Squeeze the saddle with your thighs. This will help you keep yourself on the saddle and you will be able to stay balanced.
Put your heels down and keep the stirrup on the ball of your feet. This way if the horse spooks and you DO fall, your foot is less likely to go through the stirrup and you are less likely to get dragged.
Keep your reigns short enough. All so you can feel the horses mouth on the other side-- not to the point where you're choking it... You will keep them short while trotting, cantering, galloping, jumping, ect. (Hopefully you weren't walking and fell off....)
Watch where you are going. If you bump into anything, the horse might spook and bolt. So keep a close look out for thinks you could hit.
Sit up straight. You want your belly button, to be in line with the front of the saddle, and the back, so you don't put the horse off balance. If your horse takes off or goes too fast SIT BACK! Lean back and steer your horse in circles-- big at first, then smaller, and smaller, and smaller. Some people try to run their horses into fences to stop them. DON'T do that! Your horse is likely to slam on the breaks (sending you flying over his neck) or swerve (sending you over the edge). By leaning back you slow your horse gradually until he's under control. Don't turn him in too tight circles so he doesn't trip. If this doesn't work, you can half halt, or pull your hands back to your waist(not up), and slowly say in a deep tone, 'Whoa'. This can get them into a slower gait and or stop them completely in a timely manner.
Stay calm. If your horse seems spooky stay calm. Don't get nervous. Horses can sense how we feel, so if you are nervous so is your horse. If your horse DOES spook, remain calm. Don't scream or panic. 'Whoa' or 'Shh' in a very soothing voice. It will calm you AND your horse. If there is a potentially scary object ahead, start to turn your horse away from it and start heading in another direction. Make them concentrate on you and the reigns opposed to the scary thing and your horse will eventually calm down.
If you lost your stirrup you have two choices. Either stop your horse and regain your stirrup OR do an emergency dismount if needed. DO NOT search for your stirrup while going at a fast gait, this will only handicap your ability to squeeze with your legs to hold on. If they buck. Disengage their hindquarters, this is done by sharply pulling the reins to the left or the right and having its nose to your leg. This only allows them to move in a tight circle. You can also scrunch the reins, doing so by gathering the reins in one hand, and using the other to move along the reins, creating a tight 'scrunch' around the horses neck, this triggers a vertebrae in the horses neck, making them unable to buck.
Rearing. A horse usually backs up before he rears, so if he's been acting frustrated or is known for rearing and starts backing up-- kick him forward! If he does rear, DO NOT pull the reigns; that could potentially make the horse topple over and land with all weight on you. Put all your weight forward and the most accurate result is no fall.
Take action. If you are around another horse who is bolting, bucking, rearing, or is just plain out flipping out, stay a good lengths away, but if possible, try to help get the horse under control before it hurts itself, another horse, or a person.
Comments
0 comment