I ride around in the field at lot, alone. But even in the arena, I wonder what is the safest thing to do when your horse trips.
Are you safest sort of slipping the reins and grabbing whatever mane you can? My though is that you get out of their way and try not disrupt their rebalancing efforts as much as possible.
Any thoughts or safety tips (other than having them balanced and paying attention in the first place)? It seems like tripping is where even the experts get hurt.
Slip the reins and stay in the backseat. If you want to grab something, I’d grab pommel and push my upper body back rather than reaching forward for mane.
I used to half lease a horse who trips a lot. He has a downhill build and a good, flat-kneed hunter movement, as well as being a naturally quiet (a.k.a. lazy) type – which means he drags his toes if you don’t have him packaged well and in front of the leg! He’s been like that since he came to the barn as a baby, and now at 17 he doesn’t feel the need to change. :winkgrin:
The best thing I could do was slip the reins a bit and sit up. Barring some weird circumstances, he’d usually sort himself out. Horses are smart. Even the clumsy ones like him can usually figure out how to right themselves if you let them. And if they can’t, there’s not a ton you can do besides try to kick your feet free of the stirrups and get out of the way.
The best thing you can do is give them their head completely, and like BostonHJ said, stay in the backseat. When a trip is really bad (as in they are about to fall on their face or knees) do not pull the reins - place your hand on the pommel and shift your shoulders back. Helps if you think of sinking your heels and weight back.
Whatever you do, don’t try to fix it by “pulling them upright”. The horse’s neck is a rudder to their balance and if you interfere, it could get a lot worse.
timely thread!
Just on Saturday I was cantering along, in my sand ring, on my mare who’s only halfway through her shoeing cycle and she tripped. She stumbled for about 3 steps and then face-planted. She was fine except for a scraped knee. I was fine except for dirt in my teeth. She got up, looked confused, and I got back on and we cooled out. It’s frustrating, because it’s unexpected, and difficult to anticipate or prepare for.
In this case, the mare is slightly prone to tripping in the ring, however can trail ride and fox hunt, through uneven and root-y terrain, as surefooted as a goat. Go figure. Luckily she doesn’t usually fall down, but it’s an inconvenient habit.
BL, slipping the reins and sitting back can help, but if the horse is going down, your best bet is just to roll free and hope you can catch them when they get up.
[QUOTE=BostonHJ;8585145]
Slip the reins and stay in the backseat. If you want to grab something, I’d grab pommel and push my upper body back rather than reaching forward for mane.[/QUOTE]
This. I have always been told USE LEG when there’s a trip so the horse can get his hind legs to get himself/herself out. Don’t lean forward or get on the neck.
I will add though, that if your horse is tripping a lot in a way that makes you concerned for his balance, get some professional help to evaluate it. A horse tripping and falling on the flat is a very dangerous fall for both of you.
I personally find having a bit of contact helps balance the horse, whereas suddenly throwing the reins away can unbalance them. Of course one has to give the reins a bit to let them use neck to recover.
I find with a horse prone to tripping, best to keep them organized and actively ride them, rather than long rein ambling around at any gait which is when they don’t use themselves well and are more prone to trip.
If the horse is in a major trip though then stay centered, if possible dismount try to help horse any way you can while staying safe yourself.
