Getting Bucked Off – Day 9 Being A Better Rider Challenge

Getting Bucked Off – Day 9 Being A Better Rider Challenge

I really thought hard about not putting this into our challenge. But it happens. So I thought I would share with you my experience of getting bucked off my horse.

It happened so fast. It was earlier in the day than I typically ride. But I wanted to get some video footage of me riding both of my horses. Frisby went really well, but he wasn’t very happy about being ridden that day. I didn’t think much about it.

And when I started Ethan, he was going fine. He was a little more sensitive than he normally is, but I chalked that up to the flies buzzing around. Even with a double dose of fly spray, he was still being bothered by the flying Kamikaze’s.

What The Buck?

We were riding along at a walk, and all of a sudden he bent his head around, and I would swear he was going to bite my leg. I lifted my leg trying to get it out of his way and then it happened. Just Bam! He reared up, and started bucking. I lost both of my stirrups (a good thing) and instantaneously I was flying.

When I hit the ground, the first thing I thought of was my camera. I had it set up on a tripod to record our riding. Thankfully, the camera was safe and still standing upright, unlike me.

The one good thing about the entire situation was I captured the entire event on video. I like to try and look at the positive side of things.

The Aftermath

After it was all said and done I didn’t get hurt. I was pretty sure I didn’t land on my head, which was a good thing. I had my helmet on, another good thing. But I was worried if I had fallen on my head, I would have to get a new helmet. Which would have really sucked, because I just got this one about a month ago!

After I gathered my thoughts, and my horse, I did get back on. It was only for a few minutes, but I made myself get back on. And Ethan was fine. He walked around, and listened to me like he normally does.

After I got him untacked and put out in his pasture, I took my film footage inside to see if I had actually captured the fall. And I was very happy that I did.

I had been replaying the moment in my head, and had visions playing in my brain that made reliving it scarier every time. That is until I saw the video.

Actually seeing it happened, made it real and not so scary. The evidence was there that I didn’t do anything wrong (other than fall off). I hadn’t grabbed him in the mouth. I didn’t do something to spook him. It was just a freak thing that happened. And I can’t see that my head hit the ground at all, so my helmet is still sound for riding and I don’t have to go spend another $200.00 for a new helmet.

I am still a little stiff, like I did a 4 hour workout session, but every day I am feeling better and better. No injuries that I can find, other than some bruises on my legs and a really stiff neck.

Lesson Learned

Bucks happen. Freak instances happen. Sometimes you fall off. It isn’t something I want to do over and over again, but I realize it happens. The lesson I learned was to always stay alert while riding. Everything can be going well, and out of the blue something happens that turns an otherwise sane horse into a lunatic. So you need to be prepared for the unexpected.

You can’t let it detour you from your goals. But rather look at the situation as a learning experience. Don’t let it keep you from riding, but learn from it so you will be better prepared for when the unexpected happens.

Now I make sure to have all my ducks in a row, or at least as much as I have control over. I spend 10 to 15 minutes lunging Ethan before I get on him. His comfort is important. So I make sure he is comfortable, and that his tack is fitting well. I make sure I am focused on the task I am completing, and I might consider moving my camera to a safer position. Because that would have sucked to have to replace a $1000 camera.

I also learned to move my mounting block out of my riding area. Even though it isn’t convenient to be across the pasture, it will be safer that way. I cam really close to coming down on the mounting block. Thankfully, I was very lucky.

So I look at my fall as a learning experience. An experience I really don’t care to have again but also understanding sh$# happens. How we choose to deal with it is what’s important.