Yes, we had some bad experiences over the last 2
years. Both my husband and I have been raised with horses so it's in the
blood, but two Mother's Day ago I came off my "old faithful" horse who bucked
for the first time in his life in a dead run across the pasture with
me hunched over his neck like the "pony express", boom... I came off like a
"yard dart" head first, and at the last second I curled my arms in and hit
shoulder first, leaving me with a shoulder I live with daily...after that my
husband was starting a two yr. old, and his brother was leading while my husband
riding, she was walking just like a pony on a pony wheel and bucked, and he just
kinda went flat out backwards off her trying to reach for the horn, apparently
at the last second he put his hand down to catch and broke his "hand off
the arm", off 9 months, complete with nuts, bolts, and hardware holding his hand
on, And...the outside bracket from hand to halfway up his arm, he has no
rotation, no flip, limited flexibility obviously, his hand and arm somewhat work
as one unit now, but the scary part of that came when the therapist
thought he had RSD in his hand, thankfully he didn't have it.
But...I went thru anxiety, even to walk within the
horses, thought at first it was just to be around this new afor said 2 yr. old.
but found it was with the others to. The first time I got back on a horse,
you could see the whites of my knuckles and I was in a panic, as if it were the
first time to be around horses, and I was on less than 10 minutes, and told my
husband, "if I've come to this, it's time to quit, or I really will get hurt",
and resigned myself to my horsin' being over at 32. Later, when my husband
decided to ride again unbelievably, (he lost his older brother to a kick in the
head, and now his own injury) he got on one of our older brood mares. And
I thought if he can so can I. So I did, on a mare that I was convinced
hated the whole idea of being a horse, and I knew she wasn't going to do
anything because it would be to much energy, and I built on
that.
But I still have some anxiety, used to, before
children, point and I would ride up or down it, after children I decided it
wouldn't have been fair to bring them into the world to "spoon feed" me, and
that calmed my husband down too. But what I still deal with is putting my
kids on the horses, because after what my husband went thru I don't know if I
could live with myself if it had been my son or daughter. I definately
don't sit and put up with as much on a horse. My husband say's, I'm just
not "cowboy" anymore. But I seen in a split second what can happen.
So it's almost a fine line with a horse getting away with something or
not. If I know they are not going to show their butts, I stay on and
work thru, but if I'm not sure I get off and do it from the ground, the chance
is just not worth it no more. I've also decided, (currently we don't have
anything for or kids) that I'm getting something that is just almost "dead" for
them to ride, I know there is still the possiblity, because they have the desire
to ride and I don't want to give them my fear.
And my husband, well I try not to nag
but... and remind him all he went thru when he tries stuff, because his
grip isn't the same to hold on, and I get the "yes dear" look. Me it's
kinda a moment to moment. So long story short, baby steps, if all you can
do is brush them do that, lead them, get on sit there and get off. Just
whatever you can take and work on that.
