What's your attitude to falling off?

I avoid falling off if at all possible, for 2 reasons

1) It hurts a lot.

and the major one

2) Cos my mother goes on and on and on and on about the horse that I fell off.

I don't fall off often before last week it had been over 8 years but since my fall on Friday my mother has been on and on about how unsafe my new horse is (this is not true - he's a bit spooky but Friday's fall was cos I relaxed a little too much and he decided to do something I wasn't expecting) And yes I got straight back on (inspite of my mother's protests!)

There is only one time I didn't get back on and I was unconscious at the time and wheeled off in an ambulance... I have got back on with a fractured skull after a previous fall - not that I knew it was fractured and I still can't remember the rest of that ride but I did get back on...

I don't like falling off but if you don't take any risks you have a very boring ride!

BnBx

PS I'm not a kid I'm in my 30s but my mother still can make me more nervous than anyone else!
 
I always used to fall off when learning to ride ( some 50 years ago) and the pony at the riding school used to sod off. I was repeatedly told off for lettng it go. On one occasion I let go of the reins having fallen off yet again and grabbed the stirrup iron as it whizzed past me and I was dragged for a considerable distance with my face somewhere near its hind legs. Was told off for that too!!!

Last fall was my fault, a year or so ago over the tiniest jump, must of been all of two foot. I was lying on my back laughing having been pinged out of saddle, and said pony did the whole course of jumps on his own, as if to say "can do it better without you". Got back on and jumped again. I did feel battered next day though. We don't bounce back as quickly at 60+

Jane
 
I fall, roll, straight back on feet and looking for horse unless I've managed to keep hold of the reins, and even if so check horse over!

I've fallen off whilst xc schooling, concussed myself, then finished the day just because I've paid and am not going to miss out! Have also jumped a SJ round after horse fell in warm-up, catapulted me and concussed me again! Checked her over minutely, checked saddle, she was fine so on we go - stuff me! As a child used to fall off more often than anything - always straight back up and straight back on - even with a broken arm (though that was on lunge and only for few mins to regain confidence then off to hospital!).

With kids - I've fallen off enough myself to know what's likely to be serious, so treat it as it presents itself. It's rare that any child falls hard enough or twisted enough to worry me, as my ponies aren't nasty and tend to 'lose' a child rather than intentionally dump them.

You see the over-the-top attitude in adult life too. Someone at work tripped over something and fell - you should see the fuss she made! I've had horse slip and fall on me, crushing foot - turn up next day as usual, ditto with bike accidents etc. If I can walk, stuff gets done as usual, it amazes me how some people can't manage that!
 
The worst part for me is the bit when you see the ground getting closer and closer and you know that you're about to hit the deck :rolleyes:

these days i tend to hope that the landing will be relatively soft, ie paddock rather than jump wing/poles

i did managed to fall onto the back bumper of a parked car once - quite impressed with my lack of serious injury (bruised hip, grazed chin and cut elbow) and yet i snapped my arm and elbow falling off over an embarrassingly tiny x-pole :p
was back on my horse a week after getting a plate and six screws :D
 
my grandad taught me to sit ride and fall, I have taught my 3 girls the same, unfortunatly there are circumstances where it is better to fall, in a controlled manner, than to struggle to stay on, I do believe that we have avoided major injury by electing to dissmount rather than be thrown, not one of us is frightened to 'fall'

last bad fall I had was when I was 18 (and am nearly 100 years older than that now!), and thrown onto a wall, and suffered lasting nerve damage, however can clearly remember clinging and refusing to fall, and regret now as had an opportunity to pop off at the time...........

I have however noticed the smaller they are the easier it is to 'fall' off :D
 
I am 28 come from a non horsey family and learnt to ride in a riding school and then working for rides, I would ride anything (maybe not well but I was guttsy) Got my 1st loan horse at 15 and my first bought horse at 19 - I have found that my wobbles with confidence after falling off have come with my owned horse, they get to me now where as I used to just spring back up. they feel more personal somehow like a little dint in your relationship ... does that make sense ?

My sister is 12 I have taught her to ride from being 4 on borrowed ponies - I remember the 1st time she fell off telling her the old saying you are not a true rider until you have fallen off 100 times - still now if she falls off at the riding scholl she brushes her jods down and remembers the count down ... oh well only 82 to go :-)
 
I have always been taught by a mother from the same school as most of you guys - fall off and get straight back on. Had a git of a pony who got me off at every opportunity and anyone else for that matter hence I now have a tendancy to grip with my knees ;)

Now I have 4 kids, too many animals and a mortgage I am scared whitless of falling off and damaging myself properly as OH would use it as the perfect excuse sell the horses in an instant :( seriously he would he hates them enough anyway as being a money pit, paddock trashers and time wasters..... eeekk plus I seem to have lost the ability to bounce and now make a thud sound!!

But yes if I fall off I will get back on but feel very sorry for my old aching bones and promise myself a long hot bath :) and some arnica.
 
Pillion I am about to back my youngster please tips on how to fall would be appreciated - it's been many years since I have hit the deck and all blocked out from my childhood!
 
