Your hunting accidents!

[solitairex]

Tell everyone your hunting accidents, whether mini or major!

Had my first serious one yesterday; had only jumped one (rather large with a big ditch infront) hedge and then a little while after we went to jump another. All I can remember is us standing, then the group taking off to go and do it, now I can't tell why but judging from photos, soon after the jump I fell off to the right, the hedge was pretty small which is rather embarrassing, then judging by the photos Dennis turned right and went infront of everyone and jumped the massive hedge to be followed by everyone else aha! All I can remember is then hacking back behind the car covered in mud... apparently the photographer helped me and was really kind, I've still got a splitting head ache and a very bruised brain! Horse and I will both be ok though, I am so gutted though because it was the best meet of the season and they had jumped 15 hedges by 2pm apparently! Gahhh!

 

[tootsietoo]

Oh Solitairex, poor you. Have you been checked out, because it sounds as if you were concussed? And make sure you get a new crash hat! Glad to hear you are ok.

I think I am about 22 years older than you, but I had my first nasty fall in November. Headed towards a scrappy hedge that most of the rest of the field had jumped, and about one stride out me and horse both noticed that it was more wire than hedge. Horse obviously didn't really know what to do, jinked to the left where it was all wire, didn't pick his feet up and we went head over heels. Both of us on the floor, and as he got up he kicked me right between the eyes. I wasn't knocked out at all thank goodness, but also had that splitting headache all evening, and blood all over my tweed coat which I can't get out! And two scars now which is very annoying. Fortunately a friend came back to the trailer with me and kept me feeling normal, but I then had to drive home, picking the children up on the way with blood everywhere!

How is your confidence? Because mine, never the best anyway, is not so good!

 

[Lolo]

I've only come off once- my pony at the time was a lunatic out hunting really.

At the meet, he'd explode off the horsebox and I'd get chucked on. One time, his girth was too loose- however, tightening up the girth when your pony is vertical is quite hard, so I decided to wait until we'd set off- he was calmer after that normally...

Before we stopped though, we went flying over a decent jump (about 3'3) and I felt my saddle slipping. Then, we took a very sharp right to avoid the ploughed field. My pony took the sharp right. The saddle and I continued straight on for another 4 metres! Sat in a muddy heap as the entire field went flying past... He was brought back to me by the very nice field master who helped me re-saddle and made sure my girth WAS tight this time!

The nastiest accident I've had though was when my horse (the next model along from previous pony!) lost it and kept plunging until I lost my reins and then, having gained his freedom, charged straight through some wire in front of the whole field it felt like. I leapt off and untangled him as quickly as I could and he was uninjured but all anyone did to offer any help (I was 14 at the time, and looked younger...) was for one lady to shout at me for not doing anything. I genuinely couldn't have done anything about it: I was trying to go home because he was on the verge of losing it and he was far too strong when he got like that. That was the last time I hunted him away from home- he rubbed holes in my gloves, and my arms hurt so much and I felt so humiliated by the fact I couldn't stop him.

 

[junglediva]

only fallen of once and it was when i was 12 and i was on my old section C pony, cantering up to this ditch that ran right across the field so had to b jumped in order to continue. problem is, i jumped it but my pony didnt lol :S

 

[hunting mad]

8 years ago,i got kicked and damaged my leg badly.(muscle and nerve)it has left me with permenant damage.It is currently in a splint to be able to walk and ride,however im hopeing to have my anklle pinned in the summer(if i dont whimp out!)
Yesterday,i had a fall whilst riding my sons horse.He is only 15hh.He spooked and span,and i wasnt sat tight enough,and landed on my bum.....Have a lovely egg,and bruise now!!!
It happened only seconds after leaving the meet,and no one was there as was sent off to watch the road,very embarrasing as the horse pi**ed off up the road,leaving me!

 

[RunToEarth]

I fell off Oshk, my coloured, when I was with the Rockwood, he twisted over a big box hedge, I came off and landed in wire. It doesn't look much but it was very deep and took a fair few stitches in my little finger.

I always used to fall off at Rockwood kennels, it became a bit of a joke, my coloured always used to pick those days to baloon over a hedge and lose me!!
I had the most silly fall out cubbing with Blankney last season, I was really red in the face when it happened because I was relatively new! Jerry came up, I held onto his head too much and he ended up sitting in the sugarbeet and me on my bottom!

