Off topic - horsey

Congratulate me on another first.....I fell off a horse for the first time today. Yay! LOL. :?

Unfortunately, the arena was full of other students and parents watching and there I go in the dirt. My daughter and I were clearly the only beginners out there. I was supposed to be trotting over ground poles, but my horse decided she was going to jump instead. Well, jumping is way different than just trotting. She went up - I went down; she went down - I kept going down! I might have been able to save it but by then my mind had blanked. All I could think was to get out of the stirrups and roll over her shoulder, which I did. On the way down, I had time to think, "Wow. The ground isn't as far down as I thought it was." And then, "Hey, that didn't hurt!"

Naturally I was riding the taller lesson horse, but I don't seem to have injured anything but my pride. Not that I really had any to begin with, but I did feel like an idiot! Go me!!

 

LOL....Poor you! The worst is getting bucked off and then stepped on! When I was 12 I was riding one of our most gentle mares. What my dad would call a "little britches broke" anyhow she got spooked by something and took off running and then tripped herself bucking me off and then stepped on my leg in the process! But luckily I only ended up with the breath knocked out of me and a huge horseshoe imprint bruise on my leg for months.

 

I think I still had the reins in one hand as I was lying on my back in the dirt. And my horse (with the fearsome name "Dolly") was staring at me like "What'd you do THAT for?" :roll:

 

Oh yes falling off horses. My wonderful 3 year-old did a VERY smart thing and pulled a loose panel over himself. My cinch was loose and he went 1 way, my saddle and me went the other. I made it for about half the arena before i kinda "plopped off"and went to catch him again. Now we ride bareback with only a halter and a single rope and we do better in that than anything else. lol

 

he he he he he!!! Story of my life!!!

Just laugh it off, Check yourself for injuries, and Get right back on!

I broke my back 3 summers ago...got thrown from a Perch, and cracked my tailbone, and split my nerve. Paralized me from the waist down for about 17 hours till it finaly started healing and my legs started cramping....I don't take anything for granted anymore....


Yeah......I remember my first little lesson girl. She was about 10 and fell from our Pony. He's not but 7HH and she fell in the grass....started screaming and crying..wouldn't get back on and swore she was gonna die! I had to laugh because her feet almost touched the ground when she was riding him. and she litterally just "slid" off!!! At a walk!!!!
Oh......the days.....

 

I'm a bit extra sore today, but I did get right back on. I was so embarrassed! No way she's gonna let me try cantering any time soon, now...

A lady at work fell off a horse a week or so ago and broke her hip. She's still in the hospital after surgery to put plates and pins and things in. She's older than me, so I guess my bones aren't that brittle yet. :?

I almost fell again after I got back on. She had me repeat the exercise, and the horse jumped AGAIN! I did manage to stay on, but I did one of those lie-on-the-neck-and-pray things. Apparently, I am not modifying my position when the front of the horse goes down as the back is clearing the jump so she is shooting me over her neck. LMAO. Of course, I have not been taught that yet because I am still struggling to learn to do a 2-point position correctly while trotting over ground poles!

I think the other reason I fell was because it was our 13th lesson. How unlucky can you get?! That and the 13 lessons have been spread out over about 5 months due to conflicts. If only I could ride more than once a week. :|

 

Jamiya. Have you been working on Posting??? If done corectly you can clear jumps with ease. Rember when you feel her body go down, your butt goes up, when you feel her back rising, your body should go down.
Also when jumping. Take your butt out of the saddle and squeeze with your legs. Slightly lean forward.....but keep your feet square beneath your hips. One big reason people fall, is due to their geet going too far forward, or too far back. YOu loose control that way.

Heels should be down toes up, and directly beneath your hips...AT ALL TIMES!!!! Not only will you have better control of your body movements. You also have better control of your horse. Practice by sitting on a bale of hay. Place yourself in a saddle on a bale of hay. Direct your feet to go under your hips and heels down....

squeeze in with your thighs, and allow your feet to be slightly away from the body of the horse.

Also, post. Do a patturn in your head. "Up, down, Up, Down, Up, down...."

there shoud be a one 1/2 second per up, down movement....

 

Yes, I post. It's fairly automatic now. It's the two-point that gets me, though. I'm not quite balanced in it yet. I find that when I am sinking down into my heels, I am not squeezing enough with my legs. My instructor said I fell because I was not squeezing with my legs - but I also think it is because I stayed leaning forward in a two-point as the front of the horse went down, when your torso should move back up to compensate. If the horse lowers her head as well, it's sort of like sliding head-first down a slide and onto the ground!

I think it's all hang-ups with the two-point. And only riding once a week.

 

YEs. All my lessons are 3 days a week for 6 weeks.
your thighs will become very fit if your riding right. Puts the thighmaster to shame.....

 

Our trainer says to squeeze with your calves, not your thighs. She says if you are squeezing with your knees, it creates a nice pivot point where you can flip right over (sort of like I did). Do you agree with this?

 

Okay, here's a photo I found online that shows a jumper in the two-point position.



Now picture the rider in this same position (relative to the horse) only with the front of the horse on the ground and the back in the air over the jump. Now you can see why gravity took over and I landed on the ground.

 

Your knees and thighs should have equal pressure. This will keep the horse from getting pressure point confused with quies....ALso it will keep you better ballanced with more control.

You forgot to go back!!!! When he reaches the "peak" of the jump. You put your butt back in the saddle , slightly angle your feet froward, and lean back a bit.....it'll keep you from going "over board'!!!!

 

It's good you got right back on, most people can't bring themselves to do that. Notice in your picture that the rider's shoulders, and hips and knees and toes are all in a straight line. Also, ask your trainer to ride bareback, I've found that's the best way to find your balance. After a few lessons on a stable horse you can problaly do about anything you want bareback. Also bareback will stengthen your legs and make you want to "wrap" them around your horse.

 

Yes, she has us ride bareback sometimes. I normally have my balance quite well. As Sams said - I forgot to go back! I didn't know, since I have never been instructed on how to jump. Dolly wasn't supposed to jump - she was supposed to keep trotting! Now I know I have to lean back at the peak of the jump.