Super Slow Lesson Horse Bolted in Field

[LilyandBaron]

You mention others have fallen off this horse, and how dull he is to leg. There are many red flags in your description, and this forum is full of examples of how hard it is for beginners to discern good training from bad. So a few points to consider:

1. Horse being that dull then explosive could indicate a myriad of health issues or source of pain - saddle fit, ulcers, various vitamin/mineral deficiencies (horses can be in good weight but lack key nutrients), Lyme - the list is practically endless. If horse is this difficult, I hope barn has the means to rule out physical problems.

2. It could be bad training/riding. If the barn has many beginners and not many advanced riders, I’d start looking for other barns. Some barns do great focusing on beginner/intermediate riders, but being allowed out in the field unsupervised and perhaps lacking knowledge of key concerns, like not taking off away from the other horse, doesn’t speak well of the instruction/oversight. If riders just get on the horses in lessons and don’t learn body control, horse could have learned to totally tune out riders and/or be in pain.

3. It could just be one of those things. Horses are prey animals and even highly experienced horse/rider combos can have a bad moment. But if accidents seem common, that’s not acceptable.

I hope you heal quickly and can take a step back to determine if your trainer is the best match. Please don’t be discouraged, but anyone who’s been around long enough has seen the bad barns that seem great - it’s so hard to know what’s right starting out! So while it may be an awesome barn, it’s never bad to double check - maybe privately reach out to other trainers or more experienced horse friends?

Good luck!

[SuzieQNutter]

I will just say that in no place I have worked would you be allowed to take a horse outside without an escort. Not anyone. Not even an advanced rider.

[ladyj79]

I am angry at your instructor and I don’t even know them.

This type of situation sets no one up for success and as you are is a disaster waiting to happen.

Regardless of whether you think you hit your head, replace your helmet.

Regardless of whether you think it’s a fun place, please also consider replacing your instructor.

Glad you are ok.

[Feliz]

Don’t get back on the horse if you don’t want to. You have no obligation to & no-one with an ounce of sense will “look down” on you for doing so.

I would also suggest looking for a different place for lessons – the safety issue of two beginners going out alone is a major red flag, and having such a sour horse is another. Horses that beginners learn on do usually require more leg & the odd actual kick, but not to this extent. It doesn’t sound fun for you & it surely doesn’t sound fun for the horse.

If you are limited in your choices of barns would it be worth looking outside of the discipline you want to do? Is there a good Western barn nearby? Maybe you could post your general area & see if anyone has any recommendations?

The actual fall – well, these things happen. I’m sure everyone has had at least one fall/accident that was easily preventable – but hey, sometimes we learn by making mistakes. If you enjoy reading there are some great books that can help explain why horses do what they do.

FWIW my husband learned to ride out in the open in Ecuador. Prior to our trip he’d walked around on a quiet mare I had a couple of times in an arena. The horses were well cared for & beautifully trained. His second ride there he was comfortably cantering up country lanes & he picked up rising trot on the 3rd ride (self preservation!) He could concentrate on what he was doing because the horses would move forward, slow down & neck rein on pretty light cues. He really enjoyed the neck reining aspect but sadly didn’t get addicted like I hoped

There are places that will have great horses that will give you lots of confidence - go find them!

[Daisyesq]

If it hurts to take deep breaths or to cough, it’s possible you have cracked a rib (basically, nothing you can do about that. Take some advil and rest!).

When you feel ready to get back on a horse, take it slow. Just walk or have someone lead you if you want to get your confidence back.

[NoSuchPerson]

A follow-up on the question of hitting (or not) your head and replacing your helmet.

When I fell off and broke my ribs, I was adamant that I had not hit my head. Yet, the next time I went to ride, I picked up my helmet and one of the connections that attach the internal harness to the shell of the helmet had snapped in two. So, obviously, not only had I hit my head, I hit it hard enough to break my helmet.

Short version: Don’t trust your memory. Buy a new helmet.

[lovemyboy]

Bruised ribs HURT! But please …I think what m&m said is most valuable get out—and specifically to an open setting (with instructor etc etc) sooner than later.

