The stupidest thing you did- horse wise.

Ha ha, love reading all of these - at least i'm not the only one!

One that springs to mind for me was forgetting to do my girth up when I went riding with my cousin. I got distracted as I was putting on the saddle, having attached the girth one side, then forgot about it and got on from a mounting block. I think we'd been riding about 10 minutes on a fairly busy road before i realised the annoying clinking sound was the girth dragging on the floor! Very stupid but also very lucky.
 
It would be hard to single out the stupidest thing as having ponies in the 70s there was a lot less health and safety to worry about. Jumping gates out hacking rather than opening them was pretty common.

My sister and I were once out hacking and got lost and ended up hacking home via the hard shoulder of what became the M25 in the dusk.

Another time I jumped a nice little hedge out hacking only to notice the flipping big drop down into the field on the other side. Had no chance of jumping back out and had to go field hopping until I found an unlocked gate hoping that the farmer wouldn't pass by - fortunately he didn't.

Srcumping apples from the trees down the road by standing on our ponies backs whilst they grazed on the verge. We never checked but I have no idea if they were standing on their reins or not.

I always wore my velvet crash hat when riding but thought nothing of jumping on bare back with just a headcollar on and no hat to turn the pony out or catch in (which ususally involved going flat out across the schooling field to get to the ponies field.
 
My old boy lived on a yard where his field was down a steep hill and over a concrete bridge over a little brook. He was notoriously difficult to mount (he was so keen to get going he would never stand still) so I never used to ride him up from the field - until the day my non-horsey friends were with me. Partly showing off and partly as I had 'help' to get on, I got one of the non-horsey friends to hold him in the brook (it was very low in the summer and just as easy to walk through as go over the bridge) while I got on him bareback from the bridge. He started to go when I was half on, non-horsey friend (obviously) let go. I fell off and somehow (I still don't know how) managed to hit my face on the edge of the bridge. My teeth cut into my bottom lip and nearly went all the way through. The only reason I didn't go to A&E was Dad was away and mum passes out as soon as she walks in there so I wouldn't let her take me. Instead, I had a flannel stuffed inside my bottom lip applying pressure to stop the bleeding for 6 hours. I still have a scar there now, 25 years later.

Same pony was also a git to lead, he'd just drag you wherever he wanted to go. One day I was in a hurry so rather than put his headcollar on to get him in, wrapped a leadrope round his neck. He started dragging me to his stable knowing there was food in there for him. I couldn't hold him so I let go thinking he'll go to his stable - which he did. Unfortunately he did it with such force that the clip end of the leadrope got flung into the air and flew straight into my head. I've never seen so much blood. It wasn't that big a cut but I had to go and have it glued as it wouldn't stop bleeding. I was an adult by this point but OH worked away so had to rely on my parents again. Luckily Dad was around that time so mum didn't have to take me but I never did get to go out with my friends - which is why I was hurrying in the first place.
 
When I was younger I hacked out on a friends pony, one of the rides we did had a low stream as the turn around point. I hopped off before letting him go in to remove his exercise bandages and gamgee pads (showing my age now!) I rolled them up neatly and left them in a little pile close by, hopped back on and took the pony for a little paddle. When I was ready to go home I hopped off to rebandage at the same time as a loose dog came by. He took off with the bandages leaving me, his owner and the pony chasing him for them. Eventually his owner managed to retrieve them and let me rebandage the ponys legs with now wet (which was what I was trying to avoid!) exercise bandages.
 
Not sure where to start so.....
1. We used to herd the cow s like we were on the range and split off a couple for our rodeo. Me and emmerdale piglet (nickname we gave the farmers son) has a cracking time till his dad found out.
2. We used to race the scramblers over their course, we usually won but we did loose a lad off the side of the big ramp and he landed with the bike in top, we jumped him and the bike.
3. We used to canter in every bit of grass, track and ended up in the local cut on a couple if occasions. We had to be winched out once by the fire brigade. I got smacked by dad for that one.
4. We used to put the ponies in a garage when we went to the chippy.
5. We used to take air pistols and knives and play cowboys and Indians, I shot my sister by accident once and got smacked by mum then dad for that. We also made a bush like cot and tried to drag it like i was injured like they do in the cowboy films and the pony took off and I was too stupid to loose the rope and ended up quite badly hurt.
6. We decided to play hide and seek on horse back...... My sister got dragged through a gorse thicket that was about 10ft thick as her horse knew where we were and used to get separation anxiety. I got grounded and walloped for that one.
7. Riding 2 up with my sister, she had the reins and was sat behind and would not gallop up the field. I pushed her off, she got knocked out and ended up in hospital with severe concussion..... I told parents pony had bucked, so they threatened to sell Tony, so I had to fess up... Got grounded for a week, had to miss pony club camp and yep you guessed it got walloped for that to.

