I found this quote and it sparked interest in me. I have never been seriously hurt (knock on wood) in a fall but it always hurts my mental state. That fear creeps in there and BAM the doubt comes.
I know I have to get back on and I know I have to ride the next day and probably the day after that.. leaving a gap in between rides never does any good- even if I am sore or my body hates me.
Eventually I get over it and am back at it again..
IMHO if you haven't fallen off- you aren't pushing yourself past where you are comfortable. Falls come in different waves- I like to take any little as possible :)
What are your thoughts on falling off?
Onto greener patures...
I rode Saturday- just a hack cause B and I went to my bff's barrel race.
Sunday Henry got turned out.
This morning he got turned out and I will do a hack after work.
Lesson tomorrow, turn out/hack Wed and Thur... idk Fri, Sat and Sun.
I think falling off is going to happen throughout your career if you're putting in enough time and effort into improving. You're right, pushing yourself means taking on harder and harder rides, and it's just going to happen.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if I am to believe what I'm writing, I took the easy way out since I've never come off of any of the Welsh Cobs I've ridden, including Connor. :-)
Yep totally agree.
DeleteGirl you better knock on some wood!! lol!!!
I don't fall often, but in the last few years the falls I took hurt me physically and emotionally. Physically over the past several years I've injured my head/brain, back and bum and am in regular chiro care as a result. Emotionally each fall left me questioning "WHY DO I DO THIS?!". I never make decisions about my horse or riding when I am hurt emotionally or physically. I give myself time to heal and look for any patterns/trends I can address to prevent it from happening again. Also, I am of course a HUGE advocate for helmets every single time I swing my leg up on a horse, ANY horse. I have never gotten seriously injured doing the crazy jumping, galloping, XC stuff I do...my injuries have occurred when I am doing mundane things like warming up for a lesson, cooling down outside, hacking around bareback and thank goodness my head was protected because it's knocked the ground more than once!
ReplyDeleteYes helmets are a MUST!
DeleteHaha yes why do we do this?! :)
IDK, the physical part hurts a lot more then when i was under 30 lol. For me 90% of riding is honestly a head game. Physically I may not be in amazing shape, but I can hold my own, and usually balance ok, as long as I'm not a big, tense ball of nerves. It has really taken me almost a year from my last fall to really feel like I've progressed, a big part likely due to riding a greener horse. I HAVE to progress, for her and me now.
ReplyDeleteHaha true- you just need to perfect the tuck and roll or landing on your feet jk jk :)
DeleteWhen you ride horses, you're going to fall off. That being said, I want to ride a horse where I feel like that is very unlikely. When I feel like I'm going to come off, I get scared and don't ride well.
ReplyDeleteYeah young/unreliable horses aren't for everyone! :) Esp us working adults who have kids haha!
DeleteAmen to that!!! I cant be all foggy headed or laid up crippled for days on end after a fall, I gotta work!!!
DeleteI fall off more than I care to admit. Most of the falls have nothing to do with jumping... its a spooky, athletic mare that props and spins... And, for the most part, I don't get hurt. I believe you have to be able to accept danger and unpredictability if you ride... For me, its the fear of embarrassment not so much getting hurt.
ReplyDeleteYes we are riding animals and def have to accept what we are signing up for ha!
DeleteYeah I don't fear getting hurt physically, but know that emotionally i will fight a bit of a battle.
Interesting...I haven't ever been seriously hurt in a fall either (frantically knocking on wood) but the falls that messed with my mind the most were the little ones that happened when I was already unconfident and nervous. Course it helps I'm still young and bounce pretty good, and I admit I have a certain degree of invincibility complex...figure I'd better take advantage of it while I have it! ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah i fear falling more when i am not confident .. thankfully fear/nerves aren't a big factor in my riding right now.
DeleteOnce upon a time, falling off was a competition between my friends and I (who could get to a certain amount of times first). Eventually I actually got hurt and tht game got old. Now, I ride a lot...er...better and cling to my saddle like my life depends on it LOL! Plus, I don't ride nearly the volume of different horses that I used to, so that probably helps!
ReplyDeleteHaha!! Yeah Henry is a far ways down, I try to avoid it like the plague!
DeleteFor me it's the near misses that mentally bother me the most...because then I go down the trail of what could have happened. I also agree with Nicku that my falls have pretty much all been doing everyday things, nothing crazy.
ReplyDeleteYeah I try never to do anything too crazy, I have too much responsibility now ha!
DeleteIt's all a head game. So the nice thing is if you're crazy, so are the rest of us!!
ReplyDeletelol right!! :)
DeleteI got dumped all. the. time as I kid. Usually doing goofy stuff with my saint of a pony. ;)... I learned to have a really great seat and now if I fall off, I know it's because I pushed Willow too hard. I always feel guilt, because she acts like she just shot the Pope. She tries pretty hard to keep my butt in the saddle, and I HATE to feel like she thinks that she failed. Does that make any sense at all? I haven't finished my coffee yet...
