Thrown from a Horse

oarsman said:

I am curious to find out from more experienced riders on how common it is to be thrown off a horse. Is it typical for an experienced rider to be thrown? How often? Once a year?

Click to expand...

That all depends. To give you an idea, I was thrown twice during my four years of high school (now, I had one horse fall on top of me, but that is different). That was probably from about 15 different horses, and about 8 that had actually bucked with me. Some of my siblings, the ones who did the green training, got thrown more than I did, but still not all that often. You learn to sit a crow-hop, and a few bucks, and it becomes almost routine, then you get that powerful and none too happy horse and in the dirt you go.

How often does a driver have a fender bender? Depends on how often they drive, how well they drive, the driving conditions, etc.

Horse riding accidents are much the same. Much will depend on variables. The more you ride, the more chance of falling - I don't say 'being thrown' - unless you are describing a particular action on the horse's part to 'unhorse' you. Such actions might include bucking, side stepping, deliberately trying to 'rub you off' on a branch, gate or wall.

Its possible to lose your seat because you are busy doing something else, roping, shooting, fighting for instance - your focus is somewhere else, and through no fault of the horse - you fall. Particularly true for jumping and cross-country work - the horse is going along just fine, and YOU are the one left behind, or not ready for the action.

Its a fine line, being 'behind the horse' and 'ahead of the horse' in asking for and anticipating his actions. It's really a dance with a thousand pound partner, you're going along just fine, and then you make a mistake and fall.

It happens.

As someone who used to REGULARLY FALL as part of a show, three times a week - you can get to where you're 'comfortable' and then lose that feeling after a bad fall.

I can't count the number of times I've come off a horse. Most of the times I got hurt it was because of a silly mistake or because I wasn't paying attention rather than malicious actions from the horse. And like the knight says, most of those times involved trail riding where my mind was on another task or jumping.

I agree completely with knightwrite- too many variables, but I have been riding for almost 25 years and if I remember correctly I have been thrown maybe three times- BUT- I haive rdden the same three or four horses during that time and that can make all the difference.

I saw this and figured I'd respond.

Although I've been lucky and have never fallen off a horse, I've observed that most people fall off when trail-riding. Nature provides a constantly-changing environment, occasionally with things a horse may never have encountered before. The horse's behavior is not always predictable, and if you don't adjust appropriately, you'll fall off.

The only people generally thrown by horses in an intentional way are trainers.

About the only defense a horse has is to panic and run, so when something startles it that happens. The thing a lot of people don't realize is that horses have excellenat memories. This means if something startled them at point X every time the walk up to point X they will be startled again. In school we always had to dsmount and walk the horses over the railroad tracks because one saw a rabbit there several years before.

Now I managed to stay on when trail riding and we accidently entered a clearing where the moonshiners and their dogs were so not happy to see us. That was the day the horse and I both learned to gallop on seriously uneven ground.

Two days later another horse I was riding sat down and I fell off backwards. The trick when you hit the ground roll as fast and as far away as you can get to keep from being stepped on. Horses don't like stepping on people and they panic which isn't good for either party.

I learned English, which means you hold on with your legs. This I never forgot and the first time I rode on the back of a motorcycle I left dents in the side from my 'riding' style. But I was easy on the horse's mouth and didn't need a saddle. But didn't take lessons long enough to learn to jump.

Stlight

It also depends on how many different horses you ride. If you are riding a docile, older "pet" horse on easy trails, then the chances are slimmer. If you ride recently broken 3 year old thoroughbreds, with short stirrups (like race or maintainance riding) the chances are greater. Short stirrup leathers and a jumpy half-trained horse make getting thrown rather more common because there is less control with the leg irons, but people who ride that way are usually master horsemen. It makes holding on with the legs impossible, so if you are hired to train racehorses, you are going to get thrown a few times. Another time that getting thrown is more common is when the rider participates in jumping. Jumps will automatically create a situation where the rider is off balance, whether or not the horse si trustworthy. I am told that once a horse starts to buck-up there is not much you can do but get out of its way and allow it to go through its tizzy fit. It will calm down on its own so the best thing for the rider is to make sure that no one gets hurt and hang onto the horse. On the other hand, riders who are thrown should get clear of the legs as quickly as they can.