As an adult re-rider, I would never have imagined how impacted I would be by the things that happen now.
I went from doing the USET finals to now my (very reliable & sure footed) horse slightly tripping and I literally am terrified. It’s been 20 years but…leaves a mark.

Kodos for posting here to get feedback!!! That’s determination and respect & curiousity for the sport & animals we ride.

[Foxglove6]

There is lots of good advice here. I agree with everyone who said the horse was just acting like a horse. The fall is most likely the result of inexperience.

I wanted to add, as someone who has fallen off many times over my 22+ years of riding, that it’s usually a bad idea to plan which part of your body you want to fall on. This causes us to tense our muscles which may result in more severe injuries. The “best” way to fall is to roll away from the horse. It’s difficult to roll if you are tense and fall flat in a heap like a bag of grain. It’s hard to practice and almost more difficult to effect this when a fall actually happens. But I wonder if your bruised ribs are the result of intentionally falling on your left side.

Your first job when falling is to let go of all tack. Then you want to move out of the way of your own horse, so rolling away is a good way to do this. Try not to catch yourself with arms and hands. Try not to hold onto your horse no matter what. Falling happens and the best we can do is to mitigate the damage.

[Christa_P]

I did get checked out at urgent care and had an x-ray of my left pelvis/hip. Nothing appears fractured but I am still in a lot of pain and think I must have bruised my ribs and upper back muscles as well. It hurts to take deep breathes, bend over, sit down, stand up, go up/down stairs, move while in bed, or walk. I am out of commission for the next few days with constant icing until the pain calms down. This is torture for me b/c I am usually a very active person.

Even if it didn’t show up on the xray, you could have a cracked rib. BTDT when I broke my collarbone the cracked rib didn’t show up on the xray. A month later, after I was feeling good for awhile and overdid it one day I went back to the urgent care - then they could see the halo indicting healing around the cracked rib. It took a couple of months to be 100%.

[Jam1692]

Thank you so much, everyone, for your comments and concern, and I am taking everything you are saying seriously. This is a fantastic group.

[HP_sblueskyenterprise]

You sound very self aware, perhaps when you are feeling better a chiro can help.
If it comforts you any, the second time I rode I was about 7 years old on an schoolie type draft horse. Very easy going type, kinda lazy, big and tall like any draft horse. Our instructor had us walking a small circle around her out in the field, when the horse decided to take off, cause he really wanted to go eat the green grass under the tree. We were just at a slow canter, I was hanging on to the horn but then the saddle started slipping, so I grabbed the mane. I was told later that he started bucking, the bucks were so slow I couldn’t even tell though :uhoh:The horse stopped once he reached to tree and started voraciously eating grass, I don’t remember if I jumped off or what, but I do remember continuing the ride a couple minutes later (which went quite well) but I was being led after that, and the instructor made sure we were far away from any grass :lol:

[HP_sblueskyenterprise]

ETA: I did ride schoolie after that a few times before purchasing demon pony, but thats another story :lol:

[dani0303]

I’m disappointed in your trainer who allowed this dangerous situation to develop. I’ll echo those who suggest maybe finding a new instructor who is more safety conscious.

As a beginner rider, you’re going to fall as you learn. Unfortunately as an adult, it hurts a hell of a lot more than when you were a kid! I’m glad you got checked out. I’ve also BTDT with a cracked rib and the only real cure is time.

In addition to getting a new helmet, you may want to invest in a body protector vest for when you start riding again. It can help prevent some of those rib type injuries and may help with your confidence as well.

Good luck and get well soon! I love that you’re so open to advice on here. Trust me, no matter what situation you run in to there’s a guarantee that someone on here has been there too

[RugBug]

Everyone has said what I would say regarding the situation/fall. What I want to say, though, is:

Get your RIBS x-rayed. You have classic symptoms of broken ribs and you said the urgent care only x-rayed pelvis hip. This missed a huge area of potential breaks.

[Quelah]

Please go get checked out somewhere more serious than an urgent care. That’s not an appropriate/sufficient place to get checked after a bad fall, especially with pain such as you describe.

