Thrills and Spills

GTRJazz

GTRJazz

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As a wise man or woman once said If you do not want to fall off of a horse do not get on one.

I was trying to remember how many times I had fallen off a horse as an adult, I had more as child but that was a long time ago.

Does anyone else have a longer list, or falls that happened in interesting circumstances.

Each of mine have adjusted my riding and I now like to think I am a safer rider because of them. Never had a fall hacking out which I do the most of



1/ Bob jumping
New to it myself thought by hanging over to one side it would help him not run out
And Yes I used to ride motorbikes
Result I fell off and not having the correct footwear my boot stuck in the stirrup
My high kicking days were long over but my leg was well above its normal maximum 20 degree angle
Result pulled all the muscles in the inside of my leg still which are not quite right after seven years

2/ Bob falls over jumping
Wet grass and my horse bouncing around because he did not want to jump resulted in him falling over but did not land on my leg which was good. The importance of wearing correct footwear lesson had been learned

3/ April throws me off
A horse my other half loaned for a few weeks did not like been asked to canter bonked and threw me upside down into the arena wall. Luck for me I had purchased a body protector only a few days before

4/ Lesson on a Dressage horse
Having a lesson on a high level dressage horse he gets spooked and I fall off
Result one bone in my hand splits end to end

5/ Jump Jet
RAF Halton a cross country sponsored ride once a year one of the fences is an old jet aircraft you get a really cool photo if you can jump it.
Horizontal stabilizer I think the call the bit I landed on, the flat part of the tail anyway

6/ Sammy 360
My other half’s Cob quite young at the time charges at a jump trips in the surface and takes off
On noticing his neck and head have gone out of view I jumped off
Just my foot gets trapped under him but even that is just caught
Still takes nearly a year to be pain free

7/Testing a Appaloosa
I wanted another horse found one on Horse Mart tried it around the field but bronked me off as soon as I asked for trot good job I was wearing my body protector .

8/ Jumping in paddock
Got my other horse but not yet a jumping saddle boy can he jump but me not so well
The course was spaced for ponies and he did not like the look of the tyres fence so jumped very high but as there was a ditch in front of it not very long, not quite a bunny hop Anyway
Result cracked ribs which take a few weeks to get better

9/ Pre hunt holiday
Galway Ireland a pre hunt holiday on a loan horse called dynamite he is known for jumping on the tops of the higher wider stone walls then bouncing straight off again.
A clever horse at the last moment sticks his head down to snatch the contact so he does not get riders pulling on his mouth .
We part company when he gets excited and bucks at a canter going across a field
I only knew I had been knocked out as I remembered dreaming
a stiff drink at the bar and back riding the following day

10/ Indoor school jumping, my horse runs at wall
Then turns away quickly which sends me into the wall
I get back on then he does twenty odd laps flat out around the school before giving up takes a while for the dust to settle


11/Schooling
Moved to a new yard my horse is very spooky he hates schooling anyway there is a duck pond and workshop next to it young horses running around among other things.
A fast spook to the right and I am left sitting on the floor non the worst for it as a body protector and the proper riding attire now my standard equipment.
 
The last time I fell of in summer was a funny one. I have a thread on here about it. The last one before that was a good 2 years before on my mother Welsh cob. Again I think there is a thread on here about it.

I don't make a habit of coming off. I have no fear of falling! Falling doesn't hurt! It's the hitting the ground part I don't get on with!
 
Last time I fell off was in halt. Dave felt like he might go to roll, I took my feet out of the stirrups, then he realised that rolling with me on top is not good & bounced back up & pinged me most uncerimoniously out of the side door.
 
Most of my comedy falls were as a teenager, doing stupid things.

One notable one involved lying up my horse's neck while hacking with a friend - we were wandering along, laughing at how our ponies wandered towards home ignoring us, when my lad stopped for a snack and I flopped off into the nettles... Back in those days, I was often throwing myself off for all sorts of daft reasons.

I recall once going to pick up the ball at horseball training without doing up my girth - saddle slipped and I had an impromtu meeting with the ground. That was embarrassing.

