My first fall

[desertbird]

We were riding up to Bubbas Hill and started to lope. I was on Coco again, Leandra was on Rose. I was about ten meters ahead of her, riding fast and ducking from branches. Suddenly, the saddle seems to get pulled from under me, Coco arches her back and jumps in the air as my knees press against her sides, but I am already falling to the left, and know that I wont be able to regain my balance. As I fall I keep hold of the reins, holding on and pulling to try and slow her down and brace for the impact. After passing by a large rock, I drop the reins and curl. The impact wasn't as bad as I thought, I initially hit my lower back and rolled to my upper back to absorb the shock of the fall. Surprisingly the wind wasn't knocked out of me, though it was pretty jolting. I quickly get up and grab her rein, and Leandra tells me to slow down and let the endorphins kick in, then feel for any injuries. I have to admit I didn't feel anything when I got up, other than a few scratches on my back from the grass and dirt I landed on. As we rode I started to notice the different pains on my body, mostly surface pains. My knee started hurting(I didn't land on my knee, it must've gotten caught in the stirrup), one hand with a blood blister and a sore small finger, the other hand with a ring finger that started to swell to the point to where I can't fully flex it (not broken, just very swollen), and overall stiffness from the impact. Twenty minutes later Coco trips and falls down on her knees and I have to help her get back up.

Leandra thinks she saw Coco spook, and that's why she jumped in the middle of a lope, but I guess we'll never know. Since then, my knee stopped hurting, but my back is starting to get more sore. Tomorrow I might have a whole different slew of pains, but for now it's all bearable.