When multi-tasking goes wrong...

[zingomom]

I'm a mom with three kids who have been at three different schools for the past two years, eight animals at home--three of them horses, and a husband who travels. I squeeze time in whenever possible to make sure each and every one of my kids (furry and otherwise) are cared for every day. One afternoon just after a doctor's appointment and just before I needed to take my daughter to gymnastics, I decided I had about 45 minutes to take my three horses up to a neighbor's arena for a nice roll and run. (My gentlemen are limited to a small space at my house. No pastures where I live, so getting out for a stretch every day takes a fair bit of organization.) The arena isn't far, so I decided to ride my boy Doolie bareback and pony my quarter horse Bayou and my new Kiger Banner all at the same time. It's not the easiest thing to do, but hey, you do what you can with the time you have.

Leaving my corral you have to go over a small creek before you hit the street, so off I went--only Banner didn't get the memo that we were all supposed to go together. He stopped short in the middle of the creek and I dropped his lead rope so I wouldn't get pulled off Doolie. Now for the bonehead part... I leaned all the way back with my head touching Doolie's tail trying to reach Banner's lead rope. Doolie is THE most bombproof horse on the planet, and things like this just don't get to him--but I suppose since we were headed uphill, my heels must have dug into him while trying to reach that lead rope, and he walked right out from under me! I landed with a gi-normous thud just north of my tailbone, and I'll be darned if that stinky horse didn't leave me for dead! He looked at me, his tail shot up and he trotted off down the street looking for grass to steal. My other two NICE horses were horrified and kept nosing me to see if I would move. I did, ever-so-slowly, and we did make it to that arena, but my arse hasn't been the same since! Wouldn't you know that's about the only injury that you get NO sympathy for, band-aids won't help, you can't put it in a sling, and you suddenly become the butt (pun intended) of many bad jokes! Boy have I been feeling sorry for myself, but boy did I ever deserve that one!

Here we all are on a day when multi-tasking actually worked!

[stormyranch]

Nice Picture of y'all.
Your accident sounds like something I would do. My husband says my blond roots are showing (no offense intended to anyone), when I pull a bone head move.

[JoanMRK]

Cute picture and very funny story! Glad you all made it and that you weren't hurt TOO bad.

[lindad]

Ouch! That picture must be pre-landing on your arse, because you have such a nice smile and are sitting so comfortably which you will not be doing anytime soon. Wonderful picture, wonderful horses, painful tale (or is it tail). Welcome by the way!

I have a tale of stupidity (not implying that you were stupid, but that I was). My dear hubby bought me a police whistle lest I get into trouble while riding and am injured so badly that I cannot scream for help or use the cell phone. Nice early spring day after months of icy weather, I was about to set off for the tree farm on my Kiger mare when hubby reminded me to take the whistle. I had not yet found a lanyard, so not to appear unappreciative, I put that sucker in my pocket, thinking, "boy that will hurt if I land on it". Always listen to your inner voice!
Spring was being uncooperative that day and I was having to be insistent with her. Always listen to your horse when they try to tell you today is not a good day. Well I wanted to make one last loop now that she had decided that I was calling the shots and giving me her normal nice ride. The path we were taking splits into two directions. Spring must have thought we were headed for the huge hill and decided against it and commenced to bucking. I will never earn my 8 second buckle, but did manage to stay on for three bucks which earned me a permanent impression of the horn on my belly and a baseball size hematoma in my groin once I hit the ground right on that d**n whistle. Spring sniffed me several times as I laid there for a while. I got back on and rode her home and believe me she was as good as gold. You should have seen my doctor's face when he examined me and referred me to a vascular surgeon. I was grounded for 2 months. I was black and purple from my navel to my knee and over to my hip. I will forever have a "pocket" on my upper inner thigh where the baseball size blood clot collected from the whistle jammed into my flesh. I was grounded for the next 2 months of the best riding weather. Now let that be a lesson for ya. No hard objects in your pockets or on your body when you ride, listen to the horse when they try to tell you today is not a good day, and listen to the inner voice of common sense.
Finally, I also discovered that there is a Murphy's Law governing pocket objects during a fall. It resembles the law for dropped toast and jelly in which it always lands jelly side down. In all of my years of riding, I have always landed on my back if I went off a horse, that was until I put a whistle in my pocket!
Linda D

[DianneC]

Yipes! I've learned far more anatomy by landing on my butt than I ever wanted to know. Hope you heal up soon Zingomom! Geepers Linda! Glad you ended up OK!

[angelsdream]

Thats funny! I think we have all had these moments but we hope they happen when we are alone so no one else has to know!

One day I was going to hop up on my mare ( a long while ago) and ride her bareback to the pasture, well I hopped alright, hopped right over her back to the other side I don't think I ever even made contact HEE HEE I just laughed at myself and got up!!!

[fantasykiger]

Oh my goodness, I too am glad you were not hurt to badly zingomom, nor did you end up in the creek that is a bonus. I love the picture however, so great to see the boys look so great all in a row you as well, all smiles.

lindad...OUCH, I was expecting to read you scared your horse with blowing the darn whistle, not that it took you out on a fall ...jeez'

Angelsdream..up and over, yeah you hope no one saw that

I was just having this talk with my neighbor, while on a nice trail ride around the neighborhood, who was trying to figure out how to get her 8yr daughter's confidence back after she fell off a horse they were trying out to purchase. When she heard of another friends daughter who had been riding alot fell off for the first time and decided she would no longer ride. She did not want that to happen with her daughter. I explained to her the fall seperates the horse crazy from the I like horses. I fell off so much as a kid and got up and said where is the next horse. I also told her everyone falls off, it is just a matter of time. She gave me a funny look, looked down at her horse and said she has never fallen' off a horse yet. I just smiled ;D end of conversation.

[zingomom]

Oh Linda, thank you for sharing! I laughed my arse off when I read about it--in a VERY sympathetic way. I enjoyed the other stories as well. Frankly, if someone brags they've never fallen off a horse, I wonder how many rides they've been on. For me, my first fall was sort of like a badge of honor. I finally joined the club when I had my own tale to tell. Since my first horse liked to buck when he got happy, I tended to fly over his left ear sort of like Superman before I got enough of a seat to handle that while riding bareback. I mercifully didn't have a whistle in my pocket, but I did have up close and personal relationships with several rocks. NOT fun, but as long as you live to tell the tale and keep coming back for more, it's all good.

[desperatehorsewife]

I do not like Club Dirt. Although I am a card carrying member... Glad you weren't hurt too seriously, Zingomom!

[stlkigers]

Yeah, if you aren't a card carrying member of Club Dirt, I don't know how much riding you've really done....or maybe they were all quarter horses (as in plugged in at the grocery store; LOL)....

And when you fall enough you learn how you normally land (I'm usually on my knees and hands) but like Linda says if somethings in your pockets Murphy's law will take effect!

Hope you are doing much better Zingomom.

Angela