RE: [RC] [RC] Horse with attitude... - Smith, Dave
Having come to horseback riding rather
late in life, I am far from the best rider around. I also ride a young
mustang who was, when I adopted him, very spooky and prone to left-brain
reactions that usually occurred at near the speed of light. Consequently,
I have gone off him about 10 times in the two and half years I’ve had
him. (I used to fly a hang glider and I can honestly say that I have been
injured more seriously and more often in the two and half years of riding than
I had been in the decade that I was jumping off cliffs and landing in strange,
often debris-strewn fields.) What I have done to cope is first, strive to
be a better, more balanced rider. Second, really work at “bomb-proofing”
my horse, and finally, wearing (religiously) an “eventing” vest and
always a helmet. Also on the trail, I wear a “camelback” water pack
that gives good protection to the spine. This protective gear came in
handy during the recent Tevis Trail “Education Ride” when Hermano
caught his hoof boot between boulders while crossing a dry stream bed and
tossed me onto my back. I landed in a field of basket-ball sized boulders
and was actually knocked out for a minute, having hit my head, breaking my
helmet (the second time I have broken one) and suffering a mild
concussion. Thankfully, the two ladies following me were there to help
get me up and I was able to ride to the last vet stop at Francisco’s
where I quit the ride due to the severe headache resulting from the fall. I may
look a bit silly with all the protective stuff I wear, but it has thus far
saved me from more serious grief. Maybe someday I will be good enough to
ride without it, but until that happens, I will continue to ride with armor. --Dave
From:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Val Nicoson Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007
3:34 PM To: ridecamp Subject: Re: [RC] [RC] Horse with
attitude...
Got a question for all of
you who are getting dumped by your horses....how in the world do you land
without breaking anything? I've been dumped by two red horses which
resulted in first my left and recently my right wrist being
shattered...ouch!
Both are healed and I am riding again. We've decided no more red horses
for me though...the first was a gelding getting my left wrist...the last one
was a mare getting my right wrist...hey, at least I'm balanced out now, right?
<g>
SO any advice on how to land better might be helpful...I did say
"might"...only because most times I am pretty stiff and attempt to
reach out and wham...broken wrist. I am naturally a pretty stiff person
when it comes to falling. I am also in my mid-50s so there's a definite
loss of flexibility to go along with it all.
I've found when I come off sideways that at least I haven't broken
anything...yet. But going over those left shoulders head first gets me
every time.
