The Seven Stages of Aging on Horseback

Nikki Salo · Grand Prix

The Seven Stages of Aging on Horseback

justice · Grand Prix

Very funny,! and too relatable : )

Besides, it isn't the fall that's so bad, it's the sudden stop that I have a problem with...

-- Edited by justice on Monday 11th of April 2011 09:05:06 PM

Geoffrey Pannell · Well Schooled

Never fear the fall. For the ground will always catch you!!

FancyTrot · Yearling

This is absolutely fab!!! However I fall into varying categories :D

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

Love this! I think I'm in Stage 1.5, luckily. I've learned a few tricks to get back on other than shimmying up the neck or (as I used to when I was a wee one) running and jumping blankstare ... Thanks for sharing biggrin !

equipoize · Foal

I am officially right between stage 4 and stage 5 - had a fall, wrapped my ankle in a Saratoga bandage, finished riding the horse I fell from plus one other. Next morning got u and realized I could NOT bear any weight on that ankle. Tried to feed horses by hopping on one foot. lost balance, put the bad foot down. Sat on ground and cried. Waited until a student came and got her to feed horses. Drove myself to immediate care. Got xray - no visible fracture. Dr wanted an MRI - I said no - as long as it wasn't broken, it would heal fine. I got a lovely moon boot, and drove to Audit the clinic I had intened to ride in. Came home, and hobbled around on crutches for a while. in 2 weeks I could walk on it, in 5 weeks I went to Hawaii and could get around with just a horse wrap on the ankle. But after 8 weeks when I could still walk and not run, I went back to the doctors. Turned out I had fractured the posterior process of my talus bone (didn't even know I HAD a talus bone) RX - be Totally NON WEIGHT BEARING for 12 weeks. OK - but riding is non weight bearing if you don't use a stirrup, right? So, I rode the good calm horses and let the darned thing heal, and did the physical therapy afterwards and am up and running again.

So, I dodged the titanium screws - and I hope I never reach stage 5!!! (oh and I think stage 8 is give up riding, get miniature horse and cart and take up driving!!!)

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

Equi - How scary, but yet amusing at the same time. Definitely been there before, as well. I was training under a woman from Philadelphia, and she had stuck me up on a big ol' bucker... of course I knew everything there was to know about everything so I hopped on up there confident as could be. About 2 strides into his lope, there comes the little crow hop that unseated me and down I went. Sprained ankle for quite a few days but having already hurt my pride enough, just vet wrapped it up and pressed on. I don't think the trainer even knew I hurt myself.

We horsepeople can be quite sneaky if it means we can continue to ride. biggrin

MagsNMe · Advanced

I'm firmly in stage 4! A couple years ago, riding on a Saturday night, no one around, Maggie did the patented buck, leap, rear montage that is her specialty, and down I went. Sitting on the ground, I realized that my ankle shouldn't really be at that angle, so I thumped it back into place, put my horse away, drove myself to urgent care (thank god i was driving the automatic, but it was still my right ankle)... They frown on that by the way, you could pass out, apparently. So, they pop me into a wheel chair and I unlace my boot (paddock boots, not my ultra expensive talls), wheel back over to the nurse and say "I don't wish to alarm any one, but there's an awful lot of blood in my boot"... I learned that your ankle can actually turn over far enough to rip the skin open and NOT fracture, if you have really crappy ligaments, which are made even crappier by the maneouver.

Was back on the horse the following Friday, U brace in my boots. Because I'm INSANE. Of course I did take the full week off work....

HHmstead · Foal

Sorry, but I don't like the term; "Fall off"! Most of the time I've hit the ground, I've been "Thrown" there!

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

LOL HH, Welcome to the forum by the way! :) Must say I've only truly "fallen" off a handful of times. Good point. ;)

Kathleen K · Well Schooled

HHmstead wrote:
Sorry, but I don't like the term; "Fall off"! Most of the time I've hit the ground, I've been "Thrown" there!

biggrin I hear ya!

I think I would be a stage 6, but replace husband with mother and paramedic with physiotherapist. Today in physio I told my guy, "I'll probably have some new injuries for you to deal with pretty soon, I am riding a new horse now! He seems okay so far but I haven't actually ridden him yet so we'll see!"

He just laughed awkwardly.

-- Edited by Kathleen K on Monday 18th of April 2011 04:52:01 PM

aet001 · Foal

LOL Love it, some good ones there!

Goatgirl · Advanced

love it!!!!

Hubby tells me I'm in stage 5...He said 'hey you're gettin' there.' I told him nooooh from 5 I'm goin back to 4....

