Oh my gosh, it sounds so wonderful to be able to
fall safely by tucking and rolling. I have dreamed of being able to land like a
cat, twisting in mid air and landing on my feet, but it's never quite
worked out that way. I can stay on a horse that's doing mild bucking, but
unfortunately, every time I've been bucked
off it happened so suddenly and so forcefully that I didn't have the time to
grab the pommel or to even think tuck and roll. The first time when I was 15, my
greenbroke mustang, that I was riding bareback, straight up the side of a steep
levee decided she didn't like all that work and spun around quick and
started running and bucking all the way down, I landed on big granite boulders.
The second time, I was riding a supposedly "broke horse" I bought for
my daughter, when it started spinning and bucking in a such a tight circle,
so fast that the cinch on the brand new saddle broke and sent me flying. The 3rd
time I was racing a friend up a hill and when I pulled up on my horse to slow
down in a little "s" hackamore, I was trying out on him ( which he obviously
didn't like) and he sent me flying about 15 feet. This last time my young (7yr.
old) horse was doing great ( no signs of agitation at all ) when out of blue he
suddenly did one humongous buck, sending me flying once again. Don't know
if he was stung by a bee, deerfly or if it was just a "happy" buck. Each time it
happened so fast and without warning that all I had time to do in that split
second before I hit hard dirt, was stick out my arms in hopes of protecting my
head and neck from injury. I'd rather have a broken arm than a broken neck.
I admire those of you who have mastered the tuck and roll technique, but at my
age I don't bounce anymore and doubt if I could even make it through the "tuck
and roll training" on asphalt as suggested. A friend of my attached bucking
rolls to her saddle and swears they have saved her many a time from being bucked
off, and as soon as my arm heals I will probably
put those on my saddle. But I will try to remember the tuck and roll technique,
next time I get bucked off... ; )
