[7HL]

Tuesday decided to ride bareback. Had lessons four and five Holly decided she wanted to go. Getting on is the hardest part riding bareback. Until you have your seat you can be at the horse's mercy. Using a mounting block getting on. I got on but Holly decided top move on, as I was throwing leg over. On half on slid off and minor fall. Brought her back to mounting block. This time I got on and she took off. I was on getting settled, then she came to an abrupt stop. I was off, landed on back and head hit ground. Wearing a helmet, soft indoor arena and learning how to fall better with each falling lesson. Only bruised ego. We decide to call the bareback lesson off and I tacked her in saddle and we rode for a good hour. These were the best landings so far. It seems to be getting better. I think I'm learning how to fall better each time.

My third lesson in falling was on my mare Holly. Just ended up with sore butt cheek. My great mare Holly the cat herder, was spooked by a cat. I was in the indoor arena we were working through some exercises. We were trotting around the indoor and just as we went buy one of the doors, one of the barn cats decided to enter. He saw Holly and made a hasty exit, jumping in the air and out the door. She did a fast roll back to the door. She turned and I keep going straight.

My first fall was my worse, off of Holly a year ago. Some bad equipment choices on my part. The saddle slipped going around a corner. I also hadn't really developed a good seat. I needed lessons. I fell and broke my collar bone.

Second time was on Thor our new gelding. We're using an Australian stock saddle. It's new, but the stirrup leather, stitching broke, pitching me to ground. Bruised ego and sore arm.

So how many lessons have you had? Does it get easier each time?

[Dawn]

I haven't fallen off in...6 or so years. Scared me so bad the last time I did, I don't think I'll ever do it again. (Yeah right.) I've not fallen off a whole lot. First time I ever fell off was my friend's arab gelding when we were kids. None of us knew how to ride and we were galloping around on him in the pasture bareback. I just slid off. Knocked the breathe out of me. Got right back on. It pays to be young and stupid sometimes.

Just a couple of other minor falls besides that. Only two serious falls. One I came off and dislocated my wrist (my arm twisted behind my back). The other was the last time and I came off into a 4x4 fence post.

[candystand5585]

I have know idea how many lessons ive had but i've been riding since i was 5 and im almost 17 know. I've never fallen off before, well my horse fell ontop of me got spooked and tripped and went down on me, so i dont count that as falling off, lol, anyway i dont think about falling off at all the more comfortable you get with riding the less youll prob think about it and it gets alot easier to ignore that fear of falling off

[Moostang]

I couldn't count the lessons, they are usually spread out.. but the last time I ended up with a broken collar bone and fractured scapula.. but to be fair the horse and I both fell.

[Cayenne_spice]

o man i fall off all the time, but its usually not the horses falt, but never really bad since about a month ago when bandit threw me and i bruised a few ribs that hurt pretty bad lol

[Paint_luver]

I think I've fallen off a total of somewhere around 10 times. I havn't been riding real long though. Don't remember first time (but I'm sure I fell off once as a youngen) but the last three all involved me getting THROWN off.. yeah, not so pleasant!!

LOL Dawn, yeah, I think I'll not fall off again either. Just dont' care for it much.

[Dawn]

LOL Dawn, yeah, I think I'll not fall off again either. Just dont' care for it much.

Hey, it's worked for me so far! And I've come pretty close a few times too. The last time I came off, I remember lying on the ground thinking "I don't ever want to do this again.". And, well, I haven't. When I'm about to come off now, I hold on with a death grip.

[SyntheticTrust]

I'm 5'3 and I can swing up on a 16.1 TB in one swing! I'm the master at getting up bareback!!! That's the easiest part!

[Paint_luver]

LOL!! I must have worse luck then! I can honestly say that the first time Buddy bucked me off I did not get back on and think that I wanted to try it again! Yet I did anyway. Though I havn't fallen off since that last bucking incident of Buddy's, but I have had some close calls (bucking, etc) Maybe third time was a charm?

[7HL]

Ok why I remember them all.... I rode as a kid off and on, my uncle owned horses and visited nearby stables, never fell then.

Rode some "rental horses" as a younger adult. Now that I am going through my second childhood, the falling has become more recent.

I have been riding consistantly and frequently for over a year now. I took lessons and did seek advice from a very good riding instuctor & trainer. Of course that was after fall # 1, first fall broken bones, collar bone. I don't fear the falling. My riding has improved greatly. The falling has become easier when it does happen. Staying in the saddle in the most adverse situations has also improved.

There are risks in everything. I wear a helmet always. The riding is to much fun, to worry about falling.