Dumb Falls

I was riding Dolly out in the empty pasture bareback, we went up the hill and I wasn't prepared for her to stretch her front legs out and give a little hop with her hindquarters to get up the hill faster. I slid right off and felt so dumb, lol. Dolly turned and trotted over to me, sticking her nose down to sniff at me as if to say, "Well that was pretty silly, why'd you do that?"

Oh dear, stupid falls... I could list off a million different funny falls I have had, but the best one I think was when I decided to jump up onto a neighbors un-broke 5 year old shetland pony for Sh*ts and Gigs. Well that pony took off like his life depended on it and I clung onto him, laughing like a lunatic until that pony stopped right in front of a log. I stayed on though! It wasn't until he put his head down to graze that I toppled off! My friends still make fun of me for it!!

I was tacking my mare up at the show yesterday, and had a slight tack malfunction when I stepped up into the stirrup to mount. Apparently the girth strap somehow came loose, because it managed to come clean off the saddle. Needless to say, the saddle and I both went crashing down. Several people saw it too. They all came rushing over- omg are you ok?! I was fine, laughed it off, and the mare just stood there, like well what'd you do that for? I so wish that somebody had been filming it.

Bad part is, a young girl was running barrels latter in the day when her girth strap broke clean off, and she and her saddle came flying off at the canter (scared the crap out of all of us). She was ok, but it was just weird that two riders had lost their saddles at the same show. Mine was funny at least, but hers is something I never want to see again.

My stupidest fall was when I was playing around jumping logs on a little Haflinger pony. Of course, I typically rode super hot, spooky horses on a regular basis, and even one 17hh Thoroughbred that crow hopped and bucked like a bronco every time you rode him. And I managed to stay on a million times that I should have fallen off, but no - I fell off the pony. He was a little 13hh pony and we were trotting over a tiny little 12" log that we had already jumped a few times. He had been trying to sneak past it to the left a couple times, so this time I raised my left hand a little on the approach to block him. Well, it worked - he jumped it - but I also forgot to put my left hand back where it belonged over the jump, threw myself off balance, and fell right off his left side. I rolled, leapt up and caught the pony, and was almost back on before anyone noticed. LOL.

The other stupidest one was when I was hopping on my friend's Appaloosa. I decided not to bother walking over to the mounting block, and to just climb onto him bareback from a plastic chair. ...apparently that was a bad idea... I was about half way on when he bolted and started bucking. He pulled the reins right out of my hands too. I think I stayed on for 4 or 5 bucks before he dropped his right shoulder, dodged left, and bucked simultaneously. He threw me right over his right shoulder into a nice patch of gravel and then walked away and started eating grass. That was the most painful fall I've had yet, and ironically also the one I laugh about the most. LOL

I was working 2 full time jobs, my son was not quite 6 months old and a friend invited me for a much needed trail ride! WOO HOO yeah!

I got off work at 7 a.m. And met my friend at the barn. Here we go. Lovely early summer morning. Calm, relaxed, and just wonderful. I feel asleep on horseback, and fell off. Nothing hurt but my pride LOL.

I went to mount my gelding from the ground one day, he was in an English saddle so I had no horn to hold onto once I got into the saddle. I didn't have my right stirrup and wasn't balanced in the saddle and he started moving forward. I felt myself slipping and it was either hit the ground hard or grab a t-post as we were walking by it.

So I grabbed the t-post and pulled myself off his back. I had a nice scrape and bruised thigh from that one.

Emily

When I was 11 or possibly 12 I was riding with one of my friends. I was riding my favorite mare, Lena (who everyone else hated because of her b*tchy attitude). She decided something was scary and she went all out - crow hopping, bucking, spinning, she bolted a short distance and let loose with a couple of sideways hops and another spin. I stayed on through all of it. And then when she stopped... *PLOP* THAT is when I fell off, landed right on my butt directly in front of her feet, under her head. She lowered her head and sniffed my hair and gave me a look like I was an idiot. My friend laughed SO HARD.

This wasn't a fall, but this was also really stupid... my very first horse show, I was 11 and it was a cool November morning, I was tacking up and getting ready to go ride in the warm up ring. I had gloves on because you know... it was cold. Well... I went to tighten up the girth and my gloved hand completely slipped off of the billet and I punched myself in the nose. :( AND I didn't have another shirt to change in to. So my trainer's husband helped me try to get some of the blood out with wet washcloths, and I had to go in to the ring wearing a damp, pinkish, obviously bloodied shirt. Not surprising that I did not place...

In the fall I was riding Crusier around at a canter. I was like.. daydreaming or something (I know bad choice when riding but what are you going to do.) and just stopped all of a sudden and I went flying over him but somehow managed to land on my feet. Then he ran away from me and I had to go catch him.. didn't help that someone left the arena gate open either...