[QUOTE=541hunter;8585179]
I used to half lease a horse who trips a lot. He has a downhill build and a good, flat-kneed hunter movement, as well as being a naturally quiet (a.k.a. lazy) type – which means he drags his toes if you don’t have him packaged well and in front of the leg! He’s been like that since he came to the barn as a baby, and now at 17 he doesn’t feel the need to change. :winkgrin:
The best thing I could do was slip the reins a bit and sit up. Barring some weird circumstances, he’d usually sort himself out. Horses are smart. Even the clumsy ones like him can usually figure out how to right themselves if you let them. And if they can’t, there’s not a ton you can do besides try to kick your feet free of the stirrups and get out of the way.[/QUOTE]
Yes - this sounds a bit like my horse (although my guy is built uphill but is just green, quiet and lazy). Also, he recently came from a situation where it appeared he was ridden in a grass field exclusively for months. And we recently changed his shoeing because the last owner’s farrier (the last shoeing before I purchased him) had screwed up his balance in front. There is still a bit of tripping though it’s been improving. It is exacerbated when the footing is sub-par (we have had no rain lately and my BO hasn’t been able to drag our ring for a while)
[QUOTE=equest;8586117]
Yes - this sounds a bit like my horse (although my guy is built uphill but is just green, quiet and lazy). Also, he recently came from a situation where it appeared he was ridden in a grass field exclusively for months. And we recently changed his shoeing because the last owner’s farrier (the last shoeing before I purchased him) had screwed up his balance in front. There is still a bit of tripping though it’s been improving. It is exacerbated when the footing is sub-par (we have had no rain lately and my BO hasn’t been able to drag our ring for a while)[/QUOTE]
Yeah, for a while we had him shod by our excellent show horse farrier, and I definitely saw a difference (but honestly this horse just doesn’t gives a rat’s a$$ where he puts his feet!). But once he wasn’t being half-leased anymore the owner switched him back to our school horse farrier. That farrier is perfectly competent and can keep horses sound and fix minor problems, but the other farrier is just a genius and will really improve a horse’s way of going. Of course, genius costs major $$$!
[QUOTE=BITSA;8585302]
This. I have always been told USE LEG when there’s a trip so the horse can get his hind legs to get himself/herself out. Don’t lean forward or get on the neck.[/QUOTE]
I think using leg falls into the same category of pulling on reins. You are just getting in the way. If the horse doesn’t know how to get himself out of a trip without your aids, you probably have bigger problems!
When it happens, my body defaults to bull rider position before I even know what is happening… Then I start evaluating which way he’s gonna fall if this goes further south so I can plan my escape.
DMK is bull rider position straight up and in the back seat sort of? Feet pushed forward? Those bull riders seem to look up with their eyes and head, too.
I had a horse prop once, and my trainer explained how even looking up was going to keep me from pitching forward. I think it is the pitching forward we don’t want? Then we have some time to consider rolling away sideways maybe?
what a timely thread! my horse stepped on a bell boot today when cantering and went down on his knees. That p!$Hed him off so he came up rearing then bucking halfway around the arena. FUN! but I didn’t fall off so it’s all good. Other than that we had a great ride! :lol: He was downright lazy and darling until it all went awry in a moment. Then he went back to being an angel so I can’t really be mad. He was just like “WHO KNOCKED ME DOWN!!! WHERE IS HE I WILL KILL HIM!!! NOBODY KNOCKS ME DOWN!” Little punk TB.
Give them the reins and sit in the middle. Keep your hands down and your heels down and your leg on but don’t grip/ask the horse to go forward, just a steady pressure to anchor yourself and stay soft so you can go with the horse. Don’t get tense. that’s what I try to do whenever anything starts to hit the fan on a horse – wait it out, then reconvene when my horse starts to regain his mind. If they are bucking I pull their heads up, but if they are unbalanced like today I let go. So today I let go and let him sort it out until the horse was just angry bucking and then I reeled him back in. I generally have pretty good luck with that but no promises – I could fall off tomorrow! especially if it is anything like today! 
If you can keep a contact without getting pulled over, it can help. But slipping the reins, sitting back, getting down in your heels, and adding some leg is always a safe bet.
I once was riding a young horse who had grown a lot…he was like a teenage boy who had had a huge growth spurt and no idea what do with all his long limbs. We were having a stretchy, easy flat one day, when he tripped in the canter. Since he was stretching down, and I was already kind of in a three point light, I had no chance. He face planted me HARD, and he just barely managed to not go all the way down (his nose and noseband were scraped and his knees were a little dinged up). One of my worst falls short of breaking my leg. I don’t know how I didn’t manage to break my nose, but I still have a scar on my upper lip and looked gross for weeks after the accident.
So, yeah, sit back!
slip reins, sit back, long leg. If things look like they might really go south I drop the irons as well in case I need to abandon ship.
[QUOTE=poltroon;8585324]
I will add though, that if your horse is tripping a lot in a way that makes you concerned for his balance, get some professional help to evaluate it. A horse tripping and falling on the flat is a very dangerous fall for both of you.[/QUOTE]
If your horse trips a lot, re-evaluate the farrier work. If that doesn’t solve it, call the vet.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
