“The hardest thing about riding is the ground.” -Unknown
Please note- this helmet should be adjusted more tightly!
It’s inevitable. Anyone who rides horses regularly is going to come off at some point. Equestrians joke that they’re “unplanned dismounts.” Falling off is no big deal for some people, but for others it can have a huge effect on that rider’s confidence and trust. Since I can remember, I’ve always been told that you have get right back on and keep going (assuming of course there are no physical injuries to human and horse that prevent that). But I think this is an oversimplification of an important lesson. While yes, I 100% agree you should always get right back on, I think there a few things we need to talk about here. The first is why we are always told to get right back on. As humans, the longer we dwell on something in our head, the more likely we are to get nervous and turn it into fear. If we can override the instinct to freeze up and just keep going, often we work out of the fear before it can develop into something major. That being said, fear isn’t something to be ashamed of. It’s a survival instinct and happens to all of us to some degree or another. Certain people naturally feel more fear than others, depending on who they are and their personality. Age also usually plays a role. Children bounce and are naturally more fearless. As we get older though, we feel the weight of our responsibilities and our heads go to “What if I get hurt and can’t take care of ect ect??” We also tend to heal more slowly from sore muscles and are more conscious of the risks and danger that children seem blissfully unaware of. So, falling off becomes a bigger deal. It can make us apprehensive to return to what it was we were trying to do when the fall happened, or even apprehensive to get back on at all. And that’s ok. But falling off doesn’t have to be a big deal. It doesn’t have to go to our heads. Find the humor in it. Honestly, when I come off of a horse I’m usually laughing on the way down (at least on the inside!) I’m fortunate to never have been afraid to fall, but part of that is always having trainers who never made a big deal about it. I grew up learning to not be afraid of hitting the ground. If you practice being alright with idea of falling off, it won’t become a big issue if it occurs. Evaluate what happened in the fall and learn from it. Use the lesson to grow as a rider and horseman.
The important thing to remember is that falling off isn’t something that should paralyze you. It happens, and that’s ok. The biggest thing is to take the opportunity to learn from it! Why did it happen? What did you do wrong? Did your horse spook and you weren’t ready for it? That definitely makes us have to develop a good seat and pay more attention. Did your pony stop at a jump? Was it something your body did that caused it? Did your horse misbehave? Was it his fault? Or were you riding in a way that resulted in it? Falling off can teach us a lot!
There’s also another end of the spectrum opposite of fear, and that’s pride. Sometimes when we come off it can be really easy to let our human ego get in the way and we become harsh to our horses when they don’t deserve it. Ego affects our riding just as much as fear can… if we feel embarrassed or mad we have to be careful to not take that out on our horses. There is absolutely no place in riding for a horseman to let pride dictate his/her course of action. I caution you, don’t beat up on your pony for your own pride.
I started thinking about this topic not too long ago when I came off a pony myself while trying to school him over a scary jump. I laughed to myself while I was there on the ground, “Shoot.” I caught the pony, climbed back on, got him over the jump and it was all good. Falling off happens to all of us! I am definitely not ashamed to tell you I work for a horse trainer and still come off of horses. I am ALWAYS trying to grow as a horseman and I’ll use every time I have an “unplanned dismount” to learn a lesson and make me a better rider for the next time.
Our first priority around horses is always safety, so we do everything we can to not get hurt. Yet, the fact is, whenever we get on a horse there’s always a chance we could come off. In light of that, we definitely shouldn’t worry or be afraid, but we SHOULD be smart. Helmets are your friend! Especially if you’re jumping or working young horses. I will never, ever jump a horse without a helmet. Also be aware of what’s going on around you so you’re prepared. And if you do start coming off, DON’T stick your arms out! That’s how you can end up getting hurt unnecessarily. The best course of action is to tuck into a ball and let yourself roll. If you do come off, it’s best to lie still on the ground for a minute to evaluate that nothing is hurt and get your breath back. Once you’re good, catch your pony, learn from the situation, climb back on and don’t think too much about it. Ride on and have fun, because we are so blessed to get to do what we do and a little dirt isn’t the end of the world.
Keep riding, keep learning, and I’ll see you around the barn!
-Rebekah Bukowski