The first I've carried for over 45 years! A friend had a horse but no place to keep it so I talked Dad into letting me keep it over the summer. I loved to ride and only had a small pony. Having daily use of a bigger horse was like heaven to me!
He was a pretty fair little animal but a little green! I thought I could ride but in honesty, I was a little green, too! We were out riding in the fields one evening and had started toward home. But I decided to turn him around and lope in the opposite direction one more time!
No, that wasn't his idea. As I leaned forward in the "go" position, he threw up his head in a "no way" action. His neck hit my mouth. Ouch! I had a prominent eye tooth (we didn't have money for such things as orphodontics) which basically impaled my upper lip, left side. Showed it to a small town doctor (ex-missionary) who told me to put Bactine on it. That was my first experience with Bactine. It healed fine but to this day I have a slightly skewed lip line there. Gives my smile character!
The second scar was a mite scarier. When my girls were just getting into horses (ages 7 & 9 maybe) we had a young buckskin gelding we had raised from our all-time favorite mare, Lady! We called him Butterscotch! We'd had him green-broke by a trainer and had brought him home, but not kept up the riding on a regular basis. One day my husband insisted I should ride him out around the field with our daughters, they on their good old reliables, me on Butterscotch! I didn't want to do it because I didn't think the horse was ready for my level of riding skills. I think hubby was just trying to prove to me that I wasn't a horseman at all! Turned out hubby was right but it nearly cost me my life to prove it! Maybe that's what he had in mind all the time!
After having successfully made it around about 80 acres of stalks, we were nearing the yard, when Butterscotch decided to rear. Now, a buck I might have handled, but not a rear. At times like this I have this way of splitting into two beings - one that can see, analyze, reason and know just what should be done, and the other that pays absolutely no attention to the first, but just does what its natural reaction says to do. As the horse was rearing, my mind said I should let go, get thrown clear and be rid of this beast. The other part of me would not have any part of that but insisted on holding tight to the saddle horn, pulling leather as they say. Like my natural being liked the security of hanging onto something solid, never mind where it might take you!
As we were going over, I was pulling horn and saddle and horse that was attached, all 800 pounds or so, directly toward my body which was headed for terra firma, and I do mean firma.
I distinctly remember saying to myself, You dumb idiot! You're going to kill yourself by hanging on! But do you think I could let go? Not on your life.... or mine!
I think if the horse had come directly onto my chest dead center (pun intended) I might not be writing this today. But I took the horn to one side on my right boob, then felt it slip into my armpit area. I wasn't knocked out though maybe a mite short of good air. Seems I got up in a fairly timely manner. You can bet I did not adhere to the code of the West. I did NOT get back on. Not did I ever get on that horse again. I think he went to the sale barn. If I remember right, he bucked off daughter #1 on a cool 4th of July! I remember he kicked me lightly on the thigh once when he was but a foal. Needless to say, he was not one of my favorites!
This actual train wreck did not really leave a scar so much as a fatty deposit on my upper right boob. Several years later a doctor decided to aspirate it, then do a little outpatient surgery and remove the fatty tissue part. Left a scar at that time! I forget about it until I go for a mammogram when they always ask about it and I say, oh that! That's where a horse fell on me! Sounds adventursome! But it was just plain stupid!
Yes, I love those horses but they are bigger than we are!
2 comments:
Hey Little Apple - Glad your blogging. ust about every time I have ever gotten on a horse I have been quickly bucked off. Something about me freaks them out. Wish I knew what it was so I could change it!
Oh my that sounds painful. But what a good shock and awe story to share at the doctors office Ha Ha.
Have a great day!
~M~
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