He just rolled his eyes...

falling off - I call it 'eatin' dirt.

getting tossed 'airbourne'

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

GG, you can just pretend you and your horse are playing "goats" and it was someone else's turn to be King of the Mountain, as I'm sure you know goats like to play. LOL ;)

Nancy613 · Yearling

I'm 64 years old, 5'1 and a stage 7. Had a ceramic hip replacement in 1999 resulting from a big crash in 1967. Every time I slide off my 16:1+ TB mare I wonder if the hip prothesis will still be in one peice and screwed in tight when I hit the ground. Keep saying I want a shorter horse but just can't seem to follow thru on my threat to sell the mare. Maybe I can teach her to kneel down when I'm ready to dismount confuse

MagsNMe · Advanced

Teach her to sidle up to the mounting block so you can step down onto it. The only down side is that they will try that game when you aren't finished with them yet!

JohnnyAdventure · Foal

Motivated watching Piet Baaker's videos on Barnmice,

With a heavy home mortgage & as THE one supporting the household & barn,

I now grin ear to ear since Chris Irwin came Dec 2010 & taught my 2 equines & then taught me to LONG LINE

Watch my first-ever long-lining experience with my testy golden mare:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eIfVC6RDms

My 26yo lovely red chestnut thoroughbred gelding & 7yo testy Haflinger pony mare (in the above youtube video) & I all took to it like fish in water, we all LOVE long-lining.

NO falling at all !!!

All fun body language & great communication with HAPPIEST horse & pony

Anybody at the stage in their life I'm at who cannot take the time for a fall injury,

I highly advise long-lining; its amazing what your horse will teach you once a great trainer like Chris Irwin gets you started

Nickers & Bows !

Have a blast !

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

Welcome to the forum, Johnny! I second long lining as a very useful tool in teaching both horse and "rider". :) It's a wonderful way to build a connection from the ground. Thanks for sharing!

sedonasilver · Advanced

Hahaha my mum and I have a running joke - "The Bounce Theory"

(+ Time) = (- Bounce)

I certainly dont bounce like I used to when I was a teen, and I'm only 25!

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

I certainly don't bounce like I used to when I was a kid, and I'm only nearly 19! :P Man, horses age you. Or do they keep you young?

Kairen Jamieson · Yearling

I no longer bounce either...more of a splat'n'skid kind of thing now...lol....thankfully self preservation has me stay on...I like my body in one piece.

The few times I have involuntarily dismounted....the ground was there to stop the fall.....yep....gravity works...I was testing it.

aet001 · Foal

LOL testing gravity, good one. A few of you have said that. Let's hope I DON'T test it when I start my colt this spring hahahaha

kimble · Foal

This is an absolute "hoot" I haven't laughed so much for ages. I know which stage I am but I am not telling anybody! Liz Daly. smile

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

Kairen, Amy and kimble, welcome back to the forum! Best of luck with that colt biggrin I had a yearling filly I decided to jump on when I was a wee one and needless to say, gravity still worked then, too! LOL

aet001 · Foal

Hopefully I don't end up an "8" then hahaha. Gravity sucks, thank God hahaha. Been eons since I had to start from scratch but this is a good, good boy. And short biggrin

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

What a ham! :) He's a real cutie!

aet001 · Foal

Thanks, he's a cute lil boy and loves to learn so far. Thankfully LOL

Dancing Bear · Yearling

Been there done that. smile Back in 2000 I spent nine days in the hospital and eight months off work. My horse tripped and fell while I was ridding him and 1000 lbs of horse landed on me. Broke my navicular in three places, broken leg, three broken ribs, broken sternum, cracked shoulder. Back on the horse after a couple of weeks with leg cast. Four time going to hospital to get cast repaired before I got it off. Cast wieghed eight pounds from patches by the time I got it off. I had better muscle tone in broken leg than good leg when cast was removed because of doing things around the horses carrying all that weight.

horsemum · Yearling

Love this too! This would be for our daughter-she's done stage 1,2 and 3 and sort of 4. Stage 4, we drove her to emerg. the next day for knee injury. (New Years day!) Doc. there fitted her for crutches while telling her "since this is a horse related injury, I'll give you crutches that will adjust as you grow!" Myself-I lunge our horse, then she rides, I ride when horse is tired and needs cooling. smile

Figarocubed · Advanced

Stage five here. Came off a horse at the ranch several years ago -- he was a runaway, hit Mach speed, then stopped & turned just before hitting one of these three "certain death' obstacles:

1. A tangle of barbed wire fencing that used to be a working corral 70 years ago.

2. A 20-foot wide irrigation canal.

3. A new barbed-wire cross fence.

When I came to, one of our hired guys found me kneeling in a pile of cow poop, staring at the horizon, asking, "Why are we out here? What are we doing on this prairie?" But he judged me to be OK -- I still knew my name & the day of the week. I saddled up a DIFFERENT horse and kept on gathering cattle.

That was also the last day I ever rode in a cowboy hat. It's been helmets ever since, even when working cattle.

I've lost track of how many times I've come off a horse. All I know is, the ground is harder now than when I was a kid!

-- Edited by Figarocubed on Saturday 15th of October 2011 02:47:05 PM

Barrelracer106 · Yearling

Stage 2 to 5 over here.