Horse Riding - How Many Times Do You Need to Fall?

We have all hear it one time or another in our ridingmay have been overfacing their horse, causing him to
career; it takes 10, 50 or even 100 falls to make astop at a fence or startle at something he is not used
good rider. But why is this true? And how many fallsto. It may have been trying something the rider is not
does it actually take?ready for. Mistakes are useful because they teach
While the saying is, of course, mostly there toyou to avoid making that same mistake again.
encourage you after tumbling off in a lesson, there isHaving a few uneventful falls can also build confidence.
some truth to it. Falling off a horse teaches you asOnce a rider discovers that falling off isn't so bad, she
much as staying on in many cases.can get over the initial fear of falling. Of course, the
First of all, most riders who have never fallen off haveopposite is true of a serious fall. Being injured can be a
not been truly challenged by their horses. A pleasureterrible blow to the confidence.
rider who has a reliable horse and enjoys riding theThe one thing true about falling off is that the better a
trails is unlikely to come off very often. Most spills arerider you become, the less likely you are to fall off.
caused by unreliable horses, or when trying new skillsUnfortunately, this also means that the falls you
that are more difficult that you are used to.experience as a better rider have a higher risk of
Likewise, many riders who have never venturedbeing bad ones. This is because it takes a lot more to
beyond a school horse have not fallen off. Schoolget you off. While a beginner might tumble when a
horses can be difficult at times, but often they arehorse stops suddenly, or when it spooks, an
pretty calm and sensible, unlikely to do much thatexperienced rider is unlikely to be unseated that way.
tosses the average rider. If they have a history ofInstead, it may take a serious bucking episode or a big
tossing riders, they probably won't be a schoolie forcrash at a fence, to get an experienced rider off.
very long.It is impossible to say how many falls it takes to
With the constant concern for rider safety and thebecome a good rider. 100 falls off your pony as a child
fear of being sued, many riding schools are careful tomay be equivalent to 10 falls off your experienced
avoid creating situations that increase the risk of spills.dressage horse as an adult. That's because your falls
They use quieter horses, don't push riders as fast, andare directly related to the risks you pull when riding. A
avoid taking the horses or riders anywhere unusual.kid is far more likely to play silly games or try unrealistic
Because of this many riders are growing inthings when playing around on her pony. As an adult,
experience, but never getting truly challenged.your can learn a lot more by schooling yourself, and
Sometimes a rider has a lot of spills because she isare not as likely to try silly games in your free time.
overhorsed. This means that the horse she is riding isEither way, falling off should be looked at as a learning
too green, too strong, or even too trained for the rider'sexperience, not a terrible accident. There is always a
ability. Other times an overzealous parent or coachreason that you fell off, and something you could have
pushes the rider too far too fast. This is a sure recipedone to prevent the situation. Take your time and get
for falls.back your confidence, and know that the next time
These falls are bad if they set a rider back, scaringthat situation arises, you will know at least one thing not
them and making them unwilling to go further. On theto do, and hopefully have some better ideas of how to
other hand, sometimes a few falls are a good thing.avoid a tumble.
Usually a rider falls because they made a mistake. It