What is your attitude about falling off?

[belamb21]

I have never posted before, but I have to get some outside perspective. I am an adult hunter rider, with about 30 years on and off. I would consider myself a well educated and athletic rider, with reasonable confidence and a very capable and saintly horse. I was brought up that you DO NOT fall off. So as an adult when I come off I am emotoinally devastated.

I am wondering how others process falling? Do you consider falling part of learning? Or a clear sign you are not ready? How often do people fall off?

[TwoStrideLine]

I don’t fall off often. Generally once every handful of years, and usually due to a stupid mistake.

I think falling off is part of riding. It does not mean that one is not ready, or is an inadequate rider. It’s very easy to get comfortable and make a simple mistake. Even those riding at the top of the level fall off every now and then.

Now, If you are falling off on a quite frequent basis (some people fall off weekly!) , then I would question if one is trying to ride above their current ability, or on an unsuitable mount.

When I fall, I laugh. I laugh because I made a mistake, and I should have known better. But, I am human after all. And BIG PATS to the horse if he stops when I fall and doesn’t run off.

[fordtraktor]

Everyone falls off every now and then, unless you are riding something dead quiet and not testing yourself at all.

But if you are falling off all the time, there is something wrong with your position, your horse is too much for you or perhaps you are doing too much too fast.

I tend to fall off once every other year or so but I am generally very sticky. A few times a year wouldn’t concern me.

the part that concerns me about your post is that falling emotionally devastates me. You can’t let it get in your head. Shake it off, let it go, get back on. But think through why the fall happened and try to focus on riding better, which you can’t do if you are emotionally wrapped up in falling still.

[belamb21]

Thanks:) I was def in the “never falls off” category…until the last year and I have come off 3 times…which seems too frequent to me. Yes, they were all super dumb and obvious mistakes…that I knew I was doing wrong…not sure if that makes it better or worse!

[Xanthoria]

Falling: It’s not if, it’s when!

I was brought up that falling off is inevitable, but you have to get back on barring obvious broken bones, unconsciousness or spurting blood…

As a kid we were taught to roll off a stationary wooden vaulting practice horse. And fell off live moving horses often.

As an adult I fall rarely. In face my last fall was the first in quite a few years an resulted in a torn rotator cuff which after 4 months still hurts a bit… oh yes, I got back on and schooled that horse right away, then slunk off to be sore later

There are so many ways to fall off it’s impossible to say if falling in general means any one thing. There are some horses that can get any pro off reliably (see: national pro rodeo bronc riding) and there are some people so green a stumble at the walk means landing on your head (see: my husband)

For me and my baby horse right now it’s a learning experience: I learned not to trot the horse up a windy ridge in the spooky evening, he learned that bucking when you’re excited has consequences!

[belamb21]

Thank you, that is very thoughtful. Sadly, there is nothing wrong with my riding or my horse…I am constantly told there is no reason on earth why we shouldn’t be in the bigger ring. So it is obviously all in my head! It’s been twice this year, once in Nov and then today…at the SAME fence!

[fordtraktor]

3 times a year is not a red flag for me if you were doing new things, pushing yourself, otherwise going outside your comfort zone. Last summer I had a fairly epic fall in a clinic with Leslie Law, and he basically told me that falling off is part of the game and real horsemen don’t let it get in their heads (I sort of let it rattle me the rest of that day). I think I would fall more if I was pushing myself more but at home I ride alone and am a total wimp about pushing myself under those conditions.

If you knew what you were doing wrong, maybe buckle down and practice the skills that led you to have the falls (at a lower level you are confident you’ll be fine at). Tighten your leg position, sit up, whatever it is most of it can be practiced at slow speeds over a pole on the ground.

[candyappy]

I would rather not fall off and in the cases that my horse and do I part company, I never seem to let go of my reins. As a teen and young adult I came off quite regularly due to my fearless nature and feelings of immortality.

I don’t think you learn anything from a fall except that it hurts and as I age, I do all I can to not put myself in the position that would contribute to a fall. When a fall happens I just get back on with not much thought.

[silver_charm]

I think there’s definitely a line between falling off as a sign of learning and falling off all the time because you are overfaced.

In general I go about a year or so between falls, and they are 90% due to jumping errors - crap distances or run outs. I think this is to be somewhat expected as the jumps get bigger and have trickier related distances, etc. But since I don’t have my own horse I did just get dumped on the flat by a horse that was extremely offended that I dared actually make him work and showed his displeasure by a series of nasty buck and spins. At that point I’m more annoyed that I let him win than anything else.

What has worked for me is having trainers that I trust will not ask me to do more than the horse and I can handle. Sometimes that means they ask for things that are a bit out of my comfort zone, but nothing where I’ve been too afraid to do what they ask. And it also helps give me confidence that they believe in my ability to succeed at what they’re asking for. At that point, falling is one of those inevitable things where you figure out what went wrong and try not to do it again, and end on a successful note. If it is something that turns into a giant emotionfest, there’s something wrong, whether its fear or doubt or lack of trust.

[belamb21]

thank you, this is what I needed to hear! My fall in Nov was in a clinic too…then today was the first time I jumped the same fence and I fell off again! Which is almost hysterical when you think about it. Yes, we are pushing more with bigger fences and harder courses…which is a good point…I have ridden in my comfort zone for so long so I could always be “perfect”. Probably why I have spent 30 years in the 2’6 ring…sheesh.

