Hi EquiAbi!
It does not matter how often you have fallen off a horse to be a good rider! Some good riders have fallen a hundret times, some only ten, five or three times. Everybody who is just starting to llearn riding falls of some times, some more often, some less.
Best wishes for a good start into a happy new year
Jasmin from Hamburg, Germany

Hi EquiAbi,
What do you think? I guess all of us have fallen off, but I can tell you from experience, that not all falls have a happy ending! More important than counting how many time you fall off, is learning:

1: not to disturb the horse when riding, so independent seat and quiet legs, not to lean on the reins for balance.

2: how to fall without getting hurt. I have read about courses of proper falling ( rolling to the side with your arm and shoulder under you, then rolling away from the path of the horse to keep away from his feet)

Going through these lessons you will learn a lot about the horse and yourself, you'll be a better rider, that's for sure!

Have fun,

Miriam

I must be very strange, I have never fallen off a horse or pony.
I don't know why. I know I will not get on a horse I do not feel absolutely safe with.
I put them through a test before I will even attempt to mount.
If they do not pass I will not get on.
If when I am on a strange mount and they start to act up in any way I dismount immediately, no second chances, it could be my last.
My brother-in-law said I had glue on my backside is why I never fell, I don't know.
I do know as I get older I want a quiet gentle mount that I am just as happy walking as galloping at full speed.
My full speed away days are over.
My daughter wears all gear, including a vest when she rides as well, no chances!!!

Hi EquiAbi,
I fell off a bit when i was a kid, going too fast and being silly etc!
My last horse i got when i was 17 and i had him for 12 years. He was a 16hh TB who could be very volatile and if afraid he would just blast away in fear. There were many times i COULD have fallen off buti never did!. Does that make me a bad rider or a good rider? I am a bit like Ronda, if i feel the horse is becoming unsafe, i dismount. There is absolutely no point endangering your own life. definately don't think you have to fall off to be a good rider! That statistic is going to be different for everyone, even you and your friend.
Ronda, your daughter is a smart girl!! I got all my family to help me buy the best riding vest on the market here in Australia by giving me money if they gave me a gift! It is a Viper Vest designed buy one of our top Jockeys. I love it and wouldn't ride without it! My family are also more comfortable about me riding now. I have a bad back too and i find it helps to keep me stable while riding.
Janelle

EquiAbi
In all the years that I have ridden I "fell off" once when I was 12 or 13 and the cinch came loose and I rolled under the horse. I figured at that point I better let go!. I have always had very well trained horses but even so they all blow up at some time and it is how you ride it out or get off that is the most important i agree with Mariam that it is a good idea to learn how to fall or really how to hit the ground. The biggest mistake I see when riders have a horse that start bucking and rearing is they pull on the reins. This is the worst thing you can do. You never want to balance yourself using the reins and pulling on them to control the horse doesn't work. It just makes them backup and rear and spin trying to get away from the hurt in their mouth. Try to keep the head of the horse parallel
to the ground, so if they are going to buck they will lower their head and if the are going to read they will raise their head. If you can bump their head up with the reins or tap them on the poll if they raise their head, you have a much better chance of staying on. But don't be afraid to bail out is you cannot stay on safely. Also remember if you are paying attention to how your horse is moving and holding himself you will be able to anticipate many of the blowups before they happen. One of the ladies that shows with me fell last year during one of our equine dance routines and was hurt quite badly. She lost her concentration and had looked to the side of the horse, relaxing her pressure on the horse and it scared him since he knew what the dance routine was and he dumped her. So paying attention ALWAYS is a good safe guard.

