What is your most memorable horse accident and what did you learn from it?

Question

For example: I was riding my mare down a hill one morning. We were zig-zagging our way down when she slipped and fell. I was able to clear my leg from under her, but when we hit the ground I took a moment to catch my breath and look to see where she was. While I did that my mare stood up and promptly fell again. This time the point of her hip went into the small of my back and caused some significant kidney damage. It really hurt and sometimes still does, but I learned that when you hit the ground - for whatever reason - you get the heck out of the way because you can never be sure of what your horse will do. Other great injuries have included:
3 broken toes = steel toed shoes and horses don't mix
torsion of a testicle = whenever possible, you a saddle with no horn to teach a horse to canter.
destroyed right knee = have patience and set small goals
2 broken wrists = falling is just as much a skill as riding!
There have been a lot more, but what are some of yours?

Answer 1

My mare's age at the time: 4 and half.
My age at the time: 11 years old.
Just bought my mare that October.

When: Decemeber 29, 1996.

My step dad, step sister, a friend of ours (former trainer) and few others was out riding with us on a trail. We are about 2 miles from the stables (where we used to board) near a major park. My mom stayed at the stables to relax, read paper etc.

It was raining that day. My mare begin to act up and want to head back home. I wouldn't allow it and pushed her "forward" to keep up. I was a beginer rider still. My mare reared up, I with out thinking, pulled on the reins and due to the mud and that, she slipped and fail ontop of me on my left side.

The medics said that if the saddle horn was only 2 more inches more, it would of hit me straight in the head. I would of been dead most likely.

I blacked out and awoke to firefighters and paramedics putting me in the ambulance. While that, I watched my step sister and former trainer (Chris: A girl) walk my horse and my step dad's horse back as my step dad rode with me to the hospital.

My mom getting the news, rushed to the hospital after she seen everyone come back to the stables pony'n and me not there. She thought my step dad had a heart attack as he complained of chest pains. But she was really scared after everyone saying abby fail on me.

Doctor thought I had a broke back but after x-rays. I had 2 breaks in my left pelvic, two broken ribs, colasp lung and spinal injury.

I went home a week later under direction to not walk (have to be carried if not wheel chair) and not allowed to ride for quite a few months after therapy says I am ready to get back on.

B.S! I hobbled by pushing myself from one side of the wall to the next to the restroom and I got back on my mare 2 months by lying to my very first trainer (who I got the love of barrel racing from) saying I could.

I think that is why I got a third break in my pelvic, but eh, oh well. That wasn't as bad as my mom finding out I rode.....boy was she mad lol.

Not a week later my step dad was on his Mounted Sherrif Serach and Rescue training (family can attend on this one) and my mom rode my mare and step dad rode his horse. i was told to stay behind. heck no! I wanted ro ride damit. so I followed, tears and all until they turned around to pick me up and I rode double on my step dad's big TB. (who has boney hips and ride might I add).

the hospital social worker told my mom to not sell my mare (as my mom was going to do) as I needed her to heal. The social worker was right. If my mom would of sold my mare, i wouldn't have the oppurtunity to get back on and I had potential to develop a fear.

I am all for "dusting off and getting back on". After the accident, my mare and I went through some intense trainings and bonding.

I got many other injuries: When my gelding was born, we took him and my mare to the stables we breed her at to show the stud's owner how wonderful his stallion produced. The owner left the stallion in the arena and didn't warn us. My mare freaked, pulled back on the trailor as I was tying her up with the lead rope. My hand slip through the small opening on the trailor with rope twisted around it. More she pulled back, tighter it got and worse condition my hand got.

By time I got undone from that, I had no skin on the top or palm of my left hand, my thumb and finger next to that nails where ripped off and my pinki was noticably broken. Hurt like hell......and bad thing was, we didn't go directly to hospital as we had to quickly load the horses, drop them off with the trailor and then go to the hospital to sit for 2 hours before I got seen........

I had neck injuries with an 8 year old green broke, but nothing really to be hospitalized. Just hurt for awhile.

The typical kicked, bitten, ran over (my fault as I slip from the saddle while doing barrels) and thrown into things.

I have not been thrown in gesh, over 4 years now. I think all those previously where

Answer 2

I have learned many over the years. I had this one instructor who was not only strict, disciplined but crazy. During one riding class she said my hands were moving way too much, I was not using enough leg(too much hand) and the big show was coming up in 2 days so she needed to do something radical. well the crazy b**** tied my hands with bailing twine to the saddle. Well my horse at the time was young and a little crazy. Everything went okay until the horse spooked and bolted. Problem my hands were tied in place and Ihad no control. Even the split rail fence did not stop him. He was a jumper and that was what he was trained to do, so jumped the fence and kept on going. I thought I was dead for sure. After a good mile of a strong run, alot of praying I managed to untie my hands and stop the horse. Lesson NEVER ride for a NUT!
Never push an inexeperienced, took a young horse to a show which he was not ready for, ended up going thru a mirror in the warm up ring.
Avoid if possible going near a hornets nest and if you do pray it is near a body of water.
regardless of everything and anything a horse is still an animal, no matter how calm how tame they are they can always be spooked and if you are not leary you can get very hurt.

Answer 3

A long time ago I made a bad mistake on my first pony. She was nervous and flighty. I was at a show (at the farm right next door) and wanted to take my show jacket off. Instead of getting off or asking for someone to hold her, I just took it off. Right at the point where both of my arms were stuck behind my back pulling off the sleeves, something scared her and she bolted. I could do nothing other than fall off and get a concussion (back in the days when they weren't taken as seriously, so I just laid on the couch and felt very sleepy). My other big mistake was thinking that I would help out my horse by putting undiluted Repel-X on the fuzzy part of a fly mask around the nose. I thought it would keep flies away better, and maybe it did, but it also caused a reaction on the horse's nose that made him lose some hair for a while. Oops. As far as similar stories to yours, I'm sure I've had several examples, but they don't stand out. You learn from those types of mistakes and improve your riding or your horse, and move on.

