Your worst riding experiences

equestrianabbie

equestrianabbie

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I've just come back from a lesson that's made me feel terrible, felt like I did everything wrong despite my instructor saying I did well.

I'm curious (and nosey) as to if you've ever felt this way and what moment made you feel like that.
 
A Horse once bolted with me in an open feild, down a road, then into the yard where he fell over and I got my foot stuck in the stirrup and was hanging on for dear life, my leg went through a concrete pipe that ripped off the wall and split in half! owner then shouted at me saying it was my fault he had never done that and it was because I wasn't good enough to be riding him. Felt terrible and I felt so dissapointed in myself.

After I found out the Horse had infact been on 6 months box rest due to a back injury, was an ex racer and she didn't want to get back on herself, thus the reason asking for a sharer. I now realise it wasn't my fault, nor the Horses fault, I blame the owner. But at the time I felt so so gutted and dissapointed and really doubted my ability as a rider.
 
Definitely being bolted with. I've been run away with many a time and though annoying to say the least it is nothing compared to the real thing. The speed (horse was a TB, not an ex-racer though) and the brainless, unthinking and total blankness is utterly terrifying.
 
Another bolting one from me: trainer's wife's horse, a then 14 year old 17.3hh TB. Was having dressage lesson, was trotting along and horse looked left, then right, then booked it around the arena with some vertical rodeo bucks thrown in for fun. Poor woman was mortified that he did this and couldn't believe how well I sat it all (being all of 16 at the time & had only been riding for a short while).
 
team barney said:
Definitely being bolted with. I've been run away with many a time and though annoying to say the least it is nothing compared to the real thing. The speed (horse was a TB, not an ex-racer though) and the brainless, unthinking and total blankness is utterly terrifying.
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I never want to have that feeling ever again! it is the most frightening experience of my life, I gave up riding because of it, I couldn't stay away long though hehe and I've spent 2 years building myself back up.
 
LaurenBay said:
I never want to have that feeling ever again! it is the most frightening experience of my life, I gave up riding because of it, I couldn't stay away long though hehe and I've spent 2 years building myself back up.
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I gave up riding anyone but my old pony for about a year afterwards, it is such a massive confidence knock. Thankfully I got my nerve back with pony's help (he could be a bugger too but I trusted him implicitly) and I'll ride pretty much anything now, anything except a known bolter.

I never want that feeling again either.
 
Having my horse go over backwards on me, my life did flash before me, and I was just thinking as I was lying there, I am so dead. Actually I had no injury at all, except my knees wouldnt stop trembling for about two hours.( A knee trembler in the genuine sense !)
 
Another one here who was bolted with for a considerable distance. Truly the most awful experience ever. I was at the point of thinking I was going to have to throw myself off when the loose horse he had been bolting with turned off the track we were on and I managed to stop him from following and eventually slowed him down enough to shove him into a small coppice area. I'd been riding for years and had had several bad falls, difficult horses, buckers, rearers, etc, but that was the biggest knock to my confidence ever.

I sold the horse as I never trusted him again after that. It took me over a year on my new horse before I would canter in the direction of home.
 
Going backwards into roadworks - through the plastic barriers, tape, bits of equipment, various brave (foolish?) workmen who tried shooing him forwards and finally into the deep hole in the road - and all because a squirrel looked at the silly horse funny :confused:

We caused bl00dy havoc that day. Cars were reversing out of our way and when he hit the barriers and they noisily collapsed the other horse we were with had a pink fit and ended up dancing on a very manicured lawn.