Cheers

Hi EquiAbi,
Your friend is so wrong! You have to fall off 100 times before you can ride. ;) ;) ;)
Kidding! Sort of.
It's an old saying, and while I believe it was partly to encourage novice riders to get back up again, I don't think old sayings should be taken literally. More likely it was to imbue that what makes a good rider is *experience*.
Not necessarily the falling off as such, but more to take into account the time it would take before you have actually fallen off that many times.
(And, if nothing else, after 100 times you are probably very good at falling off! *grin* )

Hi,
Thanks for all your advice:)
Dennis I totally get what you are saying about the raising of the head and keeping it parallel to the ground. it makes so much sense! :)
but when a horse acts up then arnt you safer if you stay on board? what I do if the horse starts acting up is I see how small a circle they can do or I do a sepentine with as many loops as possible :) it takes thier mind off what ever they were scared of and gives them something to do:) also becaoming a 'dead weight', dropping all your weight into the saddle sometimes helps too:)
I was always told that if your horse acts up then the worst thing you can do is get off. They say that you might get trodden on or the horse might trample over you in blind panic!!!! :S
Is his acctually true or have i been misinformed?
EquiAbi

EquiAbi
Circling a horse certainly helps. If you get the rear end moving in a circle they cannot buck and most horses will be happy if you stop circling them. You can just feel them relax and start to think about what has happened.
My feeling is that when a horse has a blowup it is really important to just walk them as slowly as possible. and after you feel them get comfortable with the pace you can also relax your hands and body. Both rider and horse have a lot of tension going on when there is a blowup.
As far as getting trampled, I guess it could happen. I know if you get thrown there is a good chance you will get stepped on but if you bail off the horse you should do so that you keep you feet under you and move away from the horse. I always think that if you have the skills to stay on the horse through a blowup the next time they blowup it is not as bad. They will start to listen to you quicker. Don't know if that is clear but when it happens to you and your horse listens to you and calms down without getting hurt they have morse confidence that you will help them to keep out of danger.

Cheers

Cheers

Hi EquiiAbi - in response to your queries. Firstyl like the others I would certainly disagree with your friend that you need to fall off to be a good rider. That is rubbish - good riders tend NOT to fall off as they have good balance and good horsemanship skills. However on the way to becoming a good rider it is likely that we will all take the odd buster or two - particularly if we are willing to challenge ourselves a bit. I fell off a lot as a kid as I would try crazy things on my horse and I was often riding bareback - I was rarely hurt by these falls. Over the years I have fallen off many times but I am certainly not a good rider. I even managed to win the "Involuntary Dismount Award, 2011" from our local adult riding club for my two fairly impressive, consecutive falls off my young mare, Tricka, this last year. Up until recently I have rarely hurt myself when I have fallen off but age is catching up with me and I am now more injury prone. Learning how to fall without hurting yourself too badly is a really good idea if you can do it. I think also been relatively relaxed helps. The one thing I have always done after I have fallen off is to get straight back on if I possibly can. That is sometimes really hard to do especially if the fall has been a hard one. However I believe that it is particularly important if you are riding a young horse as it teaches the horse that they can not get rid of you that easily. It is also very important for your own confidence. Even after my first bad fall last year when I was winded badly and in a lot of pain in my back I got straight back on Tricka, rode her carefully for awhile but then insisted that she canter in a circle for me as that is what we were doing when tossed me off. As pointed out above most falls are caused by lack of concentration or unbalanced riding. It was lack of concentration and bad riding which caused my falls last year.

