We've all fallen off our horses, as a trainer I fall off more than I'd like too LO
L, BUT one thing I always do when I fall is LET GO OF THE HORSE!! Never try to hang on to your horse, no matter what, it's dangerous and scary! You could get drug, break your arm, or get stomped on!! Just let your horse go, it will probably stop by other horses, run home, or you may have to go and find them, but they never seem to go to far!
L, BUT one thing I always do when I fall is LET GO OF THE HORSE!! Never try to hang on to your horse, no matter what, it's dangerous and scary! You could get drug, break your arm, or get stomped on!! Just let your horse go, it will probably stop by other horses, run home, or you may have to go and find them, but they never seem to go to far! Ugh, I'm going to start giving lessons to this girl and the horse her mom wants her to ride is WAY too much horse for her as she is way too inexperienced. So her mom tells me to watch her ride and see what I think of the girl and the horse as a combo and I say NO WAY! That will not be the horse she's going to learn on! The girl tries to halt the horse by not shortening up the reins and she has her hands way up in the air and the horse is still going and then bolts with the girl! My heart DROPPED! Luckily we got the horse stopped and the girl was fine and not scared but still. So if you have a beginner riding one of your horses, then YOU are responsible for teaching the how to safely get the horse to stop!!!! And they should always be riding a dead broke, bomb proof horse! That scared the tar out of me, luckily we have a lesson tomorrow and we will be using a 26 yr old dead broke awesome mare! PHEW!!!
Do NOT ride ANY HORSE that is inexperienced or unbroke, or even greenbroke without someone being around you! If something goes wrong, and you go unconscious you could end up dead or even more seriously hurt by not getting medical attention immediately. I NEVER break a horse or ride a green horse without someone on the property and I tell them, "Hey I'm going to go ride/work so and so." That has saved many a riders butts from being in BIG trouble!!!
All in all use common sense and stay safe! You don't want to get hurt right before summertime!!
6 comments:
Great post. I am also a riding instructor and decided to ride my own horse with a group of very competent adult riders. The lesson was great and we all had fun. When the lesson was over, I let my students take their horses out of the arena, and I decided to work with my horse a little bit longer (we spent most of the lesson in the middle, coaching riders).
Just as the last horse was leaving the ring, my horse, an OTTB, bolted! We've been bolt-free for two years until today. It took me a moment to remember what to do, when suddenly I remembered the advice I always give my students, "Sit deep, stay tall, half halt, and circle." Lol! Fortunately, we were fine and my horse went back to being a super star, but it was nice to have a reminder. :)
No kidding, eh??
jeeesh.
You've been thinking what I've been thinking, aGain:)
Um, that picture looks like it's really going to suck for the rider in about 1 second.
I have a tendency to hang onto the reins when I fall, but I also have this sort of defense mechanism- I hold onto reins, but I fling that arm far away from my body so I don't drag my horse on top of me. Not a conscious decision, it's just kind of an instinct.
I ride by myself a lot, and I have no desire to hobble all over the hilly BLM land looking for my horse, nor to hobble a couple miles home horseless.
Ouch! Also the problem with a horse that has been retrained is that they can vapor lock and revert when you least expect it. I have a lovely brood mare that I can ride, but she's just so scared when I do that I decided to let her be a great momma and pasture ornament. The fear in her eyes when she's tacked up makes my heart ache. She never disobeys, but stresses every step looking at me for reassurance. She was broke by a pro. Amateurs can mess a horse up, but an evil pro can break them gut deep and brain fried because they can get into the horse's psyche deeper.
i love the english bridle in the western bit.
nice.
nice.
I've seen some bad accidents from horses being let go and then getting their legs caught up in the reins (one was a star filly on the track who tore up her legs and bowed a front). Also, I don't particularly relish walking miles home later either. On the other hand, invest in a solid partnership with your horse and also in the time it takes to properly develop him and you don't have to worry about falling off (well, not by the horse's choice anyways, lol), your horse running off on you, or your horse freaking when he gets a leg caught in a rein. So really either holding on to the rein or letting go can work...depending on the situation.
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