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Re: [RC] what you think when coming off a horse? - Fay KelleyThe first time I came off a horse I was 16 years old and was bareback. My horse stopped dead at a stream, waited for me to fly forward off the shoulder and then proceeded to go forward and stepped on my ribs. After that I was fortunate enough to not get thrown. Lucky to have broke horses to ride and survived all the spooks I lived through. However, last summer when I was riding some endurance Arabs in CO, I had to bail off a horse that had gear that was way too big for me, leathers to long, etc., at a full gallop. I will NEVER do that again. The woman I had taken a few lessons from said it is better to get off in an emergency. WRONG !!! wrong ! wrong !!! I should have stayed on .... I had a very bad scrape that took all of the skin off my lower back. And I had to drive home from Denver to Flagstaff the next day with a car I had just flown there to purchase. At any rate, as I was watching everything thing fly by I thought, "I had better turn this horse if I can (He had not responded to anything at all) and be sure I don't go off the back or the front and get kicked or stepped on." Hauling with all my might I managed to get a turn and I went on a tangent off the circle and cleared him nicely. The rest was pretty ugly. Normally I don't wear a helmet but did that day and hit my head quite hard .... am sure I wouldn't have a head without the helmet. That was the ONLY day of my life that I did not ride with a leather around the horse's neck. I did not have my tack with me, and I had always learned when jumping to use one so as not to accidentally hit the horse's mouth. If I had had my "sky hook" that day after losing my stirrups I would have had something to hang onto. Stupid me worrying about the horse's mouth. Won't do that again either. I got to test drive someone's NOT BROKE Arab in a close contact jumping saddle .... what a miserable experience that way. But I am much wiser now. And I would always try to stay on if I could after that. The horse I have now is so wanting to take good care of me no matter what shows up in the woods. I am so very fortunate to have a sensitive caring horse.
-- Cheers, Fay Every day in Flagstaff is just another day in Paradise! © Fay S. Kelley Cell 928.600.1733 "There are many paths to Enlightenment. Be sure to take one with a heart." ~ Lao Tzu ~ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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