Ridecamp: Re: [RC] when a horse trips...

 I have to agree with Truman on this one for sure. I can definitely
relate to what he has said and what others have said about the
importance of wearing a helmet. Just 2 weeks ago my horse and I
experienced the "trip" on a training ride. I can only go by what my
horse looks like with his skinned up front knees and nose and my bruised
and scabbed up right side, but we definitely went down and quickly. I
have no recollection of this event because I was totally knocked out for
about an hour and riding all alone. It took another hour for me to use
my cellular phone and babble that I was lost  and to be discovered and
taken to the ER. A week later I finally gained enough sense to carry on
a conversation and stand without falling over. I can not even think what
may have happened to my quality of life if I had not been wearing a
helmet. My helmet is fine and not split open at all, but my neurologist
said that just the impact jarred my brain and bruised it. I hate to
think what my brain would look like now if I had not worn a helmet. I
consider myself very knowledgeable as far as riding goes. I started
taking dressage and jumping lessons weekly at the age of 10 and
continued until I was about 17. I then took off a little over 10 years
to go to college and raise my 2 kids. About 6 years ago at the age of 30
I got started in endurance riding and bought my first Arab. Many times I
have been complimented about my riding skills and balance at an
endurance ride and I always say my parents money came to some good use
after all.  My horse Awesome and I have also done great in AERC. He has
made me proud. He and I have thousands of miles together and still he
can spook and throw me at and given time. He knows better, but wants to
keep me straight.  I can remember falling off about 10 times over the
past 6 years and I have always bounced right back and ridden off. Most
falls were from my horse spooking at moving animals on the trail and I
always was able to hold onto his neck until I could let go at a safe
speed. But 2 weeks ago nothing could have prevented our fall. My horse
was not spooking, but trotting hard down the trail he is so used to by
now and apparently just slipped and fell head first. I am no major ball
player that can react to Randy Johnson's fast ball, but I do know how to
stay on a horse pretty darn well. Accidents can happen people and
experience can not  prevent a bad outcome- not even a helmet can prevent
everything.. Years of riding horses and lessons taken for years can not
help you for that split second it takes to hit the ground. Wear that
helmet and be proud of it!! So what if you sweat a little more and get
an itchy scalp from all the bouncing up and down. At least you will have
another day to get on that horse and ride or experience the joys of your
family. If you do not wear a helmet now, do it for your family and
friends. I thank God that my kids and husband still have someone to call
Mommy and hug at bedtime.
   Thank you Truman for keeping this thread alive long enough for me to
recover and reply and tell my story. I hope that  just one person may
learn something from my story and wear a helmet. It really can be a life
saver no matter how good of a rider you may be. I hope to see you all at
SE rides in a few more months. Hopefully, Awesome and I can return  as
our normal selves and kick some butt! Maybe even my new horse Calypso
that I fell with 2 weeks ago will be ready to take over Awesome's job.
Awesome can only dream for that day!!
   Adele Dennard and Awesome
   SE Region



Truman Prevatt wrote:

> How many people have a reaction time fast enough to hit a Randy
> Johnson fast ball. Not many but a batter has 450 msec ( 1000 msec =
> 1second) to react to a 100 mph Randy Johnson fast ball.
>
> Now if a horse trips and is falling to his knees, it will take him
> about 250 msec before he hits his knees. That gravity plain and
> simple. Thats just a little over one half the time to hit a 100 mph
> fast ball. Hmmmmmmmm............. how many people can react react fast
> enough to hit a 100 mph fastball, must less react twice that fast to
> help their horses?  I would suspect that anything a rider does is much
> too late, the horse either recovers or falls despite what the rider
> does to "help." I would also expect that the horse needs his head to
> balance, there is very little the rider does that keeps him from
> getting his head - he's a hell of a lot stronger than a rider.
>
> So I would expect that despite all we think we are doing to "help" we
> are actually just making ourselves feel better.
>
> If you want to know how quick a horse is at regaining his footing, We
> were riding along once at a pretty good trot, a hole opened up and the
> ground gave way under his front foot (old gopher hole I suspect). He
> started to fall and I was pitched forward by my momentum. Before I
> even realized what had happened to try to get my weight upright, he
> had caught himself and was on his way back up. My body going forward
> and down and his going up made a nasty collision as I lay on the
> wondering just where the hell Mohammed Ali was hiding in the woods and
> what I'd ever done to him:-(. I stopped my nose bleed and fixed my
> bent glasses and got back on. Dan was sort of looking at me funny
> like, "hey why you down there." Of course with blood on my shirt and
> face we ran into every one we knew in the woods that day.
>
> Truman
>
> Alison Farrin wrote:
>
>> On the other hand, if you are riding your horse from behind into
>> your hand and he does trip, keeping your hand steady will allow him
>> to lean on it to regain his balance - the "trip" in essence is
>> smaller. FWIW, riding the horse into your hand will solve tripping
>> problems related to balance, though not lameness. Alison A. Farrin
>> Innovative Pension
>> Innovative Retirement Services
>> 858-748-6500 x 107
>> alison@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ed and Wendy
>> Hauser
>> Sent: Friday, August 23, 2002 5:40 AM
>> To: SunsetOvrC@xxxxxxx; ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: Re: [RC] when a horse trips...
>>
>> Attempting to "help" a horse when it trips by pulling on the reins
>> is equivalent to lifting onself by pulling on your boot straps-- it
>> can't be done.  Let the horse use its head position to help it
>> gregain its balence. Simple physics. Ed Ed and Wendy Hauser
>> 1140 37th Street
>> Hudson, WI 54016
>> 715.386.0465
>> sisufarm@xxxxxxxxxx
>



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