outa curiosity....

[FirenLady]

How many times a year do fall off? and what are you usually doing when you hit the deck?

I fall of on average 4 times a year (although having already fallen off twice this year i think it will be more). It either tends to be the odd dodgy filler, or critters jumping out that gets us, or the occasional funny tuft of grass

My Best friend has fallen off her pony 3 times in 3 years. Only when jumping usually at a show.

I was wondering if i was the odd one or her. My OH seems to think i shouldn't fall off as much as I do

[Blonde Donkey]

about twice a year but didn't fall off last year because savvy wasn't in hard work and i was breaking paddy who did 0-5 in an hour bless him. the last time i fell was at a show and that bob the builder balloon was very scary

[haffyfan]

OMG...just realised I haven't fallen off since before Sunny died (2000)...Murph had gotten very close though....bet I'm on the deck Friday now

[Maes Seren]

Christ, ive come off once already this year off my friends dun, im planning on a few more times yet this year ... too many months left to go arrgghhhhh

[FirenLady]

Wow lucky you! wish i could say the same. I think i probably do enough falling for two people. I must be having your share of falls too! though in my defence I'd never fallen in 5 years that I'd been riding till I bought Fire.

[zara]

This is probably tempting fate and if I hit the deck tomorrow I'll be well peed off! I last fell off about 3 years ago having a jumping lesson on 14.2 pony. Not so much as a fall but a gradual dismount from a point of no return after he ducked out at the last minute. Prior to that it would have been 1994, again in a jumping lesson when a horse put in a stop. I never fell off my loan arab (had her for 10 years and did loads of stuff) and I have now had AJ 2 years and he's never been able to get rid of me! Zx This has to be bad luck

[FirenLady]

*touches lots of wood for everyone*

[aimee]

I came off the beginning of this year! Some people might remember as I think I said about it in YH. It was from Jaffa as well! (huge-shire-giant) lol He bucked me off when he saw Fern freak out and stack it with OH! lol

Dont really have an average. It used to depend on the horse like when I used to ride my old TB it was about 5+ times a month to begin with! Since I have had Fern I have never fallen off her, only Jaffa! lol Cant rememer last time before that...had a few breaks from riding, but it was more than likely the TB lol

[arumanii]

I don't think u shud worry about how often you fall off really...measure ur riding by how much u feel ur progressing when on the horse. You could fall more because you try to do more or try things on horses that are faster to react etc... With some horses I've done like savkins n come off a few times within a very short space of time but also had huge gaps where I haven't fallen at all as haven't been working with horses like that. I shouldn't worry about comin off more -so long as you land well! I also pick either the feet or the bum (my most padded bit!!!)

[kateflashy]

i fell of harvey in last september he dodged sideways
before that it would of been about 3 years since i last fell off

[maximum]

about 2 years ago when raven reared and came over and landed on me on the road (hence why she is labelled as the 'one who tried to kill me' in my horse life video)

had Stevie for 4 years and never came off and so far not come off Max but he is so good!!

[abi]

"your not a good rider until you it the deck many times!"

dont worry i come off quite a bit too, normally when im not expecting it, and we used to have a nice habit of catleaping from a standstill which catapulted me more times that i care to remember in our first year!

coming off makes you a better rider, as next time you can expect it and your body is meant to automatically correct itself to avoid it? xx

[duckles]

I know a girl who has never fallen off (riding about 9 years) but then again, she never does anything except ride safe horses in an arena and stay well within her comfort zone. I think you fall a lot if you ride young horses, unschooled horses, buckers, rearers or if you do a lot of hunting, jumping and cross country. I used to fall an awful lot (of course I could be useless as well). I remember wanting to fall when I started riding so I could get my 7 falls over with. (how dumb is that) I gave up counting when I reached 100! In the last few years, I have only ridden my own horses and I haven't really fallen except for last year when I fell twice and injured myself a great deal more than I had ever done in all my previous 100plus falls. So perhaps its no harm to fall fairly regularly as it keeps you used to it. (I dont really mean that) Don't worry Kylie, as long as you don't hurt yourself, that is the main thing. Some horses can do an awful drop shoulder or spin when they stop and if you're a bit forward for jumping, it easily results in a fall.

[brigadier]

Cant possibly respond to this as I will deffo fall off if I do. It would be interesting to hear about peoples funniest fall offs!
Brig

[zoon]

I fall off all the time! Used to be about once or twice a month easily, but haven't come off since bringing the neddy back in to work. In fact I fell off so much that I got very good at landing on my feet. worst fall was over a jump when I came off and the horse knocked the jump on me and then fell on said jump with me underneath. Funniest would be having him stop at a big upright and I went right over his head and over the jump and landed on my feet - it was like I meant to do it. Even did a bow afterwards, but unfortuantely on my mate was there to see it!

[trojanwarrior]

I hit the deck a few weeks ago, well we both did. Poor Warrior slipped in the field while I was riding him & lost his balance. I came off, landing on my head as per usual, while he tried to regain his balance without treading on the scary lump on the ground. He then stopped for a split second to make sure I was ok (well, that's what I like to think ) before buggering off through the gate, up the drive & into his stable, which is where I found him munching hay, with a look of 'what happened to you?' on his face!