You have my sympathies, I broke my back 10 years ago because my riding companion left me behind and my horse lost it. I still ride, but it changed my life.

[RPM]

[QUOTE=vxf111;9019298]
Anytime you fall, new helmet. Whether you landed on your head or not. A helmet costs between $50-1000. Your brain is priceless because you can’t get a new one. Get a new helmet. If cost is an issue, get a cheap (but well fitting) one to school in. I school in a $65 Tipperary. Is it the prettiest thing? No. But I feel no qualms about getting a new one every year or if I fall because it was cheap. I think you do yourself a disservice to get attached to a helmet.[/QUOTE]

This both tickled and irritated me that someone is posting to a beginner that a $65 helmet is cheap. That’s not fair to new riders.

You can get a perfectly good, certified helmet for right around $30-$40. Pretty? No. But who cares, if it keeps your head pretty?

I agree with those who said two beginners should not have been riding alone outside the arena and apparently without having been taught basic safety rules such as “Don’t increase your speed without notice/checking with your companion,” especially when your companion is adjusting a stirrup! But kudos to you, OP, for knowing how to do it mounted!

[meupatdoes]

[QUOTE=SuzieQNutter;9019519]
I will just say that in no place I have worked would you be allowed to take a horse outside without an escort. Not anyone. Not even an advanced rider.[/QUOTE]

Well THAT’S a little extreme.

I didn’t feel I could do endless ring work with my then freshly-started 4yo, so we spent our first year doing a little ring work but mostly trail rides. I rode before work and often set out at 6am solo.

Glad no one told me I “wasn’t allowed.”

[meupatdoes]

OP, just a note on confidence.

You will probably be scared when you get back on. This is normal. A lot of people think they have to wait until they aren’t scared any more to go back to what they were doing but the thing is a lot of the people who look super confident it isn’t that they aren’t scared, it’s just that they are scared and riding anyway.

Go your own speed but recognize fear is part of the sport and even professionals get freaked out by the courses the course designer has built, for example, and sometimes even when they look really confident showing at higher levels they are still going “Jesus that oxer is big enough I could live in it, but here goes.”

The key with fear is to accept it rather than fight it.

[vxf111]

[QUOTE=RPM;9021070]
This both tickled and irritated me that someone is posting to a beginner that a $65 helmet is cheap. That’s not fair to new riders.

You can get a perfectly good, certified helmet for right around $30-$40. Pretty? No. But who cares, if it keeps your head pretty?

I agree with those who said two beginners should not have been riding alone outside the arena and apparently without having been taught basic safety rules such as “Don’t increase your speed without notice/checking with your companion,” especially when your companion is adjusting a stirrup! But kudos to you, OP, for knowing how to do it mounted![/QUOTE]

Way to miss the point entirely! I clearly said get a helmet cheap enough that FITS and that you’re not too attached to toss. For me that’s the Sportage and they happen to be $65. No one told her she couldn’t get a Troxel. They happen not to fit me. I was giving her AN EXAMPLE. Not demanding she buy a Tipperary?! Not to mention the difference beware $65 and $30 is like, what, a week of skipping Starbucks?! Nominal price difference. Honestly, this is the silliest thing I’ve ever seen someone get pantiewadded over!

[SuzieQNutter]

[QUOTE=meupatdoes;9021110]
Well THAT’S a little extreme.

I didn’t feel I could do endless ring work with my then freshly-started 4yo, so we spent our first year doing a little ring work but mostly trail rides. I rode before work and often set out at 6am solo.

Glad no one told me I “wasn’t allowed.”[/QUOTE]

That is how it has worked where I have worked.

Trail ride place. They are our horses. The people who come are strangers. We don’t trust them to not hurt our horses so a guide goes with them.

1st Dressage Place. You pay to ride the horses in a lesson. nothing else.

2nd Riding school. You pay to ride in lessons. The horse’s get enough work, they need rest - not to be ridden by people not in lessons.

People who have their own horses agisted can do whatever they want.