# I rode today



## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

This is only the second time since my accident.

I wasn't concious of being afraid but I know I rode differently because he kept looking at me like" what are you doing?" So, I'm sure I had some level of apprehension that he sensed. He's a very mental horse and if you're not thinking positively, you won't get his best.

I can't believe I used to just get on and go. I sure hope that confidence and trust comes back because what happened was not his fault, wasn't out of the blue, wasn't for 'no reason' and he gave me plenty of warning which I chose to ignore. And true to his nature, he hasn't taken a misstep since ( or before) and he's been ridden 100s of times this summer . He deserves a confident, competent rider. I'm sure with more 'just do it' attitude, I'll get there.

At any rate, it was a warm, blowsey day and I had a good time with him!


----------



## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Penny'sMom, I don't know what happened but I think you're very brave to get back out there and continue doing what you love.

I'm not a horse person but I did ride an arabian barrel horse once when I was a kid and I swear it wanted to kill me. I do remember quite well how powerful horses are and how much at their mercy we can be when something goes wrong.

Good job, Penny'sMom

:appl:


----------



## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

Thanks a bunch.

Briefly this is what happened: I was riding him at the trainer's barn. They had set up various obstacles in the outdoor riding arena for the kids to practice 'trail' class on.

I had finished riding (dd had taken a lesson on him and I had gotten on and just walked and trotted him a bit, cooling him out ) and the trainer asked if I wanted to take him outside and 'play' on the obstacle course. Sure, I said. What fun!!! 

Well, as soon as he saw the strange stuff: orange cones, 50 gal drums, wood 'bridges', a mail box on a post, etc. he started to snort and be hesitant. That when I announced: Ya know, if he 'does' anything, I'll be coming right off! Ha ha ha!!" Big laugh! It was when I attempted to walk him over a wooden fence post that he 'did' something.

I gave him all the rein so he could reach down and sniff the post. He snorted again, his hoof touched it and it moved. In 3 seconds he went from head down facing one way to head up facing the other (I was out of the saddle already flying off to his side, feet still in stirrups. Apparently that spooked him because that's when he reared up and leaped out from under me. I landed with a hard PPPHHFFUUULLLGGGGUUUUDDD on my left side cracking the round part of my arm bone right where it goes into the shoulder.

The bone healed just fine but tendons not so much. That healing will take longer.

But, like I said...it wasn't his fault. I've had him 6 years, had already done what I went to the barn to do that day and with my training experience, should have known to ground drive him over obstacles or at least put a better rider up first.

Good ole hindsight!

P.S. Whoever decided to you, a beginner on an Arabian game horse, should have their head examined. I'm sure it DID feel like he wanted to kill you. Sheesh!


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I'm glad you got back on. You sound experienced enough to know that you can overcome any apprehension you have.


----------



## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

Hi Penny'smom. It's hard to get back in the saddle (sorry!! LOL) sometimes. And it's brave of you to get back up there. I'm glad you had a good day with him! I'm sure you'll get back to where you were with some time. 

I love horses but they scare me! My sis owns and breeds Freisians....these are some big horses!


----------



## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

Ouch Penny'smom!! That's sounds awful! I hope the tendons will heal soon.

Last Sept., I was going to ride with my sis as she was taking one of her horses to a trainer. She was loading him into the trailer and I was in back of the trailer. As she was about to tie the lead rope to the hook, he freaked out and back down the ramp...almost fell. My sis came around from the side holding one hand with the other. Long story short, the rope basically burned through he thumb as the horse pulled back. They tried to save her thumb with surg and leeches, but it was just too damaged. She said, looking back, that she should have listened harder to her instincts. Toby was a really nice horse, but something had upset him that morning. 

She's fine though....she doesn't let it stop her from doing anything, but it took a while before she was ready to load in/out again.


----------



## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

OMG, that's awful. I always wear gloves but in that situation I'm sure they would not help.

Shortly after the accident, I decided not to get back on and risk coming off. I'm old, long term diabetic, bad heart, arthritis, slow reactions, etc. Very Humpty-Dumptyish in that I'm really hard to put back together. But then I realised I have a really predictable horse who has a work ethic that is unflawed. I have a better chance of being in a car crash and needing to be put back together that I do of coming off the horse again.

So if it's all about avoiding injury, I need to stay out of the car and stay riding the horse. I'm safest up there!

And besides, now I have a fresh load of common sense:doh:


----------



## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

I forgot to add that my daughter's horse is named Merlin.

Whenever I see your name, I think of him for a split second. He's a 3/4 brother to my horse: same dad, mothers are 1/2 sisters.


----------



## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

Wow what an accident. You are braver than I am to get back up there. But then I have always been a little chicken. LOL


----------



## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

That's okay, Hooch. My motto is "There's a fine line between courage and stupidity".

