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The first time I came off a horse I was 16 years old and was bareback.
My horse stopped dead at a stream, waited for me to fly forward
off the shoulder and then proceeded to go forward and stepped on
my ribs.   After that I was fortunate enough to not get thrown.
Lucky to have broke horses to ride and survived all the spooks
I lived through.

However, last summer when I was riding some endurance Arabs in
CO, I had to bail off a horse that had gear that was way too big for me,
leathers to long, etc., at a full gallop.   I will NEVER do that again.
The woman I had taken a few lessons from said it is better to
get off in an emergency.   WRONG !!!   wrong !  wrong !!!

I should have stayed on .... I had a very bad scrape that took
all of the skin off my lower back.   And I had to drive home
from Denver to Flagstaff the next day with a car I had
just flown there to purchase.

At any rate, as I was watching everything thing fly by
I thought, "I had better turn this horse if I can (He
had not responded to anything at all) and be sure I
don't go off the back or the front and get kicked
or stepped on."

Hauling with all my might I managed to get a turn
and I went on a tangent off the circle and cleared
him nicely.   The rest was pretty ugly.   Normally
I don't wear a helmet but did that day and hit
my head quite hard .... am sure I wouldn't have
a head without the helmet.

That was the ONLY day of my life that I did not
ride with a leather around the horse's neck.
I did not have my tack with me, and I had always
learned when jumping to use one so as not to
accidentally hit the horse's mouth.   If I had
had my "sky hook" that day after losing my
stirrups I would have had something to hang onto.

Stupid me worrying about the horse's mouth.
Won't do that again either.

I got to test drive someone's NOT BROKE
Arab in a close contact jumping saddle ....
what a miserable experience that way.

But I am much wiser now.   And I would
always try to stay on if I could after that.

The horse I have now is so wanting to take
good care of me no matter what shows up in the
woods.   I am so very fortunate to have
a sensitive caring horse.


p.s.   A western trainer told me if a horse
bucks and he actually gets thrown off he
will give the horse one really hard whack
on the mouth as he is in the air to teach
the horse that it is not all pleasure and
relief to get rid of someone on its back.

--
Cheers,  Fay

Every day in Flagstaff is just another day in Paradise! ©
Fay S. Kelley    Cell  928.600.1733

"There are many paths to Enlightenment.  Be sure to take one with a heart."
   ~ Lao Tzu ~

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