Day 8
When I moved to Raleigh, I researched a ton of barns that offered lessons and reached out to most of them. Several didn't bother to answer me, a couple didn't have space or horses available, and another 1 or 2 answered and then stop responding. It was incredibly frustrating. I understand the lesson programs in this area are very competitive with all of the intercollegiate and even middle and high school level riding teams, but still...here I was wanting to add money to their bank accounts every month!
I finally found this place about 20-30 minutes south of me and the barn manager was not only very responsive, she was very eager to meet with me and give me a tour the facility. I was able to set up an evaluation ride quickly and get into the end of the "session" of lessons right away.
The facility is beautiful. They have 200+ acres and 2 barns, an upper and lower. Seems like they keep their older school horses and lesson ponies at the lower barn, plus several boarders. A lot of the beginner lessons are taught there.
The upper barn is mostly for boarders and the more advanced lesson horses. I haven't counted how many stalls they have, but there are a lot of horses on the property! They have a huge assortment of lesson horses with different abilities -- something for everyone. Their group lessons are larger than what I was accustomed to (general size is 4-6 riders) -- but they are very efficient about it and I do feel I learn a great deal from my lessons. Watching other people and learning from what they are being critiqued on is just as valuable! I am very happy with the group lesson I am a part of. The time is great for me, and I've gotten to know the people I ride with. Also, the barn is very successful at local shows. Their school teams kick butt regularly.
Day 9
I was very lucky to not get injured the night that Promise flipped over backwards on me. But, another night a couple of years later, I was taking a a jumping lesson about 2 weeks before Christmas, my senior year in high school. We were practicing a grid exercise (this is where my reservations about grids comes from!) -- a crossrail to a small vertical to a larger vertical to a gate, which was set at maybe 2'9" or 3'.
The first several times we went through it, it went well, but then Promise started getting tired. She went over the first 2 jumps and then sucked back for the 3rd. She stopped at the 4th and then decided to go over from a standstill. I was left behind (because who jumps a fence that high from a standstill, horse?) and she bucked afterwards to right herself -- maybe even a little because she was ticked at me for getting left behind. I had lost my stirrups over the fence, so I came off to the left when she bucked. I went head first into the half wall of the arena (thank you, helmet!) and moved it about 2 feet on impact. The #1 cardinal sin about falling off is: don't try to catch yourself with your hands...well, I forgot that and tried to.
I laid there for a moment and felt ok, so despite everyone yelling at me not to move, I did roll over onto my back. My trainer at the time wanted to call an ambulance, and even though I should have accepted and probably been in a back/neck brace, I really didn't want one.
My mom drove me to the hospital and it was agonizing. My body felt fine, xrays and what not proved there was no neck or back injury, but my wrist was throbbing and every bump she hit on the way was excruciating. They tested me for a concussion and by some miracle, I did not have one. But my right wrist was definitely broken...in about 5 places.
My helmet was fine on the outside, although I did get it replaced immediately. But it was a couple of weeks before I was cleared to ride again. The doctor basically said once the pain had subsided enough that I could hold the reins, I was fine to ride again, but to take it easy to not injure it more even though it was in a cast.
Promise was getting training rides from my trainer while I was out of commission and she had really made leaps and bounds in behavior and rideability by the time I was back at the barn to ride after the new year. I was nervous about getting back in the saddle...what they say about getting right back on after a fall so you don't lose confidence is so true. I had trouble tacking her up because of the limited use of my dominant hand. I had to learn work arounds to get the bridle on her and even to pick her feet. She was patient with me for the most part and always really tried to do the right thing for me.
My trainer rode her for a while that night before I got back on for the first time and she was really great. I took a deep breath and she helped me mount. Then off we went. I mostly did walk-trot that night before cooling her out and we did the same thing for the first few rides. Once I started to feel how different my horse was, I started to slowly regain my confidence in myself and in her.
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