what was your worst fall?

[firthy85]

2 incidents do spring to mind. the first being with me and second with a friend. the first a car alarm went off and the horse reared and off i flew out the side door. thankfully i was only a little 6 yo. second time my friend was riding at college and a police car went past. unfortunately the police unit sounded the siren as he came level with the horse which then bolted and flung her into some nice nettles. so what is yours?

Ditto “shiteventersunite” FB page - a hoot.
I have fallen off countless times esp as I rode bareback a lot as a child. Used to ride donkeys with string halters & spent more time on ground than on steed.
Worst fall- I had a QH/TB cross who was run crazy (US term) She would take the bit & go. Day before my 16 Bday she did this, me bareback, barefoot, no hat - out in the desert. I came off at speed, downhill, cracked open head, so off to A&E to get stitched up. Banned from riding bareback.
Now I tend to have falls when jumping, but not for a couple of years until last week - on this awful, awful greasy ground ATM my little cob’s hind slipped right out from under him on a bank and he flipped over backwards. I escaped forward and to the left. Not harmed but my saddle took the brunt of it, cantle squashed flat! I then had to bend it back as best I could & ride him 2 mi home.

I had two falls - one was just a dismount at speed, no harm done.

The second was my horse going from canter to stop just before a jump. It was hardly a jump, he could have stepped over it. I went over his ears, flipped over so I was looking up, having knocked the jump down this my back. I lost consciousness. Then the stupid horse moves back with my foot still in the stirrup. Thankfully my foot fell out before I got dragged too far.

One concussion, lots of pulled leg muscles, and a back that had pole shaped bruises were the result. The bruises too ages to fade.

The worse part was that my friend's mum had taken me to riding that day, and when she told my mum what had happened my mum wasn't that fussed and told me to go and have a bath before guests arrived for lunch. It was only when she saw my back at bedtime she realised how bad it was.

When I was 14, on a hack. Pony tripped and fell with me landing underneath. Had to roll on me to get up.
Dr said I was very lucky not to have a broken back/shattered pelvis. Had back trouble on and off for a few years but it resolved by my early 20's.

A week ago today actually when hacking out on my own. Pony jinked, I plopped off over his shoulder, he spooked and dragged me at speed through forest. Finally got foot free of stirrup, lay curled in ball whilst he reared over me a couple of times, let go of reins and he calmed down immediately and wandered off to eat. Spent 5 minutes (?) on ground and then got up, got back on, rode back, did stables, drove home, took shower, sat on sofa, passed out from pain, spent 7 hours in hospital and have spent the time since then on the good drugs, lying on my side propped up by pillows. Nowt broken but bruised and scraped and strained. It will be 4 weeks until I’m back on form I think.

At 17 I was jumping a pony that had recently arrived in the yard and was a bit tricky. It did a really dirty stop at a large parallel, slid under the rails and hit me hard in the face with the back of its head. Broke my cheek bone and made a mess of my face that took ages to heal. Still gives me problems at 57 and I am still riding!

The only injuries I have ever had - bar one skiing - has been due to horse riding : displaced coccyx, broken ribs and my latest 2 weeks ago today has been the worst. whilst riding a rising 5 year old Trotteur in a jumping lesson. Did the first jump absolutely fine so we went around to do it again and she stuck in a dirty stop at the jump and I flew forward and off to the left. My Hit Air vest deployed and I smacked down on the top of my head. I lay paralyzed for about 15 minutes and by the time the ambulance arrived I could move my feet and then the searing burning pain began in my arms. I haven’t broken any cervical vertebrae (maybe due to the Hit Air vest protecting my neck from the whiplash effect) but I have compressed Cervical 4-7, displaced the discs, have a stenosis of the spinal canal with the spinal cord affected. I have regained movement in my arms, hands and fingers and the burning pins and needles pain is more in my thumbs and forefingers, wrists and outer biceps. I have to wear a neck brace and will see the neurosurgeon at the end of May following a control MRI. I appreciate how very lucky I am not to be totally paralyzed and when lying on the ground unable to move a thought crossed my mind was this injury really worth it?

I have broken most of my fingers through horses, either stupidly wrapping the lunge rope around them (I know) or against the pommel when my pony has leapt into the air for no reason i coudl fathom.

My worst fall was a totally innocuous one, having a lesson in a school, instructor had my stirrups off. Horse spooked to the left, I went forward over it's right shoulder, plopped on the floor. When I had recovered from being winded I realised I had hurt myself. 4 broken ribs, broke my collar bone in two places, a week in hospital and a plate fitted. Ridic.

Most innocuous one - fell off getting on ...

Was rushing to get big horse out on a hack before the light went . Tacked him up , got to mounting block , stood on the big bit and put foot in stirrup just as he decided to do that one large step sideways . Unfortunately I hadn’t checked the girth was tight after he’d breathed in . The inevitable happened . Saddle slipped , and I was forced to hop off the mounting block , but landed flat on my right leg . Massive shooting pain up my knee , saw stars , swore , thought “ fuck me , that hurt “ - and then sorted the saddle out and took big boy out for an hour or so . Came back , put them all to bed , and then said to DH “ I think I probably need to see A and E , but they’ll probably say it’s just a sprain “

Drove myself there. Three hours later , encased in plaster from ankle to hip . Basically I’d tried to shunt my shin through my kneecap , cracked tib, fib and took a chunk off the joint . Triffic .

Fell off once flat on my back. Totally winded and in a cow pat. Wasn’t painful except my pride. My whole back and neck was covered in wet cow shit.

Having a nice hack based canter. Rabbit shoots out from grass, horse jinks sideways, I go out the front door and land on a bumpy hard bit of ground. Luckily managed to keep hold of him.

Get back on, finish hack. Get home, dismount and realise i really hurt. Untack, put the equine lump into field. Ring mum to get me as I'm not sure I can drive. Mum reckons I should go to a&e and I agree.

By the time we get there I can't lift my left leg out the car. One fractured pelvis and bruised kidneys diagnosed.

Done my collarbone a few times being fired into jumps/floor (looking at you, cheeky stopping pony) and toes/fingers.