Answer 4

I have fallen A LOT. But my worst one was when my horse got excited on a trail ride. He bucked really high and hard and I was leaning forward a little because we were about to go up a hill so I wasn't ready for him to do that! I wasn't mad at him one bit because he is the cutest little pony =) and didnt know. I had to go to the hospital and I laserated my spleen in 2 places. I was internaly bleeding a little but not bad enough to have surgery. And i got a CT scan and they said I was fine on the day of the fall. So I went home took about 4-5 ibuprofens for the pain. Then the next morning I went to a show and got champion in my hunter divison (3'6)! A lot of people think it wouldnt hurt, but if the spleen is injured, what it does is grabs other nerves like your left shoulder and make it very painful! Then the day of the show, the hospital called back and I had to go back to only find out I rode in a horse show while bleeding internally with a laserated spleen.
~The horse I rode was very quiet, he had hte ocasional spook but nothing bad to a point of a fall. In fact they used him as a beginner lesson horse and a confidence builder for kids who needed it. It just proves that ALL horses are unpredictable and can do anything! I also learned how show in pain! lol

Answer 5

I had a 4 year old horse that had never shown any signs of spooking at anything before. He acted like he was 20 years old instead of 4. I was saddlin him up one winter evening, and it was kind of windy, but nothin new for Oklahoma. I guess a branch had hit the barn (it's tin) and I didn't have him tied up, because I've had a horse break a board doin that. He bolted out the door though, and me being stupid, kept a hold of the rope. I got drug on my feet for about 10 foot, then I got him stopped. He looked back, and I guess he thought that whatever hit the barn had a hold of him, so he kicked. I was at the very end of the lead, so I got the worst of the kick too. He hit me in the face under my left eye and on my nose. Broke my nose in 3 places. Lesson: either tie the horse or let go of the lead rope.

Answer 6

My wonderful horse was the most well-behaved animal that ever lived, so we didn't have too many problems, but we did have a few accidents...

Once we were with a group of other riders and a huge horse took exception to how close we were to him. He gave a mighty KICK and of course my horse turned away to avoid it - and the kick landed squarely on my shin. Can you say OUCH!! It knocked me right out of the saddle! Somehow I landed on my feet and my leg wasn't broken, but I sure became more careful about getting too close to the back end of a horse!

I loved to gallop and trusted my horse completely...but twice he tripped and SOMERSAULTED. It's quite an experience going heels over head on a horse! We were SO lucky -- we weren't really hurt either time.

The first time he tripped in a groundhog hole -- and I learned to WALK a trail first to find any holes and then gallop. I landed in some tall grass without even a bruise and he was fine too.

The second time he tripped over a big rock... There was nothing to be done about that, we were on a familiar trail and he just mis-stepped. Accidents do happen. That time I fell really hard and it knocked the breath out of me (HIGHLY unpleasant!). I was SO sore all over the next day, but I wasn't injured. My horse got a tiny cut on his forehead when he fell. As I said, we were SO lucky!

Answer 7

Long story short... Riding a 3 yr old mare, stallions freaking out in the next field. Mare freaks out too. Safety stirrups do their job but the problem is im STILL ON THE HORSE-- now stirrup less.. Reins fly over the horses head, horse breaks them. Horse decideds to jump the jumps. Then buck me onto a standard... Broke 2 ribs, ripped my breeches in half literally, concussion and 12 stitches =)

I learned that helmets are really important to wear no matter how experienced you are because If i wasn't wearing a helmet i would have gotten a lot of brain damage and may not even be mobile today.

Answer 8

Training a young mare who liked to jump from 10 feet in-front.She was doing fabulous during a schooling session so I let the rein out anout 1/2 an inch, she went 6 feet in the air I hit my face, fell off, cracked my rib got stepped on and bounced a few feet. Lmao it was crazy. I still lov ethe mare and she is a wonderful horse now.

Answer 9

i've never been seriously hurt but i was pole bending for the first time on my new horse and the poles weren't set well. anyways, i was going pretty fast and a pole in front fell. my horse transitioned from a canter to a back, so i flew back! i was okay but the wind was knocked outta me. it coulda been a lot worse, though! the pole was big and heavy and coulda hit my head! i learned no to take things with my horse too fast.

this is not my personal experience but today i was at a show and a lady put a young child on a really hard horse to handle, which was really stupid. only the trainer should really ride and control that horse, but the trainer but her up anyway. anyway, the horse was really outta control and the girl fell and was okay but fell near a fence. if the horse was any closer to the railing, the girl would have been thrown into the hard metal poles. how stupid is that?

Answer 10

Selling my second horse was my most memorable accident. I learned never to over estimate my riding skills and send a great horse down the road. Tried to buy him back 3 times, but he was so wonderful the ne owners loved him and wouldn't sell him back to me.
I now have 2 wonderful horses once again -- 1 of which I was faced with the possibility of selling, but I am happy to be able to keep her, and now,they're not going anywhere.

Answer 11

I was in my lesson and we were on a trail ride. My horse was getting really excited, but I kept him under control and we went on. We came to a creek, and my horse was having a ton of fun splashing with his hooves. He finally calmed down enough to lean over to drink, and one of his feet sank forward into some soft ground. We were on a bit of a slope, so the saddle slipped forward and I was dumped right into the creek! I was soaked, and now I always get my horse off the slope before he drinks!