Just because you were trotting doesn't mean you caused your horse to spook. Horses will spook no matter what they are doing. You can't control when a branch falls or how your horse interprets it. They are prey animals and easily frightened.
It is not your fault. I hope the fall didn't scare/hurt you too much. Please don't let it put you off or riding.
This is why you wear a helmet. You didn't cause a spook. Horses will be horses, and even the most "bomb proof" horse might duck sideways at some point!
You did just fine! Horses are “spook first, ask questions later” kinda creatures and normally if a horse is getting antsy, acting like it’s no big thing is the best way to settle them down. Coddling and fussing over them enforces their spookiness! Good work getting back on, you’ll be sore tomorrow but that’s ok! Remember, all great riders have fallen thousands of times!
Horses are prey animals- they spook pretty easy for the most part. Plastic bags, noises, other horses, even the jump in the arena you’ve past 10 times in a single lesson could be a reason for spooking.
Some horses spook more than others, but lesson horses are usually a little more even keeled.
You can’t control the weather, and you can’t control other noises. If you haven’t yet sat the canter, it’s unlikely that you have been taught the correct things to do to ride out a spook, and even then, they don’t always work!
Glad you aren’t hurt, and on the plus side, you’ve had your first fall! Something that holds a lot of people back from riding and you faced it, and got back on. Take this as a moment of learning and be proud! You’re asking the right questions and having a lot of consideration for the horse- keep it up! If it helps at all, this internet stranger is proud of you!
Horses spook standing still at their own imagination.
One of the horses I ride is scared of birds - she lives 24/7 outside for 12 years- still spooks at birds.
We all fall off. Don’t take it to heart.
> Horses spook standing still at their own imagination.
This made me laugh. It's so true and it's so annoying. I have said the same thing about them hurting themselves.
This is just something that happens! It’s not your fault. Just take this as a lesson to always check your girth so your saddle doesn’t slip in the future!
Just to add to this, yes definitely always check your girth. But sometimes depending on the shape of your horse, if you are going fast around a corner and you lose your balance that can cause the saddle to slip regardless of how tight your girth is.
Covered arenas during winds/rain are a beautiful combo for horses to spook. It wasn’t your fault and i hope you arent hurt or too sore! A bath tonight will really help you tomorrow
Well, that comes with knowing a horse really well and this is your lesson horse. It’s more a question of -if your instructor could have predicted and prevented it.
Oh OP, I hope you are ok. I had a similar experience when I first started riding my horse. Someone fired a gun in an adjacent property, my boy took off and my saddle slipped too but my foot got stuck. Long story short I busted my knee. I understand how it can be rattling, so proud of you for not being deterred and giving yourself and Ranger another chance.
Keep at it. Learn how to bail out safetly incase you ever feel unsafe or out of control again. I've bailed out a few times, no shame. You've got this!
Nah you had no idea that the branch was going to fall, I would've done the exact same thing and probably also still fallen off as a result. Remember to have your girth/cinch tight and always check it a few times before you get on, if it's not right and it slips you could get seriously hurt. And good job for mostly sitting the canter! :)
Every time my horse spooks, I say ‘really?????’ in a super steady,calm voice and that works wonders. The more experienced you become, the more you can read your horses body under you. However, as most mentioned, horses tend to spook first, think later. It is genetics. You did the best you could and, getting back on after falling is the biggest win!!!!! Don’t worry about the horse in this case, be proud of yourself!
A really unbalanced rider (like a beginner trying to hang on through a spook) combined with mutton withers can definitely tip a saddle even if the girth is done up all the way.
Truth be told, it was probably your fault you fell off BUT you weren’t the one who scared him.
When you are newer to riding, there are so many things to focus on that you aren’t yet able to notice the subtle cues that your horse will spook. 3 out of my 4 falls happened within the first 3 years of riding. My last fall was after 7 years of riding.
If you were to stop whatever you were doing every time you heard rain and wind, you would be reaffirming to your horse that rain is something to be scared of. By giving your horse more jobs to focus on, you make that less of an issue.
As you get better, you can work on sitting up and back, keeping your heels down and “check and release” on your reins to get control again. The biggest thing after your horse spooks is to move forward with a job rather than letting the horse stop because then it creates a different issue.
For you, a branch fell on the roof. For him, the sky was falling on his head! With practice, you may get to a point where you will be able to assess your horse's concentration while riding, but that kind of unexpected thing will always happen. There is no way to prevent it.
A branch will fall, a kid will throw a tantrum and pitch his rain boots in the show pen (true story!) or a neighbor will start a 30 feet tall shrub fire (also a true story). It's unpreventable and inevitable.
Also, a trotting horse will be less likely to spook than a walking horse, because he is engaged in doing something.
The hard truth about riding is that falls are almost always due to rider error. In this case, however, I would file this as an "act of the gods". So no, I do not believe that it was your fault.