Secondly to stay on or off load? Like you I have always conceded that it is safer to try to stay on a horse that is playing up rather than dismount but this depends a little on the environment and the horse you are riding. If you leap off a young horse whenever it plays up then surely this will just teach it to do the same next time. I am far more reluctant to dismount a young horse in training than an older horse as you can do so much more damage to a young horse that is just learning. So if a horse is playing up then I have always tried to stay on. I guess one of my greatest concerns in addition to fhe fear of being trampled or hurt if I try to dismount a horse that is playing up is the question of whether or not I will be able to hold the spooked horse on the ground it I do dismount successfully. This is particularly relevant if you are riding on or near a busy road. So I try to stay on. Like you I would drop my weight into the saddle ensure my heels are down and that I am as balanced and upright as possible then circle the horse until it settles down or the scary thing has passed. It is hard for them to buck or rare when being circled. When it is settled try to move it forward on a relatively lose rein with lots of pats and praise and plenty of breathing yourself. Talking to your horse, whistling or singing will help both you and your horse settle down and get through this bad episode. The other day I had a new young friend riding one of my horses with me on the side of a fairly busy road. A very large kangaroo jumped out from behind a bush which spooked both the horses. The horse my friend was riding shied and flew back but then settled OK. My new friend was rightly proud of herself as she stayed on but she said that she was thinking of off loading when her horse shied. My immediate thought was with the horse flying backwards how would she have done that without seriously hurting herself on the very rough ground and what would have happened to my horse if she had off loaded? I have never had the skill required to vault off a horse that is playing up without the fear of falling though I have landed on my feet after a pig root. If you can calm your horse down enough to get off it safely then I would suggest that the real danger is passed anyway so still stay on. However in saying stay on there are times when I agree it could be sensible to off load. My quarter horse Uggs is easily spooked and can buck impressivley without warning. He has bucked me off a few times in the past but I have been able to re-mount him and settle him down. However now that I am feeling my age I think that if he went into a spasm now I would dismount before he bucked. He usually gives some warning as he hunches his body first which if I am quick enough is my que to circle him and re-assureing him. I get caught out if he decides to buck after a jump so I am not so willing to jump him these days.

All the above is great advice.
I'll tell you a story that happened to me about 30 years ago. We were visiting in Vermont, USA and my daughter and I wanted to go riding while there.
Because I was experienced as a rider and have had a few, shall we say exicitable horses in my day, the owner of the stable thought he would give me a green horse that had only been riden a few times.
He did not tell me this and as I mounted he seemed a bit sprited but I thought Ok, I'll give it a try.
He was also a lead horse and did not have good ground manners and wanted to pass everyone !!!!
Now, on the flats and open area that was OK but we came to a wooded area and the side of a mountain and he wanted to pass every other horse.
This was not a safe situation. I had a choice try to keep him under control or dismount while it was safe.
I choose to dismount and walk a long way back to the stable.
This taught me a very valuable lesson, we are not infalable, we need to show common sence when it comes to horses.
That cliff was at least 500-700 feet to the bottom.
I have been in some sticky situations and really pay attention to what is going on around me at all times.
I have never trained how to "fall propely" but one thing I insist on having attached to my horses' bridle is a safe rope, about 15-20 feet long that is also tucked into my belt so if I have to dismount I still have control of my horse.
Be safe everyone, we do not need to prove anything to ourselves or others.
Ronda

Ronda
I knew you were a cowgirl after all! The get down rope is on of the best piece of take you can have on a horse, particularly on the trail. If yo drop something like your hat while on the trail it is mush safer to use the get down rope for both rider and horse.

Happy New Years!

Cheers

Hi again Janelle! I really like your idea of the vest! And my birthday is coming up next month, so I might do the same as you and ask my family for money towards one! Ange

Hi Everyone,
All good advice- I have fallen off many times and I can tell you i learned a lesson from each fall. I can say that if i had been concentrating and listening to my horse, 99% of the falls would not have happened. I am happy to report that I always get back on when safe to do so. And only one fall required hospitalization overnight for observation ( I was knocked out) The worst part of that fall was I couuldn't ride for three months in case I fell again because a secondary head injury can me much worse that the intial injury.

In any case, I have always tried to stay on my horse- I feel safer that trying to dismount, especailly when speed is involded or there are other horses around. The other thing is I try to relaxe.

I don't if falling off makes you a better rider; unless you learn from it; however, my husband purchased a safety vest for me and I never ride withour it.

I do not ride horses that I feel are unsafe for me. if I feel threatened going- in then in someway- it will become the truth of that ride.

Each horse responds differently to what each rider brings to the equation.

