Well, I fall off horses a lot. More than I probably should. I've never been hurt worse than a sprained ankle, though, mostly because I'm always careful to wear my helmet.

One day I realized that if I didn't write my falls down I'd start forgetting them. I decided to start a web page to chronicle my tumbles. Here it is. I hope I don't have to update it very much.

1. Fall 1994: The horse (actually, pony) was Munchkin. Our regular riding instructor was out that day. The substitute put me on Munchkin riding bareback, because for some reason Munchkin couldn't tolerate a saddle. Then she tried to teach the class to canter for the first time. Munchkin veered off course, and I slid off until one foot was on the ground. Then I swung the other over and ended up standing.
2. Winter 1997: The horse was Roddy, a grey with a docked tail. He always bucked if you used the crop at the canter. I didn't know this, and tapped him while I was in two-point. This was my first "real" fall.
3. Summer 1997: I don't remember the horse's name, because it was French. This fall occurred during my vacation at the Club Med in Pompadour, France. The horse refused a jump, so I took it for him. There are pictures of me mid-air. Yay.
4. Summer 1997: My first fall from Cody. He spooked at the judge's stand in Springdown's jump arena as we cantered past. When I got up I noticed his nose was bleeding. Thankfully, it was only a sinus infection.
5. Summer 1997: My second fall from Cody. It was just a day or two later. He spooked at some noise in the dressage arena.
6. Summer 1997: This was my first attempt at jumping Cody. Trot a cross-rail, bending line to the green gate. Cody didn't see the gate, then spooked hard a half stride in front of it. I was too dizzy to get back on after that fall, but I think it was a mild case of heat exhaustion more than anything else.
7. Fall 1997: The horse was Brandy, a chestnut mare. Trot the crossrails, one stride to an oxer. She refused the oxer, and I went over.
8. Fall 1997: The horse was Maxwell. I jumped ahead at the fence. He couldn't get off the ground, so we crashed the fence.
9. Somewhere in here I fell when Cody spooked at something, but I don't remember the details.
10. Fall 1997: Cody got mad at me for some reason as we were standing waiting our turn to jump. He bucked me off. This was a particularly weird one. I think his bit was hurting him at the time.
11. January 1998: Cody spooked at something in the indoor ring. plop
12. February 1998: First time riding at night in the Training Center's indoor. Cody spooked at a blanket hung over the rail.
13. March 7, 1998: Cody was a basket case from the moment my butt touched the saddle. While I was waiting for someone to get a lunge line he spooked at a dressage letter. I fell and he took off around the (very full) arena. Did about a dozen laps at full tilt before we caught him.
14. March 15, 1998: Cody zigzagged after a fence. I was a little woozy from the heat, so plop!
15. March 15, 1998: Same day, different fence. Cody refused.
16. March 15, 1998: Same day, same fence. Another refusal
17. April 11, 1998: Cody refused a fence. Over the head and plop!
18. April 11, 1998: Same day, same fence. This time I landed on the fence. ow!
19. June 1998: My first fall from my new horse, Bert. He'd just had some dental work done and we were trying a new bit. Bad Idea. He refused a little wall, which I obligingly jumped for him.
20. June 1998: Same day, different fence, same scenario. Have I learned my lesson yet? Had my first fall "injury"-- I got a rein wrapped around a finger and sort of screwed up my fingernail.
21. November 14, 1998: I have a theory about falling off horses. People who fall a lot rarely get hurt, but people who rarely fall invariably hurt themselves when it happens. Thus, after going almost six months without a fall I was due for a doozy. I ended up doing a lovely face plant in the arena. Took a trip to the ER just in case, but I was fine. I had a black eye for days, though.
22. November 18, 1998: When it rains it pours! Just slipped off this time though, no damage done. It was a refusal, as usual, and one I really should have been able to sit through.
23. April 2, 1999: Bert refused a little wall. Broke my browband.
24. April 2, 1999: We mowed down this fence! It was a shame, he was so nice and quiet coming into it, but the distance was wrong and Bert freaked out. Broke my nice new rubber reins!
25. June 1999: New horse, Cosmo. Refused the wall and I went over. It was a pretty dirty stop.
26. June 1999: Bert reared and I bailed. This fall was non-optional!
27. July 10, 1999: New horse, Polly. She mowed down a little crossrail and I toppled over the side. I'm told I was very graceful!
