The Secret to Falling Off Horses

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In my youth, I had a reputation for falling off horses. In fact, you could call me an expert. Skilled in many slipping, sliding and plopping techniques, not to mention indoor and outdoor settings, I’ve learned how to fall like a pro. I’ve fallen on fences, splashed down in drainage ditches and crashed into trees.  I even fell off a horse that was standing still at the time!

It doesn’t matter what kind of horse I’m riding; I’ll always find some way to hit the ground. Tall horses or miniature ponies, it’s all the same. Gender is not an issue. I’ve fallen from spirited stallions, gentle geldings and maternal mares. Colour doesn’t seem to matter either. Black, brown, bay, grey, white, painted, spotted or palomino, they’ve all had the honour of watching me smack the ground with my behind.

Luckily, horses, like people, are basically good-natured. Never in any of my spills did they kick me when I was down. One time, my horse got bit on the rump, reared up, threw her head down, and I flipped over her neck. It was such a strangely hypnotic and surreal feeling. My world slowed down to a flying crawl. As I sailed over her cute little ears, I saw myself travel past her gray mane. Thump. I fell between her front legs. One hoof landed on the right, the other on the left. Her head turned to look at me on the ground with a quizzical gaze that said, “What are you doing down there?”

Now, the secret to falling off horses is simple —  let go of the reins. This simple truth works both practically and symbolically. Trust me, I know.

If you hold onto the reins, one of three things will happen. One, the reins will slip through your hands, causing a nasty stinging burn, which later turns into blisters and scars. If you hold onto the reins, you’ll spin your horse, and they might come crashing down on top of you. Third, if you hold on too tight and your horse gets spooked, you could be dragged down any rocky, dirty, and possibly smelly surfaces. 

Symbolically speaking, “letting go of the reins” means you’ll just have to accept your fate. Unless you have latent superpowers, you must see it through once you fall. As a mere human being, you can’t halt the law of gravity and jump back on, and unless I’m mistaken, I’ve never heard of anyone falling up. There’s a certain amount of faith required to let go. Our first reaction is to hold on and try to gain control, but as I explained earlier, holding on only leads to getting burned, squished or dragged. Nobody wants that.

It may seem strange that I would take such pride in my spills. After all, the Good Book says, “Pride goeth before a fall,” but it doesn’t say that humility quickly follows. Falling off a horse reminds us that we aren’t God and we don’t always have control over the things that happen in our lives. It brings about a certain sense of meekness, and, of course, you know what the meek get to do — they will eventually inherit the earth.

So, if you fall from a horse or something in real life, just remember to let go of the reins.