It's Not So Far to the Ground...

As many of you know, I resumed riding after I lost the weight. It's become quite a passion and I take weekly lessons at a barn, where my confidence has been improving steadily. I decided to translate my learnin' to my 4 year old mare at home -- still a baby by horse standards, although she's doing very well in her own training. With Jillian away at school, Hillie does not get much work and so has become quite a handful. Still, I felt I could at least work her through walk-trot paces yesterday without too much difficulty. She proved to be very difficult and would not listen to me; I fought to maintain control and thought I was winning the hiararchy war when suddenly Hillie began bucking like a rodeo broncho and I found myself hanging upside down from the stirrup, laying horizontally alongside Hillie's left flank. I was terrified and for the longest 3 seconds of my life, didn't know what to do other than to try to sling myself back up into the saddle despite her gyrations. This task was impossible and so I did the only thing left to do -- let go. Despite the tremendous fear that took over my entire being, I let go the reins, closed my eyes and waited to hit the ground, not knowing if my foot was still in the stirrup or whether I would be dragged behind a wildly bucking horse until I feel unconscious -- or worse. My head hit first, followed by my shoulder and hip, my entire left side hitting the ground like a stone skipping the surface of the water. I could only think about my leg, which I've spent the last 3 months nursing back to pretty good health after being shattered. Time stopped for me. I realized I had not opened my eyes yet. Everything hurt and I would have been in deep doo-doo had I not been wearing my riding helmut. But nothing was broken. I stood up, shaken but intact. And I realized I had just lived through one of my nightmares...falling from a horse, falling the distance that used to seem impossibly high, like the clouds overhead, or the moon, or an unseen galaxy. It wasn't so far to the ground. And the fact is, I fell for one reason; because I could. I could get myself in a saddle and ride, something I have only fantasized about for the past 40 years. So I'll hoist my hurting, bruised body into the saddle again on Tuesday night - at my lesson. And leave Hillie to her very experienced, wonderful trainer. For now. Your turn. What are you doing with your new skinny lives??? Love, M.

YEEOWWWW! Hey Maureen......I think that you just used up one of your 9 lives! You may be skinny now, but you are still mortal. PLEASE leave Hillie to her trainer. There's a big difference between confidence and biting off more than you can chew. I know very little about horses, but I have friends who have horses and I've seen what happens when an expert climbs on a "trouble-maker". A tug of the reins; a dig-in of the heels; a terse command; and like magic the problem child recognizes who's boss and becomes a model of cooperation. And even the experts occasionally suffer serious injury. I know that this is one of your greatest pleasures in life, but I want you to stay around and enjoy riding for a long time! Don't get above yourself, please I've lost my biological Sister to diabetes, I don't want to lose my "WLS Sister" to a preventable accident. OK.....lecture over......have fun, but please be careful!! Mike

Hi Reenie I am happy to hear you were not badly hurt. When I read the title of your post I just KNEW it had to be related to your horseback riding. I grew up riding and had no fear of any horse (sometimes not the brightest path ... ), but I haven't done any real riding since my teens which were ummmmmmmm.. 40 plus years ago ??? (wow that looks ugly in print) I admire your taking riding up again. I would love to find a place that would let me ride in a ring and just get reacquanted with horses again. In my mind it's like a bicycle, I remember HOW I just need to do it. Hugs, Mo

i was afriad to read this! i'm glad your ok. you are so brave!

Maureen, Your post sent cold chills down my spine. I work on a 3,000 acre estate and we have about 50 horses. (I am a CPA and do not ride!) Anyway, I have been here 16 years and have seen my share of horse accidents. The worst was a seasoned rider who was thrown off her horse when a deer ran across in front of her and spooked the horse. The horse reared, she fell and the horse's hoofs came down on her chest as she lie on the ground. She died. Another rider of ours was thrown and although he had on a helmet, he landed on his forehead which jammed his head into his neck into his shoulders and back. That was 10 years ago and he is still in dire pain. The moral of my story is that EVERYONE I have ever met who rides horses eventually gets hurt. Horses are beautiful, graceful creatures but never forget they are animals and animals are unpredictable. Sorry to be doom and gloom, but it is a very dangerous sport and I care about you!:smile: Hugs, Karen

so maybe i should try "riding" my dog instead of walking her.....we had a very interesting fall the other morning-i am still sore-and very grateful that my right arm didn't get pulled to the neighbor's yard while i lay in the mud in my yard!Trinity really wanted to chase that cat after it jumped 15 ft to the ground outta the tree!!!!!!! didn't any of you feel the earth move when i whomped down ?????????...like sliding into first base....but whomp meaning HARD!!!!!!!!! i still weigh almost double the dog but she is all muscle at 8 yrs old! she's a great dane/shepherd and i should have had my head examined! glad that you are ok maureen!