What happens when you fall off on the trails

[TMares]

@beau159

While I agree that most horses can be taught to “think” rather than spook and that they should be properly prepared before hitting the trails, there are other things to consider that may cause the rider to fall off, such as a stumble.

But falling off DOES just plain happen sometimes.

I’ve only had one concussion in my life (although one is enough) and it was from a young mare who just tripped over her own feet. She was 4-years-old at the time this happened and she was one of the sweetest fillies I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning. Absolutely no buck and no spook. Just a really wonderful horse. We were about 1/2 mile from home, working on loping some slow large circles in the field. I remember we were loping to the left. Then the next thing I remember is that I was walking home on the gravel road, holding my right arm because it hurt. I do not remember getting up, or walking from the field to the road.

I vaguely remember her starting to “go over”, falling to the right. Since my right arm hurt and my left leg hurt (thankfully, I did not break any bones) and since there was dirt on my saddle horn and cantle (western saddle), it logically makes sense that what happened is she tripped and fell and completely rolled over me.

I can’t exactly stop myself from falling off when I’m knocked out. Although, it’s probably a good thing I got knocked out because that probably saved me from breaking any bones (easier to break something if you brace for the fall, rather than being a limp noodle).

She didn’t spook. She didn’t do anything wrong. She just tripped. It was an accident. Falling off DOES sometimes just happen. It might be for other reasons than a spook, but other reasons happen.

She ran home to her buddies, as expected. She was eating grass next to the pasture when I finally got home and got my head cleared. I’m very grateful I was wearing my helmet. There was no visible damage on the MRI (that I got the next day because I couldn’t stand for more than 30 seconds without getting dizzy) but of course, I had sustained a concussion. It could have been much worse if I had not been wearing it.

I am so glad you were not hurt. I have a funny version of this, if I may.

A pal, G, was starting her horse, in the round pen, and asked me to visit - so I was in the middle of the pen. Colt was on his 3rd or 4th ride, in a saddle and a rope halter. The good little colt was jogging along in a relaxed manner on decent slack, we had commented on how chill he was…then he failed to really pick up one front, so he landed on his other front pastern, then his lower leg, then his knee, then his nose…that little red baby just jogged himself into the ground without much loss of rhythm. When his forehead made it down to the ground, G very gently rolled off over his shoulder, right down his neck, executing a lovely, slow somersault and landed smack on her ass in front of him.

Wear a helmet. Life happens!

[tbchick84]

If I’m away from home, (aka trailered somewhere) my horse will stand there and look at me if I fall off. If we’re closer to home, he’s more like a homing pigeon.

I was riding in the woods near the barn a few years ago. It was mid summer and very buggy. We had stopped to stand in a stream to cool off. Right as I reached forward to knock a green fly off his neck, a deer jumped up out of the tall grass about 3’ from where we were. It scared the crap out of both of us. He spun around and I came off. He stood there while I got up and checked to make sure I wasn’t hurt and then took off like a bullet back to the barn. (little stinker).

OP, I’m not sure what the general consensus is on this, but it’s generally much safer to stay on a scared horse rather than get off and attempt to hold onto it from the ground. I’ve stopped counting how many people’s horses ran off that way.