A Tail Full of Stupid

You know, there was a time when I was labeled as “gifted” meaning God had blessed me with above average intelligence.  Somewhere along the way in the decades since, I must have burned off all those robust brain cells.

As you certainly know by now, I have a very green broke (meaning, just barely “broke” to ride) just-turned-4-years-old horse named Wunder.  I don’t get to ride him very often, and before yesterday hadn’t ridden for about three weeks.  In the meantime though, I had increased his feed to try to help him beef up a little.  In case you aren’t sure, more food = more energy.  Also, three weeks without riding = more energy.

Last night I begged Dave to let me ride, and after an early dinner he finally agreed.  So we loaded up the girls and headed out to the farm.  On the way out there I started thinking about what would happen if I fell off, and how my 4-H club used to teach us kids how to “safely” fall off a horse.  They’d have us practice diving off a picnic table.  Sadly, I *always* missed those meetings and have never learned how to “properly” fall off a horse.  Why was I thinking about this on the way out to the farm?  Premonition?  Warning from God?

We made it out to the farm and I fed the other two horses and put them in theirs stalls so I could ride Wunder without worrying about loose horses in the field.  Hey, THAT was a wise safety decision.  Go, me!

Did I mention that it was very windy yesterday evening?  It was beautiful, but spooky horse weather.  Wind = rattling trees and branches and generally a giddy, high-strung horse.

I put Wunder on the cross ties and got my tack out of the tackroom.  I always ride Wunder with a helmet, and I nag, mock and heavily try to push helmets onto my brother and Dave when they ride…though they always refuse.  And yet when I went to get my tack last night, I looked at my helmet and for some reason I can’t explain just decided, “nah…I won’t wear it tonight.”  What the what, Becki?!

I tacked up my Wunder boy and took him out to the round pen to let him run some of his kinks out there.  Meanwhile, in the property adjacent to ours, the neighbors were bringing their cows in for the night and Wunder was completely focused on the cow parade.  This should have been fair warning to me.  He also bucked a little and wasn’t listening very well in the round pen, but I couldn’t wait to get on and RIDE.

So after a few rounds each direction, I took him out of the roundpen and climbed aboard in the pasture.

This is where things get a little foggy for me.  I remember trotting him around the perimeter of the middle field a couple of times and him being a little squirrely, and wanting to go faster.  I remember deciding to go ahead and canter him and maybe that would burn off some of edginess.  Dave says that Wunder bucked several times and he kept wondering why I didn’t get off and take Wunder back to the roundpen.  I don’t remember that.  Dave says I kept going though, and I do remember cantering in the direction of the cows and Wunder exploding underneath me.  Long story short, I got bucked off my horse.

I remember going off him to the right…and then I remember laying on the ground moaning while David was asking me if I could walk.  I could not.  I have no idea how I got into the van or anything that happened in that time.  The next thing I remember was pulling into the hospital and asking David if he’d untacked Wunder and he told me that I’d already asked him that like 20 times.  My vision was really swimmy and I was super tired.

My pelvis/tailbone/butt area hurt the worst.  I was sure I fractured my tailbone and/or my pelvis.  Also my neck was killing me and it hurt to take deep breaths.  My right wrist also hurt like crazy.  I was a mess, and I was sure I had broken bones all over me.

I don’t remember having x-rays taken in the ER room, but Dave says that’s the first thing they did.  Then they took me down the hall, and I do remember going through a bunch of CT scans.

And you know what they found?  Absolutely nothing.  Not a single break or fracture, and no concussion.  You can’t tell me that’s not a miracle!  God was merciful on poor, stupid me.  Big time.

I do feel pretty horrible today….but they prescribed me good pain medication, and I am in great, loving hands with Dave.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your prayers and well-wishes!  I love you all, and promise not to be such a careless dummy again.

Tagged as: blacked out, breaking horses, bucked off, emergency room, horses