I stepped off him onto the tarmac and was standing there thinking "oh poo, now what do I do?" there was 500kgs of Welsh Cob with his back end in a 4ft hole and his front legs spreadeagled in a very undignified fashion on the road itself. I was convinced he had broken at least one, if not all 4 legs and even if he hadn't how DO you get a horse from there. At that point all the traffic had stopped, workmen were shifting all sorts of kit out of the way, various people were suggesting things like "if 2 men got in with him, they could lift him out:eek: or lets use the crane and winch him out" I'm now on the phone to the vets asking their advice, the police have arrived and the firebrigade come roaring over the green with blues and twos going. At that point, silly s*d decides he's had enough and scrambles out under his own steam. Barely a mark on him, just scratched stifles on the cut part of the tarmac, not even slightly lame.

I didn't ride down that road again for at least 5 years.
 
Another bolting, and I agree with what others say, the sense of utter helplessness is frightening.

The one and only time I really didn't enjoy riding was when a 2 year old (chestnut mare as it happened, Rosie she was called, and it was 20 years ago!) in training (so exercise saddle and short leathers) suddenly flipped her lid and galloped through a five bar wooden gate and bolted off the gallops, I mean, really bolted, along country lanes, not flipping funny. I remember sitting there (not much else I could do) wondering if it would hurt to die and whether to stay on or bail out?

I decided there and then that I wasn't doing fast work on anymore just started babies as I quite liked being alive.
 
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Technically I wasn't riding because I fell off but being dragged across a huge field at full gallop with ponies hind feet almost in my face was pretty terrifying.

I was young so as soon as I was off crutches (well before I was supposed to be) I was straight back in the saddle and riding the little beast.
 
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Another bolter here. Most terrifying experience I have ever had in my life. I still have nightmares about it, and open spaces terrify me. Luckily I have a lovely pony to help me overcome it.

Feeling that much out of control, going that fast on open moors was just petrifying.
 
Another bolting one, was on a hack with my mum walking with me, Toto spooked I think and that was it, I would have been 11 at the time, off he went down a load of tracks we'd never been on, down a huge hill, out a gate that someone had left open (!) onto a main road, I lost my balance and fell onto the road at full gallop, and he disappeared off down the road. A lovely elderly couple drove me back to the yard where he'd somehow managed to find his way back after 10 mins! Was awful, covered in friction burns and scrapes where I'd landed, and he was rather lame after galloping on tarmac :(

Second worst wasn't long after that I don't think, year after maybe, tripped whilst jumping the smallest cross ever after losing all our confience because of the above incident, and fell right over, got kicked in the head and he overreached badly poor lad :(
 
This was only a couple of weeks ago.
I was out on a hack with my friend and we were coming down a busy main road which ran alongside our field. We left one of the horses behind, and when he saw us coming down the road, he went mental. Galloping up and down the fence, calling out to us. At this point, Lady freaked out, and ran backwards off the verge and into the traffic. I had about 20 cars each side who stopped and were waiting for me, while Lady planted her feet and was spinning in circles, refusing to get back on the verge. I ended up getting off and walking the rest of the way home (which was just around the corner) i mustve apologised to all the cars at least 15 times! That was the first and last time riding down that road!
 
When i got bronced off a youngster i was backing. I felt my back break and couldn't move my toes.
Very luckily i wasn't paralysed but have had a long and very painful recovery.
Have been back riding now for 4 weeks and so far so good. I have had one moment where i genuinely felt scared but got over that pretty quickly.
I won't back a youngster again and i probably won't jump again, too risky.
I am pushing myself to get back to what i was.
 
I think all the bad experiances make us better riders tbh.
my personal worst was;
trying out a horse who seemed lovely, asked her to trot after 2 strides she bolted, jumped the arena fence into the car park, went straight into a 5 bar gate, the sudden stop made me fly over the fence and land on my knees on concrete (broke both of them). Its safe to say I didn't buy her.
However i don't blame the horse at all, she was advertised as a safe bombproof 11 year old, turned out she had been doped & it was the first time she had ever been asked to trot & completly freaked out.