I've owned horses for nearly 30 years. My old horse, Cochise, that I got when I was 16 and still own now (yes, he's older than dirt) was a good horse and I only fell off him a handful of times...maybe 5 or so...in all the years I owned him. My young horse Figment has pitched me twice, both times while spooking. He's much more high-strung than Cochise. Other than that, I fell off a rented horse once when the girth broke and I think that's about it.

My daughters both ride a little and the older one has fallen off before. Some of the older girls who are training to compete in shows fall from time to time, but these are kids who ride constantly and are jumping as well.

I have fallen off my Paint a few times - he had a little buck when he started to canter. I think I'd have been okay if I remembered to expect it. He doesn't like my husbands cousin and will buck her off every time. With my niece - he's fine. He's fine w/ me now - even bareback. My black quarter horse decided this year to buck everyone off that tried to ride him. I found out he's blind in one eye & spooks horribly. I'm an idiot, but if I take him for quick bareback rides just around our property - he's okay. I won't let anyone else on him though. I don't want to ask much of him but I don't want him to be totally spoiled The last time he got me good before I "retired" him- I walked like John Wayne for a month!

oarsman said:

I was thrown from a horse when I was a teenager (it might explain some things). I am not sure why the horse threw me. It reared up on it's back legs and then galloped wildly until I finallly couldn't hold on anymore. It was a new horse that was purchased by the owner and I was her first rider. And, I only had a few months of riding experience.

I fell off a horse another time and it was a bit more embarrassing. I associate horse riding with tasting dirt.

I am curious to find out from more experienced riders on how common it is to be thrown off a horse. Is it typical for an experienced rider to be thrown? How often? Once a year?

Click to expand...

Quite often from my experiences. I bought an Arabian when I was a teen, and paid for her to be broken in. So here I am... a green rider, and she was a green horse. I fell off a couple of times... she panicked about noises and such when we were trail riding.

Horses have a mind of their own... and what they are thinking isn't necessarily what you want them to think. Establishing trust is very important.

SPMiller said:

Although I've been lucky and have never fallen off a horse, I've observed that most people fall off when trail-riding.

Click to expand...

I've actually had the opposite experience. When younger I rode mostly in an arena with other green/intermediate riders. We fell off all the time, either when the horse spooked or jumped, or just sliding off from a slight balance hiccup that couldn't be recovered. As I started trail riding more and more, I can't recall anyone falling off, except myself (3 times! Over the course of a year or so). There were a few 'emergency dismounts', but it is a real pain for most people to get back on out in the wild, so we tried to stick to the saddle most the time.

More recently, I've not fallen since returning riding, but there have been quite a few 'balance hiccups' that I had to deal with. A lot of keeping the horse beneath you is luck, preparedness, and how far the horse flies sideways when he does spook. (My draft horse would shift a few centimeters for example. Never fell off him while actually riding )

/ramble

I've been thrown plenty of times. I'm usually proud of myself if I manage to stay on when the horse does something unexpected!

It annoys me when someone writes about how such-and-such character is so experienced a rider that they never get thrown. Anyone can be thrown off a horse. Horse goes one way, you go another....

Sorry, just remembered this story while sitting here thinking about my experiences with horses. One time when I was trotting round an indoor school, a bit of something peeled off the wall and started flapping as the horse and I approached. Okay, I thought, that'll freak the horse out. And it did! Fortunately, the horse saw it a lot later than I did. Result: no separation from horse on this occasion. Wish I could be that alert always.

I agree it varies. I rode for a year at one stable and fell off four times. I rode for a year at another stable and didn't fall off at all until I bought my own horse and then I fell of twice. In total I've fallen off seven times.