ReplyDeletehahaha just shot the Pope!!!
DeleteI've had a couple of nasty falls and some injuries as a result, but today I don't especially fear falling. I wouldn't like to do it, but I don't worry about it all the time either. For me it's much more about failure in the moment than getting hurt. My biggest fear is always injuring my horse - or having him get loose on cross-country and run away.
ReplyDeleteYeah falling doesn't dictate my rides (thankfully) but it's a reality with this sport :)
DeleteI definitely think falling off is going to happen if you ride long enough, however, we have become such an instant gratification society that it has become way too common to gloss over the basics which leads to riders who lack a true foundation thus leading to situations where falls are more likely.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to get back on after a fall so that fear doesn't set in too much but I also think it is pretty healthy to examine why the fall happened in the first place to make sure you aren't riding beyond your skill level.
YES! The "i want to jump" so 3 lessons in the kid is jumping an X.
DeleteGetting back on is a must! Well unless there is a broken bone that is really bad.. even when I hurt SO BAD I still get back on no matter what.
I think falling is just a by product of the nature of the sport. People fall all the time off of inanimate objects- bikes- skateboards- etc. We're on creatures with minds of their own so it's inevitable that sometimes we part ways. I think having a good seat and leg will help prevent unnecessary falls- but if a rider hasn't fallen off EVER it's likely they haven't been riding long enough. Just my two cents :)
ReplyDeleteDefiantly! A good foundation helps for sure but I am a big believer that if you are pushing yourself, a fall in inevitable. Though I also think that when you get to a more advanced/higher level of riding capability/training- your falls are going to be much less present.
DeleteFalling is part of the package. If hurts physically and emotionally for sure. The emotional repercussions tend to last longer than physical but that said I feel like a creaky old lady and I'm only 23. I am almost certain that is directly related to riding and various falls and strain on my body.
ReplyDeleteCreakiness only gets worse lol! Falling comes with the territory :)
Deletehaha...omg it's so true! I'm 32 and feel like I'm 102 most days, lol! get me a rascal scooter!
Deletebahahahaha I want a rascal too! :)
DeleteI think the physical pain gets me more then emotional, the thing that really shook me was flipping Carlos, and that was on one jump, and I was more tentative about hurting him then myself. You have a lot more riding (pun not intended) on your physical capabilities, a family, they need you to be happy, healthy and whole.
ReplyDeleteYeah I can't imagine what that felt like, cause from the side lines it was scary!
DeleteI have had some nasty spills. The worst was breaking my tail bone at a show and getting back on. I was so pissed I felt no pain. Hopefully that is the worst that ever happens. These days the physical pain outweighs the emotional. I make myself get back on and I don't allow any negative thoughts or fears in my head. You just can't.
ReplyDeleteOWCH!
DeleteMy last fall I landed on my feet and jacked up my back but I was SO mad that I didn't feel the pain till later ha!
I've been fairly lucky that most of my falls have been more embarrassing than anything else, but they still rattled me a bit. I do worry as I get older, though. I miss being young and bouncy. My husband had a fall this spring and it was beyond scary. Only soft tissue and still healing.
ReplyDeleteYeah falling as we get older (or past 18 haha) is way more of an impact on our lives all around then it was when we were younger.
DeleteEeek hope your hubby heals soon!
I have taken plenty of falls... you know you're addicted when you fall, crush your ulnar nerve (thinking about smashing your funny bone and it hurting like that for 5 months), and all you can think about is getting the hospital visit over so you can hopefully compete the next day! (this was IHSA, lol- unfortunately they overdosed me on pain meds accidentally- advil of all things- and I threw up all night and didn't get to compete! Wasn't even the injury!)
ReplyDeleteI think some falls are good as they help you progress, but you also shouldn't be falling off all of the time... like if you're constantly having stops and tumbles at a certain height, that's a sign to back up and start slower! But, at the same time, sometimes falls are necessary- like when I was first trying to learn to gallop bareback. I was young and not as experienced as I am now, but the only way to learn was to get on, gallop, slide off a few times, and figure it out! But it wasn't an indication that I was doing something dangerous, just trying to learn something new. So I think it can go both ways :)
Also, I'm not sure where you can watch Horse Power but I'm sure there's somewhere free on the internet- just search 'watch horse power episode 1' or something lol. I have the DVD set, someone bought it for me. Amazon is super expensive now, but apparently it's still available on itunes for around 30$. Maybe try that? Or netflix?
Oops, to be accurate it's: "Horse Power: Road to Maclay"
ReplyDeleteYep totally agree.. falls come when you are being pushed :)
ReplyDeleteSweet i'll see if I can find a copy, thanks!
I fell off the other day - just another day in the life!
ReplyDeleteyep :)
DeleteI fell off nearly every lesson when I a kid learning to ride without stirrups. I was given very bad advice to grip with my legs. The more I gripped the sooner I popped right off the saddle. It was frustrating, but not scary at the time.