Such happy times ?
 
Taking the pony home for a bath. I should have taken him into the back yard via the garage but it was full of junk. My parents were out so I decided to take him through the house - who knew a shod pony would leave dents in the parquet floor in the hall? Apparently I should have...

To get to the good hacking across the main road, rather than ride an extra couple of hundred yards to a crossing and wait we used to dodge across one lane, hop the barrier and cross the other lane with big traffic thundering past.

In my early teens, my ambition was much higher than my ability and I was forever falling off - decided that we'd play racing on he beach so crossed our stirrups over the saddle to get racing length leathers. Nobody told me about bridging reins for balance so landed on my head as soon as we got going. Raced the ponies sitting backwards, that was fine until we got to the fence and they all swerved. Got stood on that time but no broken bones. Tried to canter a pony 'over a cliff' (why?) pony was much more sensible than me and stopped, dropped his head and I went straight down the hill - broken collar bone. Fell off and got dragged because I was riding in trainers, tore all the ligaments in my ankle and split my head open on a rock. Stitches and a cast for that but the following week, I tried to ride the same horse again, slid out the side door because she spooked at my crutches and broke the other collar bone. Never had a hat on because they were only for shows - couldn't risk damaging it by falling off on it! We were insane and my father used to swear that he stopped in A&E every day on his way home from work to see if I was there so that he didn't have to go back out to collect me once he was in...This was all in one summer holidays so it was ok as I didn't miss any school.
 
As a teenager I was showing off by riding my totally unsuitable 5 yo Arab mare bareback in a head collar along a main highway to get to the beach. Obviously I fell off, cracking my tailbone on the curved guttering. Ended up in hospital and couldn't move my legs for about 30 minutes. It was terrifying, but I learned an important lesson lol.
 
Just a few days ago riding one and leading 2 in the forest. My mare is so good to lead, always stays with her head at my knee, so I decided to see what she would do loose (I should add that we were on the home straight with no roads to cross). Of course she took herself home without waiting for the rest of us and was happily in her box eating hay when we arrived. Won't try that one again!
 
My first pony was a lovely NFX gelding. He had the patience of job and was game for anything. Anything that is except being hitched up to the trap at the local stables. He bolted off and jumped the hedge leaving the trap on one side and him on the other. Some how friend and I, who was a girl same age as me (11/12yrs old) but for some reason was known as "Fred", sorted this out and extricated pony and trap. I don't remember being told off for this escapade but afterwards "Fred" sent me a letter apologising for her part in the antic and my step mother found the letter which was signed "Fred" and I got one heck of a telling of for corresponding with a boy!!
My next pony was a sturdy skewbald cob, I used to ride her home for lunch. One day I tied her to the trellis and she ate all the roses. My father was furious.
I also remember, with the NF x gelding, going out into his paddock during a thunderstorm as he was dashing around and jumping on his back. We used to jump bare back without hats as a matter of course.
 
I used to help my friend out with her horses a few years before I got D. One day we were out hacking with her on her TB and I was on a very very strong Welsh D and realised we were running late for a night out (that I was far too young to be on being only 15) so we decided to canter home along a bridleway. When we ere about halfway we realised neither of us could stop and when we hit the end of the track which was a T-junction onto a byway her horse went left, mine went right and we both went over their shoulders into a ditch. We couldn't get up for about 10 minutes for laughing, and I'd still pay good money to see what that must have looked like from a bystanders point of view.

I also used to try and 'bombproof' them by randomly making loud noises while hacking, one of them did actually take off with me. Lesson (kind of) learnt.
 
Ah these are great (well not the painful ones obvs!).

I got Harley when I was 28 - you would have thought I had the sense to always wear my hat when mounted but no, riding along roads bareback in a head collar to turn out never needed a hat! Never came a cropper then.

when I was very young, pre school age, I was walking o n Dartmoor with my grandparents. Grandad was horsy (although this story really rubbishes that!) and tried to lift me onto a feral Dartmoor pony, why oh why would that have been a good idea! ??? pony tried to kick him, and luckily he gave up trying...
 
