[woolacet]

Back in October, I fell during a horseback riding competition. I hit the ground extremely hard, because my horse was cantering at the time. I managed to break three bones in my back. I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and was treated as a trauma case. I stayed in the hospital over night, but was released the next evening. The whole recovery took about 5 months. Now when I day dream, my thoughts usually always go back to the fall and the time immediately after it. I am nervous every time I get on a horse, but I would never tell my instructor about it. I just want the memories to go away. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[BooMonster87]

I broke two bones in my back a few years ago when my horse spooked during a lunge lesson. I'm guessing my injuries weren't as bad, since I got back on and finished my ride before going to the hospital. Or I was just dumb about it...who knows. Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend talking to your instructor about this. I'm assuming she (or he) has experience in working with nervous riders and would completely understand why you're nervous every time you get on a horse. Perhaps she'd be willing to find you an easier horse to ride, build your confidence over lower fences, or whatever you two can think of to help rebuild your confidence.

Edit to add: I mentioned the part about getting back on to say that I was lucky/dumb enough to get back on right away and I know it's harder to get back on when you've had to wait to heal afterwards. I hope that didn't come off as criticizing you for not getting back on when you were obviously hurt pretty badly.

[Pikku Myy]

You are lucky to be alive... recovery will take time mentally and physically.

I've had some horse injuries myself over the years. At the age of 8 i was flipped over the horses head and pummelled. I could not walk for 3 whole days. I knew that if i did not continue then i would let fear grip me. I would pet the animal, love it and get back on. You have to let your love for the animal override your fear of them. (((hugs))) blessings and tc

[woolacet]

[QUOTE=BooMonster87;5057576]I broke two bones in my back a few years ago when my horse spooked during a lunge lesson. I'm guessing my injuries weren't as bad, since I got back on and finished my ride before going to the hospital. Or I was just dumb about it...who knows. Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend talking to your instructor about this. I'm assuming she (or he) has experience in working with nervous riders and would completely understand why you're nervous every time you get on a horse. Perhaps she'd be willing to find you an easier horse to ride, build your confidence over lower fences, or whatever you two can think of to help rebuild your confidence.

Edit to add: I mentioned the part about getting back on to say that I was lucky/dumb enough to get back on right away and I know it's harder to get back on when you've had to wait to heal afterwards. I hope that didn't come off as criticizing you for not getting back on when you were obviously hurt pretty badly.[/QUOTE

Thanks for the advice! I probably would have gotten back on the horse had I not fainted when I tried to mount again! I have been riding an easier horse, I've been training him for the barn I ride at. Thanks for helping me out!

[woolacet]

Originally Posted by omegalamed

I've had some horse injuries myself over the years. At the age of 8 i was flipped over the horses head and pummelled. I could not walk for 3 whole days. I knew that if i did not continue then i would let fear grip me. I would pet the animal, love it and get back on. You have to let your love for the animal override your fear of them. (((hugs))) blessings and tc

Yeah, I knew I had to face my fears the first day after I was cleared to ride again. I rode the horse and with my luck fell off again after my horse freaked out because a paper flew off the barn door. I love horses and have been riding for 5 years. At least I have a good story to tell! Thanks for the advice!

[barbella]

I don't know what to say to help. Do you have a therapist? Is it possible this is PTSD? I hope that you will have a full and complete recovery so that you are feeling really good again soon.

[eskielover]

I have had lots of horse accidents. Thank heavens for the helmet for the head ones.

I college the horse bucked me over it's head when it was fussing & the instructor said to smack him with my crop. The instructor got back on him after that. Nothing hurt that I knew about until years later when doing an MRI because of my migraines & they said I needed neck fusion from a previous neck injury. That horse throw was the only thing I could remember.

Just messing around at a 4th of July party at the ranch where I kept my horse, my H gave me a leg up I I ended up in back of the bare back pad. My horse bucked, I came off & landed hard. Laid there for hours, couldn't get up. Finally got me into the car & home. My hip hurt & couldn't see sitting in the ER waiting room for hours so called an ambulance. X-rays showed nothing. It kept hurting & I kept trying to show me dogs though I could hardly walk. Finally went to an ortho & a bone scan showed a fractured hip. Luckily no pin surgery was needed like he initially thought.

I left that bad marriage finally, came to Ky (still trying to save the $ to get my horse here). Winters are usually not good for riding, a friend wanted to do an endurance clinic so I was going to do it with her on one of her horses. We were out in the alfalfa field. Her dogs spooked the other horses which spooked the ones we were on. I was off balance, couldn't get the horse under control. Thought I would get hurt worse if he took off into the field so I decided to bail. Landed wrong but got myself up. Walked back to the house. Had to change pants & then got back up & rode. It was strange because I couldn't post. Thought just a muscle thing. Weeks went by, he'd problems getting out of bed but was doing mowing on my lawn tractor. Finally thought, go to a chiro because I must have knocked something out of place. X-rays required first showed a compression fracture at L1 in the lower back. I got a referral to an ortho in the city & went there to have him handle my care. The compression fracture had actually gotten worse since the first x-ray because of all I had been doing. Was limited to not pick up anything heavier than 5 lbs for the 6 months it took to heal. I could drive my truck but no lawn tractor. Living alone on my farm, that wasn't easy. But managed.

Every time I have been injured I still go riding but not as intense as training a horse. I know I'm more cautious with each fall but refuse to let it keep me from riding.

I understand with the amount of riding you do why you would feel that was but riding an easier horse for awhile will help build your confidence back up & with time the memory will pass & it will become easier for you

[kecanoe]

You could try EMDR on the memory of the fall. It can be very helpful when there has been trauma.

[lizardlady]

I'm not going to go into all the bad wrecks I've had coming off horses over the years. This post would be pages and pages long. Some of the bad ones shook my confidence. Please talk to your instructor about your fear. Any good instructor will help you work through your fear. If the instructor is unwilling to help you work through it I'd strongly suggest finding an instructor who will help you work through it.

Someone else mentioned the possibility of PTSD. That's a possibility. Have you considered talking to a therapist about your fear?