Stay safe!!
Love and Light
richandi

I have fallen off too many thing to count. I was the idiot to get on everyone else horses that was being stupid. It was fun some sort of joy ride I loved it. Most the time I fall off jumping my horses he go right I go left. And my mare would fall on me gaming if the footing was bad in her last teens and early 20.... but last fall was 3 year ago riding my mare that has since passed always she was being stupid like away did not think and think of it it just the way she was. will she freaked out dump me when I came too I thought I was dead!!! I have to move every body part to make sure it was alive it took me a couple Min to remember were I was I got up walk over to my sister and the 2 horses. About 20 feet and had to sit down called my parents to come get me I could not walk with out falling over. I spent 2 night in the hospital and was not able to ride for 6 month that wanted me to wait a year but I could not do it and that 6 months my mare passed away I never got to ride her again after that day 3 years ago. I was scared to death to get back on a horses. I got on my great boy that I knew would not hurt me would take care of me... I would have to say I'm smarter now. My new mare when I got her I was jumping off a lot because I was scared to death now I don't ever get off of her she has gave me everything back.... when she freaking out I want on her not on the ground I feel way safer on my horses. I knew it crazy but I do. But I have to say breaking ur head open will change the way u think about thing. Everyone be careful out there.

I only fell off once, and hopefully that will be the only time!

Well done, bbarner4628. It is fantastic that you have managed to get back on agains so soon. However your post is a great reminder to us all how dangerous horses can be. I had a similar experience when I was pitched off a young, horse onto a bitumen road at full pace when I was twenty. No helmet even those days. Concussion, cracked skull, and blood shot eyes for twelve months. That reduced my horse riding activities for almost 20 years!! Admittedly I had a very busy alternative life as well during those years - kids and full time work.

Ur sounds a lot like what happen to me maggieF. I can't believe u did not ride for 20 years that's along time. I would of got right back on if I could of walk.lol or the day I got out of the hospital if my parents would of let me with out freaking out.. just to be back up in saddle. There is no better feeling. But I'm glad to here after so long u got back on and started riding again. Safe rides stupid little thing we do make us way smarter in the end. Enjoy

bbarner4628 I think it is great to get back on as soon as you can as that re-builds confidence. I did ride during those 20 years I just didn't own a horse so I couldn't ride very often. It was probably circumstances rather than my fall that kept me off them as I had to leave the property which was my home as a child and then had no direct access to a horses. I was doing some practical work for an ag. eco. degree when I had my buster and it was at the end of my degree. Soon after I accepted a position in the Rural Bank in Sydney so access to horses was very limited and it remained so for all that time as we lived in cities. The last 20+ years it has been fantastic to have a little bit of land and have horses in my life again. I couldn't fully appreciate having them until I gave up work a couple of years ago to break in Tricka. Now I couldn't live without them!

I don't think I could ever live in the city. But thing in life happen I know now that I work I do not have as much time for them as I use to. But I'm glad u got back in to horses. There the most amazing animal a lot of work I'm hoping that one day I will have as much time as I use to for them. The good thing is my parents have land and my horses live there it I did bot have that I would not have them either.... the real world and work get in The way as u get older and it suck. But u always got to way out what the most important and with out work u can't have horses. And with to much work u don't have time for them.

Yes - they are amazing animals so do try to keep your life balanced so that you can work but also enjoy your horses. I do regret having all those years without them but there was no alternative at the time and I have made up for it since!

I try to keep my life balanced it hard but that's life I try to get out In ride a couple times a week.... I'm glad u got horses back in ur life after all the year.... enjoy all ur time with them..

Hey EquiAbi, I have heard that and I do sort of relate to it but I don't think it's true, I just use it to make myself feel better and to think that every time I do fall off, I'm learning.

I fell off several times, on different horses. Once I twisted my vertebrae in my neck, and I will likely be in pain for the rest of my life.

It is my understanding that if you have a true partnership with your horse, it is actually very difficult to fall off.

A true partnership may help to reduce the likelihood of falling off but I still believe that you can fall off and it is not all that difficult to do so. Nicky and I have a pretty good partnership and she rarely spooks but a dog jumped out from behind some bushes in a yard this morning and she spooked. Fortunately I didn't come off but it would have been very easy to do so as she shyed badly then reared. Some kids on bikes behind us thought it was very funny which didn't help much!

