Gravity always wins
We went out for a ride on the common around some of the places we visited last week, enjoying the autumn sunshine and giving sleepsy_mouse a chance to try her new saddle out a bit more. We decided to have a little canter a bit ahead of one of the places we cantered last time, which was nearly a good idea except that our chosen stopping point was around the place we started cantering last time. And when I say "our" I mean only the humans. The ponies figured that as the path split there, that was where the race proper could begin. Suddenly I found myself in very brisk canter over very rough ground because Zorro had decided to inexplicably leave the path altogether and at that speed I was holding on more than I was steering. Small was vanishing off up the wide sandy path and I really started to worry that Zorro, who can be a tad careless about the placing of his feet, would trip and take us both down. I shouted to Sleepsy_mouse to wait up a bit but she didn't ( it turned out she couldn't hear me, and could she have heard me her brakes weren't amazing either ) so I pulled Zorro back to a walk and turned us back towards the main sandy path that Small was vanishing off up. Zorro trotted a couple of steps and then bucked in the general direction of vertical and sent me straight over his right shoulder.
So, that was my first proper fall off a horse. I landed pretty well- the ground was quite level and only really compacted sand, my ninjutsu kicked in well enough that I rolled quite safely and miraculously I didn't hurt my bad leg at all. Zorro immediately stopped, having got shot of me, and started snuffling around beside me searching for something worth grazing.
We went back over to a bank at the side of the path and after a short fight over whether Zorro was going to stand still or turn round and snack on all the grass and heather on the bank ( I have started riding out in a mecate which is fantastic for trail riding because you have your lead right there if you need it ) I hopped back on, we cantered ( nicely ) over to Small and sleepsy_mouse and continued with our ride.
I first rode a horse about six years ago now and I've done quite a bit since then so I was certainly due a fall, in fact I'm probably due a fair few by this point. I've never been afraid of falling off because I'm confident I can land and now I've done it for real I feel a bit vindicated in that- I've got a couple of bruises and a sore shoulder but the world didn't end, I got right back on and aside from some aches that will wear off soon enough, I'm fine.
I'm quite relieved in another way too, come to think of it- there comes a point where if you've been riding a few years and you haven't fallen off that it starts to look as though you're just not trying.
So, that was my first proper fall off a horse. I landed pretty well- the ground was quite level and only really compacted sand, my ninjutsu kicked in well enough that I rolled quite safely and miraculously I didn't hurt my bad leg at all. Zorro immediately stopped, having got shot of me, and started snuffling around beside me searching for something worth grazing.
We went back over to a bank at the side of the path and after a short fight over whether Zorro was going to stand still or turn round and snack on all the grass and heather on the bank ( I have started riding out in a mecate which is fantastic for trail riding because you have your lead right there if you need it ) I hopped back on, we cantered ( nicely ) over to Small and sleepsy_mouse and continued with our ride.
I first rode a horse about six years ago now and I've done quite a bit since then so I was certainly due a fall, in fact I'm probably due a fair few by this point. I've never been afraid of falling off because I'm confident I can land and now I've done it for real I feel a bit vindicated in that- I've got a couple of bruises and a sore shoulder but the world didn't end, I got right back on and aside from some aches that will wear off soon enough, I'm fine.
I'm quite relieved in another way too, come to think of it- there comes a point where if you've been riding a few years and you haven't fallen off that it starts to look as though you're just not trying.