Rode Chocolate the mare again, and this time we did canter and sure enough, she dumped me. We were in the small round pen, and I had her head up, and we were doing fine, and then all of a sudden her head disappeared and over I went.
The instructor, Laurel, said I was doing really good up to that point. My hands were holding her head up high, my seat was good, and then boom.
God, how I do hate falling. I get all shaky and faint and it sucks. I lay in the dirt for a bit and then got up, and limped over to the porch to regain my composure. In the meantime Laurel ran the snot out of Chocolate in an attempt to take some of the edge off, and then I got back on and we walked and trotted some more. I wasn’t frightened, strangely enough. I would have thought that after that fall, so soon after restarting lessons and while I am still getting my abilities back, would have really made me apprehensive. I will say this though, that my next week’s lesson will be on a different horse if we’re going to canter.And I hope we do. I’m improving a lot faster than I thought, and I want to move on.
And also, it’s official: Chocolate may look like Mojo from Gordath Wood, but she’s got the heart and soul of Allegra.
I am right now sitting on a bag of frozen edamame peas (no loss — — they were a purchase made out a misguided attempt to eat more healthily). I’ve taken Advil and well, we’ll just hope for the best tomorrow. I will probably do some very gentle stretching in the morning in lieu of my usual vigorous morning walk.
4 Comments
Dave Freer · September 4, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I haven’t ridden for a bunch of years now (and I spent more time clinging on and hoping the animal would stop before I did. And I was almost never rewarded for that hope. This was Africa style riding -get on the horse and ride. Fall off and either catch it or walk home. So I’m a terrible rider. My wife did proper riding school and the neck injuries to show for it.) but as climber I spend a fair amount of time bruised to hades from falls (which stop short of the ground, so I am alive. Just tenderised.) I know the sick yuck dry spit post adrenalin feeling too well. Good on you for getting back on. I also found that what works well besides RICE (rest,ice,compression,elevation) is – oddly – horse linament. If stuff called Iceman (for animal use) is available there (and it’s made in the US) try it on the bruises :-). The riding school stables probably have some. My kids do adventure racing and it’s SOP there.
Patrice Sarath · September 4, 2009 at 2:36 pm
I bet there’s something close to the Iceman stuff here if not the same brand. I also should have remembered arnica salve, which works wonders. But there you go — I need to stock up since I’m going to keep on doing this.
Heh, there’s something to be said for your style and method of learning to ride. Sometimes rough n ready is what you just have to do.
Thanks for checking in!
dave · September 24, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Heh heh… I’m curious about some of these horse remedies for frisbee aches and pains.
Here’s a page I found about horse cures: http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/archive/index.php/t-183084.html
Patrice Sarath · September 25, 2009 at 8:12 am
Okay, in that link someone swears by something that has “anti-phlogiston” properties. Does that mean it also turns lead into gold?