Very easy to dismount involuntarily no matter how docile the horse is, or how strong the partnership is.

If your horse takes a quick step to the side to avoid something, it's more a question of how strong your balance is. ;)

I have never fallen off a horse....yet...but I don't think falling off helps you be a better rider. That saying helps you want to get back on. And that is where the good rider comes in. If you get back on then you are strong. If you just give up then the falling off hasn't helped at all. If you don't fall of then you must either have a very good seat in the saddle or very nice horses!

Like most of us I've also fallen off loads of times!! Not sure if it's made me a better rider but have learnt some of the signs, and how to relax before I hit the deck! My old mare was brilliant she would ever so gently drop her off shoulder stop and twist so I just sorta slid off, usually when jumping! Her son is totally different, he bucked vertically, the first time he had me off, close up view of the mane then flat on my back on the track! He's not done that since but he used to spin either way and as I see my foot on top of the saddle it's a "this will hurt tomorrow" thought passes through my mind followed by a "relax the body"! He has the occasional blip but it's more for fun now than he wants to kill me, the broncing is apparently impressive, don't know there's just no neck or bum just me in the saddle in mid air! Luckily no serious injuries, bruised pride!!

Interesting to have this old post come back up. Hate to say it but I do think that it is pretty inevitable to have a fall of a horse occasionally when you are riding them continually. I am lucky at present as I haven't fallen off for a couple of years but I am more careful now that age is creeping up on me and Tricka and Nicky are pretty safe.

Interesting to have this old post come back up. Hate to say it, Steph, but I do think that it is pretty inevitable to have a fall of a horse occasionally when you are riding them continually. I am lucky at present as I haven't fallen off for a couple of years but I am more careful now that age is creeping up on me and Tricka and Nicky are pretty safe.

Please delete one! Not sure how it happened!

I deliberately didn't comment on this post as i didn't want to tempt fate!!!!!
Yesterday me & Libby had our first crashing fall together in ten years of being together!!!
We were cantering across the field, she stuck her right shoulder out as she does, i corrected her, she cantered straight, then her toe stuck in the ground, her front end hit the ground, then her enormous bum carried on with the momentum of the canter about 90 degres i guess, i was thrown almost clear, the only part of my that ended up under her was my foot, but i hit the ground very hard & fast, cracked my rib ion the process! Libby seems fine, she was up & noshing grass immediately, not very concerned that mummy was on the deck! I led her back up to the shelter & got back on, she thought she was done, nope, get on with it! she was up for cantering again but my rib wasn't so we did a few minutes more in walk & trot then i called it a day.
So, you see, i've been riding 45 years, but these things happen when you least expect it. Falling off is no indication of how experienced a\ rider is, it can happen to any one at any time.

Hi beryl,
You were lucky to have come away with "only" a cracked rib and a foot from your fall yesterday! Corageous to get back in the saddle right away!
What I wanted to suggest is that you tape your rib, so breathing and moving is not that painful. I cracked a rib a few years ago and did the taping myself, since no medical care was necessary, I could even sleep on that side pretty soon. Take a big size medicaltape and maybe even cross in two directions to support the movement better.
Hope you get well soon!
Miriam

Oh Beryl - so sorry to read of your nasty buster off Libby. Yes these things just happen with horses when we least expect them to and it doesn't matter how good a rider we are. Do hope that rib is OK. Do get it checked out by a doctor to make sure it hasn't broken as that can be dangerous. Well done for getting back on but in this case that was good for your own confidence in the future. Libby did nothing wrong so not important to get on for her sake - so pleased she is OK.. My back still plays up from the nasty unexpected buster I had off Tricka a few years ago and I am still a little nervous when cantering her. She has an extremely rough canter due to her own back injury which jars my back so we rarely canter except when required to for Adult Riders.

