“I don’t think he meant during your riding lesson”, I assured him. “Well, I didn’t know that trotting would be so scary and it sure seemed dangerous to me!” he replied in justification of his actions, eyes growing bigger and bluer as he re-lived those first strides. As is oftentimes the case when teaching children, I struggled to keep a straight face.
Musings on the Art of Dismounting By Didi Arias Illustration by Didi Arias
I
“
ncoming!” was the cry, and in a flash, my new student was gone. I quickly stepped to the far side of the horse I had been lunging, thinking I would find him there; instead, I saw the little chap high-tailing it across the arena, headed for the bordering trees. Apparently, he had leapt from the saddle to take cover from an unseen enemy, and as he streaked away, he continued to shout his one word warning. When I caught up with him, I asked him what prompted him to jump off the horse and run away, half knowing the answer as I asked, recalling that his father was then abroad in a dangerous zone in the Middle East. Excited and breathless, he explained to me, in all seriousness, that his Dad told him that when situations got dangerous it was OK to bail out and run for cover.
12
Fall 2019 | Riding Instructor
That little boy’s dad had a sound idea, as hopping off the horse can be the sensible thing to do when faced with a difficult or dangerous situation. Oddly, many riders are not taught the safety/emergency/quick/ flying dismount; this I know as fact, having never been taught it, nor had the seasoned students that I asked who had previous riding experiences elsewhere. Why this is so overlooked I do not know: maybe because it can be tricky to teach in group classes, or perhaps the instructor assumes that the rider already knows it or perhaps doesn’t feel that there is actually a need to know it? One instructor I spoke to on the subject suggested that in an effort to keep students happy, the focus is oftentimes only on the progress of their technical skills, and not enough emphasis is being given to “the safety stuff.” There isn’t just enough time to teach it. Of course, there are those instructors who feel that if you have any backbone at all you will deal with all troubles from the saddle and not wimp out by bailing. I think they call it “Character Building.” As I’m a big believer in “the safety stuff”; I like to know that all my riders can get off the horse quickly and safely should the situation deem it wise. Whether a simple and quick dismount or a controlled emergency departure from a moving animal is necessary, it all begins with the teaching of slick and tidy dismounting techniques and of course, lots of practice. No matter what their age or level, I want them to be able to deftly and safely get off the animal as quickly as one, two, three, so I include dismounting drills into my riding program, the level of difficulty (standing vs. moving) depending upon rider ability. It is not just