I now feel extremly nervous on any horse which isn't mine own, mine can rear, buck whatever that wont scare me but any other horse so much as jogs i'll nearly be in tears i'm so scared.

i'm an odd one
 
moody_mare said:
I now feel extremly nervous on any horse which isn't mine own, mine can rear, buck whatever that wont scare me but any other horse so much as jogs i'll nearly be in tears i'm so scared.

i'm an odd one
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I'm very much like this as well, you're not alone. When I was bolted with it was on a horse I was trying out and I get very nervy on different horses (unless they're little) but my pony can do anything and I find it funny. :p
 
I'm a bit weird, when things go wrong I don't get scared I start calculating the best way out of the situation. I've had one bolt down a road, slip over and land on me as he tried to turn a corner - We both had minor cuts and scrapes so I got back on the bugger and made him do his work over again. I had a shetland to break that absolutely torpedoed me - 10ft in the air, landed on my head, crashed on my back and skiied 10m along the ground into a fence post. Good job the fence post was there as I wasn't stopping and was about to fall into the burn - and I can't swim. She is the only pony or horse to have concussed me. When I could move again I got back on her. She was funny, you could go any where side saddle - legs either side of her but the moment you sat astride her she just freaked out.

I don't mind what I sit on or what they do but the one thing I absolutely detest is rearing.
 
Oh dear, another bolting story from me. I've been pee'd off with a number of times but a true bolt is terrifying.

The mare was going absolutely flat out with no thought of self preservation. Went straight through a fence and just went hell for leather. We were on a headland and galloping towards the stony beach and I bailed out (only time I've ever done that, I usually cling on for dear life). Mare hit the beach and crashed. I'm thankful to say I've never had a horse completely lose all reason ever again and hope I never do as I'm sure I wouldn't bounce these days.
 
My one and only bolting experience resulted in the worst riding accident ive ever had:

years ago when i was 15yrs I was a horse mad teenager who couldn't afford her own horse so for 5 yrs i used to help out at local riding school, i was a tall quite strong rider who would get on anything. i used to ride buckers, rearers jump up to 4ft 6 nothing bothered me, well one day a friend got a mare bought for her by her parents from a local dealer only had it 3 days and then she went on holiday and asked me to look after it, i was pleased to have a horse to ride for a week (rode it in the school it was fine)but second day i went out for a hack with another friend on her horse, mine was just in a snaffle no martingale.

set off cantering round the local bridleway which was a narrow dirt track with high hedges each side, for what reason i will never know but the mare i was on just suddenly bolted, straight past my friends horse absoloutley flat out with neck set, head up bit between its teeth so to speak! I was sawing at its mouth trying to get it to stop, it was just going faster! i was getting worried by this point so lent down put my hand near its bit to try and drag its head round into the hedge ...no effect at all just faster then i got really worried as we was running out of dirt track heading straight to the tarmac road at the end of the bridleway. i was literally sat on the back of the saddle sawing at its mouth saying whoa steady but its mouth was like iron!!

I dont really remember the next bit but my friend told me as the mare got to the tarmac she slipped straight away and went down landing on top of me breaking my leg and then worse as she was scrabbling to get up with me underneath her she kicked me in the face Breaking my nose and knocking me unconcious!!

I woke up in a ladies house nearby with my Mum n dad there and the ambulance outside, had my leg in plaster for weeks, had to drink through a straw for a week as my face and mouth was that swollen and months later had to go back in hospital for a op on my nose and also scars on my face had to be scrubbed with a wire brush whilst i was put to sleep as i had dirt under my skin as the wound wasn't cleaned properly when i had the accident!

I didn't ride for nearly a year, mare was fine just a grazed shoulder and ripped saddle, but quickly sold 2 weeks later! im fine now but still now all these years later my heart still goes in my mouth if a horse im riding does a little slip on the road and i wont ride anything on the road that has 4 shoes on so the memory must still be there!
 