 

[xspiralx]

I went out on NYD riding my friend's big ex pointer. I hadn't hunted since I was 15 and he'd never been out before with her so we didn't quite know how it would go.

The horse is normally a snaffle mouth, though he does have a tendency to get strong out hacking so we upgraded him to a dutch gag.

Anyway, I might as well have had cotton wool in his mouth, he was as strong as an ox and kept yanking me out of the saddle so I couldn't even keep a hold on him. Jumped a couple lovely, and then carted me into the third fence - I thought there was a reasonable gap between me and the horse in front but he made up so much ground and then launched over the fence landing miles away and moreorless landing in the horse in front, ducked to the side and I came off over his shoulder.

It was hugely embarrassing though everyone was very nice, but I took him home shortly afterwards, as I just couldn't hold one side of him and wasn't much enjoying having my arms yanked out of their sockets every second.

 

[Enfys]

RTE - ouch

Last one was an Opening Meet, going through a very muddy/slurry filled farm track over a few piddly little jumps, horse tripped and went down catapaulting me out of the front door into slime and landing on rocks, bless him, apparently he did all kinds of acrobatics to avoid stepping on me. Knackered my shoulder good and proper. Never been quite right since, the shoulder, not me.

 

[pipsqueek]

15 years ago out with the Rockwood on my then 4yo's first days hunting, followed a couple of others over a hedge with wire in it (i was equally young and naiive back then!!). Horse caught her leg & nosedived & I broke my arm! She was okay though. An old farmer from the rockwood came into my dad's office the following week telling my dad about some 'stupid bitch' jumping wire.. erm that would be me then!!

Latest one was around 5 years ago with the High Peak, on same horse who is a bit sharp anyway, we were coming down a hill, she did one of her leaps, lost her footing and came completely over backwards on me squashing me, luckily it was very muddy & didn't break anything, it did shake me up a bit though!

 

[gunnergundog]

This is just to show that accidents can happen in the stupidest of places.......years ago was walking across a wooden bridge (one horse at a time) when someone decided that they couldn't wait their turn. Needless to say, said bridge gave way and ned and I landed in the dyke below.

I remember thinking, all is well....my head is above water and I can breathe. Horse was on top of me, but that was okay. I then started checking out my limbs.....I could feel and move my legs and was about to start checking my arms when my ned decided that actually he'ld quite like to get out of this watery grave. That was when the problems started as he scrabbled around trying to get a purchasae on my chest! He got out fine and all I remember is the terrier man and a couple of others hauling me out and my trying to get them to leave me where I was so that I could have a kip! Concussion is a wonderful thing!

 

[tootsietoo]

urgh, pipsqueek and gunner, those are two nasty ones. not nice having a horse land on top of you. and that hand doesn't look too good either RTE!

 

[star]

last one was on NYD. horse decided to jump a wide ditch which most others had scrambled through rather than leaping. he leaps it huge, then stopped dead on landing as thick mud and turned right after rest of field. i carried straight on and landed on my left hand - lucky the ground was thick mud and got away with a bad sprain as if any harder would def have broken it.

near miss today when horse again ballooned over a ditch which was followed by a bounce to a tyre jump - he nearly landed on the tyre jump, somehow got over it but i found myself sat completely in front of the saddle. luckily he just galloped straight although he was going flat out as was not happy with me sat there! I used the breastplate and performed some gymnastics and made it back into the saddle in time for the next sharp turn at the end of the field - phew!

 

[solitairex]

Ahh gosh all these nasty accidents are making me nervous to go out again aha! Yes I was concussed but I had no eye sight problems so just went home and lied down (also got out of tack cleaning, doing the horse and unloading the car etc.... yay aha)! I'm probably glad I can't remember it so I won't be so scared of whatever happened happening again! xx

 

[Orangehorse]

I don't hunt anymore, due to OH banning me. Worst I had was someone ran down in front of my horse as we were about to jump a hedge and instead of stopping he tried to jump and fell and landed with the pommel of the saddle on my ribs, which were broken. I didn't realise because they were sore, and there was nothing I could do except wait until they were mended, but I remember 6 weeks without a good night's sleep. I was my last day out as I was due to go to sister's wedding and I look a bit drawn in the photos. Needless to say my Mother didn't want me competing within a month of my own wedding.

