the inevitable

Every horse-back rider will fall from of their mount at some point in life. This is unavoidable. This is destiny. This is learning. This is painful.

If you haven't guessed, I have taken that leap in experience to fall off of Big B. Want the bloodsome and gutty story? Here it is:

Lisa (the person who owns the horses I ride) and I went for a trail ride on Labor Day. We had a blast and the horses enjoyed it too. We also had adventures, like running away from an evil-man-(and)-horse-eating horse fly, trees hitting faces, rocks, echoy tunnels, mud and streams to splash in--especially Big B. After the trail ride, Lisa let me lope Big B around a loop while she took the equipment off of Scotch started to load him up. B was very buddy sour and anxious about leaving Scotch. When we came around the bend he started going faster than I wanted and then galloping. With the warning of speeding up, I gained control easily and we got back on track. But, alas, Big B is not a stupid horse, and when the rounded the bend again, he took off as if he was running for his life to get back to Scotch.
Now, neither I nor Lisa even new B had it in him to run this fast because he is so soooo lazy all of the time. He wanted his buddy back. When I was trying to slow him down he didn't like that, so he bucked. Not a full on rodeo sized buck, but a pretty good one. This sent me forward, and the second kick put me out hanging way to the side of the saddle.
In this moment I had a choice: to go get kicked off and go flying, or drop off as safely as I could.
I chose the latter. Watching Big B's front legs so I would go underneath or the way of them to get trampled, I let go and....






SMACK! Ground snatched my breath and sight. I tumbled and turned, rolled and somersaulted! It took a few moments to stop--just like it might if you had to drop from a fast moving car. Sitting up the first pain was my bum. What a kind bum to cushion part of my body during the flight down the sloped ground!
Poor Lisa, who was brushing Scotch gets surprised by a calling, neighing, riderless horse. Hopping up she rode back to me.
"Are you alright?!" she asked.
"Yeah," I said weakly.
"Did he buck you off?"
"Yeah...."
"I'll be right back. We're going to have a little meeting."
I don't think Big B enjoyed that meeting. Lisa ran him as hard and fast as he could go. If he slowed even a little, he got a reminder kick to keep his legs moving.
When I stood up I realized it was my leg that hurt. A few steps and I felt dizzy, my vision grew splotchy. Great. I thought. I'm going to pass out. Just great. Not willing to pitch over and fall again, I used up the remainder of my adrenaline to get to a bench and take care of myself.
Big B and Lisa rode up, B drenched in grimy sweat.
"Is your elbow okay?" Lisa asked me.
"Elbow?" Sure enough, my elbow was bleeding and packed with dirt. "Oh. Yeah."
I then had to get back up on Big B and do my own reinforcement after Lisa's, so B would get the message that what he'd done was not okay. Mounting up with my cracked helmet, Lisa walked beside me just in case.

Come the next day I hurt everywhere, but no broken bones or even bruises! Just a scab on my elbow.

THE END