Ridecamp: Re: [RC] when a horse trips...

Adele,
I am glad that your story ends more happily than some others that I know.
Please don't forget to send your helmet back to the manufacturer along with
the story of your fall. It is helpful to them to have the helmet for testing
if need be and more importantly, the integrity of the helmet has been
compromised and should no longer be used. For a small replacement fee (I
think mine was $15 for my Troxel) the manufacturer will send you a new one.
Pat
 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Adele Dennard" <adeleden@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, August 24, 2002 1:04 PM
Subject: Re: [RC] when a horse trips...


> I have to agree with Truman on this one for sure. I can definitely
> relate to what he has said and what others have said about the
> importance of wearing a helmet. Just 2 weeks ago my horse and I
> experienced the "trip" on a training ride. I can only go by what my
> horse looks like with his skinned up front knees and nose and my bruised
> and scabbed up right side, but we definitely went down and quickly. I
> have no recollection of this event because I was totally knocked out for
> about an hour and riding all alone. It took another hour for me to use
> my cellular phone and babble that I was lost  and to be discovered and
> taken to the ER. A week later I finally gained enough sense to carry on
> a conversation and stand without falling over. I can not even think what
> may have happened to my quality of life if I had not been wearing a
> helmet. My helmet is fine and not split open at all, but my neurologist
> said that just the impact jarred my brain and bruised it. I hate to
> think what my brain would look like now if I had not worn a helmet. I
> consider myself very knowledgeable as far as riding goes. I started
> taking dressage and jumping lessons weekly at the age of 10 and
> continued until I was about 17. I then took off a little over 10 years
> to go to college and raise my 2 kids. About 6 years ago at the age of 30
> I got started in endurance riding and bought my first Arab. Many times I
> have been complimented about my riding skills and balance at an
> endurance ride and I always say my parents money came to some good use
> after all.  My horse Awesome and I have also done great in AERC. He has
> made me proud. He and I have thousands of miles together and still he
> can spook and throw me at and given time. He knows better, but wants to
> keep me straight.  I can remember falling off about 10 times over the
> past 6 years and I have always bounced right back and ridden off. Most
> falls were from my horse spooking at moving animals on the trail and I
> always was able to hold onto his neck until I could let go at a safe
> speed. But 2 weeks ago nothing could have prevented our fall. My horse
> was not spooking, but trotting hard down the trail he is so used to by
> now and apparently just slipped and fell head first. I am no major ball
> player that can react to Randy Johnson's fast ball, but I do know how to
> stay on a horse pretty darn well. Accidents can happen people and
> experience can not  prevent a bad outcome- not even a helmet can prevent
> everything.. Years of riding horses and lessons taken for years can not
> help you for that split second it takes to hit the ground. Wear that
> helmet and be proud of it!! So what if you sweat a little more and get
> an itchy scalp from all the bouncing up and down. At least you will have
> another day to get on that horse and ride or experience the joys of your
> family. If you do not wear a helmet now, do it for your family and
> friends. I thank God that my kids and husband still have someone to call
> Mommy and hug at bedtime.
>    Thank you Truman for keeping this thread alive long enough for me to
> recover and reply and tell my story. I hope that  just one person may
> learn something from my story and wear a helmet. It really can be a life
> saver no matter how good of a rider you may be. I hope to see you all at
> SE rides in a few more months. Hopefully, Awesome and I can return  as
> our normal selves and kick some butt! Maybe even my new horse Calypso
> that I fell with 2 weeks ago will be ready to take over Awesome's job.
> Awesome can only dream for that day!!
>    Adele Dennard and Awesome
>    SE Region
>
>
>
> Truman Prevatt wrote:
>
> > How many people have a reaction time fast enough to hit a Randy
> > Johnson fast ball. Not many but a batter has 450 msec ( 1000 msec =
> > 1second) to react to a 100 mph Randy Johnson fast ball.
> >
> > Now if a horse trips and is falling to his knees, it will take him
> > about 250 msec before he hits his knees. That gravity plain and
> > simple. Thats just a little over one half the time to hit a 100 mph
> > fast ball. Hmmmmmmmm............. how many people can react react fast
> > enough to hit a 100 mph fastball, must less react twice that fast to
> > help their horses?  I would suspect that anything a rider does is much
> > too late, the horse either recovers or falls despite what the rider
> > does to "help." I would also expect that the horse needs his head to
> > balance, there is very little the rider does that keeps him from
> > getting his head - he's a hell of a lot stronger than a rider.
> >
> > So I would expect that despite all we think we are doing to "help" we
> > are actually just making ourselves feel better.
> >
> > If you want to know how quick a horse is at regaining his footing, We
> > were riding along once at a pretty good trot, a hole opened up and the
> > ground gave way under his front foot (old gopher hole I suspect). He
> > started to fall and I was pitched forward by my momentum. Before I
> > even realized what had happened to try to get my weight upright, he
> > had caught himself and was on his way back up. My body going forward
> > and down and his going up made a nasty collision as I lay on the
> > wondering just where the hell Mohammed Ali was hiding in the woods and
> > what I'd ever done to him:-(. I stopped my nose bleed and fixed my
> > bent glasses and got back on. Dan was sort of looking at me funny
> > like, "hey why you down there." Of course with blood on my shirt and
> > face we ran into every one we knew in the woods that day.
> >
> > Truman
> >
> > Alison Farrin wrote:
> >
> >> On the other hand, if you are riding your horse from behind into
> >> your hand and he does trip, keeping your hand steady will allow him
> >> to lean on it to regain his balance - the "trip" in essence is
> >> smaller. FWIW, riding the horse into your hand will solve tripping
> >> problems related to balance, though not lameness. Alison A. Farrin
> >> Innovative Pension
> >> Innovative Retirement Services
> >> 858-748-6500 x 107
> >> alison@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ed and Wendy
> >> Hauser
> >> Sent: Friday, August 23, 2002 5:40 AM
> >> To: SunsetOvrC@xxxxxxx; ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> Subject: Re: [RC] when a horse trips...
> >>
> >> Attempting to "help" a horse when it trips by pulling on the reins
> >> is equivalent to lifting onself by pulling on your boot straps-- it
> >> can't be done.  Let the horse use its head position to help it
> >> gregain its balence. Simple physics. Ed Ed and Wendy Hauser
> >> 1140 37th Street
> >> Hudson, WI 54016
> >> 715.386.0465
> >> sisufarm@xxxxxxxxxx
> >
>
>
>
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 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
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