I Fell Off a Horse!

I was riding a bay horse in a small grassy arena next to a barn. I was using a burgundy saddle pad, a white wither pad, and my saddle. This horse was 16.1 hands, and her name was Belle. We were trotting around the perimeter of the area, a humid breeze dancing through my hair as love bugs zoomed by us. Bouncing up and down to the beat, we crossed the arena and changed directions while maintaining even contact with the bit. We soon went to a walk along the long side of the grassy area. I let her neck hang low, and she let out a huff while stretching out. The air suddenly felt hotter, since we slowed our pace. As soon as we approached the corner turning right, I collected my reins and we transitioned to a canter. It was the first time I had ever cantered her; the gait was really soft and smooth as the breeze picked up and whistled in my ears. She was a good mover, and I could feel her hind end under me.

As we turned the corner, her balance was off, her speed increased, and she started to counter bend. This happened because of a small roan pony in the pasture next to us. He was cantering along the fence line recklessly, which caused Belle to act up in this way. I didn't realized this was the cause of her unusual behavior until after I fell off, and my trainer told me what happened. She then started to buck in response to the pony. This all happened in slow motion at this point. I remember feeling her head drop, her hind end jolting me up, and my balance tipping forward. At this point, my seat was loose, and I lost both of my stirrups. Then she jolted to the side as hard as she could, and I knew I was going to fall. I let go of the reins and turned so my bottom hit the soft, wet ground first. I felt the watery mud soak into my breeches while the wind was knocked out of me. After this, she just stood there, waiting for me to get up like she didn't do anything wrong. I then hopped back on her, and she was perfect for the rest of the ride.