My horse (Peaches) took 2 seconds to make me a believer in helmets. You see my 1st horse (Sonny) was an 18 year old Quarter Horse cow horse that was considered “bomb proof” and you could do anything you wanted on him. Including galloping completely bareback (no saddle) with only a halter and lead line to hang on to. It’s every girls dream. Unfortunately he passes away soon after I got him due to a genetic condition. In come Peaches. She was a total polar opposite to him. Looked a lot like him but was only 7 years old and descended from a line of fast Thoroughbreds. Not a good combo. She was touchy and hated being ridden bareback. But after a whole I got her used to it and continued to do what I did on Sonny until one day……. It was in an August morning and I was retrieving her and another horse from the lower pasture and decided to run like to wind back to the barn. I got her along side a fence and clamored on (remember she is 16.1 ½ hands high or about 5ft 4 inches in the air) with only the halter and lead line and clicked her to a gallop. What happens next I don’t remember but my mom witnessed. My last memory was I was loosing my grip on Peaches back when everything went black. My mom saw Peaches trip on a rock and I torpedo head first into the earth at 25+ miles per hour. It gets better. Apparently I was awake but not coherent and was able to walk back to the barn. Mom thought I was ok until I started acting weird. The last straw was when I asked “What day is it?” “Ellie its Monday.” replied my Mom. “Schools out, Schools out, Schools out” I started to ramble like a broken record. Yep, my Mom decided, something’s broken.

From there she threw me into the car with my brother and rushed me to the Emergency room. Just as Mom and younger brother trudged me into the hospital did I spew right in front of the whole ER staff. They seem to know what was wrong. From there I have a few glimpse of what happed. An upset mom, a jealous brother, and a doctor on my street who didn’t appear to be too surprised about what happened.

I fully regained consciousness while they wheeled me to a recovery room. I was then when I learned just how close I came to death. Apparently when Peaches tripped I fell as I said head first into the ground. However it was not my head that hit first. When I was younger I took karate lessons and spend hours learning how to fall properly. When I fell off my horse I instinct fully turned my head to the side and placed my arm perfectly between my head and the hard dried earth just before impact.

That action is why I am still here. While I suffered a mild concussion with a bit of bleeding and a swollen arm (not broken) I only had to stay overnight in the ER. The only side effect I had was being drowsy for a few days. The moral, to avoid a Darwin award listen to advice from your peers, in particular around 1,300 pound animals!

Submitted on 11/09/2006

Submitted by: Eleanor Rising
Reference: Personal Account: August 1998

Copyright © 2006 DarwinAwards.com

Graham said:
Neutral: Personal Account
I can relate to this incident, Eleanor: my horse bolted with me once. Quite a terrifying experience, although I was not hurt (other than my pride). You did have a lucky escape and those karate lessons sude did come in useful!

James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
A VERY nicely told "horse story", Eleanor! We don't get too many of those! My wife rides horses, but as for me (city kid from day one), they're a half-ton of BIIIG! Glad you learned about helmets! :-) PS I hope "Peaches" is OK too! Often the horse suffers as much as the rider, and I DO have a soft spot for the big critters! Definitely a story wiorth sharing with the readers!

Jorge said:
Neutral: Personal Account

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