28. July, 1999: Polly spooked at a gate propped next to the fence. I was trying to make her go past it, and I was just being a little too casual about it. When she spun around I wasn't prepared and I ended up on the ground. She high-tailed it back to the barn!
29. August 7, 1999: Polly refused a fence in the Pebble Beach Show.
30. August 8, 1999: Polly refused another fence. I landed on my feet this time.
31. February 2000: Polly refused an oxer in the indoor ring. This solidified my irrational fear of oxers for a while.
32. March 30, 2000: Polly and I were going to jump the panel jump for the first time this year, but then she thought better of it. She's never liked that panel. When she ran out I ended up all on her left side with only one foot in the stirrup. At that point I hopped down.
33. April 2000: Had a heck of a nasty fall. Polly stopped at a little vertical and I ended up on her neck. I started trying to climb back into the saddle. Polly decided to take off at this point. She was flat out galloping, and there was a jump in the way. I was still not in the saddle, so when she swerved I flew off. I really pulled something in my back. I was lame for a week.
34. April 2000: About a week later I was still hurting from the last fall and I took another spill. It was pretty minor, though. We were in the large jumper ring and Polly stopped at the half-round jump.
35. May 3, 2000: My trainer says it's feast or famine with me-- last weekend I had an awesome show and I won tons of ribbons. Today I fell off. This was a total brain fade on my part. We were jumping a skinny to the castle jump in four strides and I completely over-rode it and got there in three and a half. Polly begged to differ. We went back and did it a couple more times and I kicked myself repeatedly for making such a big deal out of it!
36. August 19, 2000: I was beginning to think I was due! My new horse, Jack, landed on a half-round jump and pretty much went through it. There was a ditch underneath so Jack got pretty tangled up. I bailed and tried to push myself out of the way. Jack fell over as he freed himself so I was glad to be on the ground already!
37. Presidents' Day, 2001: New Horse, Owen. Jumped a 3'6" fence for the first time ever! I was so thrilled to get over it I forgot to steer afterwards, and I fell off when he swerved at the end of the ring. Got up laughing. :-)
38. March, 2001: Fell off Owen during the Schooling Jumpers class at the Desert Circuit horse show. We got in a little long to a triple combination (oxer - vertical - oxer). I was knocked loose over the first oxer, held on for the vertical, and lost it over the last oxer. I remember seeing the rails of the jump pass beneath me...
39. August 26, 2001: Fell off Jack at a horse show in Woodside. We were called back to the work-off in my equitation class in second place. Jack did a great sliding stop at the first fence and I slid down his braids. It was pretty humiliating, but I guess I was due!
40. October 25, 2001: Fell off Owen at the Cow Palace. It was the first time I tried to move up to 3'6"-3'9" with Owen and once again I was bitten by the triple combination. This time we ended up too long to the final element. He quite happily chipped in a stride and I got jumped off. We like to say that with Owen you get your choice of being jumped off or turned off!
41. August 8, 2002: Fell off Charmer at the Menlo Charity Horse Show. This was my first fall from Charmer. He stopped at a panel fence in the Adult Amateur jumpers. I did not feel too bad about it since another trainer had fallen off of Charmer the day before.
42. October 26, 2002: Was jumped off Charmer during my lesson. I kept missing at a vertical, causing him to stop. I finally smacked him once with the crop, and came around to try again. I still missed, but this time he jumped anyway. I went flying...
43. November 2, 2002: Fell when Charmer stopped at an oxer-vertical one stride. Started to feel a bit discouraged with two falls in a week.
44. November 16, 2002: I thought I was going to make it through 2002 with less falling than 2001 but I blew it all in a month. Fell from Charmer in my Adult Amateur class at the L.A. National horse show.
45. February 22, 2003: Fell off Charmer at Fence 6, a fan jump, in my AA class at Indio
46. February 22, 2003: Fell off Charmer at Fence 1, a green oxer, in my junior-amateur modified class at Indio
47. June 26, 2004: Fell off Harrold when he stopped at an oxer in my Saturday lesson. Just one of those days...
48. July 18, 2004: Fell off Harrold in the middle of the Adult Amateur Jumper Classic at the Oregon horse show. I missed my spot coming into the triple combination and things went downhill from there. I fell off at the third element and sprained my ankle. Ouch!

July 21, 2004: Sad to say I am headed back to grad school so I don't expect to be doing any riding for a while. I'm really sad about it!