ReplyDeleteOnce I took some dressage lessons falling off was no longer something that I thought about. I think that it is a much bigger risk for riders who jump a decent height regularly or work young or spoiled horses. A rider's confidence is so critical for effective riding and can definitely be injured longer than the body.
That does sound frustrating!
DeleteYes the type of riding totally makes a difference! And it comes with the territory when you ride a lot of horses- esp green, young, spoiled, in training.
When I'm not confident, my riding is rough ha!
When I was younger I used to fall off all the time - that was usually when I was doing something silly like jumping side saddle or something typical kids with too much confidence do.
ReplyDeleteGenerally I am pretty good at ignoring the fear. I have had some pretty nasty falls - the last one I had a horse reared and fell on top of me. I was in shock and shaking but I forced myself to push through it all and hop back on. Ive never really lost my confidence from a fall.
Eek rearing and falling on you!! I am glad you are ok! Yep as adults we know that we have to push past the fear and this is something we love so it makes getting back on easier.
DeleteIf it's going to happen, it's going to happen. It's preparing your body and mind for the aftermath and to think about why it happened. I used to take spills off my OTTB all the time and just get back on saying, "Oh he's a thoroughbred" and not knowing better on how to get his brain to really work instead of react. With my new guy, both falls I had seriously took a number out on me BECAUSE I knew I was doing something wrong and we weren't ready. Sometimes, shit just happens and you just take a spill (like my spill on the roley-poley arab). She was walking, stepped out, and I fell. Oops. Those I think are a lot easier to get over than the ones where you pushed too far or you weren't ready. I think every fall can either build your confidence or hurt it. It's just the way you look at it.
ReplyDeleteYeah it's going to happen and being prepared for it but not letting it consume you is important :)
DeleteI have been incredibly lucky - the worst fall I've had to date was my most recent one, my horse bucked me off and I broke my elbow in four places. I became very skilled in the art of one-armed baby wrangling with my two year old and my then four month baby. :P
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it shouldn't have happened. Yes, my horse was a brat - he did a spin & buck and I catapulted out of the saddle. I wish I got it on film. I bet it was impressive... He shouldn't have done that, but frankly I know some of it was in part my fault. I didn't listen to the warning signals and I pushed him too hard.
Now, I hate falls because of the invariable dip in my confidence, but it's much, much worse when you consider how bad it is for my family when I am completely out of action (as I was for six weeks until my arm healed enough to start using it again!).
So in my mind, maybe you don't have to push out past your comfort zone so that you end up with a fall. Push out past your comfort zone, yes, but why not do it small steps at a time? Why go the whole hog so that you do end up falling?
Sure, falling will happen. You ride, you fall. But why chase a fall? You can ride defensively, minimising risks. To be fair I am a lot slower to get where I want to these days, because I don't push it. And no, I don't do cross country, or jumping. It's on the plan, but I don't think my horse is listening to me well enough in the arena and out on trails to start jumping. (I have a lot of trouble rating him at a trot).
So we are very boring at the moment. But maybe that's okay, if that's what it takes so that I can keep riding and keep on looking after my family. I don't bounce like I used to, and I can't afford to take risks.
Call me chicken - maybe I am - but that's the price of being a rider and a mother I think.
bonita of A Riding Habit
No chicken! You have to do what is best for you in this riding "game" and make sure that you are where you want to be. :)
DeleteGosh, I sound so serious and chicken!! But I guess that's how I take my riding these days. :P
ReplyDeletebonita of A Riding Habit
Falling off doesn't make you suddenly a "real" equestrian or a good rider, however if you ride long enough to become a "real" equestrian you are bound to fall off. I wish I could bounce back up as quickly as I did when I was a kid, but two bad knees and a not so great back and I find myself steering clear of horses that I would have ridden with no issue a few years ago and also steering clear of situations that could put me in danger. I don't think this make me any less of a rider, I just won't be seen galloping around a cross country course any time soon!
ReplyDeleteExactly! Just b/c you fall doesn't prove anything.
DeleteI had an instructor who believed that everyone had to fall at least some point, and so she would engineer it to a certain extent, for lack of a better description. She made sure that if you were going to fall off, it was on a trustworthy horse, etc. When I first got Walker, I lived in constant anticipation of falling off until finally it happened and I was able to move on. Now I don't worry about it anymore. It's the anticipation that kills.
ReplyDeleteWe all joke that you are going to fall off once a year... not that I ever like falling off but it prepares my mind that it's going to happen more then i'd ever like it to.
DeleteLike you, I'm thankful that most of the falls I've had have mostly hurt my pride and confidence. I feel that when you try to get better, and try things out of your comfort zone, its pretty much inevitable that you might bite the dust a couple times. Its all a part of growing. A painful part, but crucial none the less.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely part of growing! And refining... which i need but sometime don't want the hard things that come along with it haha!
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