1 of 2

Write now Article Tools

In 1988, I reached a pinnacle in my equine career. I was teaching a beginner student who's horse was green (not experienced for you novices) and I was trying to get her to sit on her horse and gently rise out of her saddle just before the jump. This method was to teach her and the horse when to take the jump. I had an enlarged ego at the time and she just wasn't getting the instructions so, I asked her to get off the horse and decided I would continue our lesson a top the horse. She stood to the left of the jump and I circled to take the jump. Then, for some kind of crazy reason, I decided, to look to my left while taking the jump, which was the equivalent of merging into traffic without looking into the oncoming lane. This shifted my balance thus making me begin to slid off the saddle. In school, we learn to vault off our horse when we think we are going to fall. So, I wrapped my arms around her sweaty neck and attempted to vault and that is when the saddle began to slide underneath her belly. My foot was caught in the stirrup and I slid underneath her while she was still in motion. She, of course, did not want to step on me but, could not avoid it so, she stepped on my stomach, leg and foot. Somehow, my head landed between her front hooves, one of which was turned in. She desperately tried to stop and managed to criss cross her hooves over my face, nicking my nose until she finally dug them in, one on each side of my face and looked down at me seeming to say, "What the heck is going on?" So aside from internal injuries and a broken foot, and cracked nose, I managed to get back on her for a moment. What's the moral to this story you ask? Fix the mental areas of your brain and don't let your ego get in the way and you won't require any first aid.

Learn more about this author, Joanne Harris.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about First aid kit for horseback riders?
We want to hear your view. Write now!