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Another bolting one.
The horse i was riding got spooked by one behind us tripping over a bit of metal and took off flat out down a sand track, onto a main road.
Me screaming probably didn't help but i managed to stay on with no stirrups/brakes until we got to the car park of the yard - the horse went one way and i went the other. I landed on a parked car - last thing i remember is thinking "oh *******, this is going to hurt" before "waking up" being loaded into an ambulance in a neck brace and on a back board.

It wasn't the horse's fault and i was unlucky. I leased him for 2 years before he was sold on.
 
My accident with Cadbury... for those who haven't already heard the bloody awful tale... voila (yep, shameless copy and pasting from the last time I wrote it all out, but I'm tired, and eating ice cream, therefore can't concentrate on much else!)


My worst was when I was eventing with my beautiful Cadbury. He was such a special boy -18.2hh, jet black with four white socks and a blaze, Hanoverian x Belgian Warmblood, and he was dream horse. We had done a fantastic dressage test, and were flying across country, when he backed off a log drop into water, I kicked on and he tried for me, and couldn't quite do it. He had a rotational fall, and landed on his face in the water. He broke his neck and flipped over onto me, trapping me under the water. With only two stewards at the fence, I was trapped in the water for nearly 5 minutes while they called for help to get him off me - luckily I don't remember much, just him rolling around a bit and then it all goes dark. I woke up two days later in hospital, and had to be told that my darling Cabs had been put down at the scene. I had broken pretty much everything, and my lungs had to be drained once a day for a week because all the fluid made them go a bit bonkers. I had broken -
5 ribs
right cheekbone
right and left clavicle
jaw
left shoulder
left wrist and four fingers on left hand
pelvis
right elbow
left hip was dislocated
left leg was essentially shattered, and is now mostly made of metal and fibreglass - my thigh bone was poking out the back of my leg
right ankle

Plus all the cuts and damage to my ears, lungs and severe ligament damage to my legs.

I didn't ride for two years - I was too terrified - until I found my Roy boy. I then found that I couldn't ride with stirrups because it was agony. Now, seven years later, I can walk just about normally, and my legs only really hurt when I ride with stirrups for too long ie: schooling, jumping etc. but I can ride happily again with no fear, and am still working with horses.
My legs will always be weak, my Cabsy will always be gone, and I'll never be able to ride without some degree of pain, but I can ride, and I survived.
 
Oh my goodness some of the stories on here are horrific!!

I guess I've been quite lucky, I had one nasty accident when i was 15, riding a friends pony over a fairly big fence as I was "the brave one" who always had to jump peoples ponies first before they had a go over the big fences! Anyway he cleared the fence, but as he landed somehow his front legs went, someone said he just lost his footing as it was quite hard ground, and he fell, landing on me. He got straight up, kicked me in the face as he got up, breaking my nose and splitting my lip and had 2 lovely black eyes. Also somehow took all the skin of the front of one of my legs which was agony. He also trod on my fingers, breaking them.

My friend said I sat up and asked if my make up still looked ok!! She told me I looked gorgeous. I had an ambulance and a really fit paramedic on a motorbike. All the way to hospital I was thinking, at least I look hot in the presence of the fit paramedic. Once I got to hosptial and caught sight of myself i realised my face was caked in dried blood and dirt, my lip was 3 times the size it should be, my nose was squished and swollen and my jods had been ripped and my pants were showing.

I rode again a week later with my hand taped up and my dressing still on my leg. i actually rode the same pony again, rather than my own, as i wanted to do it for my own peace of mind. I knew it wasnt his fault, it was a pure accident.

A few weeks later my back was agony and i went back to the docs, turned out i had cracked a vertabre in the accident and damaged my facets (SP) in my lower back..i still suffer with it now 15 yrs later as it has caused arthritis but thats life....it could have been much much worse and i never let my daughter jump without her body protector on. I wasnt wearing mine-i thought i was too cool and got such a *******ing from my dad when he found out!!
 