Sometimes I think horses and riding are on the wrong side of that line.

How are you feeling? I need another heart cath. Hope you're doing okay. Oh, and you moved. Egad, I don't envy you that. I hope you have someone to unpack for you.


----------



## desilu (Nov 2, 2006)

You know, you sound pretty confident to me. You recognize exactly what spooked him and you know your part in the situation. I think it is fair to say that you will listen to what your "gut" tells you if such a situation comes up again. I'd say that it sounds like you're ready to ride! Enjoy your lovely horse and have fun!


----------



## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Because mentally you do know that you can trust him, your confidence will come back. Today was a first, albeit a big first, step.
I was tending a friend's small hobby stable. We rode and showed eventing and dressage together, and her place was next to the facility that I kept my mare.
She had a sister to my mare with a foal by her side. The stall she was in had a nylon gate across it. I went in to feed them, and baby boy scootched under that gate while I was grabbing buckets. This put me in between the wall and the mare, on the opposite side of the stall from the gate. When baby boy realised he was not with mommy, he started screaming. The mare went nuts, and wheeled around and started kicking the living daylights out of me. I was able to work my way along the wall, around the corner, and under the gate. Baby was down the aisle, and came up and back under the gate once Mommy looked over it and called him. I managed to unsnap that **** gate, take it down, and slide the regular stall door shut. I called my then boyfriend, now husband, to tell him I was probably not going to make our date. He could tell something was terribly wrong and came right over. He took me to the hospital, where after plenty of x-rays and an ultrasound it was determined that I was mighty darn lucky to have escaped with some truly horrible bruises, and a spleen that should have ruptured but didn't. To this day I have spider veins on my left thigh from when she laid a good kick. I looked dreadful for weeks. At the time, I worked for my vet and the practice was 60-40 small animal/equine. Getting back in the swing of treating the horses was tough, let alone getting back on mine and the 3 others I had in training. If Dr. Al had not pushed, I might have taken even longer. My friend had a very hard time believing that her mare did that, until shortly after they were loading her and the foal to be bred on her foaling heat, and baby boy (a cry baby to be sure...) started his screaming Mommy was being led up the ramp and she wheeled and went for the groom who was loading her. It was decided right then and there to not breed her. It turned out that she had some sort of hormone imbalance and developed a tumor of some sort near the brain stem. 
I understand all too well your hesitation. You'll know when it's all right...


----------



## Goldendogx2 (Sep 2, 2007)

Good for you. Whether you continue or not, you "got back on the horse."

I once had a serious ice skating accident and wanted to "not be afraid" so I got back on the ice, but it was too risky in a public skating session with so many unstable children. I hung up the skates, knowing that at least I had tried.

When I was a kid, I rode rented trail horses every weekend. Why anyone would put a kid on some of those horses is beyond me! One incident taught me that horses can STOP without slowing down. I flew over his head. Looking up I saw a horse towering over me. I slowly got up so as not to scare him, and got back on. But THAT was a lesson!

Again, congrats for trying again.


----------



## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

Penny'smom said:


> I forgot to add that my daughter's horse is named Merlin.
> 
> Whenever I see your name, I think of him for a split second. He's a 3/4 brother to my horse: same dad, mothers are 1/2 sisters.


That's a great name for a horse!


----------



## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

It is great that you got that first ride under your belt. I think now each time (if you try it again) that you ride you will feel more comfortable.


----------



## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

Pointgold: my best and most wonderful ever horse was just a royal s.o.b. when he was young. He'd just as soon kick your head off (which he did once, in addition to other body parts) as look at you.

He love to play hard to catch in his stall when he was really just enticing me to go to the back corner...totally opposite the door...and then wheel around with his butt to me and him between me and the door. He never took advantage of my vulnerability like that but boy I know the feeling of being trapped and about to die. I spent 2 years catching him at the door with a bucket of grain. 

He turned into the most dependable horse for driving that anyone would ever want. I loved him to pieces and to this day I can't talk about him without tearing up...like now. He had to be put down Nov. 10, 2001 because of Cushing's disease and founder. He was only 16. I'd raised him from birth and trained him myself. We were great together and usually won our classes. When we didn't win, I could tell we were the crowd favorite. Many people told me they'd love to take him home with them. That meant more to me than the blue ribbons. That apart from the skills of the other horses, they could see in him what I saw...just a really nice, fun horse: Rocket the Wonder Horse!


----------



## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

Beau, I'll definitely be doing it again. I've made a reservation for my Sundays to get on and do whatever feels right. Yesterday it was riding at the walk with my daughter walking along side. 

My goal is to lose a few pounds so I can get back into my show clothes and doing a little showing next year.

I figure riding on Sundays will give me incentive to work out and diet through the week! Wish me luck...dieting and exercising is harder than riding!


----------

