Brave Horse Riders

[Miss Z]

I went riding today and was riding a lovely 14hh Haflinger pony when she spooked and cantered off with her head down. Luckily, i managed to stay on, but i could have been thrown over the arena fence if i had not hung on tight!
I do not hate the pony, on the contrary, i love her and have ridden her before many times. I am posting this to state how annoyed i get when i tell people that i ride for a sport and they portray it as a dainty, easy little thing. I love riding with all my heart, but it is dangerous. People can die from falling off a horse. I want people who don't ride to know that riders have to have a lot of guts to get back on a horse that has just bucked them off (don't get me wrong, i really do love horses, i don't see them as mean machines, most love to be ridden!).
For other riders, what has been your worst experience on horseback?I am asking so that i can print the posts off and use them as evidence to any person who disrespects horse riding. My worst experience was when i was riding an arab and she spooked and i was thrown over her head and went headfirst into the wall. I was luckilly alright due to reacting quickly and putting my arms over my head before i hit the wall( i did have a helmet on, but the impact could have damaged my skull or spine).I was lucky that i didn't break anything.

Since when has any footballer done that?

[Addie]

my worst expierence on a horse...hmm...well last time i rode i was on my friends horse and we were going the opposite way they normally go...so instead of going counterclockwise we went clockwise around it...we went up a hill that they normaly gallop down...well i was about 3/4 the way up and a deer jumped out and Sterling reared(Sterling is an Arab/QH gelding...he's fleabitten Grey) and started to gallop down the hill and i could NOT stop him. So we get halfway down adn there is a log in the middle of the trail that we cut around...well he was persistent to jump over and i had never jumped on him before and i was not ready for this jump but he went over...we got to the bottom and i fianally stopped him and calmed him down...i was really shaken up because that was the second time i had ever rode him and the jump was a good 2-2 1/2' So that was not as bad as the 3rd time i rode

I was at a stable getting lessons for the first time (Maybe 6 years ago) and i was riding this beautiful black thoroughbred Stallion...his name was Earoh...well he was really feisty and 2 people had to hold him in order for anybody to get on hiim. They had him on a lead to go around the arena for the first couple times then they let me go...now Snoopy...the barn cat...liked the horse and while i was trotting she jumped up on him from behind and Earoh flipped! He reared, galloped around the arena and then he bucked a couple of times. my feet fell out of the stirrups and i fell backwards off of him and scrambled away before he could stomp me...i was scared half to death!

[Mutt_Maniac]

Wow. thats bad..

My worst 2 experiences...

My neighbor owns bred racehorses and i had my own horse but he wanted me to ride his one horse. She had a halter on and we were in the pasture. His other horse that was being trained came over *i didn't have a saddle on btw* and bit her cause he got jealous she reared and took off i fell of after a little bit

another one...

I was jumping my horse to get ready for a show and we were by teh bushes and my dog jumped out. The horse spooked and jumped to the side. I fell in my stomach and fractured my tail bone. i couldn't walk for a couple days... I had a show the next weekend...

[areias]

All of those sound ouchy. I've fallen off a number of times, mostly ones were I land on my feet or in a bush from a spooky horse, or one that bolted.

I was at a barn at my old school, and I was supposed to be in a hunter pace. They had forgotten to give me a horse, so all the rest were taken, and they gave me the last one-Eros. Well, I had never rode him, so I got on and starting warming him up in the arena. I was starting to think it wouldn't be too bad, he seemed fine, so I picked up a canter and was doing fine, and then I tried to bring him back to a walk, there was no response. Then he got faster, and started galloping around the small area, and I was trying to see saw the reins, and he just got faster, and I couldn't circle because there were people in the middle of the arena. Someone yelled to head him for the fence, so I did, and he ducked his shoulder out and I flew off the side of him onto the frozen, packed arena. I was taken, blacked out, in an ambulance, I had a concussion and was peeing blood. Everything was okay but it was really scary. I actually never rode him again though.