My most recent, a couple of years ago, involved deep mud on the bank of a river (which didn't look so bad until we were in it, and rapidly sinking!). Fergus didn't care for it, and tried to climb up the bank, fell over backwards and we scrambled back up separately. That was mostly unpleasant in the volume of mud involved.

I do have something of a reputation for spending more time hanging off my horses than I do in the saddle, which isn't entirely unjustified...
 
JFTD said:
Most of my comedy falls were as a teenager, doing stupid things.

One notable one involved lying up my horse's neck while hacking with a friend - we were wandering along, laughing at how our ponies wandered towards home ignoring us, when my lad stopped for a snack and I flopped off into the nettles... Back in those days, I was often throwing myself off for all sorts of daft reasons.

I recall once going to pick up the ball at horseball training without doing up my girth - saddle slipped and I had an impromtu meeting with the ground. That was embarrassing.

My most recent, a couple of years ago, involved deep mud on the bank of a river (which didn't look so bad until we were in it, and rapidly sinking!). Fergus didn't care for it, and tried to climb up the bank, fell over backwards and we scrambled back up separately. That was mostly unpleasant in the volume of mud involved.

I do have something of a reputation for spending more time hanging off my horses than I do in the saddle, which isn't entirely unjustified...
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Legend.
 
I'm too old and have had too many falls to remember them - apart from my first which sticks (as do some of the more painful ones.....)

I was a Shetland sized tot not long off the lead rein. Bonny was in her mid 20s and had taught pretty much every child in the village to ride. Bonny was a wee bit tubby and knew the tots on board couldn't stop her from reaching for the grass. Down went her neck, down slipped the saddle and off tumbled a tiny SEL. Slightly shocked and probably about to start bawling when Bonny's owner went 'ooops, didn't say it was time to get off yet, up you get'.

She's probably 100% responsible for the addiction 40 odd years later. If they'd made a fuss and I'd been in tears then I think the pony riding would have ended there!!
 
More than I could ever count, given a number of dodgy ponies when I was a teenager.

Favourite one was at Prince Philip Cup training, when my mare took a dislike to the flag, bronced and I ended up sitting behind the cantle while she took off down the field. I stayed on for quite a while, still holding the flag, before another round of broncing.

Second was ou hacking, cantering along a path when a tree swept me off backwards. I landed standing up with a lovely view of my lad's bum disappearing around the next bend. Luckily, he stopped to graze when he realised I was missing!
 
Funniest one was riding a known bolter and of course he bolted! Off the field and across a carpark, jumped a wall onto a road and fell, crashing heavily into a solid post and rail fence. I came off over his shoulder which was on the floor so not far and grabbed his reins. Various kind people dashed up when it became obvious i was wobbling and not walking straight, reason soon discovered, one of the lens had fallen out of my glasses making my odd vision even odder! Horse unhurt and didn't ever bolt again, this was well before back protectors, possible implications for me and horse were huge but we walked away ok. Would not recommend as cure for a bolter though!
 
SEL said:
I'm too old and have had too many falls to remember them - apart from my first which sticks (as do some of the more painful ones.....)

I was a Shetland sized tot not long off the lead rein. Bonny was in her mid 20s and had taught pretty much every child in the village to ride. Bonny was a wee bit tubby and knew the tots on board couldn't stop her from reaching for the grass. Down went her neck, down slipped the saddle and off tumbled a tiny SEL. Slightly shocked and probably about to start bawling when Bonny's owner went 'ooops, didn't say it was time to get off yet, up you get'.

She's probably 100% responsible for the addiction 40 odd years later. If they'd made a fuss and I'd been in tears then I think the pony riding would have ended there!!
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Similarly, having my first ever canter on a pony, aptly named cheeky, along a grass verge.... you can guess the rest ;).
 
I have fallen off at a walk
I have fallen off in between mounting block and horse and ended up under the horse
I have ended up in A&E in such a mangled state that the doctor thought it was a road traffic accident... I was actually just leading a horse.
 
I’ve had plenty of falls over the years, mostly doing daft teenage stuff.

