How to help a young horse get over a fall

[Melissa.s.9924]

I appreciate everyone’s concern but she is fine. I’ve witnessed her falling once in the pasture. It was after a heavy rain that had been going on for a week. Her pasture was totally flooded on the lower end and she was out playing around with my 11 month old warmblood. It isn’t a regular occurrence. My head just happened to take the impact first. It was a freak accident. We were working in a full size dressage arena. We have a great draining system but it had been raining again for about a week straight. It ended up being a bit sloppy in the area she fell.

I was trying to keep things short but we just moved from a farm with incompetent barn owners. I was giving her time to be a horse and started to notice a drastic drop in her weight after trying for a couple of weeks to supplement with my own hay and grain while trying to work things out with the barn owner which failed we moved to a barn who offered free choice hay. I had only ridden her about 5 times prior to her weight loss. She finally gained enough weight back and I decided to hop on because it was finally a nice day her rain rot had cleared and she was even more relaxed at the new farm. I rode her today. She saddled fine. She actually listened to my seat a lot better than the day we fell. I took her on some small trails afterwards to give her something fun to do.

Edit-

Also my vet is coming out tomorrow to check her over just in case. Even though it was a bit sloppy ( it wasn’t visable until I walked the area) I too wondered if something might be wrong with her. It was a bizarre fall. She was almost counter bent in her body (though my reins were on the buckle and she was looking around) I started to feel a spook or burst of energy. I thought I had fallen off but I saw her head next to mine. I tried to figure out exactly what happened and I still can’t. I wonder if I should have her adjusted as well?

I started out longeing her in a round pen she was more comfortable with a larger circle in the main arena.

[Spud_amp_Saf]

I would be more concerned she injured herself somehow in the fall and is now uncomfortable with the saddle, than that she is scared of the saddle. Horses don’t have a fear of the saddle because something bad happened once when they were being ridden. If the saddle hurts, then they learn to associate it with pain through repetition. That’s when you see them dancing in the crossties, becoming girthy, etc.

[csaper58]

Do you have an old saddle available? You might put it on her, with stirrups off or secured, then turn her loose in her stall as another poster suggested. If that goes well take her to the ring where the fall occurred. Let her putter around saddled and loose for an hour or so.

OP… When horses fall down at liberty, some get a little shook up, many get mad, as long as they don’t get hurt, they get over it pretty quick.

As others have said; make sure she didn’t bruise her self on the saddle, and carry on.

[Trot_On]

OP, you have been given some great advice on desensitizing to the saddle. My 5 yr old OTTB fell with me at the canter about a month and a half ago, and I finally just got back on. He rolled on my leg (just major swelling and bruising) and the “road rash” on his knee became infected and blew up. He is sound and I am mostly sound, but we will do a month of good walk conditioning and PT for both of us. He was absolutely ho hum about the first ride, but I went through all the check list just to be sure. I think that he had a klutzy on the forehand moment; our reconditioning program will pay particular attention to strength and proper balance. Just to be sure before we canter again under saddle he will get a once over from my vet again, if nothing else for my own peace of mind. Having a 16:2 horse roll on your leg tends to change the size, and color of your leg, as well as rearrange some of your muscles. Good luck to you and your mare.