1. Old horse that I was riding bareback when I was about ten. Blanket I was sitting on started to slide when he started trotting. Landed on my tailbone.
2. Mare with hormone problems. Wouldn't trot through narrow trot poles and decided to jump over them instead. Landed on my side.
3. Same mare from above. Rushed cross-rail and I lost my balance. Once again landed on my side. (i land on my side a lot)
4. Greenbroke gelding spooked at saddle sitting on the fence. (i was a new rider at the time and this gelding had a gift for spooking)
5. Same greenbroke gelding this time at a huge dryer sitting in the corner of the indoor arena.
6. My mare threw a buck during a very overenthusiastic flying lead change. I went over her shoulder.
7. My mare spooked at the barn door banging during a schooling show, shot backwards, tripped and went down. I went over her hindquarters.

And I've never gotten anything worse that a bruise (knock on wood)!

Use Her Name said:

I am told that once a horse starts to buck-up there is not much you can do but get out of its way and allow it to go through its tizzy fit. It will calm down on its own so the best thing for the rider is to make sure that no one gets hurt and hang onto the horse.

Click to expand...

Ehh... It's possible that an inexperienced rider could do better to not fight with an animal that he or she doesn't know how to deal with. But there are a number of ways to deal with bucking, and they don't involve letting a horse get away with dangerous and unacceptable behavior. For anybody who is academically interested (from a writer's standpoint), or just wants some trivia:

1) Anticipate the possibility, and keep the reins short enough to be in contact with the horse. While you don't want to pull, you also don't want to have two and a half feet of slack rein when the horse decides that now is the time to be stupid. (Western pleasure riders in a show ring often keep reins quite loose. My view: know thy horse.)

2) The head usually goes down as the rear comes up. Sometimes a sideways shy is involved. If it's physically possible to do so, keep the horse's head up, pulling firmly but not jerking on the reins. This is one time when you want control of that head, as the rest of the horse goes with it.

The corrective action you take next depends on the horse. Either way, you have to be quick and decisive, as once the head gets all the way down, you generally lose control. You can:

3) Give the horse a sharp slap on the rump with your riding crop, while pulling the head up simultaneously (startling some horses enough to quit) and giving a sharp, low-voiced verbal command. "Quit!" and then scold, soothe or cajol, depending on the situation, or

4) In the case of a chronic bucker, keep the head up and force the horse to turn in tight circles without allowing enough time for continued bucking. A horse that bucks for the stubborn pleasure of it, and not with any great malice, will usually get tired of turning circles, especially if made to do so every time the bucking occurs. Of course, we're not talking rodeo horses, or ex-rodeo horses here. Those are another challenge altogether.

Can y'all tell I've spent too much time in a barn and couldn't resist this topic? Thanks for the fun!

I agree L.C. my mare used to buck. If I may add a few things first though?

If your horse has a bucking problem then there are a few things you should check before you assume it's a behavioral problem.

1. Check saddle fit. An ill-fitting saddle is probably one of the most common causes of bucking.
2. Have you made any changes? I've read stories about people who have bought horses that bucked after they bought them. All because they added a back cinch to their saddle and the horse had never been trained with one.

Then I'd use L.C.'s directions. Sorry I couldn't resist!

I have landed on my back and ass so many times I can't count them. The one time I landed on my feet, I had written about.

She was either an Arabian or a Barb, in Algeria. She took the bit and bolted. I had no choice but to crouch over her withers and hang on.

When we approached a line of trees, she skidded to a halt and I flew over her head. I landed on my feet with my arms around her neck. Both our knees were shaking.

The guide let me ride his stallion back to the stables. Mmmmm.... what a ride.

Horserider said:

If your horse has a bucking problem then there are a few things you should check before you assume it's a behavioral problem.

1. Check saddle fit. An ill-fitting saddle is probably one of the most common causes of bucking.
2. Have you made any changes? I've read stories about people who have bought horses that bucked after they bought them. All because they added a back cinch to their saddle and the horse had never been trained with one.

Click to expand...

Now I have to make an admission: I've ridden bareback for so many years, I honestly forgot the saddle thing! And don't forget to check for thorns and cockleburs under that cinch, y'all!

