Rathma

... off a horse.

I'm curious and I require some information for my story 'Did I ever give them hope?' has a small part of the story where the main character falls off his horse and I'm wondering, has anyone fallen off a horse or something similiar. If so can you tell me how it felt coz it can really help with my story.

ExAnimo

What age?

I fell off a horse as a kid, probably around 13/14 years old. And in a word, it's terrifying!

When on a horse at that age, it seems like you're 50' up in the air and, if you've never been on one before, probably the only thing that goes through your mind is that if you fall you're going to get knocked out, trampled by the horse, lose a leg, end up with life-long scars...you get the point.

Actually falling is certainly less terrifying that imagining falling off the horse.

It hurts, whatever part you land on, and it hurts for a couple of days afterward as well.

If you're trying to evoke emotions in describing a fall from a horse, I would embellish it rather than try to be realistic. Have your character break a leg, arm, get banged up, etc.

That would make for more interesting a read than an actual, honest-to-goodness account of a fall.

I think I scatched myself up a bit, but no broken bones, life-long scars, etc.

Actually, it was rather boring.

And, yup, I got right back up on that horse.

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Malone

It's scary and hurts like a son of a bitch. Especially if you get your foot stuck in the stirrup and get dragged. I've seen that happen once or twice.

I've been thrown off horses and I've jumped off horses. The scariest part is when the horse is out of control, especially if you're in dense woods with trees to smack into. One time a horse I was on got tangled in some barbwire that was hidden under the leaves and pine straw, got spooked, took off at full speed, and ran my leg and knee into a pine tree. I had to jump off. I thought my kneecap was shattered, but it just turned purple and swelled like a melon.
Getting off the damn thing can actually be a relief when they start running like that, despite how hard the ground is.

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Rathma

thanks for the help guys.

I think I can work with what ive got now but it's going to be hard without the character breaking a bone.

Hawke

Just to chime in a little late. I’ve ridden horses almost all my life and have only been unseated once. Just before it, I had been fishing in my right-front pocket for something, my wrist bent. During it, about all I had time to think was Shit! before meeting the ground, even though the actual fall seemed to take forever (one of those surreal, slow mode falls). After it, I learned that I’d cracked a bone in my wrist, landing hard on my still-in-pocket hand.

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PSFoster

Christopher Reeve fell off a horse and broke his neck.

It all depends on where and how you fall. If a horse is rearing up you have a good idea you're gonna fall, so the best thing to do is orchestrate your fall so it inflicts the least damage.

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Remedy

I've fallen twice. It depends on how you fall as to what it feels like and how you perceive it.

The first time I fell, I was rounding off a stadium jumping course (I can't remember the exact name, but it's where all of the fences are placed in a close line to the end of the ring). I cut the end turn too tightly, and while the horse went around it, I didn't. It was just a blur; I felt fear, but only for a second, and then I hit. I broke my glasses (so I couldn't see worth shit; good reason to wear contacts) and was a bit rattled until I got back on again. Naturally, the horse bolted to the barn (freedom!), but someone brought her back.

The second time I fell, it was definitely slow motion. Apparently, I actually was moving very slowly, enough that I should have had time to pull myself back up. Everything felt surreal, to the point in which it was super clear, but I didn't feel anything. I bent my ankle over, as my foot was still in the stirrup. Fortunately (and rather surprisingly), this horse didn't take off; he just nudged me as if saying, "Why'd you do that?" I pretended to feel fine and did the rest of the lesson; when I got home later, I found out that I had a very bad sprain from the fall. It hurt and that's when the emotions that were absent before came back. Funnily enough, the damage done in the falls was the reverse of what people thought it should be; not hurt in the first (despite high speeds, landing very close to the fence, first fall), but hurt in the second (slow, "graceful", second fall).

PageOfCups

I've fallen off horses plenty of times. Especially one particular horse. That git had some serious skill when it came to getting the rider out of the saddle.

The times I remember clearly are the weird ones (the horses were really badly trained were I used to go, so falling off because of their behaviour was a pretty common occurance, especially since they used to put me on the iffy ones because they knew I could handle it).

Once during a hack the pony I was on desided it wanted to suddenly stop and eat but the second it put its head down to get to the grass the saddle slipped over its neck and I went with it. Thankfully it was a fairly small pony but I was tangled up and couldn't get off so the leader had to get off her horse and get my feet out of the stirups and put the saddle back on. The same thing happened three times in the same hack untill the leader realised that the little sod was inflating her stomach so the girth would be fastened loosly.

Can't remember how I felt, I was about 12 when it happened and I had fallen off horses before then so it wasn't exactly new. Probably anoyed more than anything else, and a bit embaressed. It was actually the last straw for me. I was sick of being put on the unruly horses that excelled at misbehaviour and gave up horse riding after that.

Remedy

Sucky leader. Girths need to be checked before you put people on them.

You know, thinking about it, most of the horses I've ever ridden did that. They don't seem to like the girth. At the old place I rode at, we checked the girth three times because of that; once when we put it on, once after we walked the horse a bit, and once while on top of the horse. That being said, I once got through the first two with a particularly lazy mare, lead her to the mounting block, put my foot in the stirrup to pull up... and the whole saddle rolled straight under her belly. (I got out of the way in time.) She just stood there and puffed up her cheeks like she always did when she was happy. I loved her though, so I just laughed.

meldy

Depends on the persons age I think.

As a kid I used to ride some pretty rowdy horses and I fell off a lot. Never got hurt.
Finished picking the splinters or dirt out of my clothes and hair, got back on and carried on.
I think I have fallen off every way possible, been dragged, been rolled over and been flipped on. I've also been launched every way you can be lol and into some pretty solid stuff.
As I got older I lost my ability to bounce apparently and have since been hurt a few times and even hospitalized once with what was nearly a broken back (ended up being four herniated discs and a cracked coccyx ).
I dont ride the rowdy ones anymore.

Falling always happens in slow motion and you always know its coming but are generally powerless to do anything about it.

Immediately after the fall you generally dont realize how badly you are hurt (if you got hurt) so once you get your wind back you carry on.
The pain doesnt hit til a little while later.

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