Instead of planning to fall, equestrians learn to ride. From the very beginning, new riders learn how to read a horse’s emotions so they can predict when a horse might feel threatened and begin to act irrationally.  Riders also learn a “basic-balanced-position” and this is the most stable position to be in even in an emergency. Even the most beginner riders will be able to tell someone that to stay on a horse, you must keep your heels down and chest up. To keep riders safe, they must go against their instincts while riding and not curl up into a ball because this tells the horse to go faster and gives them no calming force.

As an experienced rider, I don’t think twice about some of these vital techniques to stay on a horse even though they can seem counter-intuitive to the average person. If you plan on riding for 4 to 5 hours a week every week for more than ten years, falling off is inevitable. However, with experience comes a really good ability to sense what is about to happen and make it stop before anything bad ever happens or to deal with a situation so quickly that your horse has no time to spiral out of control. 

What it really comes down to is reflexes. In a sense, riding is like driving a car. You are always scanning the horizon for trouble, while also checking all of your mirrors. You know you should pay even more attention when you are merging onto a highway or turning at a busy intersection. Horses are the same way: you are always looking, listening, and feeling all around you. You learn who your horse is and what their fears are so you can anticipate what they will do before they get the chance to even think about it. 

Riding is the ultimate multitasking challenge. I can tell you this is absolutely true; when I am really in the zone and we are working hard together, I cannot keep up a conversation with someone (even if it is about what I am doing at that very moment). This goes to show the level of concentration that goes into not only having a smooth ride, but one where you improve and challenge yourself and your horse. 

With all this talk of falling off and your newly acquired understanding of how something like this can be avoided, I think that it is finally time to describe what falling really feels like in next week’s blog.