 

[pipsqueek]

urgh, pipsqueek and gunner, those are two nasty ones. not nice having a horse land on top of you. and that hand doesn't look too good either RTE!

we will be putting everyone else off hunting at this rate!!

 

[solitairex]

we will be putting everyone else off hunting at this rate!!

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea! Although I sware I hurt myself out hunting every time some way anyway aha!

 

[RunToEarth]

we will be putting everyone else off hunting at this rate!!

Or putting everyone off hunting with the Rockwood, it seems we have both been toppled by their hedges. I LOVE Blankney, but I do miss Rockwood country, I miss those dry stone walls and prickly holly hedges!

 

[tootsietoo]

It's all huge drains in Blankney country though, isn't it? How do you go about teaching a hedge hopper horse to jump those?!

It's a good thread Solitairex, it's good being able to spill a bit, I am still thinking about my crash a lot (whenever I look in a mirror in fact).

 

[RunToEarth]

It's all huge drains in Blankney country though, isn't it? How do you go about teaching a hedge hopper horse to jump those?!

It's a good thread Solitairex, it's good being able to spill a bit, I am still thinking about my crash a lot (whenever I look in a mirror in fact).

No, not really. Admittedly the drains were a bit daunting at first because I had never jumped one, but most of them are very nice and there were a lot of people kind enough to tell me how to ride them, they also have some lovely hunt fences and hedges, it is nice country, just arable and very flat- and NO walls
I am extremely lucky in that I usually pinch a ride from OH, who has horses who know how to jump dykes a lot better than I do, and look after me! I am pretty sure that if I took my beloved, but somewhat forward going coloured hedge horse to the Blankney, he would take the dyke from five strides away and bury us both in the bottom of it!

 

[pipsqueek]

No walls oh well no stones to put back though... Good thread solitarex!

 

[tootsietoo]

Walls and drains! I must stop having fantasies about trying to jump weird and wonderful things I have never jumped before, I'm scaring myself, especially after this thread

 

[RunToEarth]

See, it might just be me, but I seem to flop off in the collecting ring, in the arena over cross poles, out hacking, and have some fairly serious accidents, but out hunting and team chasing so far I've managed to have reasonable stickability, only occassionaly getting rinsed off mid hedge. My most painful fall to date was in the arena, over trotting poles. I swallowed a tooth, broke my nose and fractured my cheek bone, and then managed somehow to get around BBMH teamchase the week after, with two black eyes mind

 

[CorvusCorax]

Not in here much, but I do love to air these.....it's been a while

Front

Back

Soaking

Nothing hurt but my pride, thank God....

 

[gonebananas]

I've been wanting to go hunting for ages until i read this thread and my local hunt been Rockwood oh well i'm still gonna give it a go at some point nhs is free right?

 

[Eventer96]

My first ever fall out hunting came last weekend. It is such a long story can I point you in the direction of the original thread I posted in CR?
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=427893

It is worth the read. Promise. It has left my in a back and neck brace a week later!

 

[RunToEarth]

I've been wanting to go hunting for ages until i read this thread and my local hunt been Rockwood oh well i'm still gonna give it a go at some point nhs is free right?

The Rockwood will look after you very well, hunt down Mrs Martin and stick with her- you can't go wrong that way- and don't worry, it's usually only the holly hedges that have a tendancy to be a real pain in the bottom

 

[Enfys]

Not in here much, but I do love to air these.....it's been a while

Front

Back

Nothing hurt but my pride, thank God....

It looks as if you rolled around in it!

Why do we take these photos

 

[tootsietoo]

I hope the breeches and the coat came clean!

Eventer96, hope you're doing ok. That sounds horrible.

 

[solitairex]

Scary story Eventer96! Glad you're ok! Oooh I don't think I can beat those two muddy pics (yet!)

 

[PortwayPaddy]

I hit the deck on Thursday.

My horse lost his footing coming up a steep muddy bank out of about three foot of water.

Would have been fine if next horse had not trotted across my thigh.

Will be out again next week as only damage was brusing and mud. GG fine.

Paddy