I think the most obscure fall was coming off my Boss’ gorgeous ID out hacking. He was the horse everyone drooled over. Stunning yet as safe as houses, no one came off him before or after I did! Happily hacking along and he did the tiniest of spooks at a flower pot, bam - before I knew it we were both flat on the road, his saddle cantle busting my ribs.

To be honest though, after a spell on a dodgy youngster where I got broncked off far too many times leaving me with permenant physical (and to some extent confidence) issues I now don’t ride anything or do anything with a higher risk of me coming off.
 
Day before yesterday! Clydex has learnt a new trick of blowing out when I do up the girth and I forgot to tighten it. Canter circle and ........

I'm old enough to know better! Feel a right pillock :D
 
My favourite one was when I was about 12 and riding a 15.2 fell pony, with a barrel much too round for my little legs to get round. We trotted up to a ditch, horse stopped, I sat back and relaxed ready to go round again, horse jumped. I remember seeing the trees upside down, then a jolt under my feet and there I was standing by the horse's shoulder on the other side of the ditch, neatly holding the reins. Wish camcorders had existed then!
 
Had the most falls in the time I was a working pupil from age 17-19. I had never fallen off before then! My first was my first day (!), my trainer took me out for a hack. Going up a canter track, her horse spooked sideways and my horse followed. I wasn't paying attention and went out the side door. Nothing but pride hurt.

Had many falls since, came off a youngster on the same canter track (spooked at bush, did a 180). Over jumps, I was adjusting my stirrups and was walking around on loose rein round the outside. My horse decided to just take me up the grid, I had no reins or stirrups, managed to stay on until he turned sharply at the end and I plopped off!

During a flat lesson, we were doing some stretching exercises before starting. Feet out of stirrups, rolling ankles etc, that sort of thing. Horse wasn't keen on some kids running by and started jogging, fast. I kind of bounced sideways and slid off, landed on one foot and the other got stuck up on the saddle so I was kind of doing the splits. I wasn't hurt, but gave everyone a good laugh!

Various others, including a horse-fall with my own horse. He slipped on long wet grass out XC schooling and we just slid over. I got up panic-stricken and he continued to lay there, eating grass.

Hit the deck a few times as he's stopped at a jump, too... Nothing very recently, despite B's best efforts!
 
Too many to recall. I had a good gymkhana pony and she had a habit of bucking as I was trying to get on. She didn't do it all the time and only at shows so I wonder if it was when she was in season. I remember so many times lying on my back on the grass and watching her bum disappearing.

Last one was cantering alongside a stream in March. Ducks flew up from the stream my horse shied sideways, tripped on some tussocky grass, as in "pecked on landing" in racing parlance, and I flew off straight over his disappeared head. From canter to 0 in one easy move. We recovered ourselves at the same time when I discovered that my ankle was hurting a lot. Not wanting to walk a long way back home I tried to get on, when I discovered that I had broken my ribs. Luckily I landed slightly sideways or it might have been my back ...........................
 
My falls mostly involve me flying over the head of a dirty stopper. I've also been jumped out of the tack.

I've only been injured twice. Both were non jumping falls.
A horse slipped and fell and I bizarrely stayed on her. She then managed to lie on top of my leg. (Leg ligament damage).

Another time, was when I was riding bareback.
As I was mounting, horse trotted off down a hill and I rolled off (ligament damage to my shoulder).
I have also fallen off when the saddle went under the horse's belly redface4:
 
My worst riding injury (and only ever fall off Jake) happened at a stand still. We had a camping weekend at the yard and were playing gymkhana games. This particular one involved getting off and on again with a tiny basket, which I promptly got bored of as this wasn’t the forte of a nearly 18hh’er and a rather inflexible rider! So I jumped back on sans basket and waited at the end. Despite being incredibly over excited, I trusted Jake implicitly and waited at the end with no reins and no stirrups, when the YO’s boyfriend came to be helpful and hand me my basket back.

He handed it to me on my right, Jake flew about 6 foot further to the right and I landed and promptly fractured the very bottom vertebra in my back. However, didn’t realise for two days and promptly continued not only to camp until the next day. But get *very* drunk that night, pack away the camping stuff and drive 40 mins home (although I did give the sport day a miss that next morning) I only realised when I lost feeling in one of my legs and promptly went down the stairs so thought I should call 111.

