Re: Panic Attack - Long

["Arco Farm" <arcofarm@gulftel.com>]

Sorry about your wreck....  you have the right idea about tightening the
girth one notch at a time.  I also will longe a horse for a couple of
circles each direction or at very least trot off in hand for a little ways
out and back before I mount a horse until I have ridden this horse for at
least two years consistently with no hint of cinchiness.  But, I am ultra
paranoid because I have been seriously injured a couple of times by
horses(mules actually) that I did not have properly prepared for my butt to
be plopped in the saddle.
Good Luck.
Cindy

----- Original Message -----
From: <guest@endurance.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 9:12 AM
Subject: RC: Panic Attack - Long


> Sallie Sullivan mateef@aol.com
> I've got a BIG problem. Lastnight I was going to go on a moonlight ride
> with a friend. Trailered over to friend's house and saddled up my 5yo
> mare. I spent time tightening the saddle one notch at a time, but I'm
> thinking not enough time now.  She stood perfectly still while I got on
> but I could tell (hindsight being 20/20) that she wasn't comfortable as
> soon as I settled my butt in the saddle. Should have gotten off right then
> (that 20/20 hindsight again). After I tried to relax her by bending her
> head a couple of times, she completely exploded.  To make
> a long story short, she flipped over on me, paused, got up and
> flipped over again. She either hit her head when she fell the second time
> and passed out or passed out from hyperventilating and therefore fell.  It
> seemed a very long time before we could get her up.
> Completely stripped her tack, I had to physically unlock her jaw to get
> her to release the bit to get the bridle off. Once we finally did get her
> up, she had a couple of places where hair was missing, but no apparent
> lasting ill effects from all this.
> Here's my problem. I'm convinced this was a panic attack arising from
> (a) the saddle being too snug too quick and (b) I just had her shoes
> pulled and she was standing on rough gravel and her feet hurt.  I'm
> planning on changing the rigging on my saddle to be able to use a girth
> with elastic in it to aleviate that claustrophic feeling she must have had
> and of course I'll be more cognizant of her footing.  I really feel that
> she's just immature and needs me to help her through this. My husband
> feels she's downright dangerous and wants me to get rid of her. I'm fairly
> banged up and bruised from her landing on me,
> but it could have been worse.  What should I do?
> Thanks for any insights or suggestions.
> Sallie from NE Ohio
>
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
> Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
> Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>