Thinking of you this morning, Beryl and this thread after I almost crashed off my big (16.2 hands)very fat, very quiet Warmblood, Ouyen. Riding along on the buckle, totally relaxed beside a gravel road when she shied badly – big sideways jump, then a 360 degree circle and then she jumped down 2 ft onto the gravel road while I was still unbalanced with no reins – thought I was off but managed to find the reins, my stirrups and the saddle again. Would have been nasty hitting the gravel as the edge of the road made my possible fall so much further! Just shows how easy it is to have an accident. Would you believe she shied at a bird! Not phased by trucks, cars, motor bikes or anything else. I was being totally casual after spending 2 hard hours trying to load a very trailer scared, Arab horse for a friend. Thought it would be quite easy with the dually as I have successfully loaded so many but not so for this one. Really needed Montys float wings! We put the float next to a fence but a barrier on the other side would have helped so much. As soon as this horse felt the pressure he reared up and twisted trying to avoid the dually. A few people had tried previously with a conventional halter and given up because of his rearing which made him so much worse. I was going to be there all day if necessary! It was really tricky as you had to get him onto the tail gate without rearing back and then try to keep him placid so that he wouldn't rear up and hit his head on the float on the way in which he has obviously done on previous occasions. Managed to finally get him on and off a few times but he is still very nervous in the float and likely to rear up in there and hit his head if he is not kept placid. He hates any restriction on his head at all so needs so much dually work - much more than I could give him to-day. At least we finished on a good note - had him going in and standing for awhile before backing him out a couple of times. Needed to put the lunge line behind him and go with him with it on the way out to avoid him panicking, flying out and hitting his head. Hopefully he will be better on Wednesday when I will try again with a follow up lesson. All this activity meant I was super relaxed and tired by the time I rode Ouyen!

Thanks Miriam & MaggieF, they don't recommend taping ribs anymore, it's not quite as painful as the first time i did it as it's round the side, not right in the front, so thats a blessing!
I know Libby didn't do anything wrong, she just caught her toe & went splat, getting back on was for my benefit as falling like that is my biggest fear as i've done it several times & they are always nasty & there's nothing you can do to prevent it. She did protest & i noted it, but she soon said ok, lets go.
painkillers are calling me!!!!

Take it easy, Beryl. Not too much horse play. Hope it gets better soon but they are slow to mend. Thinking of you.

Thanks MaggieF, it's so annoying, this time of year is our best chance of actually getting some schooling don e before the ground gets too hard for her, we were only just starting to get on with it. Ho hum!

Ouch Beryl, hope it gets better soon.. Maggie that sounds as if it could've been nasty, mines had me off on tarmac that did hurt flat on my back, funny though it was my elbow that was in agony? Think the most shocking fall I've had was when I took the Old Mare out ( before Himself was thought of) & we jumped a ditch that we'd been over 100's of times & she tripped on landing, face flat on the gravel as I disgracefully flew up her neck and nose dived as well. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't a freezing cold December day, nobody around & only some murky water to rinse the worst of the blood off the mares nose! Luckily we both came off with grazes & a busted peak on my hat. The cold really didn't help that day, so it was home wash her off properly & a hot cuppa for me! Just proves they aren't infallible..

it's about the 4th or 5th such fall i've had & i can't blame it on her not having any pony in her as my beloved Rocky was Welsh x TB & we had said crashing falls!! One was when i was jumping him without a bridle on & he got brave & took on the field gate which was 5' 2" on the take off side, but he hesitated on take off, caught his front legs on the top & we rotated very fast, I broke my left wrist, right elbow & also landed on my chin with my head back - how the hell i didn't break my neck i' don't know. Poor Rock's landed on his face, the metal gate folded down under him, then bounced him backwards so he landed on his back balanced on the front & back of the saddle, as he rolled to the side, his back foot slid into a V shape part of the gate & i was waiting for his leg to break, LUCKILY, just at the right moment, he kicked & that saved his life as it rolled him back the other way & his foot came out of the gate Bless him. Needless to say i have NEVER ridden without a bridle again!!!!!!

Checked my hat yesterday, it has been cracked, can't see it, but squeezing the sides, it's got a creak in it - bum!
The fluorescent hat band did fly at least 4 feet further than i did, no wonder i was a bit dazed!!