I'm too lazy to look up the numbers, so I'm doing this off the top of my head. These numbers are close, but they are not perfect.

Accidents are measured by the Center for Disease Control. In sports, accidents are measured by one reported accident per x number of hours. These are all accidents that are reported to a doctor or emergency room. For horse activities, one reported accident occurs every 200 - 250 hours. Next closest ten years ago (this might have changed) was either auto racing or motorcycle riding. In those sports, if my memory is right it is something like one reported accident occurs something like once every 1500 hours. Horses are the most dangerous sports activity out there.

And yes, this included bicycling and roller skating and skate boarding. All are a lot safer.

This was part of the research I did for EQUINE LIABILITY.

I've known people who have been to the emergency room numerous times, while I've ridden for nearly 50 years and never been injured, although I've fallen a lot (I like a horse with some personality). My present horse is a former wild one.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

Horses are not a sports activity. They are a passion. And of COURSE there are more accidents on horses. If we gave cars and motorcycles a mind of their own I'd expect accidents to go up for those too.

I'm chiming in late on this topic, but ... there's an old saying amongst riding instructors like myself: "It takes 100 falls to make a rider." And actually, that's an understatement. Most people fall a lot more than that before they can be considered half-way competent.

Horses aren't machines. They have opinions, fears, aches and pains, they can be startled, they can be belligerent, and their natural instinct is to run from what they perceive to be dangerous. As a prey species, their main defence is their speed. Hence, they have a lot of fancy, fast moves they can use to get rid of a rider who they perceive to be to their detriment (and make no mistake, we usually ARE to their detriment). These range from bolting and spooking, to rearing and bucking. Each horse seems to have his preferred method.

It must be emphasized, though, that 99% of the time this sort of behaviour (ahem) rears its ugly head, it's because you are inflicting pain or confusion on your mount, or he has spotted an external danger so concerning to him that you are no longer his concern! Horses have very little malice in them, and the ones who DO harbour some, have earned the right through consistent mistreatment from humans.

I loathe it when people say "I was thrown from that horse". You weren't thrown. You FELL OFF. Parting company from a horse may be expedited by the horse's behaviour, but it's your failure to 'stick' that introduces you to the dirt! Anticipating the behaviour, knowing the defensive moves to counter it (for example, as someone else mentioned, a horse can't really buck properly unless he can get his head between his knees, so if you keep his head up and, more importantly, keep him moving FORWARD, you can prevent any real spine-snapping contortions), and having the experience to move WITH your horse through balance and centred-ness (not grip!) is what will keep you in the saddle. And these skills come with mileage and experience.

I've been riding for over 35 years, have been a certified coach since I was 21, and I try to limit my falls to about three a year now. Sometimes I fill the quota, sometimes I don't. <G> But I would NEVER say that I'm immune to falling off, much less claim that I was 'thrown' from any critter of any description. If I hit the dirt, it's because of my own incompetence -- even if it's because a piece of equipment, like a girth or a rein, broke. It's up to me to make sure the equipment is safe, fits my horse correctly so he's not in pain, and that I don't put my horse in a dangerous situation or environment. If I don't, I pay the price!

I'm with ridex on everything.

"It takes 100 falls to make a rider." And actually, that's an understatement. Most people fall a lot more than that before they can be considered half-way competent.

Click to expand...

Aww I thought it was 7 falls and you were a real rider! That means I have 93 more to go.

Most of my falls I couldn't have anticipated. Especially the last one when my horse spooked and almost fell on me. Then there was the one where she bucked during a flying lead change. I didn't even know she could do flying lead changes.

I prefer to call them "unintentional dismounts". I think people say "thrown" because it sounds more impressive. I mean can you see a cowboy telling someone that he "fell off" that bronc last week?

oarsman said:

I was thrown from a horse when I was a teenager (it might explain some things). I am not sure why the horse threw me. It reared up on it's back legs and then galloped wildly until I finallly couldn't hold on anymore. It was a new horse that was purchased by the owner and I was her first rider. And, I only had a few months of riding experience.

