or both of us

 

[LovesCobs]

Well done, I went straight over my lads neck smacked my head on the floor and had great arm grazes when this happened to me!
The horse you were riding was probably on his forehand and possibly not concentrating lol. Does he lean on your hands? It can be typical of some cobs bit not a frequent occurance.
In 5 years my lad has only properly done this once though he does trip here and there, not to that extent. Try not to dwell on it and ask for advise from your instructor on helping the horse balance.

 

[Booboos]

The odd trip (once every few months) over rough ground is just bad luck and could be helped by teaching the pony to carry himself more. If he trips several times each session there is probably something wrong with him and he should be examined by an experienced vet. I wouldn't ride him until the issue was sorted as this kind of fall can be quite dangerous for the rider.

 

[AngieScorpio]

Thanks for all replies LovesCobs that sounds awful glad you survived

 

[9tails]

It's extremely rare to die from a trip, especially at low speed.

 

[LovesCobs]

Thanks for all replies LovesCobs that sounds awful glad you survived

i got back on and carried on the hack
travelling at trot and going straight over their head tends to get you clear of any danger. new hat was needed partly because i fell on my head but also because i broke the peek and ripped the velvet. it was both knees to the floor not one.
i didnt get any sympathy I just got told off by the yard owner for wearing short sleeves (hence the grazes!)
let us know how your next lesson goes AngieScorpio

 

[Booboos]

It's extremely rare to die from a trip, especially at low speed.

The speed is irrelevant. When you get bucked off the force of the buck helps you tumble in the air and land on your bum. When the horse falls forward you have no chance and land on your face, head or neck, with possibly the horse falling on you. It's a very dangerous type of fall.

 

[BethH]

Check the farrier isn't leaving his toes too long and that the heels aren't running forward. Tripping can be a classic sign of toe first landing....

 

[DappleGreyDaydreamer]

Nice job on knowing to sit back and counteract the horse's trip, you probably avoided a worse accident in doing that luckily you weren't going full speed, so it was very unlikely to be serious. I have a 5yr old I'm training and he is very nosy with yard going-ons, and if he's distracted watching something else when we're riding, I'll take him by surprise by asking for trot/canter and he'll jump forward and trip every time (he is slowly learning to pay more attention) but I understand your title of "nearly died" because every time my boy trips I swear profusely, it really is a missing-a-step-on-the-stairs kind of terrifying lurch!!

Wasn't your fault, horses trip sometimes, either they don't place their feet properly, they get distracted and then startled by a rider's aid like my boy, or worst case scenario, they have a minor hoof/leg issue. If this pony trips quite often, you could suggest to the owner that they ride with brushing boots on - my horse wears those - as they won't fix the problem, but they will make it so that in the event of a trip, pony won't damage his hooves by accidentally kicking himself.

Good luck with the rest of your riding, don't let it knock your confidence, you did everything right

 

[Natch]

Well done for staying on, must have been sitting well balanced

Lots of things might have caused or contributed to his trip. The most likely ones are that he was on slippery ground, not balanced and turning a circle, in my opinion.

The ground; hopefully your instructor will make sure not to ask you to do dangerous things on unsuitable ground.

Him not being balanced; I think that might be down to a combination of him being quite young and inexperienced, and you may not yet know how to recognise things like if he was what we call "on the forehand" and how to ride to change that. Asking your instructor for a lesson on this might help

 

[mega spoilt ponies]

My horse tripped and fell nose first while cantering, i broke my back

 

[AngieScorpio]

Hi all, Thanks for your replies. Just wanted to give an update. He doesn't seem to be tripping any more (hooray!) It stopped the week after that big trip happened. I agree with those of you who said it was probably a combination of him being inexperienced , slippy ground and him being 'on the forehand' as my instructor said i need to get him working from behind more. We have been working on my half halts and now he is going better he doesn't really trip. He has had the odd small blip (nothing dramatic and recovered instantly) so i think it is when he is trying to be lazy/silly or when his attention isn't on what we are doing he puts his feet down sloppily. The half halts are helping keep his pace steady and not be on the forehand so much and now we have got him going better he seems more sure footed although now he has decided on my weak side (right rein) which is his good side he will just canter off when asked for trot when we get about 20 minutes into the lesson and he has had enough of this schooling business but that is for another thread haha