I then competed in Ridden Hunter at the Sunshine Tour 3 weeks later drugged up tk the eyeballs (not advisable) as we had worked so hard to get there! And they say horse women are crazy :D
 
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One memorable evening I came off th same horse 3 or times. He was a showjumper who had given up jumping with his owner but we naively thought he might pop one or two tiny cross poles with me. He came into the jump committed and stopped last minute. I of course kept going. It took a couple of times of this happening for it to click with me to sit up and kick on - he then popped it very nicely for me. Funny the difference actually riding and not just being a passenger makes!

Worst fall I know of was girl who slipped getting on her horse - mangled her leg horrifically involving plates and pins and skin grafts along with several months bed rest.
 
HeyMich said:
My Dad always used to say that you had to fall off 100 times before you became a good horseman.

If that's true, I should be bloody amazing! :-)
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Me too. By this token I should be a far, far better rider than I am :)

At the age of 8 or 9 at a riding school I used to ride a Sec A whose tried and trusted trick was to stick his head down. Saddle then used to move right forward and hey presto I would slide off down his neck.... pretty much every week.

Too many other falls to mention :)
 
Hardly any falling as an adult, and no resulting injuries. My worst was a "nearly" fall when my horse did a 90 degree in front of a jump and I carried on - the perils of jumping in a western saddle became clear as the only thing that kept me on (but hanging way off the side) was the large muscle of my inner thigh, hooked on the horn by a nice tear straight through it. Adrenalin got me back on without touching the ground and finishing my TREC round. I had a black leg and a muscle prolapse and a painful lump which lasted for years. Mostly though, the western saddle has acted in my favour surviving big spooks and sudden stops.
 
I think I am quite lucky - I have only fallen off about 6 times. I make a concerted effort not to fall off!

Some notables:

1. Fainting Mum. Riding favourite pony, Mivvi, on a hack - jumped a log and fell off banging my nose causing a nosebleed. Dad didn't bother to clean me up before taking me home and I walked into the kitchen with blood all over, cue Mother fainting!

2. Halt! Coming back to walk from a trot, no stirrups, horse stopped and dipped the shoulder and I fell off!

3. Most spectacular - riding 4 year old 17.3 ISH, Rocky, who had just had a week off. Went past the mounting block 4 times, 5th time it had turned into a dragon. He just exploded - bucked 4 times, twisted the 5th and I soared into the air, turned a somersault that a gymnast would be proud of and hit the deck. Laying there catching my breath and there's a soft breath on my cheek, poor Rocky was utterly confused and nudging me with his muzzle to try and get me up again really gently. Loved, loved, loved that horse.

4. Dog! I had only had my new horse 5 weeks and was riding round Eton Wick playing fields (trying to avoid the train!) and was trotting along. Dog came out of nowhere and barked at us. My lad went sideways, I was mid rise and pinged off, landed on my feet then pitched forward onto my knees. I thought I had broken them. Guy with the dog just stood and looked at me, said nothing, then walked off. Managed to phone the yard to get them to come and get me. Hobbled around for about 4 weeks with mahoosive bruises on knees and shins. In the following 15 years, I never fell off him again!
 
Too many to remember the dates but starting from the 1970's

1 fractured wrist
2 damaged back
3 broken collar bone
4 broken shoulder
5 on going inflammation to my back from fall above on and off going into facet lock and spasm going from 1977 - to the present and beyond
6 sciatica linked to above back injury again started in 1990 - present time and beyond
7 ruptured tendon off my thumb from fall
8 fracture ribs from fall
9 horse colliding into tree resulting in torn ligaments and tendons in my foot - which lead to collapsed arches and planters Facilities
10 fractured Humerus
11 More Fractured ribs
12 fractured shoulder and cuff tear - leading to on going disability in raising arm
13 horse rearing up and landing on my shoulder and catching my hand
14 slipping on the yard in the mud on the yard- result prepatellar bursitis
15 both ankles are shot twisting in rabbit holes or uneven ground and roll over very easily
16 tripping over the slip rails going into stable and falling onto a treat ball and causing one of the fractured ribs above
17 numerous slips/trips on yard resulting in scrapes
18 fell out the cart onto the road while trying to get out quickly due to carriage collapsed with pony in shafts
19 Horse behind bolted into me when catching my mare knocked me to ground and trod on my heel



