I've been on plenty of rented stable horses in my life, but never got hurt even once, except the inside of the knees from bouncing around in saddles that were too big for me... lol! However, I was once bitten by a colt on the arm when I was a teenager.
I got my first horse when I was 48 (in 1999) - an Arabian gelding. I went through crap with him... He started rearing with me, but I was able to hold on. I consulted 'horse whisperers' and tried half a dozen different saddles to no avail. Then, he decided to start bucking. I was able to ride out several bucks by grabbing one rein and twisting his head around... but, he finally caught me off guard and I ended up in the hospital. I lost about 6 hours of memory on that one. I went out Sunday morning with a riding buddy and woke up in the hospital about 3 p.m. I remember the doctor asking me what day of the week it was... I said 'orange.' Then he asked me who the president was. I said Reagan... snort! I tried going back to work the following Tuesday and I couldn't remember how to do my job. I wigged out at work and my boss took me back to the hospital where the doctor told me to go home and not go back to work for a week. It took almost a week for my brain to come back online.
Needless to say, I saw the writing on the wall and decided to trade him in on a newer model...
I contacted one of his former owners (endurance facility) and she wanted him back and offered to trade me one of her Arab horses that she had for sale. (I was big on endurance riding at this time and was determined to ride the Tevis Cup.) I traded Zack for the cutest pure Polish (El Paso bloodlines) blood bay Arab mare, about 14 hands. I was still pretty scared to ride out of the round pen because of Zack, but finally I got up the courage to ride out on the trail... All was going fine with Sassy until I was 'two-pointing' up a hill - standing in the stirrups (timing myself) and my fleece saddle cover came undone, slid off the saddle and 'flanked' her... She quivered (couldn't even call it a shy) and I went flying... Landed with my arm outstretched, full force on my side.
I remembered Sassy running off (the *****! Trigger would not have done that!) to the stables. I was about a mile away. I was hurting really bad... Picked up my saddle cover, folded it in half and held it against my chest to help stabilize the pain... I started walking back to the stables. About the time I got to the driveway, another boarder came up in his car and took me the rest of the way... I must have been a sorry sight as the stable owner took one look at me and called 911... They all thought I had broken my back. When the ambulance got there, they put me on a back board and a neck brace and, red lights and sirens, took me back to Denver (the stable was about 45 minutes away) where I ended up in the hospital for 4-5 days. I had several cracked/broken ribs, bruised hip, and a semi-collapsed lung. The doctor said I couldn't leave until my lung re-inflated... He also mentioned something about a trocar.... No freakin way was he going to poke a hole in my chest! My lung finally re-inflated and I got to go home.
I saw the writing on the wall. At that time, I lived by myself in a 3 floor walk up apartment. If I had broken my hip (I was 50 by this time), I would have ended up in a nursing home as I did not have a 'support group' in the form of friends or relatives in Denver. I also figured out I WAS NOT the great rider I thought I was, I no longer 'bounced' when I hit the ground, and I figured out that I really wanted to 'stop and smell the roses' along the trail and not ride heck bent for leather on a 100 mile endurance ride... So, I figured out I was a Quarter Horse mosey type of rider and not a 'race with the wind' Arabian type rider...
In September 2001 I ended up selling Sassy and the palomino Mustang mare I had adopted... I did ride a horse a couple of times after that, but it wasn't until I 'discovered' Miniature Horses in 2007 that I returned to the Equine world...
Because of my prior experience with big horses, I am very cautious even around the small ones. One thing that was impressed upon me when I was learning about Minis is: They Are Still Horses... Not big dogs! And need to be treated as horses at all times. I have never let any of my Minis get away with anything. I'm always cautious when I bring a horse into a pen with others, especially stallions. I am usually with Toni when we're moving horses around and, just tonight, we brought Rohan back into the pen with the rest of the stallions... He had been 'grounded' for hogging the water trough. I made sure the other stallions stayed back when Toni brought him into the pen and turned him loose...
I am also careful with mares because even they can get into ticking contests with each other... One thing we've taught all the minis is when we're in a pen with them, there had better be not scuffling around us... We use body language and our voices to keep things in check. When we raise our voices, they know they're in big trouble. eta: They KNOW we're lead/boss mare and act accordingly when we come on scene...
As for injuries since I've had Minis... I was kicked in the jaw by a newborn foal three years ago because I 'let down my guard.' Needless to say, that's been pretty much it, except for the occasional stepped on toe...
We're just very careful when we're amongst the Minis, we make sure the trouble makers are separate from certain other horses and we're well aware of where each Mini is when we're handling them...
Kari
