I didn’t tell my insurance agent that I ride horses because it’s considered an extreme sport. I’ve been on horses who’ve tripped and fallen, and spooked, and bolted, and reared and bucked. I’d never been thrown, bucked off, or fallen off a horse. Until today.
The reasons aren’t important but Rocky spooked after about 25 minutes of some of the best riding I’ve ever done on that mutt of a horse. I was so proud of him.
And then he RAN.
Ran as fast as he could toward the other end of the arena, because he spooked. Which happens. I’m not going to lie, I thought I might die. I actually let out a scream, which I have never, ever done before on a horse.
He was running so fast the wind was whipping in my eyes and I couldn’t see. All I knew was the fence was coming and it was coming quickly. I shortened my reins and leaned back. It didn’t work. When I realized the fence was right in front of us, I leaned forward, ready to jump it with him. I was determined not to be flipped off his back and left to drag behind him as he took the fence. I got up on my two-point, and then he suddenly.. stopped. His chest slammed into the fence, pushing the railing a few feet outward, and sending me with all the leftover momentum, into the fence.
As I realized I was going to come off him, I pulled my feet out of the stirrups and relaxed into the fall. Then, bash! Right into the fence I went, chest and shoulders first. Then I fell backwards. Completely out of the saddle at this point, and landed on my back and slammed my head onto the ground. This, people, is why we wear helmets on a horse. NEVER let anyone tell you that you can ride without one. For a split second my eyes closed as I lay there.
When I finally opened my eyes, all I could hear was, “Oh My God! Oh My God!” and “Do we need to call 911?” and “Is her neck broken? Don’t get up! Your NECK MIGHT BE BROKEN!” All I could think was, Where is Rocky and is he still scared? I needed to help him.
Once I saw him standing right over me looking at me, I reached up to him to grab his neck and I staggered up to him and kept cooing at him, “You’re okay. It’s okay boy.”
Everyone was shouting at me, “Are you okay?!” All I could answer was “I think so. I think I am.” Because hell, I was walking and talking and I figured that was something. My instructor said to me, “I’ve never seen that horse run that fast in his life.” Me either in fact.
Once my legs stopped feeling like Jell-O pudding pops and my hands stopped trembling from adrenaline, I could assess where the pain was coming from. And it was coming from a lot of places, including my right shoulder and bicep, my entire sternum, my upper right thigh, and the back of my neck. As the day wears on, I am feeling more and more pain in more and more places that to me felt fine when it happened.
The first thing I thought, after my brain came back to present, was, “I need to blog this.” Which makes me feel pretty good actually, because I feel like that proves that innate part of me is truly a writer.
So after my legs solidified and I realized all my extremities were still attached to me, I got back on that horse. And we rode. And we just stayed together. And I talked to him. When I got off, a riding instructor said to me, “Have you been bitten before?” Many times. “Have you been stepped on?” Many times. “And now you’ve been thrown. And with some aplomb! You’re a real cowgirl now!”
And I guess I am. Now I’ll go ice my many bruises…