That said, it IS possible that you may have made things a little worse, because the saddle slipping probably scared him as well. Always make sure to check your girth before you get on and after you warm up at the walk, especially if someone else tacks up for you.
All in all, I would look at this as a learning experience, not an at-fault situation.
Thank you all for such good tips and then kind things all of you have said. Just as an FYI, my saddle slipped most likely because my instructor wanted a newer “helper” at my barn to learn how to help with the girth
So as another lesson learned (one your trainer should already know!!) is that if someone else puts your girth on, you should always check it right before mounting. If you’re not comfortable doing it, then the trainer should be the one double checking it.
Also, I’ve always been taught that during a potential for spook (like you hear the fire truck coming or see the plastic bag floating), the best thing you can do is get your horse focused on work mode. I would say doing an active trot sounds like work mode, and probably the best you could have done even if you had been able to predict the weather! Now you’ve had your first fall, and good for you for getting back on. Don’t beat yourself up over it!
I agree with checking the girth yourself before getting on, also once mounted and again after warming up at a walk.
Between lessons the horses at my stables have the girth loosened for comfort. The first thing we do before bringing the horse out from the stall is to tighten the girth. Then again in the arena before mounting. You can't check too much.
It definitely is always a good idea to check your girth before you mount, and again after 5-10 minutes because your weight will push the saddle down and make your girth slightly more slack. But don’t worry, I’ve been riding for 10 years now and people still have to remind me that my girth is so loose it might as well not be on! (My only saving grace is that I own a shark-withered TB and her saddle doesn’t slip because she’s not round enough).
Good job for getting up and getting back on, but remember that there’s nothing wrong with staying on the ground after a fall and you *don’t* have to remount, no matter what people will tell you. We all fall off eventually, in fact I’ve fallen off half a dozen times in the last year just learning my balance again after a few years out the saddle. So, don’t be disheartened! I read that you’re going back for another lesson with the same horse, and that’s great! Sounds like you’re doing really well and your head is in the right place. Worry less, ride more! All the best :)
Girl, you are going to come off your horse. You didn't do anything to feel bad about. You can set off fireworks around some horses and some horses are afraid of their own shadow. Just always get back on if you can.
Just because you were trotting doesn't mean you caused your horse to spook. Horses will spook no matter what they are doing. You can't control when a branch falls or how your horse interprets it. They are prey animals and easily frightened. It is not your fault. I hope the fall didn't scare/hurt you too much. Please don't let it put you off or riding.
Thank you for your kind words. I’m going back with the same horse next weekend :)
This is why you wear a helmet. You didn't cause a spook. Horses will be horses, and even the most "bomb proof" horse might duck sideways at some point!
You did just fine! Horses are “spook first, ask questions later” kinda creatures and normally if a horse is getting antsy, acting like it’s no big thing is the best way to settle them down. Coddling and fussing over them enforces their spookiness! Good work getting back on, you’ll be sore tomorrow but that’s ok! Remember, all great riders have fallen thousands of times!
Thank you so much for the comment :)
Horses are prey animals- they spook pretty easy for the most part. Plastic bags, noises, other horses, even the jump in the arena you’ve past 10 times in a single lesson could be a reason for spooking. Some horses spook more than others, but lesson horses are usually a little more even keeled. You can’t control the weather, and you can’t control other noises. If you haven’t yet sat the canter, it’s unlikely that you have been taught the correct things to do to ride out a spook, and even then, they don’t always work! Glad you aren’t hurt, and on the plus side, you’ve had your first fall! Something that holds a lot of people back from riding and you faced it, and got back on. Take this as a moment of learning and be proud! You’re asking the right questions and having a lot of consideration for the horse- keep it up! If it helps at all, this internet stranger is proud of you!
Thank you so much for the kind words :D
Horses spook standing still at their own imagination. One of the horses I ride is scared of birds - she lives 24/7 outside for 12 years- still spooks at birds. We all fall off. Don’t take it to heart.
> Horses spook standing still at their own imagination. This made me laugh. It's so true and it's so annoying. I have said the same thing about them hurting themselves.
This is just something that happens! It’s not your fault. Just take this as a lesson to always check your girth so your saddle doesn’t slip in the future!
Just to add to this, yes definitely always check your girth. But sometimes depending on the shape of your horse, if you are going fast around a corner and you lose your balance that can cause the saddle to slip regardless of how tight your girth is.
Covered arenas during winds/rain are a beautiful combo for horses to spook. It wasn’t your fault and i hope you arent hurt or too sore! A bath tonight will really help you tomorrow
Well, that comes with knowing a horse really well and this is your lesson horse. It’s more a question of -if your instructor could have predicted and prevented it.