We went to the beach. I was tacked up waiting to mount and let go of the reins momentarily to adjust my hat. My horse strolled off up the road. I followed and as I got near she trotted. This carried on for quite a while, through a housing estate and my riding pal went a different way to cut her off from a busy road at the end. I almost had her when a resident opened his front door and shooed her away! She was in the bloody road, not on his garden, but I didn't have time to give him a rollocking. I eventually caught her when she trotted round a corner and I was out of sight, she stopped and waited for me because she was scared to be on her own.
 
9tails said:
We went to the beach. I was tacked up waiting to mount and let go of the reins momentarily to adjust my hat. My horse strolled off up the road. I followed and as I got near she trotted. This carried on for quite a while, through a housing estate and my riding pal went a different way to cut her off from a busy road at the end. I almost had her when a resident opened his front door and shooed her away! She was in the bloody road, not on his garden, but I didn't have time to give him a rollocking. I eventually caught her when she trotted round a corner and I was out of sight, she stopped and waited for me because she was scared to be on her own.
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Reminds me of the time I dropped my whip on a bridleway around a golf course, and let go of my Sec D for 2 seconds as I bent down. She took the opportunity to charge across the middle of the golf course. Couldn't get within 5m of her as she made her way to the end of the bridleway to a road. I ended up calling my mum to come and catch her at the end!
 
Oh, dear. Crazyandme's post reminded of a story I'd forgotten. I'd recently moved to Western Massachusetts for uni, and I was riding on the trails near the barn and came across two local riders from a different barn. They invited me along with them, offering to show me some lesser known trails. I happily joined the posse, and they led me along a trail that spat us out at a golf course. It was January or December, so the golf course wasn't in use. They said we should canter across it. There was a sign that said "No horses." But we cantered across it anyway. My horse found this group canter through spongy, open grass very exciting. She started bucking, and I hit the deck. She continued galloping and bucking in big circles around the golf course until she'd got her jollies out, and then she stopped and started eating grass, and I caught her. After I climbed back aboard, we furtively exited the golf course. Those huge, hoof-shaped divets in the pristine green from 1200lbs of Shire-x repeatedly throwing itself into the air? Yeah, I don't know how they got there.
 
Where I worked as a teenager the owners had donkeys that they used for donkey rides and 2 pulled a cart, we had to exercise them in between events they went to, so we sometimes just jumped on them in the school but they were incredibly lazy when not being led so one of us used to stand in the school with a lunge whip while a few of us rode, my friends one just would not move so she asked the whip person to give it a good chase, well it took off bucking and leaping which looked hilarious friend was also laughing, then she came off and was lying on the floor still laughing, I ran over to her and noticed her arm had a bone sticking out of her wrist and was pouring blood I screamed she stopped laughing and was now also screaming, hence to say we were not allowed to ride the donkeys anymore.
 
Talking of golf courses. I took Minto to the beach at St. Andrews. The golf course runs along the beach. The very famous golf course...,

So we had had a lovely time and was untacking when for some reason he took off with bridle half off. He set off running up the road but of course saw the first fairway and thought this was much more suitable. He then found himself in the 18th green so set off across that then turned and came back across.

I set off running after him. Of course there was a tournament going on with many people from America competing. They had all stopped playing and were stood at the side as I ran past saying “he went that way”.

When I finally came across him he was right at the top near the town and had 5 people holding him down as bridle was trashed and he was naked. Apparently the very important person was hosting more very important people looking out over the 18th green.

I retrieved him and did the walk of shame back to the lorry. Then the police turned up! Thankfully they were very kind and just concerned that none was hurt. Apparently for a while after horses were. It allowed on the beach....

Next day dad rang me. “You are in the papers” “haha very funny” “ no really you are!” I still have the cut outs.

Big oops.
 
I've done many stupid things but luckily only one of them resulted in an actual accident.

I used to own a stupid horse who was convinced it was his way or the highway. One day out on a hack he spooked at a stone on the floor and bolted home. Before he got to the main road I chucked myself off and broke my foot. As soon as my foot was better I was so irritated by his idiotic behaviour I took him back out, alone, along the same route. Well the little arsehole did exactly the same thing, I chucked myself off again and ended back up on crutches for 6 weeks.
 
I had a young Fell pony when I was about eighteen and I was doing a lot of long reining with him ready to back him. He was doing well and we went out for miles. One day we were going along the canal towpath and I got a big blister on my heel. After limping for a while I'd had enough so climbed aboard off a fence sitting behind the roller and coiling up the long reins. "Walk on" I said giving him a flick on the bum with the long reins and fortunately he did and we carried on home totally uneventfully.
 
