Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE
True Helmet Stories from HORSE-SENSE Readers


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Horse took off on me! by Emily

I was riding during the summer in 2002. It was only my 5th lesson, but I was already jumping. I was headed towards one jump, a cavaletti, but it was in front of an open gate that led to the barn. (Not directly in front of the gate, but it was facing it). Anyways, Kocheym, the horse I was riding, saw the open gate and bolted, heading for home. I, of course, didn't know how to hang on, and I started to slide off sideways, although it felt like I was going in slow motion! I fell right on my butt, and tucked my feet in out of reflex so that the horse wouldn't step on them. As soon as he had passed, I rolled onto my stomach and layed still, because I was afraid that I had done somehting really bad to my back. I was balling my eyes out, and my mum rushed over with a lady that I was riding with that night, who happened to be a nurse. They called an ambulance, and I was put on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. I waited for hours in a neck brace on a stiff wooden board just to get a couple x-rays telling me that I was just sore, not really hurt. It was scary, but the first thing I asked my mum when we got to the hospital was "Am I allowed to go back next week?" That was when I was in grade 7... a memorable moment, so it seems.

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