Reiners somersaulting? How often does this happen?

As you all know, I am relatively new to the sport, learning every day. However, even with my limited group of reining friends and trainers....I now know 2 people personally who have had their horses somersault on them. Both very experienced riders (one is a trainer and judge) on horses that were young, but not total greenies. Both recovered, but were real sore and bruised for a few weeks.

How often does this happen? Anyone else hear of this? I am not really understanding how this happens. I must be when stopping, I would guess?

I've seen it happen a few times where they are loping a circle or running down for a slide and they just slip/stumble and are unable to recover. One I saw happened in the spin, the horse just got his hind feet tangled and went down. I suppose it could also happen during a stop if the horse caught one of his fronts and stumbled.

I wouldn't say that it's common, but it's not exactly rare either. I've had several horses just fall with me over the course of my life, most of them at the trot or lope and only a couple were due to bad footing.

Hmm. Another reason I like slow.

A friend of mine had her ankle shattered because she rode her reining mare out trail riding with friends and the mare had sliding shoes on . (I hope that is the correct term). She cantered across some grass, and gues what the sliding shoes did?

That would be why mine while have his off once he comes home from the trainer. He will not be out without them off. I have talked to my farrier about the possibility of putting studs on them, similar to eventers do, but I think, since we don't have good footing here, safer without.

I personally have never heard of that or seen it in reining. Although, my mare got really dizzy learning to do turn arounds and she went running and stumbling sideways lol. Another time, I was loping her and slowly asked her to down transition and she went face first into the dirt out of no where. All I saw was mane, legs and dirt flying as she was scrambling to pull herself back up. Man that was scary! Lol But she had just had front shoes put on a few weeks before and had never had them before, ever. So that could possibly be why? I have heard of horses getting caught on their own shoes if they're not used to them. Who knows though!

Somersaulting in a turn would be one hellofa ride....

In the time I have ridden reiners it has happened twice. And yes - it is a helluva ride when it does. One horse was galloping full tilt and just did a head over heels - I don't think it was related to him being a reiner - he just fell. That happened on my place. I also saw one go down on bad ground at another place. Have seen horses get tangled in the spin also. I saw Randy Pauls horse get tangled in its own tail at the NRHA futurity a couple of years back - it got scary for a few minutes but he and the horse survived it - altho he did find himself looking at the wrong wall when it all settled. I always keep my horses tails cut a good foot above the ground - not above the hocks but never below the fetlocks - to prevent them tangling in it when they get down in the back. But also note this - I have had hunters that tangled in fences - not necessarily the big fences - and one hunter that just was trotting along and went down to his nose. Heck, I even had one that fell to his face when he was standing dead still and then spooked at something. Horses fall down sometimes no matter what discipline. Reiners are just going faster and quicker than some other disciplines so it can be more dramatic when it happens.

Oh-believe me I know-I have cheek and chin implants as a result of a hunter accident. However, I (apparently wrongly) thought I would be safer in my "old age" with all 4 feet on the ground. Guess not.