Another time I was riding an off the track thoroughbred. I had been riding him for a week, and was told to go for a slow gallop around a pasture. Well, he decided he wanted to go home, so he took off across the field and there was NO stopping him. He tripped, and I immediately came off underneath him (I'm not sure why, I think I was just frozen in fear)..he grazed me with his hooves, and I got the wind knocked out of me real hard, it was awful, I seriously thought I was going to die. I couldn't breathe for at least a minute. Then the rest of the day I was throwing up, it really messed me up. I did ride him again, and we were fine.

I'm glad I've never done anything to serious though. And always ride with helmets, you never know what can happen! (Even though I don't anymore.. )

[ramanth]

I've fallen off a horse. Horse was running, horse suddenly stopped, I went over horse's head. Don't hate the horse and I was thankfully okay.

I would still ride a horse if given a chance. I love horses.

[Denyce]

Well my first horse was a nutcase Appaloosa by the name of "Step Aside Clyde" or Charlie as he was affectionately called. He was so full of spirit. I loved that horse and he gave me the glue in my seat. But before that glue completely took hold we had some doozies.

One time we were going up a hill and Charlie decided in his usual hard-headed Appaloosa fashion that he didn't want to go up the hill anymore. So he tried turning to go down the hill while I fought with him to continue. He reared since that was his typical response and came down on top of a very thorny manzanita bush. He then reared again only this time we were facing back up the hill rather than to the side...he lost his footing and we rolled together down the hill. Once at the bottem he stood up. Luckily my feet were not stuck in the stirrups because once he realized I wasn't on top of him anymore he took off for home...FIVE MILES AWAY!

Another time he reared because we were on pavement and I wasn't allowing him to run. His feet slipped out from under him and we went down on his side. That time my leg was pinned under him. He lay there and quivered for a couple of minutes. When he got his feet under him I held onto the horn and stayed on his back while he got to his feet so I didn't have the long walk back home that time.

Another time at a show I had just won a blue ribbon on Charlie in Bareback Equitation. We were back at the van saddling up for the next event when the mare beside us started kicking the side of the van. I turned to see what was going on just as she turned her butt. I got it with two hooves right in the gut. I went down like a rock gasping for air. My mom and boyfriend were freaking out. Charlie kept trying to get to me while I was lying on the ground. I hadn't tied him since he would ground tie so well at a show. He became very frustrated at all the people trying to keep him away from me. Eventually the ambulance came. The only reason I didn't have a ruptured spleen was because my large silver western belt buckle took the brunt of the kick.

But the most heroic time for Charlie was one summer day. We were lazing around the area where the stable was. I had bathed him for the show the next day and we were just walking around relaxing. I was riding barefoot and bareback with a hackamore on him. We went past a neighbors house who bred Rottweilers. She hadn't secured the stud or two of the females. They saw us and came running down the road and attacked. Charlie protected me. He never kicked with both feet. He didn't bolt and run. He had been bred on a range in Idaho and hadn't been gelded until he was a 3 year old so he had some smarts about him. He tried to fight them off by circling, striking with one hoof at a time and trying to bite them. A man saw the commotion and stopped. He apparently knew Karate and was able to kick the stud dog in the ribs and send him rolling. The two females had been restrained by the owner by this time. Poor Charlie had a torn up muzzle, and his haunches had numerous bite wounds upon them. I hadn't been bitten at all. I had pulled up my feet and rode like a jockey, giving him his head to do what he needed to do. I loved that horse.

I have been bitten, kicked, stepped on, thrown, rolled over on and knocked down by horses. I still love them and always will.

Denyce

ps....you should NEVER EVER purposely run down a hill on a horse. It is a very easy way to shatter one of their legs...one simple misstep and you are a goner and the horse could be dead or have to be destroyed. The forward momentum of running down a hill is too strong. You should ALWAYS walk slowly down a hill while leaning back in your saddle.

[CathyBogart]

A relative of my ex has a couple of horses. Since I'm a pretty inexperienced rider, I was riding an older mare who is really mellow. We were cantering around a turn when she stepped in a gohper hole and almost went over! Talk about terrifying, for me and her!

[Miss Z]

Thanks everyone! You've really helped !