I was always told to get back on if I fall off, and I'm 16 :)

If I fall off, I jump straight off and go catch my horse. Sometimes I cry, but this is only due to frustration at myself, not pain or shock. I find I'm pretty good at bouncing, and pretty much avoid my head nowadays. I agree, some kids nowadays are pathetic! I blame parents who rush over and make sure their ickle wickle baby is ok, whereas my mum and dad always told me to get back on unless something was so badly injured I couldn't get back on (never happened, I might add) :D
 
Call me a bad father if you will, but last time my 8 year old fell off, I was too busy laughing to do anything about it. :D

To be fair to her, she got up (after she realised she was on the deck), brushed herself down and got someone else in the arena threw her back on. I say threw, it was a good 16.2 cob she fell off. When I say fell off, he decided to trot faster than she could handle, she bouncde a foot off the sadle with each stride, started to slip, the horse realised and slowed down....she didn't. She fell forward onto his neck, rolled over and slid down his front leg. He stopped dead, turned and looked at her as if to say ' !!!! What on earth are you doing down there? !!!! ' -- Hence my uncontrolable laughter. :D:D:D:D:D:D
 
lol:D push your self off the side using your stirrup, drop your shoulder and roll out! I hope that makes sense, easier to do it than describe it, but at the moment you know you are going fall instantly go to push out of the stirrup it makes the world of difference, my 17 yr old is so good 9/10 times she lands on her feet..........

..oh and the miffed face on the hoss, as if to say 'bugger that did not work!'


or if it rears slip feet out of stirrups and slide down the back (have done this many a time pmsl)

hope that makes sense:)
 
Roll about going urrrrrrrrgh for a few seconds while hoping no one can see then head off and get back on again.

A riding instructor I know still has a rule that parents are not allowed to run into the school to pick up their little darling. Just right too.

I think learning as a child does make a big difference, riders who learn as adults just don't seem to have that fearlessness! Children have a smaller distance to fall off ponies, they are more robust and in my case an awful lot more clumsy so hit the deck a million odd times as opposed to an adult who can get away with very few!
 
The other day I fell off Andy doing polocrosse, I ran to go and fetch him shouting
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Mum did you get that on camera?"

The worst fall I had was on the day of my B test, my hat went over my eyes so couldn't see pony all of a sudden swerved and we parted ways. I failed my test because of that its so annoying but I did get a comment from the examiner saying well done for getting on so fast. Apparently they had 3 falls that morning and the people sat there and wailed and refused to get back on.
 
get straight back on and carry on then moan about the pain after in the hope i get food XD
if it hurts i carry on, im used to injuring myself in the most bizzare ways and carrying on, one time i was hunting my horse jumped a ditch slipped on a tree root and fell on me, got up, me still sitting there how i dont know slipped again but stayed standing i fell off got up looked around for my horse and got straight back on procceded to laugh about how my horse fell on my bad knee but i still carried on hunting for a few hours,
my worse fall was on my old pony, i had a gate swing shut on us in the wind, my knee got smashed between the gate and the gate post, the metel bit of it as well, my other leg was stuck in the stirrup on the other side of my pony, i did the splits in mid air somehow slid on the floor stood up went my knee hurts shut the gate and carried on,
unless people are bleeding on can see injuries then they are complaining about nothing its mainly the adrenaline in people that make them scream and cry
 
I get straight back on and carry on. Aside from anything else, its embarrassing enough falling off without laying on the ground making a fuss.

Obviously if you're seriously hurt then that is unavoidable, but if at all possible I like to draw as little attention as possible to the incident.

Falling itself doesn't really scare me or bother me - when I've had my confidence knocked in the past it is circumstances surrounding the fall that bother me - for example horses that throw in a dirty stop or duck out of a jump at the last minute.
 
Thing is, nowadays we have to molly cuddle riders. Because if we didn't then we'ld be viewed as horrible, unsympathetic people. And nine times out of ten, riders are often left un attended at the riding school, and just seeing someone they know can mean a lot. I haven't fallen off yet, and depending on where it is, and on which horse it is, will depend on how fast I get up. If it's a hack, i'ld get up fast and find my horse. If it was in the riding school, and I was in pain, I wouldn't be in that much of a rush. Either way, i'ld still get back on. :)
 
I recently lost my balance while cantering in the school at my livery yard, came of and smashed into a fence. Thought I was OK and would just have a bruised bum, so got back up and went to jump back on. As soon as I got up I went straight back down to the floor again. The pain was horrendous! Hubby took me to A&E and it turned out I had an unplaced/ unstable fracture of my Tibia ( Shin bone) and ankle. This was on 1st Nov last year and according to my consultant last week its not healing so have 3 weeks before I go back to see him and if its not healed I've got to have an operation and have a plate put in. I can ride again now but have to be really careful getting on and off. Im hoping it will heal itself as I really dont want surgery but after 12 weeks already I'm really not holding out much hope of it getting better in 3!
 
I'm 52 and a couple of years ago the present horse right royally dumped me. We were jumping at home and approaching a stile he took a stride out and jumped the height of the wings. That didn't ditch me but the following three good bucks did, so I flopped into a ball, did a complete somersault in the air and landed on my knees in the direction I'd been travelling in. After a lot of swearing I cought him and popped him over the nearest fence. Basically if blood isn't spurting and everything is at the right angle get back on.
 
Straight up off the floor and straight back on, I've been 'brought up' with it being ridiculous to lie on the floor whinging and crying unless really nessacary! I would get the mother of *******ings if I did, I fell off at Merrist Wood last year in the warm up, pony took a stride out to an oxer and landed in the middle, landed on her head and knees and I departed mid air, somasalted (sp?!) and landed on my head. Got straight up and grabbed pony and waited for a leg back on, trainer went and amended fence before checking I was ok then legged me up! Very painful but it wouldn't occur to me to lie ont he floor crying over it, I think you just have to get over it and get back on straight away if you can. I did have a (non horsey) accident where I hurtmy back not long ago, smashed hard down onto my back in an awkward position, went to get straight back up and had the worst pain I'd felt in a long time all down my back and took a minute to get back up (had damaged and torn the ligaments up one side), I think thats the only time I recall hurting myself and not getting up insantly!

Obviously you have to be careful, but I think some people really over do it, but then everybody's pain threshold is different! Plus I am young and can probably get away with it! I gather (having not yet experienced it) it is a lot harder to just get back up and get back on as you age - not looking forward to that!!
 
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