There's an old saying about how if you fall off of a horse, you should just get right back on. Well, if you are seven years old and you bounced when you hit the ground, that might be possible. But if you are 57 years old and you didn't so much bounce as lie there like some two-day-old piece of roadkill, getting right back on is not in your future. This is made particularly so by the fact that the horse kept right on going and while the stables are probably only about four or five hundred yards away, it might as well be several miles. Lying on my side on gravelly ground and watching my horse run away is now at the top of my list of least favorite things to do.
I fell off on Monday, October 5, 2009 and I am writing this exactly one week later. It's only finally all come together in my mind. A girlfriend helped with that. She fell off of a horse several months ago and today was her first time back in the saddle. She didn't fare quite as well as I did in her fall, but even so she has been physically healed for quite some time. She really wanted to get back on a horse, but was nervous ... I could see it in her eyes. But the smile on her face at the end of a tiring lesson said it all. She was happy and it was good.
That old saying isn't so much about the physical act of actually picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, finding what became of your helmet and getting back on and riding into the sunset; it's more about mental discipline ... and a certain amount of stupid stubbornness than anything else. Everyone falls off sooner or later; so I had been told. I recommend sooner and while you are still young. Also ... we all fail at something sooner or later.
There is another old saying that falls right in line with the first one: if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Actually, I did a very fine job of falling off my horse the first time and feel no need to try, try, try it again. But the point is that you keep at it until you get it right. It's also about fear ... both sayings ... fear of failure. It requires discipline to continue in the face of failure. It requires discipline to overcome your fear.
Everyone knows this and yet few people really take hold of the notion emotionally. It's one thing to know something with your intellect. It's a whole other issue to know it viscerally; down in the bottom of your stomach where the butterflies live. The butterflies are happy there and don't necessarily want to leave. That's the problem. But you can't let them have their way.
The owner of the horse that I ride wants me to get back up on him this coming Thursday. I hope that I am physically fit for it. My left leg still will not support all my weight for more than a minute or so. And while the bruises are clearing nicely, my ribs are still right sore and stiff. Beyond that, I hope that I am emotionally fit for it. Sitting here and typing this, I feel fine about it. But when the day, the hour, the minute arrives that he is saddled up and I am about to mount, I don't know how I will feel then. I've visualized it, but I haven't really felt it yet. I get the feeling that the butterflies are just quietly waiting for that moment to have a little fun with me. Maybe some prophylactic antacid is in my future.
Here is one more horse-inspired metaphor for you. I was laboring under the assumption (wrong!) that when things so south between you and the horse you are riding, your number one priority is to get him to halt. But that isn't always going to be possible. Many things will set your horse off and when they are spooked as mine was, stopping them is not always going to be in the cards. So, your number one priority is to stay on your horse. He will stop ... sooner or later. My horse stopped down by the stable right next to a wheel barrow full of alfalfa hay. He was having a nice munch when I finally caught up to him (with the help of a good friend).
So what is the metaphor? Just this. Everything changes and nothing stays the same. If it seems bad right now, it won't be that way forever. Just hang on and eventually everything will come out right.
Dianne Lehmann is a jewelry designer who has been in business since January of 2000. Her interest in designing and manufacturing jewelry goes back beyond that to 1994. It took her many years of trying various creative outlets to finally figure out that making jewelry is where she could really shine. Dianne began with simply stringing beads onto cable and has progressed from there. She is now an accomplished lapidary (cuts and polishes stones) and silversmith. Dianne and her husband, Bernd, live in northern Arizona and both love to hike. Dianne can not help but pick up rocks (they are her first love) and some of these find their way into her jewelry. Dianne makes one-of-a-kind pieces that she hopes give people as much joy to view as she gets from the making of them.If you like, you may view her work at http://www.syzygyjewelry.com
I'm actually still having just the most fun and wonderful times with the horses. And falling off, while somewhat traumatic, hasn't put me off them at all (I'm not quite as good at the sly humor as you are). After all, it was my fault I fell, he didn't try to dump me.
I did feel well enough to get back up on him and it all went very well. I learned a lot of knew and very valuable things and he and I have solidified our relationship even more. I actually felt lighter at the end of the session, than in the beginning. And my physical healing which had seemed to stall, picked up the pace again. Woo Hoo!
Well said Dianne, I understand where you are coming from. After our car accident, I thought it was important to get back on the road, before the 'butterflies' settled in for good. So get back on that horse! We will all be thinking of you Thursday and waiting here at SearchWarp to hear how you did. I'm sure you'll do great just remember to STAY ON THE HORSE! :)
I did read that article you wrote and thought you were all very brave to have continued with your plans.
I wrote this article last week and have already been on the horse again as I mentioned in my response to Sue's comment. It went just great. I stayed on and didn't at any time feel like I was going to fall off.
Thanks for reading and thanks for the encouragement.
Diane, I do wish you hold-on power the next time you mount the saddle. Have you tried bribing the horse with some hay before or as you climb on? Of course you can tell I know squat about sitting on horseback or falling off. Good luck, my dear...ouch. Oh, please post about your next horse ride, will you? I found this piece very funny, though I wouldn't make fun of your flat-on-your-back fall. ~mogama~
I was trying to make it a bit light so as not to upset too many people, but falling off of a horse can be serious. I know people who have injured themselves far worse than I did.
A little hay is good at getting them to stand still for grooming, but no so much for mounting them.
I hadn't really decided whether or not to write about my first time up after the fall and as it turned out (except for the joy of learning new things); it was fairly unremarkable ... thank goodness.
Thank you for your concern and thanks for reading.
Hi Dianne, The secret to never falling off a horse is to never get on one! Well, it's worked for me so far at least! Wishing you all the best for Thursday! Perhaps you should wear an inflatable costume for protection...second thoughts, that would probably terrify the horse! Julian
You are right. Horses are creatures of habit just like the rest of us. They don't always respond well to changes. Sometimes when I am walking my horse up to the arena or the round pen, if a car is parked in a different spot, he will have to stop and stare at it for minutes. Sometimes I have to walk him slowly up to it, so he will see that it is nothing to fear. He also doesn't like shadows that move. :) I had someone tell me that after you fall off of a horse, you have to get right back up on your bicycle. :) Alas, I don't think there is any way to keep me from getting on a horse. My husband has more or less made peace with this.
Very well done. The secret to handling a runaway horse is to turn him slightly into a different direction and urge him to go faster. The horse will sense you are still with him and will stop quicker that way. Spooked horses think the rider is part of what spooked it, so by showing it you are still there will calm it.
By the way, your line about succeeding at falling off the horse is classic!
Thanks for the advice! Since my fiasco, I've received a lot of advice and most agree with you, but no one so far has told me to urge him to go faster. Not sure how I feel about that. :) One person did tell me to turn him gently, kind of like down shifting your motorcycle (I had one once when I was younger), or it could be a disaster all of its own.
Anyway, all is going well so far and I am enjoying my saddle time again. Though, I still find the grooming and together time to be the most rewarding.
Thanks again for the advice and thanks, too, for reading and commenting.
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