Kamikaze said:
Talking of golf courses. I took Minto to the beach at St. Andrews. The golf course runs along the beach. The very famous golf course...,

So we had had a lovely time and was untacking when for some reason he took off with bridle half off. He set off running up the road but of course saw the first fairway and thought this was much more suitable. He then found himself in the 18th green so set off across that then turned and came back across.

I set off running after him. Of course there was a tournament going on with many people from America competing. They had all stopped playing and were stood at the side as I ran past saying “he went that way”.

When I finally came across him he was right at the top near the town and had 5 people holding him down as bridle was trashed and he was naked. Apparently the very important person was hosting more very important people looking out over the 18th green.

I retrieved him and did the walk of shame back to the lorry. Then the police turned up! Thankfully they were very kind and just concerned that none was hurt. Apparently for a while after horses were. It allowed on the beach....

Next day dad rang me. “You are in the papers” “haha very funny” “ no really you are!” I still have the cut outs.

Big oops.
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Was it Trump playing!?!? ?
 
About 10 years ago our livery yard fenced what had always been an open surface but the gate used to swing open (in to the school) and had to be secured with a string.

I couldn't mount once in the school as I had a treeless saddle / very round horse and really needed a mounting block. The fence barely supported itself and the gate was a nightmare to shut mounted but dangerous left loose.

I thought I taught my mare to hold the gate shut while I secured it from the saddle. What I actually taught her was to push all gates with her nose which was interesting when bringing in from a crowded field.

I also got my leg stuck through the string while mounted the day before going on holiday and the horse panicked and I began to the splits as I was was stuck to the gate and the horse was going away from the gate. Luckily my foot came free but that was terrifying. I think I gave up using that school!
 
9tails said:
We went to the beach. I was tacked up waiting to mount and let go of the reins momentarily to adjust my hat. My horse strolled off up the road. I followed and as I got near she trotted. This carried on for quite a while, through a housing estate and my riding pal went a different way to cut her off from a busy road at the end. I almost had her when a resident opened his front door and shooed her away! She was in the bloody road, not on his garden, but I didn't have time to give him a rollocking. I eventually caught her when she trotted round a corner and I was out of sight, she stopped and waited for me because she was scared to be on her own.
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I’ve also had this happen!
Dismounted on the several thousand acre common to retrieve a lost hoof boot (one of the final nails in the coffin of us trying barefoot). While I was fiddling with the straps the horse decided she’d had enough and was heading home and just trotted off! I couldn’t get within 5m of her without her speeding up, and if I slowed down she’d also slow down. This would be fine as the common is fenced but there are multiple stallions on it and she’s a complete tart, luckily OH was waiting by the gate and I rang him and he came and caught her. I never ever dismount on a hack now - if that’s happened on something leading to a road I shudder to think what could have happened.
 
I have got one, though it does seem fairly tame to most of these.
I grew up in rural Suffolk in the 1970s, and I once galloped across a rape field which had been cut, jumping each cut row as I came across it. Pony started to realise that there was nothing substantial there and we ended up just galloping through the final ones with cut rape flying in all directions.
My parents got a visit from the farmer. I didn't know that they cut the rape and let it dry in those long rows, before coming back and harvesting the now dry rape seed. Hmmm
And sort of related, we used to play in the stubble fields and make courses of jumps from the bales. Once, using a bale as a corner post, a little like in barrel racing, we turned so fast (a retired Prince Philip Cup games pony) the pony's legs went from under him and we ended up flat on the ground! neither of us were hurt, but just a little bit winded, so I got back on and kept going.
 
DirectorFury said:
I’ve also had this happen!
Dismounted on the several thousand acre common to retrieve a lost hoof boot (one of the final nails in the coffin of us trying barefoot). While I was fiddling with the straps the horse decided she’d had enough and was heading home and just trotted off! I couldn’t get within 5m of her without her speeding up, and if I slowed down she’d also slow down. This would be fine as the common is fenced but there are multiple stallions on it and she’s a complete tart, luckily OH was waiting by the gate and I rang him and he came and caught her. I never ever dismount on a hack now - if that’s happened on something leading to a road I shudder to think what could have happened.
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It is because of moments like this that I now always carry a couple of treats when I ride and give one to the horse as soon as I dismount. My hope is that should I go flying or need to faff with a boot or whatever the horse will at least mug me for a treat before buggering off so I should have a brief opportunity to grab the reins!
 
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