Dangerous hobbies

[westernind]

Don't know what happened yet, but sixtine's accident is giving me pause for thought.

In the relatively short time I've been riding, I've had two falls. Perhaps if I'd been a better rider, the falls could have been avoided, but more experienced people who were there seem to think not. In the second, I landed on my left hip which is still uncomfortable after three months. The first, on holiday last year, ultimately resulted up in removal of cracked molar out under general anaesthetic after six months of pain and aggravation.

With these things there's a calculation based on benefit versus risk, with risk being a product of impact (sic!) and probability*. This is why I don't have a motorcycle anymore, after riding one daily for about fifteen years; the roads are so crowded that the fun is not enough to outweigh the chances of becoming raspberry jam. Long gone are the days of blatting down that stretch of the A1 from Biggleswade to Letchworth at speeds of over 120mph.

The consultant dental surgeon wrote me a lovely letter after it was all done pointing out that he gets many more patients from riding accidents than motorcycling accidents, and asking me to be careful.

On the other hand, we rode absolutely darling Icelandic horses on holiday. Sweet, good-natured, much given to nuzzling, and little. I felt safe, in contrast to being high up (further to fall...) on the horses at the local riding stables which are big enough to carry me. I'd like to ride Icelandics in the UK - two possibilities are in Dorset and Cumbria. None locally, however!

Mongolian horses are little, too.

Still thinking.



* Yeah, and 'proximity' for the pedants, but that's not relevant here.

Comments

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

Hmm - I rode for 7 years and had 7 falls. One ended in concussion and I still have a scar on my nose, but I can't see it as having been risky.

Perhaps it's because I went to a riding school and spent the first four years on Thelwell ponies (while being Thelwell-child-shaped myself)? Four years of being able to concentrate on the basics without needing to worry about falling off at speed meant that when I got onto the lunatic fringe (and friends' Pony Club hunters) it had become second nature?

I'd never claim to have been a natural rider, but riding across Mongolia within a year or two of starting out sounds very ambitious if you aren't riding several times a week, every week.

(and yes, Icelandics are lovely! We found some in Edinburgh a while ago, and their pacing was almost as smooth as a canter :) Although I always preferred <>enormous horses - further to fall means you get longer to arrange yourself into a comfortable tuck...)

[westernind.livejournal.com]

Yep - children bounce.

Can you remember where in Edinburgh you found the Icelandics? My google-fu is failing!

BTW it's only two or three days in Mongolia. I don't have any worries about it after a week in Iceland.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

Yeah - all that time I rode a bike I never had an accident more serious than sliding it gently up the motorway, and that was kind of understandable as there was 4" of unexpected and uncleared snow. (Should never have set off, but those were the days when staying in a hotel was inconceivably expensive.)

I don't have any qualms about diving, and that's 'supposed' to be dangerous. If you follow correct procedures, if something goes wrong underwater, you've got an excellent chance of coming back up and being OK. When I dived regularly, someone at the club was diving under ice (through a hole in the ice), and the rope came untied - but he followed procedures and was fine. Whereas I wouldn't jump out of an aeroplane.

I think it's down to the level of personal control. Unpredictable critters, them hosses.

[thalinoviel.livejournal.com]

Have you ever learnt How To Fall? If not, I recommend doing so, as it can greatly reduce your chances of injury.

I learnt to fall safely when I learnt to ride, which proved to be very useful. Subsequently I fell off horses about a kabillion times - memorably, once onto another horse before falling off that one as well. I fell off at least half a dozen times on purpose (I was riding a horse that would bolt until the rider came off and then stop quite peacefully.)

If you're really concerned, spend more time at the riding school honing your skills in the soft stuff. It's boring (and I can see you might be reluctant to pay out for it) but it can pay off in the end.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

Ah, the money... and the time... there's the rub.

Singing lessons cost me £50 a pop, and singing is more important. And falling off the horse last October really screwed up my opera course for a month or so, and also in June this year when I had the tooth out.

It's a question of priorities. :-/

[immerwahr.livejournal.com]

That Biggleswade to Letchworth stretch, ah I do recall. It's a good road in the dark.

Oh right, you were the one cut me up, lights off, waving cheekily and tipping ash in my open window.

Repeatedly.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

You can get a ton out of a Honda 400/4 on that long downhill stretch provided you tuck your feet up on the pipes and crouch down over the speedo. And 147 out of a GPz1100.

(Weren't me with the fagash, mifter!)

I only ever rode with the lights off down Jacks Hill from Graveley to North Stevenage, when the full moon was up.

[immerwahr.livejournal.com]

Did it muchly by car, only once by bike as a passenger - and my rider tore the place up by moonlight as well. I remember few tight turns and more gentle up and downs Much fun. Never could get me fag lit proper though.

[november-girl.livejournal.com]

Having fallen off horses and ponies a lot, I personally find that the larger ones are better as you often have a little bit of thinking time to collect yourself before you land. e.g. the last time I came off a horse it was a 17 hand Clydesdale. He threw me high enough that I not only had time to plan my landing, but to take hold of his reins by his chin to ensure that he didn't run off. I was told by those watching that if they'd had scorecards they'd have given me a perfect ten for grace. *grins*

Live for the now, just don't be stupid (like you ever would). And sometimes you can get hurt more from staying on than falling off (as the scar on my right knee proves.

I would, however, second the suggestion that you try to learn how (and where) to fall. There is often something to be said for falling off when you see a big muddy (soft) patch than hanging on for another 20 seconds only to land on concrete.

[bellagrim.livejournal.com]

The whole experience has been somewhat thought provoking for me also.

From what I understand "Fred" decided to buck whilst in gallop and attempt to get his body & back legs vertical. In circumstances such as these I don't think there is a lot you can do about it. Apparently she had already been thrown by him earlier in the ride. Clearly he was just practicing for the main event.

Having seen sixtine being flown away in air ambulance (only due to the fact that they couldn't get the ambulance onto the beach) it has made me think 'what if....'

Horse riding is always a risk. The risk here was around an unknown horse who behaved in a total unexpected manner.

To give you some insight sixtine's first comments yesterday morning were 'I'll need to get a new hat following that fall so maybe I can get a posh one like yours...'. I think the injuries have not dampened the desire to ride....just enhanced the desire to be more choosy with the horse.

Add to that the numerous nurses who over the last few days have been telling us about the times they have fallen & broken bones, etc. it appears to be (dare I say) the 'norm'.

I haven't yet thrown the towel in myself but I think there may be a few changes as to how & what I do.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

Choosiness is where I'm coming from. Risk avoidance impossible unless I'm prepared to stop altogether; reduction and mitigation are the only strategies.

Although I find the suggestion by some of the other commenters, that the bigger the horse, the more time you have to collect your thoughts and decide how to fall, somewhat boggling. Common sense suggests that the higher up you are, the harder you'll come down!

[bellagrim.livejournal.com]

I have to agree that the higher you are the harder you fall. 6 ft is a long way to fall...4 ft much less.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Only just seen this comment, so forgive the late reply.

If you know how to fall, having longer in the air means more chance of you getting the right bits of yourself to hit the ground first, thus lessening the injury potential. Even something like making sure your head isn't going to hit the ground can be a lifesaver, literally.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

When I fell in Italy, the chances of anything other than my head hitting first were miniscule - according to the experienced riders we were with. Sometimes there really is nothing you can do about it. Hooray for safety helmets. And when I fell in England, it was mostly down to co-codamol mushing my brain.

The seriously large amount of effort that would be needed to learn how to instinctively fall right - because that's the level of knowledge required - just isn't worth it. I'd rather only ride little horses.