[SnicklefritzG]

Depends on the time in my life:

1. When I was younger and starting babies: part of the job description

2. Getting back into riding after college: happened now and then usually because I wasn’t paying attention

3. After working on balance and core in the gym: happens rarely. Working on balance has been the best thing I ever did. Some of the exercises are insane, but now if my horse has a “moment”, it hardly registers.

Stupidest fall from within the last few years: It was a month after I bought my horse. I momentarily forgot he was about 4 inches taller than my previous horse. I dismounted and hit the ground, not realizing it should have been farther away, fell over and landed on my bum and twisted my ankle. Went to the doctor and ended up doing 2-3 months of physical therapy on it.

[Foxglove6]

When I was little, I was taught “you’re not a real equestrian until you fall off.” I repeat that often. :lol: I do agree with others upthread that falling is inevitable if you are improving. If you just coast and never change, you might not fall off for a long time barring the freak accident.

It does hurt more as we get older and our risk assessment may change because of that. But I think the frequency being worrisome really depends why. I fell off my new horse several times the first year that I had him. Some of it was new partnership and getting to know his tells and some of it was medical related that needed to get attended. In our 2nd year together we’ve had much fewer falls and they were related to my jumping deficiencies and not his. Hopefully heading into our 3rd year, we’ll have even fewer falls.

Just try to learn from your mistakes and keep open communication with your trainer about it.

[HP_sblueskyenterprise]

What? That’s crazy and creates way undue stress. If you fall you fall that’s it. This coming from the perspective of someone who was quite seriously injured, but who has fallen many times since. Non-serious falls teach you that it’s okay to fall, and you don’t have to get hurt when you fall. Matter of fact I have “perfected” my fall and now I usually land hugging the horses neck with my feet on the ground.

I’ve fallen off twice during grids in the past 6 months:sigh: because I need more upper body strength
I also fell off a pony twice while jumping out on the field…wasn’t even that big of a jump maybe 2’ 9 I landed on my feet both times.
I’m also not going into the many times I fell off my previous ponies and horses which perfected my neck-hugging-feet-landing gig.

What’s the point to this rigmarole? Everyone falls off and if they haven’t they haven’t been riding long enough, so fall off and move on. Champions never look back only forward :encouragement:

[indigo_pony]

I view falling off as a part for riding. Everyone falls off sometimes. If you are falling off every other ride, then that’s an issue. It can be easier to fall off if the jumps are higher because of faster pace and the necessity of a tolerable distance, etc, but I have digressed. What is important is that you get back on when possible. OP, it can be hard to leave you comfort zone, but bear this in mind, your comfort zone will never grow if you never venture outside its boundaries.

[see_u_at_x]

My best friend - a non-horse person who has ridden, but never on a regular basis - bragged to me once when we were in our late 20s that she’s never once fallen off a horse. I responded with, “Well, you’ve clearly never ridden often enough then.” I’ve been riding my entire life and have fallen off more times than I can count as a child. However, as an adult, I can tell you the number of times I’ve come off: 2000 (1x), 2002 (2x), 2005 (1x), 2011 (1x), and 2015 (1x). Five of those instances were off of the same horse and the last one was off of my young horse (he zigged and I zagged). I’ve been extremely lucky - one horse I leased for a while tended to be a rearer and I never came off of her and another horse I had was my $800 Craigslist horse who turned out to have the BEST brain but could have easily been a nut. This last time, when I fell off of my young horse, I was actually quite glad. I stood up, brushed myself off, and said, “Well, we’ve got THAT out of the way!” :lol:

[NoSuchPerson]

I’ve never been one to fall off a lot, unless you count falls from my first pony, Rebel, aka Spawn of Satan. As an adult, my typical mental response is “oh, damn, that was stupid, what was I thinking?,” because I have come to realize that falls are usually a consequence of my own bad judgment. But I don’t dwell or beat myself up about it.

However, at my age, falling off is a big deal. The last two times I have fallen off, I’ve ended up in the hospital. I have since made accommodations in my riding and in the equines I ride (and won’t ride) to minimize my risk of falling. Obviously, though, if we’re going to ride large prey animals who are genetically wired to get the hell out of Dodge at the slightest whiff of potential danger, then we have to accept that we can never reduce the risk to zero.

[belamb21]

I love this, thank you:) I am about to start our second year together, so that makes me feel hopeful! I know 3 times isn’t a lot, but to me it is too much!

[BAC]

I once fell off three times in one lesson! If you are going to ride you are going to fall off occasionally, but you are the first person I heard say they grew up thinking they DO NOT FALL OFF! Did your trainer tell you that?

[lmlacross]

I prefer not to. However, when it happens (I was on a horse who face planted for not apparent reason while cantering at the end of a lesson a year or two ago), I chalk it up as part of the game and keep going.

That’s not to say that I can’t imagine ever being rattled by a fall, but it’s not generally the thing I fear while riding. Any anxiety I’ve ever had about my riding has been about letting people down–not riding well or failing to meet others’ expectations. Much of it was my projecting, and, now that I’m an adult with a couple of little kids and a life and accomplishments outside of this hobby I do for fun, I don’t really care about living up to anyone’s expectations but my own.

[PaintedHunter]

I think it’s nearly inevitable that if you ride and are progressing, you WILL fall off at some point. Consider it part of the learning process.

I rarely fall off - maybe once a year or so - and when I do, it’s usually because I was not prepared for the unexpected and was unbalanced, or I ran my horse into a jump. It’s nearly always my fault. I last fall off the day before a show… it started to unnerve me, and then i thought, well why should it? I’m capable of doing this, I’ve mentally noted my errors, and what are the chances I’m going to fall off again so soon? Hee.