Bugger DD fell off for the first time today :(

[Kellamity]

The pony was spooked and bolted across the school, DD fell off and somehow ended up underneath her pony, she was knocked on the head (riding hat) with a hoof but didn't feel anything. She has bruised her shoulder but not badly and she was persuaded to get straight back on which I think was a good thing.

She seems fine about it but watching it happen was awful and I think her next lesson will be harder for me than her. She keeps telling me "mum you need to fall off to become a good rider"

I think your dd has a great attitude towards it, I am just waiting for my dd to have her first fall, there have been a couple of times I thought she was going to come off her pony but she seems to have a load of glue on her bum, maybe that's a good thing as I am currently wheelchair bound just 5 weeks into a very long recovery period after breaking my leg in three places!

Just one thing though, buy her a new hard hat. You do probably know that and I don't know how experienced you are so don't want to offend but as you didn't mention it in your post I just thought I would through that out there, even if it doesn't look damaged it almost certainly is if hoof made contact, the way they are made today makes them very effective but next to impossible to know if they are damaged in a fall so best to go with the rule of replacing after any fall where the head makes contact with anything at all.

Roadkill - thanks for your post, of course you're right and in the drama of yesterday I didn't think of that!! I saw first hand how completely essential they are so it's off to the riding shop for us!!!!

Brave girl for getting straight back on.

Yes, definitely get her a new hat, and make sure that she has safety irons when riding. It is very easy for little feet to slip through a stirrup iron if something goes wrong. Also check her back protector for damage and change if necessary.

Also, why did the pony spook? I'm always a bit when riding school ponies spook and stopped DD from going to lessons at a very well respected school because she fell off three times in 5 lessons.

"She fell off & you didn't get it on film?"

That's what I said to DH first time DD went over the pony (pony head down suddenly, dd flying forwards).

I don't think you can ride if you're afraid of falls, gotta take most of them in stride. Ditto for cycling, skiing, skating & loads of things, really.

You have my sympathies, I am more frightened just watching my DD ride than when I did it myself! Your DD sounds very brave with a great attitude and I am glad that she is not badly hurt.

Callisto I am always a bit aghast when I see riding school ponies spook in the school on a regular basis when there is very little to spook at. DDs respected riding school has a pony that I once saw spook and buck a child off three times in two lessons. Nasty bucks too like a bucking bronco determinded to get rid of the rider - not a suitable riding school pony at all and I will be very wary if DD ever rides him!

I have to say that either DD or her friend always rides this particular pony so I have seen quite a bit of her but I have never seen her spook before. Hopefully it's just a one off!

Well done your DD for having a positive attitude. Riding and falls go together I'm afraid and when she starts jumping it will happen more often - even professional jockeys expect to come off once every 10 races on average.

The first time DD fell off was not funny at the time but looking back on it now... She was nearly 3 and riding her old Sec A schoolmistress out on a hack - holding onto the handle of her safari cub saddle. I was leading her and DW was walking alongside. We decided to have a short canter down a hill and DW was holding on to her leg for security.

Suddenly DD flew of out the back door... I shouted at DW - "thought you were holding her leg" - DW shouts back "I was" and holds up her welly - she had flown clean out it as well!!

DD got straight back on and to be honest with you has never bothered about falling off since. We've both fallen off plenty of times so I guess we're used to it as well.