Starzaan said:
My accident with Cadbury... for those who haven't already heard the bloody awful tale... voila (yep, shameless copy and pasting from the last time I wrote it all out, but I'm tired, and eating ice cream, therefore can't concentrate on much else!)


My worst was when I was eventing with my beautiful Cadbury. He was such a special boy -18.2hh, jet black with four white socks and a blaze, Hanoverian x Belgian Warmblood, and he was dream horse. We had done a fantastic dressage test, and were flying across country, when he backed off a log drop into water, I kicked on and he tried for me, and couldn't quite do it. He had a rotational fall, and landed on his face in the water. He broke his neck and flipped over onto me, trapping me under the water. With only two stewards at the fence, I was trapped in the water for nearly 5 minutes while they called for help to get him off me - luckily I don't remember much, just him rolling around a bit and then it all goes dark. I woke up two days later in hospital, and had to be told that my darling Cabs had been put down at the scene. I had broken pretty much everything, and my lungs had to be drained once a day for a week because all the fluid made them go a bit bonkers. I had broken -
5 ribs
right cheekbone
right and left clavicle
jaw
left shoulder
left wrist and four fingers on left hand
pelvis
right elbow
left hip was dislocated
left leg was essentially shattered, and is now mostly made of metal and fibreglass - my thigh bone was poking out the back of my leg
right ankle

Plus all the cuts and damage to my ears, lungs and severe ligament damage to my legs.

I didn't ride for two years - I was too terrified - until I found my Roy boy. I then found that I couldn't ride with stirrups because it was agony. Now, seven years later, I can walk just about normally, and my legs only really hurt when I ride with stirrups for too long ie: schooling, jumping etc. but I can ride happily again with no fear, and am still working with horses.
My legs will always be weak, my Cabsy will always be gone, and I'll never be able to ride without some degree of pain, but I can ride, and I survived.
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Oh my word. you poor thing and your poor poor horse. I'm so sorry :(
 
Lexie81 said:
my pants were showing
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been there - epic fail
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Lexie81 said:
Oh my word. you poor thing and your poor poor horse. I'm so sorry :(
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Aw, thank you pickle. No need to be sorry... I'm ok about it now. Thanks to some lovely people on here I was diagnosed with severe post traumatic stress, and managed to talk it all out with a very shexy doctor!

He was a very, VERY special pone, but he's happy wherever he is now.
 
Crumbs some horrific stories, you are some serious brave people, mine is very mild, was out having a lovely canter on our local common dopey man let his dog run at is and horse jumped sideways slipped and went down, luckily i pulled my leg out of the way but the cantle of the saddle caught me in the lady department and we both laid on the floor winded.
Both totally fine apart from my amazing bruising and painful to sit for a few weeks
 
Looks like a lot of us have had trouble with bolters, me too.
I went to a stables of a yard owner that i knew and was offered a ride on her "safe", almost 17hh sports horse (i think it was a sports horse). Anyway got on the horse. Walk, trot fine. Horse than took off into gallop and just bolted. Was like nothing i'd experienced before, or since. Like others have said with bolting it's just the feeling of having absolutely no control. did everything I could think of to stop: sawing at the mouth, short sharp yanks, one rein stops, circles, sit down and pull but nothing.
The worst bit was when I put him on a circle I thought 'oh, he's going to have to stop or at least slow down'. Instead of stopping he almost went over, my stirrup came off the saddle I was trying to sit that deep, and we had brought up the ground where he'd bolted. In the end i half jumped/half bailed out.
Bare in mind this horse was advertised for loan as a suitable horse for a confident novice.
 
Starzaan said:
Aw, thank you pickle. No need to be sorry... I'm ok about it now. Thanks to some lovely people on here I was diagnosed with severe post traumatic stress, and managed to talk it all out with a very shexy doctor!

He was a very, VERY special pone, but he's happy wherever he is now.
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lol well there has to be an up side to all that!!

Glad you are still riding and enjoying horses after such a horrid experience, you are one brave lady :) xx
 
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