I fell off a horse another time and it was a bit more embarrassing. I associate horse riding with tasting dirt.

I am curious to find out from more experienced riders on how common it is to be thrown off a horse. Is it typical for an experienced rider to be thrown? How often? Once a year?

Click to expand...

Doesn't sound like the first horse threw you, you just fell off while the horse ran. I associate horses throwing people only when they are bucking. then they are really wanting to launch the rider (which means the rider did something wrong to confuse/scare the horse).

It's quite common for riders to fall off when the horse bolts forward, jumps sideways or reels in a 180 degree turn so fast the rider simply topples out of the saddle. The ladder is the norm for people who don't ride but sit in the saddle.

I've found that lots of trail riders who have never taken any formal lessons, fall off their horses because they are just sitting in the saddle.

Riding means you are actively (not exaggerated) using your hips to move with the horse. You roll your hips forward and back (slightly) ....not your upper body....and when you stop, you roll and hold your hips slightly forward (squeeze your butt cheeks).
Lots of people simply sit. And they don't "engage" their hips = the horse bolts, reels, jumps sideways = the person is easily dislodged and topples off, not being thrown, but just fall off.

It's not typical for an experienced rider to be thrown. Well, I should say, the experienced rider who really knows horses. There's lots of experienced riders who still get chucked a lot more than they should because they try and force the horse to comply and/or rush the horse through training without taking the steps to teach the horse to accept things in a way that doesn't scare/confuse the horse enough to make it feel the need to toss the rider. Some even still use pain methods = the rider gets chucked.

When the rider is tossed, it's always rider error. The horse is never wrong. The horse has no way of telling the rider, "hey! I don't get it! I'm frustrated! I'm sick of doing the same damn thing and I get no relief from you! I'm scared!" other than to toss the rider.

I'm a certified trainer, I train horse owners and their horses for a living. I was tossed and fell off quite a few time before I got certified than after. Before, I used to argue with the horse or give conflicting cues and fall off or get tossed. I was launched pretty good one time (a whole 20 ft, did a weird saumersalt and landed in 3 months of physical therapy) so that's what got me looking for some real training, real understanding of the horse.

The point is, with all the info available nowadays with the so-called natural horsemanship....which basically means you don't use force, instead you use the horse's natural instinct (he's a natural born follower) and you try and understand where he's coming from, not rushing him but instead breaking down the steps further to where he can be willing to listen....you lessen your chances of being tossed. I have ranged about 1-2 times a year. Yup. My own dumb fault. I rushed the horses both times and paid the piper. But when I corrected that, no more tossing. I must also say, it's been about 2 years since my last launch, cause I'm a lot more meticulous now.....I admit I've had a couple of slipping to one side but able to get my butt back in the saddle, times....but that's it anymore. (knock on wood)

As for the posters who said to gather the reins at all times to be ready for anything, that's why I get clients easily. They used to follow that way of thinking and it has always gotten them into trouble. You DO want a whole lot of slack. The best thing you can do is to stay out of the horse's way, give the horse all the slack you can....don't pick up a rein unless you intend to tell the horse something.

Think about the race horse. He's held back by the jockey til the final stretch then let loose = the horse learns to lean against the bit (like driving with your brakes on = soon you have no brakes) then when the horse is released = he runs faster. So, you're actually training your horse to run through the bit and to go faster when you do give him slack.

Western riding means the reins are swinging, no tension in them...til you want something. You treat the rein like a telephone and that's when the horse can really start to relax and you lessen your likelyhood of being tossed or falling off. Because then when you do pick up the rein (if you trained your horse and yourself correctly)....the horse has learned to respect the rein pressure (be at attention) and comply to what you ask. Instead of blow through it and get you hurt. Even English riding...you want your reins, not tight, but just enough slack in them that you "talk" to the horse using your fingers...open them and he feels no bit pressure, close them and he does.

Sorry for the long winded post. I get carried away when talking about horses.