Your worst riding experiences

Yikes. On all counts.

Mine are well broadcast - if I'm going to suffer, I'm not going to do it in silence :D

I've been bolted with (really, really, really, really don't like that). Back in my younger days I would stay on, griping like a limpet, and when the bobber finally slowed down, I'd send him/her on. Must have been barking! Ah well. Ridden horses that liked to rear or buck or both, or bronc, or just generally be ar£es, but was never hurt, other than slight concussion once, and a hole in my head when my hat flew off and horse deposited me, all many moons ago.

In the last two years: once, Dizz went left (fast canter) and I didn't. A bleed on the brain; second, rode when ill, jumped, came off at apex of third part of a grid, broke back at L2 (compression fracture).
 
god everyone, poor things. you guys are so brave to get through it all and get back on. seriously impressed.

so whats the best thing to do - cling or bail?? bailing seems risky but what if you don't know where they're headed? eek. the idea bolting in narrow spaces with lots of trees and twists and turns freaks me out most.
 
I too have been bolted with and after falling in various ways, being concussed only once ( touch wood i'm lucky!) and various bucks, jumps, leaps etc i can honestly say it was the bolt that scared me the most.


I was out hacking with some others when one horse got a bit excited which set them all off. He decided to bolt along the track and i was ok at first, thinking of ways to stop, trying to stay calm! But then i saw the road in front, with traffic on it. He was still going for it down this road and to be honest, after seeing the second car coming towards us i had to shut my eyes for a moment, hope it was a dream.
All i remember now is being back at the yard, shaken up. No accident happened but i think my mind has blocked it out. It took me years to hack out again, i stuck to lessons, but now i have my current boy i have started hacking. I had a hell of a winter with him and various napping probs and he took off with me once, but not a bolt. Cue all flashbacks, but now we are building on it, tryingf to have fun while out although admittedly i still haven't got the confidence to canter while we are out...one day!
 
KittyJay said:
god everyone, poor things. you guys are so brave to get through it all and get back on. seriously impressed.

so whats the best thing to do - cling or bail?? bailing seems risky but what if you don't know where they're headed? eek. the idea bolting in narrow spaces with lots of trees and twists and turns freaks me out most.
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I was always too scared to bail, so made like a limpet and hung on for as long as I could. Others prefer to bail under control as it were, but I could never make myself let go
 
KittyJay said:
god everyone, poor things. you guys are so brave to get through it all and get back on. seriously impressed.

so whats the best thing to do - cling or bail?? bailing seems risky but what if you don't know where they're headed? eek. the idea bolting in narrow spaces with lots of trees and twists and turns freaks me out most.
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I'm a sticker too... I have bailed a few times, but that has been when I've seen what was going to happen, ie: I had a true bolter who used to run full pelt into walls, moving cars etc. - I jumped off MANY times with him!

But I think by and large, hanging on is always better!
 
Starzaan said:
I'm a sticker too... I have bailed a few times, but that has been when I've seen what was going to happen, ie: I had a true bolter who used to run full pelt into walls, moving cars etc. - I jumped off MANY times with him!

But I think by and large, hanging on is always better!
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i could never have a true bolter! very brave.

funny really, my instinct has always been to cling on, in thirteen years of riding it never actually occurred to me there was an alternative until somebody mentioned it on HHO! i think gut instinct is the way to go, i'd kick myself if i hurt myself from going against my gut.
 
KittyJay said:
i could never have a true bolter! very brave.

funny really, my instinct has always been to cling on, in thirteen years of riding it never actually occurred to me there was an alternative until somebody mentioned it on HHO! i think gut instinct is the way to go, i'd kick myself if i hurt myself from going against my gut.
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Not so much brave as stupid... Cavan could be a wonder horse, but then every now and then something went "clunk" in his brain and he buggered off. He had no self preservation which is what made him truly dangerous. I don't mind being bolted with if I know the horse is going to look after itself, but he genuinely didn't care what he ran into, through, over etc.

He's now in heaven, as after two years of trying to help him, I decided it just wasn't fair, and wasn't prepared to sell him on!
 
I stupidly fell off my wonderful veteran Sunny a couple of years ago. My hat (I can only think I hadn't done it up) came off when he stuck a little tiny buck in and I hit the tarmac hard and fast. I ended up in the plastics ward at my local hospital because they weren't sure whether the skin in the middle of the massive circular wound on the back of my head was viable or not. Anyway, that's not the horror. The horror was the tale the nurse in the ward told me. Couple of weeks before, an old farmer type was admitted to the ward. He'd been standing at his 5 bar gate, him one side, shire horse the other, chatting to a friend. Shire's reins were over the farmer's wrist and he was twirling the ends in his other hand as he chatted. Gun went off, shire spooked and spun and bolted, jerked farmer straight into the gate and his hand was severed by the reins. It went merrily bouncing across the field with the horse. Jeez!!!!
 
went into a 3ft double in a shocking canter pony refused then took off from a standstill i landed underneath him and he kicked me in the head spreading my nose across my face 6 years on and i still have panic attacks jumping and my nose clicks and gets stuck to one side sometimes. thinking i got off v v lightly now though:eek:
 
equestrianabbie said:
Some horror stories on here :(
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but you can see people get their nerve back and carry on and enjoy it though :)

Two falls stick in my mind
One about 4 years ago, hacking out only got 5 minutes from the yard, Kel spotted a pheasant feeder, went up, I came out the side door and somehow got tangled in her legs as she went to head homewards - she managed to free herself and took off, kicking me in the back of the neck as she did. I damaged the cartilage down my left side (it still troubles me now), damaged the tendons and cartilage around my knee, broke a few ribs, had concussion and I have been very nervous riding down there ever since but I HAVE done it.

The second was about 2 years ago, again only 5 minutes from the yard. Kel got spooked by something, went up, I lost my balance, fell off, cracked my head on an unfortunately placed stone (I had my hat on) and knocked myself out very briefly. Came round to see my poor, poor girl tangled up in barbed wire, absolutely freaking out. Managed to get herself free and headed back to the yard. I managed to scramble to my feet, rang the YO to catch Kelly and hobbled as fast as I could back to the yard. I was covered in blood, bruised, I broke a few bones in my feet and had one hell of a headache for a good few days. Kelly was lame for a week and had a lot of cuts and I was so devastated that it had happened - however, funny side to it, she managed to set all the sheep free!! :rolleyes: I've never ridden back down there.
Some definite horror stories and injuries but its not stopped me from wanting to ride
K x
 
Gosh, nothing as bad as some people on here. :( *passes around the mini eggs* :)

Very tame in comparison but hacking through the village with someone from the yard and met a stupid twit of a woman and her stupid yappy dog on an extendable lead. :mad: Can't really remember what happened but the dog had weaved his way between the horses legs, tieing them up, horses struggling (as you would!) ended up kicking the poor dog a few times :o and then promptly lost balance and sat/fell ontop of someones garden wall :o
Thankfully the horses were ok and I was in too much shock to get off and smack the daft woman when she yelled that we'd get the bill if her dog was hurt!
Haven't seen her since!

Another time was years back hacking on a narrow lane, cars waiting to pass so we were trotting on to a wider bit. When we got there though stupid motorcycle decided he couldn't wait any longer, overtook the waiting cars and on realising there was an oncoming car and horses in his way :rolleyes: promptly swerved, fell off and careered into us. Thankfully it was the bloke who hit us and not the bike.

Grr.
 
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