Re: Worst horse fall

 I have come off a few times but my previous loan horse was determined to loose me and had me off 3 times in as many weeks - the first time was just flat on my back in the school (mildy concussed), the second time was when I was somersaulted into a blackberry bush out hacking (knocked out) while she bu**ered off home and the third time was in the school again - I landed on my feet, but felt I had hurt my knee.  Turned out my leg was broken but they didn't discover it for 9 weeks, so I was walking around on it (I TOLD them it hurt!)

The worst fall I know about was my really good friend,  who just left with two other ladies one beautiful Saturday morning for a hack.  I was back at the yard with above mentioned mare , in  her stable round the back. I went to have a word with someone watching their daughter in the school and she said "Isn't it awful about H?" (friend's horse)  "What about her?" I said.  She had dropped down dead and fallen onto my friend!  She had crushed her leg and ankle.  It was an air ambulance job and over a year of surgeries, metal pins etc for my friend.  She is just now talking about riding again one day, 18 months on but I don't think it is a good idea as her leg hasn't healed properly and her ankle contains 50 metal pins!

She does go to the yard now and again and gives my H a brush and a few carrots.  So sad; she loved her mare and it was a dreadful, dreadful thing to happen.

One thing - good advert for hi-viz - it was the only way the air ambulance saw them!!

Re: Worst horse fall

virginiaod- ouch!!! I have a broken wrist atm they thought i might have to have an op but luckily i don't (nothing to do with fin tho) you have made me feel better as yours was deffo worse than mine :)

Re: Worst horse fall

Mine was some years ago now - way back when i was 16.  Me and a few friends were jumping in the field and my friends massive 16.3 hh ex army horse was refusing to go over a foot high solid jump.  He didnt stop just kept running out. He was a really good jumper but wasnt keen on solid fences. Me being me said ill get him over it, jumped on him rode him at a steady canter and managed to just about get him over the jump.  It was a wall type jump and had no wings, he still managed to slighty evade getting his hind legs fully over, twisted himself mid jump.  I turned him straight back at it to go again so he didnt have much time to run out and found my friend coming over the jump , obviously wanting to avoid a head on collission I had to change course rapidly and the already wound up large horse noticed i had become off balance due to our sudden unplanned change of direction and decided he would take off to the gate.  It had been raining recently and the area round the gate was pretty muddy, the last thing i remember is suddenly seeing his neck disappear.  He had lost his footing and literally did a forward roll head first with me still on him.  I blacked out momentarily and i was pretty battered and brusied, how i didnt break any thing is a miracle , his full body weight rolled over me.  I think the fact the ground was so soft  round the gate more than likley saved both of us from serious injury. 

I had a dramatic one recently too.  Back in my crazy youthful days i was part of a vaulting team  - gymanastics on horses.  My friend who runs the local pony club as started doing vaulting sessions for the kids and asked me to help out.  We were using one of the riding schools cobs just at a walk and trot and had been teaching the kids to vault on.  We had had no probelms with the horse  for the last 6 months (they do have to be very steady - the one we had years ago was amazing).  Anyway one of the kids vaulted onto her, overdid it and literally came off the other side.  This spooked the horse and she was bucking/ tried to kick the girl who came off and trying to gallop round.  Someone else had fallen off the same horse a few weeks beofre not vaulting on and the same thing happened. We spent the next 10 -15 mins calming the horse and the girl who came off.  I then volunteered myself to try her out to make sure she was settled before we tried anything else with the kids.  She walked and trotted on the lunge fine, i walked beside her at walk and ran at trot next to her like you when you vault on with no probelms. Sat on her at walk and trot and again fine.  My friend then asked do you want to try vaulting on - bearing in mind i havent done this in 13 years.  Im not as young as i was but still relatively fit.  It was amazing how when i got hold of the roller the technique etc all came flooding back including the silly cantering run to get you in time with the horses stride.  Anyway I successfully vaulted on first time and landed nice and softly and the horse turned straight into a bucking bronco.  I must have rode out a good 10 bucks beofre she did one massive one twisting herself at the same time (she was determinded i was coming off)  and landed face first in the menage and straight away did an army roll to get out of the way of her flying feet.  I still have a scar up my right forearm now.  

We havent done any vaulting since this as a result.

Re: Worst horse fall

i have a few bad ones, my first bad one was my first ever fall off an 11hh pony when i had first started riding, he spooked and of course i was only off the lead rein so i was thrown sideways, somersaulting through the air and hit the fence and winded myself.

the next one was when i was riding for about a year or so and the pony i was one was just so fresh that night i couldnt control her, so she bolted for no reason (didnt even spook just took off) across the arena bucked and spun round so when i landed she crushed me and i ended with a broken wrist :(

and the next one was with the pony in the previous one, i asked her to trot over a 50cm cross pole and she freaked out and through me off her over her head, then jumped me. didnt break anything just really scared me, as it would scare any 11yr old lol

thankfully ive been quite lucky and atm i seem to land on my feet all the time. no idea why lmao!

Re: Worst horse fall

that sounds awful....you must have been so upset. It's awful to lose one you've had for such a long time. Non-horsey people don't understand but it is just like losing a family member (A really nice one, who gives hours of fun and never answers back).

Hope you gte back riding soon....you must miss it? xx