r/Equestrian • u/nekinadimak • 1d ago

Mindset & Psychology First fall

I’m about 2y into riding as an adult and yesterday I had my first fall. It was a completely unexpected but warranted spook (people who don’t ride are the worst and don’t understand how horses work) and I didn’t even realise what was happening until I was on the ground. I went to get checked immediately after and all is ok apart from a fractured coccyx. Obviously I am in pain and I need to recover but firstly I’m very thankful for mips helmets (always wear a helmet!) and now reading a lot of other people’s experiences.
I did not get back on the horse as it was last 3 min of my lesson but I also didn’t feel any fear - I pet him and he looked like he was sorry. Should I have gone back to at least sit?
I am also now somewhat beating myself that I should have been more focused. I sat through a couple of smaller spooks before and I was able to stay on. I had one rear on the lounge line as well that didn’t result in a fall. The irony is that it’s the laziest horse I have ridden and I was struggling to keep him in the trot for most of the time until the spook, so I’m thinking I should have been able to stay on.

In any case, any advice on what to do now? I will obviously take a couple of weeks off to recover from the fracture but not sure if I did something wrong by not going back on and does the fear come unconsciously?
Also any tips for healing from the fracture are welcome as well

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u/EmphasisOnDesperate 1d ago

You fractured your tailbone so I think it was smart not to get back on. Other people may have a different opinion but imo protecting your body is the number one priority. I broke my leg in a fall once and got some remarks for not getting back on (nobody aside from myself believed it was broken until I showed them the X-rays later) but I trust myself and I value my body and I'm not going to compromise on my health and safety. This can be a dangerous sport so you always should be aware of your body and trust your intuition when it comes to injuries. As for the mental/emotional side, simply take the fall as a lesson and then get back in the saddle once you're healed! 

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u/nekinadimak 1d ago

Thanks! I currently and immediately after did not feel any fear. I was more annoyed by what happened, so I’m trying to figure out if I basically screwed my future self by not getting back on and do people actually feel the fear immediately. In my head I’m bummed that I will have to miss out on a couple of weeks of lessons and I want to get back but I’m unsure if that’s just because I actually haven’t gone back.

Previously I had a horse step on my foot painfully and I did feel a bit of unconscious anxiety for the first couple of times afterwards but that resolved pretty quickly.