[zara]

Isn't that just typical trojan? I'm sure that if I fell off AJ would not hang around to ensure my safety but bugger off to find something to eat!

[kateflashy]

my funniest / most emarressed fall was in a jumping comp it was a 3 round class with the same course as clear round 2x then against the clock flash had learnt the course and in the 3rd round it was getting a bit slippy so i went to take a long route round a fence but flash knew that it was a sharp right turn and she turned before me i just slid off the side and landed on my feet

[raymond]

Blimey - I could cope with 4 times a year! I reckon I fall off on average about once a month? Raymond is shall we say a little sharp at times and has a bit of a buck. Spinning is the preferred "get rid of mummy" technique.
Last fall was about a week ago and have the massive bruises to prove it. That was him napping to get Zara's yard as we were cantering along the riggs and he dropped me on the road - not the nice bouncy verge we were cantering along - oh no spooked sideways and dropped me on the road! we were at the point furthest from home as well - so nice three mile hack back as well with a bruised bottom - funnily enough the rest of the ride was lovely!

[fimacg]

I hit the deck off one of the horses I had on trial last year - ended up in A&E a few hours later - turned out to be a bruised pelvis but boy did that hurt. I am not one for going to hospital but I could barely walk.

Chompy dumped me when we were having an argument, (not nastily, but swiftly move out from under me when he is normally steady as a rock) at the beginning of the year. he put me in the middle of the one and only puddle in the arena. I am sure he did it deliberately, he had a real 'told you so' look on his face when I got up off my my bum.

[racaille]

Grief - it would be tempting fate ....
But the most embarrassing was with a group of littles (natch). I was bringing up the rear and Paco was really cross and as we began a little trot on the road he threw a huge bucking fit. I was totally taken by surprise and hit the tarmac on my bum - ouch - but my whip (yup, always have one) flew into the ditch. I had to slither down the muddy bank and into the water to retrieve it while Paco looked at me as if to say: "Next time I want to go past these little squirts, we go past. OK?"

[brigadier]

My funniest falls off all revolve around jumping. Was once doing a grid- forget which horse, but it was getting more exuberant with each jump, I started coming out of the saddle at the third one, had both feet out and was at the side of the horse by the fourth and was holding it around the neck as we both jumped the fifth and last, landed on my feet and finshed in a lovely canter at the side of the horse!

The other funny tale happened where I was training for my BHS. I always got this miserable, stiff, cantankerous horse called Billy because not many people could make him work well but he went ok for me. We were doing some jumping training and he really didnt want to jump the 3' (if that) crappy jump in the centre of the menage. I was really having to ride him and he suddenly got so pi**ed of with me, he turned and galloped at the side of the arena, jumping the 4 foot of it with feet to spare and causing me to exit swiftly off his back via starburst. Bloody Billy- will never call a horse Billy as long as I live!
Brig

[arumanii]

lol! Love these stories. My friend had a very embarrassing one that I have to share. Sat on one of my favourite horses at a riding school discussing what kind of jumps we should get off n put up when Megan (the horse) leans down to scratch her ront leg with her head and pulls her straight off. Was hillarious as one minute was talking to her n then she was on the floor.

My best one was a bit like one someone else has said: was rearing at a very scary (so S.S thought) jump and I just slipped off to the side n stood next to him on my feet. Was almost like had done it on purpose as a trick. One minute on next minute off. Still had reins in two hands n everything. Was very strange. So just put foot in stirrup n climbed back on again.

[highlandladdie]

hi touch hairy wood i have never fallen or been thrown off a horse or pony ever but it will happen and it will be a belter will have to pad my bum though

[duckles]

We used to do this run, we hacked about 7 miles (all quiet county side, hills etc) then went into a forest where we would jump 30 plus ditches, banks, drops etc before ending up going into a river and cantering etc. It was great fun and great for the horses. We would do it about 4 times a year. Once I was on this pony (can't remember why). He was a fiesty little thing and I had great sport getting him to do all the jumps. Then we came to the river and as I usually jumped my own horse in, I went to jump the pony rather than going down the walk way. He wasn't very keen and it took me a bit to get him to do it. Of course, he jumped big and unfortunately, pecked on landing and the next thing I was looking at the sky through several feet of water. When I surfaced I was met with a lot of laughter!!! Someone even took of photo of me dripping wet.

I also entertained a good few one time when I came off hunting I was riding a great little mare but she wasn't mine so I didn't want to let her go when I came off. Unfortuantely the hunt had taken off at this stage so she wouldn't stop and I was dragged through the field (a bit like a western) until I thought no point in this and let her go. My hunt coat was completely ripped and a lot of people found it very funny.

Another time I went for a jump out hunting. It was a hedge about 4 feet which is big but not impossible and I couldn't understand why everyone was riding through the walk through. I soon found out, there was about a 10 foot drop behind the hedge! Completely unprepared I went flying off and landed on my head, jerking my neck. I was a bit dazed when a guy (who I liked at the time) jumped off his horse and caming running over to me, not to see if I was ok but to congradulate me on doing such a gutsy thing. Of course, then I didn't even notice the bruising but it wasn't that gutsy as I had been completely unawear of the drop. (He turned out to be a jerk unfortunately!)

Sorry for boring on but I could give you hundreds of falling off stories!!