I could go on and on with the minor incidents but that is enough. :D
 
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ester said:
Similarly, having my first ever canter on a pony, aptly named cheeky, along a grass verge.... you can guess the rest ;).
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Yup! In fact the lady who owned the little shetland I started on had another slightly bigger one called Zeus who was pure evil. She'd send me out for a hack with the grown-ups (who were probably teenagers and supposed to be supervising me) and the little b***** would stick his head down to eat. I'd pull and pull on the reins and he'd suddenly realise the other horses had gone without him. Flat out gallop to the back of the ride where he'd stop dead - SEL flying lessons again!

Seriously if its 100 falls to be a good rider I should be giving Carl Hester a run for his money these days! I spent 12 months working for a dealer as a teenager until my mum started to worry I might get seriously hurt. The dealer used to buy cheap - and there was a reason they were cheap.
 
More than I care to admit in the years I’ve been riding, I really try hard to stay put now! Last time was a year ago, my mare did her drop shoulder, spin 180, humping then dead stop in 0.5 seconds and I shot off the side.
The time I was trying out a horse and something, a tendon/ ligament I think, snapped in my foot as I landed over a jump. I lost all ability to weight in my foot and the horse launched into a bucking fit and I came off over the side, landed hard on my side and slid along the floor. I had a black eye, a bruise the size of my head on my thigh and a trip to A&E that evening to check my foot wasn’t broken as I couldn’t walk on it at all (I had driven the 2 hours home thou!). I then had an interview for a job the next day. I didn’t buy the horse.

Possibly the more humorous ones are with my previous gelding, Jumping in the school and he landed and shot off, then stopped and dropped a shoulder. I came off the side and landed on my knees and head butted the floor, think landing in a praying position.
Then there was the time with my first mare when going an adult gymkhana seemed like a good idea. So I did the relay with a friend, after she handed me the whip and disappeared across the field, I shot off and my mares infamous bucking appeared and I went over the finish line before she did. We came 3rd.
Then there was the time I was cantering over the downs and suddenly found myself siting on the floor with my horse cantering off to the nearest patch of grass (she was a cob). Turns out the guy walking along with the wheelbarrow was pretty scary.
The time I came off a 12.2 because it bogged off with me over the downs and he went one side of a post and I went the other. I was about 15 and could nearly touch my feet together under his belly so you would have thought I could stay on…
 
I had my first fall for years in October. There we were, gently strolling down a country lane, me having a bit of a daydream, A doing much the same swinging along on the buckle, when all of a sudden out of the hedge to our right leapt a vicious, blood thirsty, evil....goat.

A doesn't mind goats at all in normal circumstances and I don't really think the goat bothered him this time, it was just the shock of this thing appearing in front of us with no warning! He spun, hit the hedge and stopped. I thought "wow I survived that one," and started to put myself back into position....just as he spun back the other way. I landed in the hedge before sliding to the ground.

The one before that was on the way home from a ride. That day we'd been passed on the main road by a fire engine with flashing lights, an ambulance with flashing lights and sirens, a double decker bus and a JCB. In his usual style, A paid no attention whatsoever. We then turned off the main road onto a quieter one and I turned round in the saddle to talk to my friend. All of a sudden, A was met with a sight so frightening, so terrifying that he did what any sensible horse would do and spun to run away from it to save his own life and mine I hope. I wasn't ready for this at all (what with not actually looking where we were going) so ended up on the floor. That sight was, wait for it.....a beer bottle in the middle of the road. :rolleyes3:

I make him sound like a right spooky git but these two spins are literally the only times he's spun with me in 13 years. I only fell off both times as I wasn't concentrating on what's ahead because I'm so used to not having to!

Then there was the time my first pony dumped me on the common when there was a rugby match going on, ran onto the pitch, stuck his head down and started eating. They started roping the pitch off after that :o
 
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