Originally Posted by
wphamilton
Back to the question, I learned this lesson well when I was 14. Falling off a horse, my arm braced straight out towards the ground, and snapping the bones above my wrist. For a long time after that, my motto was "don't stick the arms out".
I'd still say that's a good policy for those not wanting to learn how to fall, or who believe that it's mostly ineffective or subject mostly to chance. I'd hate to see anyone discouraged by those opinions though - just keep in mind that people giving those kinds of opinions are usually the untrained ones. The reality of the benefit is hard to imagine, unless you've done it both ways. As for how to use your hands and arms, there's not much point in explaining it. No matter how much you visualize it, or understand it, it's not really going to work without an expert training you in it, and practice - a lot of practice.
I don't know. Things sometimes happen, oh so quickly; and you don't have much time to think about how to react in any sort of rehearsed way. We like to think that we can train for any exigency.
I'm pretty good with horses, having grown up with them. One Spring day about five years ago I went out to exercise one of my Mom's horses--a philly with kind of a difficult disposition. It had been raining for a few weeks straight and the animal had not really had a lot of exercise during this period and I hadn't realized this. I got astride her and set off and before I knew it I was flat on my back on the muddy ground in front of her and practically all I remember now is how her rear hooves landed on the ground just a few, short inches from my head.