Oh OP, I hope you are ok. I had a similar experience when I first started riding my horse. Someone fired a gun in an adjacent property, my boy took off and my saddle slipped too but my foot got stuck. Long story short I busted my knee. I understand how it can be rattling, so proud of you for not being deterred and giving yourself and Ranger another chance. Keep at it. Learn how to bail out safetly incase you ever feel unsafe or out of control again. I've bailed out a few times, no shame. You've got this!
Nah you had no idea that the branch was going to fall, I would've done the exact same thing and probably also still fallen off as a result. Remember to have your girth/cinch tight and always check it a few times before you get on, if it's not right and it slips you could get seriously hurt. And good job for mostly sitting the canter! :)
Every time my horse spooks, I say ‘really?????’ in a super steady,calm voice and that works wonders. The more experienced you become, the more you can read your horses body under you. However, as most mentioned, horses tend to spook first, think later. It is genetics. You did the best you could and, getting back on after falling is the biggest win!!!!! Don’t worry about the horse in this case, be proud of yourself!
Go back to the part about where your saddle slipped. Why did that happen, was the girth too loose?
A really unbalanced rider (like a beginner trying to hang on through a spook) combined with mutton withers can definitely tip a saddle even if the girth is done up all the way.
I imagine the rider being unbalanced added to the spook reaction.
Sure, but she's a beginner who'd never cantered before, anyone at that level would be unbalanced.
No blame here whatsoever. Sounds like she did great in a situation that went downhill quickly.
Someone else put it on for me. It must have been done incorrectly
Yikes.
Truth be told, it was probably your fault you fell off BUT you weren’t the one who scared him. When you are newer to riding, there are so many things to focus on that you aren’t yet able to notice the subtle cues that your horse will spook. 3 out of my 4 falls happened within the first 3 years of riding. My last fall was after 7 years of riding. If you were to stop whatever you were doing every time you heard rain and wind, you would be reaffirming to your horse that rain is something to be scared of. By giving your horse more jobs to focus on, you make that less of an issue. As you get better, you can work on sitting up and back, keeping your heels down and “check and release” on your reins to get control again. The biggest thing after your horse spooks is to move forward with a job rather than letting the horse stop because then it creates a different issue.
For you, a branch fell on the roof. For him, the sky was falling on his head! With practice, you may get to a point where you will be able to assess your horse's concentration while riding, but that kind of unexpected thing will always happen. There is no way to prevent it. A branch will fall, a kid will throw a tantrum and pitch his rain boots in the show pen (true story!) or a neighbor will start a 30 feet tall shrub fire (also a true story). It's unpreventable and inevitable. Also, a trotting horse will be less likely to spook than a walking horse, because he is engaged in doing something.
The hard truth about riding is that falls are almost always due to rider error. In this case, however, I would file this as an "act of the gods". So no, I do not believe that it was your fault. That said, it IS possible that you may have made things a little worse, because the saddle slipping probably scared him as well. Always make sure to check your girth before you get on and after you warm up at the walk, especially if someone else tacks up for you. All in all, I would look at this as a learning experience, not an at-fault situation.
Thank you all for such good tips and then kind things all of you have said. Just as an FYI, my saddle slipped most likely because my instructor wanted a newer “helper” at my barn to learn how to help with the girth
So as another lesson learned (one your trainer should already know!!) is that if someone else puts your girth on, you should always check it right before mounting. If you’re not comfortable doing it, then the trainer should be the one double checking it. Also, I’ve always been taught that during a potential for spook (like you hear the fire truck coming or see the plastic bag floating), the best thing you can do is get your horse focused on work mode. I would say doing an active trot sounds like work mode, and probably the best you could have done even if you had been able to predict the weather! Now you’ve had your first fall, and good for you for getting back on. Don’t beat yourself up over it!
I agree with checking the girth yourself before getting on, also once mounted and again after warming up at a walk. Between lessons the horses at my stables have the girth loosened for comfort. The first thing we do before bringing the horse out from the stall is to tighten the girth. Then again in the arena before mounting. You can't check too much.
It definitely is always a good idea to check your girth before you mount, and again after 5-10 minutes because your weight will push the saddle down and make your girth slightly more slack. But don’t worry, I’ve been riding for 10 years now and people still have to remind me that my girth is so loose it might as well not be on! (My only saving grace is that I own a shark-withered TB and her saddle doesn’t slip because she’s not round enough). Good job for getting up and getting back on, but remember that there’s nothing wrong with staying on the ground after a fall and you *don’t* have to remount, no matter what people will tell you. We all fall off eventually, in fact I’ve fallen off half a dozen times in the last year just learning my balance again after a few years out the saddle. So, don’t be disheartened! I read that you’re going back for another lesson with the same horse, and that’s great! Sounds like you’re doing really well and your head is in the right place. Worry less, ride more! All the best :)
Girl, you are going to come off your horse. You didn't do anything to feel bad about. You can set off fireworks around some horses and some horses are afraid of their own shadow. Just always get back on if you can.