More Lessons Learned

"KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!"

After yesterday, this is a phrase I will never forget.

You might remember me talking about past horseback riding incidents that ended
with me sailing through the air and landing on the ground...
and this being the source of my eventual fear of riding
(a fear that I am taking great measures to overcome.)

As background to today's post, let me give you a little history...



On several occasions in the past, while riding Moonbeam,
he has launched into a major bucking session...
back legs flying in all directions...
ending with me being launched out of the saddle.
Each time, I rode the buck for what seemed like several minutes, until
feet came out of stirrups and butt came off of saddle.

Here is a little video I pulled off of You-tube (it's not mine, however)...
just to illustrate what a buck looks like...


Yesterday during our lesson, Moonbeam decided to pull this prank yet again.



This time, with stronger leg and seat, I managed to stay in the saddle...
hearing my instructor yell "Keep your head up!"
I raised my eyes, my hands followed with the reins, pulling his head up...
thus stopping his buck and he came to a halt.



Hallelujah! I managed to stay on top of him instead of sailing through the air.
A small victory, but at a price.

I peed my pants.

Yes, you heard it right....

I. Peed. My. Pants.

Not just a little, no...an entire full bladder emptied right then and there.

I'm sure it wasn't related to my over-50 (post child bearing) bladder.
No, it was due entirely to the fact that I was scared out of my wits.
Thankfully, it being a cold day, I had layers of clothes on.
Next lesson.....Depends might be the first layer!


So, take it from me....

If life gets a little crazy,
remember to keep your head up,
and for gosh sake....
don't pee your pants!

Comments

Ha!!!
You are so funny!!!!
Glad you're ok, though!!!
♥'s
Sherry
Gone Country said…
Oh my goodness, bless your heart, or pants! That's great news about staying on the saddle though!
Lisa Brawner said…
Love it !!!
I have ridden since a child and bucking and rearing are super scary still for me. It is so unexpected from sweet and quiet horses that i like to ride.
Michle said…
You never cease to make me laugh! With your victory over Moonbeam, maybe be will less likely to buck with you in the future. And yes I know what you mean by the post 50 bladder.

Michle
You are so brave and honest. I won't ride a horse that bucks. I just don't want to deal with it when there are so many nice horses that don't buck. It's sooo good to have a trainer to help you with those issues.
LOL... I will heed the warning.

What happened was probably inevitable in your journey with moonbeam... and you handled it perfectly with the help of your instructor. It will be less likely to happen now that he knows that it won't get results and you know how to ride it out. GOod work!!! Keep going.
JeffJustJeff said…
Oh Bev,
Thanks for that great laugh. Good for you! You stayed on. Woohoo, ride 'em cowgirl! ;-)
Bliss said…
The only way I could ride horse these days is side saddle with my legs crossed just in case I had a violent sneeze or cough. And that has nothing to do with fear unless you count the fear of peeing my pants!!!

~Bliss~
Lisa said…
Hi Bev.
I know the fear you are talking about! My first horse reared one day with me on board! It was terrifying! However, it may actually be a good thing that you "got it all out", if you will. Were you scared after you peed? If not, you got all the fear out of your system. If you kept your fear in, the horse would have sensed it and may have tried bucking again. The rest of your lesson would have been influenced by the fear as well.

Good for you for staying on board! That is a great confidence booster!
Lisa in Maine
Rain said…
Oh my goodness--funny--but too true nowadays!! Love it!! ~~Rain
Jenny said…
I know how you feel. I too have had several horse incidents in the past. It's hard to stay calm and relaxed. I have found that doing a lot of groundwork with the horses REALLY helps. Not just mindless lunging in circles but doing exercises to get them thinking, engaged, and gaining their respect. I use a lot of the Parelli and Clinton Anderson methods of Natural Horsemanship. I know horses can be very intimidating especially after being thrown. I commend you for getting back on. It sounds like your doing great. It took me some time and a really good friend and trainer giving me lessons on her horses for me to be able to relax and ride again.
Unknown said…
So funny but you did it...good girl! You are now the boss(lady)!!!
OMG that's hilarious!!! Now something else to worry about :-o.
Country Gal said…
Been there done that when I rode horses ! My horse dropped to the ground as I was riding him , he desided to have a roll with me traped under him , let me tell ya the horn from a western saddle stuck in your leg hurts like a B with 1200 pounds on it ! I am glad you stayed on like trooper ! Have a good day !
Anonymous said…
you make me laugh so! my father wa a cavalery officer and to this day cannot come close to a horse!!! Congratulation for your taking control...

Annie v.
Totally expected reaction to facing your fear REALLY head on.

But you stayed on and finished the lesson! Rock star status is yours.
Good for you for staying on Moonbeam. I had to chuckle though, you have a wonderful sense of humor
Katmom said…
I will be sure to have a box of 'Depends' just in case! lol!
Autumn said…
Oh my! Love that you share real life with us readers!
I wondered if you have had Moonbeam checked by a chiropractor? I'm not someone who pampers my horses all the time, but I have known one or two that just seemed to like to buck, or one horse that just hated to be mounted. Come to find out they had a pinched nerve and with a couple adjustments and a few stretching exercises to build muscle around those sore spots and the problems went away. Just a thought.
LOL!!!! OH MY GOSH BEV LOL!!!!! I'm still wiping my eyes LOL!!! I'll remember that the next time Hope starts bucking hehehe! Oh goodness I can so relate to your fear...after landing on our hard packed driveway a few weeks ago I'm still recovering. Having a family with a history osteoporosis I am VERY grateful that I didn't break anything. I still have a big lump on my hip/butt but it's going down and the bruising is nearly gone but the tissue around my lower back and tail bone are still sore but healing daily. Maybe I should buy some of those depends and wear more than a few pair just for a landing pad ;) Good for you for sticking in your saddle!!!! I tried to get Hopes head up but I think she got her tongue over the bit we had just adjusted and there was NO GIVE...and NO STIRRUPS to keep me in place. We're starting on a large round pen soon and hope to have LOTS of sand for a base...just in case ;) Pat yourself on the back...you did good...despite the wet pants :) Enjoy your day.
Maura :)
Tami said…
(Laughing...) My DH and I were just talking about THAT. How we'll "depend" on Depends in the future. Ha! That is one product that is aptly named!

Good on ya for sticking on!
JudiB said…
Way to go Bev. Will shock Moonbeam he did not get away with it...so if he does it again..you will also win again. Then hopefully this stage of his life will be over.
LOL..age or not..lol I would pee my pants also..way scary. Glad your ok!!!
You gotta love the arena. With all the ice this winter I wish we had one.

J.
goatgirl said…
Does pee come out of leather? Just wondering.
Melissa Plank said…
Truer words have never been spoken!