Day 05- Your first fall
My first fall…YUCK. I was taking my very first lesson at my riding school in Sweden. They put me in a class with people obviously way more advanced that I was. For some reason we went out riding on the trails. They did an AWFUL job telling me the commands to control the Devil horse I was riding. I knew how to stop a western horse, and how to neck rein. But the horse I was riding had never been to America lol, he was no dude ranch horse. Something happened that I’m not entirely clear of when we were out in an open field with some jumps. My hose took off, and I lost my balance, slipped off the side and was dragged a few feet after I came in contact with the frozen ground. I looked up and started laughing. It was the only way to keep my already tear filled eyes from gushing more tears. I remember as I looked up I saw all kinds of horses faces and riders faces. Looking at me asking me a million questions. Someone brought back my horse and asked me if I wanted to get back on. I didn’t want to, so my instructor gave me her horse and then explained to me that saying “HO!” will do nothing to get these horses to stop. Great thanks for telling me that before Devil horse took off. She also told me that the horse I’d been riding was once a big time million dollar show horse that was retired because he had some brain damage or something crazy. I really wish those things had been told to me before I hit the dirt.
When we were riding back to the riding school, we passed some riders in western saddles and they were riding QUARTER HORSES! My riding instructor talked to them breiefly and then introduced me. They told me to swing by their barn after we got home and we could talk about me riding their hroses.
So sure enough I got back to the barn and limped to the other barn…a good 30 minute walk. They told me they were looking for someone to ride their quarter horses for them so I said YES! And agreed to meet them there later that week. Then I limped the 45 minute walk home. When I got there my host mom was excited to talk about my lesson. I sat at the kitchen table and then started bawling. My leg and elbow hurt so much. So the next day was my first and only trip to the Swedish Hospital for x rays! Nothing broken but I had badly bruised my elbow. It still hurts to this day if I carry things for two long.
They say the hardest thing about riding horses is the ground…I agree!
For me, falling off that first time was almost a relief! Now I know what it feels like. :-) There was a silver lining with your first fall...would you have met up with the QH riders if you hadn't been on that awful ride??? Maybe not. Glad it worked out for you.
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