I was impressed beyond words this month when I opened my newest issue of PH to find not only an excellent article on the TRUE costs of helmetless riding but an ever better one from Danny Warrington on falls.  

Thank you as well to Phillip Dutton for allowing the use of the photos of his recent rotational fall.  I actually took those out to the barn and passed them around, pointing in amazement at his perfect balance and composure in every instant of this horrific fall.  I have long admired his horsemanship and profressionalism, now the bar has just been raised.

It is not only a breath of fresh air but an important example of facing the very real and very important issues that face us as horse owners and riders.  Not everyone events or even jumps, but, despite denial, we ALL face the risk of a nasty fall at some point in our horse career.  Heck, you don't even have to be RIDING to get hurt.  So thank you, PH, for rising to the challenge that these issues present and being a publication I am suddenly proud to subscribe to.  Whoever your editorial staff is right now, KEEP THEM, and you'll certainly keep my business!

I heartily second Solo's praises. Kudos, PH! From reading the letter from the editor, I can tell that some tough decisions were made in putting this edition together; you chose well!

Thank you, guys! I thought Sandra's article with Danny and Mike on falling was just brilliant.

What amazes me is that I came across another series of photos of Phillip falling, and you could have superimposed them over the ones we printed. It just absolutely amazes me that a rider can teach himself to react in that way at a time when things are happening really fast.

Of course I managed to fall off myself during the production of the August issue, and I can tell you that trying to affect my fall was something that didn't even go through my mind--even after already reading the article. It underscored the need for me to program my mind and my muscles on how to react for the next time. As one of my favorite people, Jane Savoie, always points out: Your mind doesn't know the difference between actually doing something and visualizing it.

When the issue finally came together, we did realize there was a lot of not-so-pleasant, possibly controversial stuff in there. We've been criticized by one or two people that the articles we printed were bad PR for the sport: What will Mr. Dadofaponyprincess think when he picks up a magazine at the local tack shop that points out the potential dangers of our sport--riders and horses falling, horses bleeding out of their lungs? But to not address the elephant in the room and teach our readers how they can protect themselves and their horses from the potential--and inevitable--dangers is worse than not addressing them at all, in our opinion. Glad you agree.

Stacey-mod:

What will Mr. Dadofaponyprincess think when he picks up a magazine at the local tack shop that points out the potential dangers of our sport--riders and horses falling, horses bleeding out of their lungs? But to not address the elephant in the room and teach our readers how they can protect themselves and their horses from the potential--and inevitable--dangers is worse than not addressing them at all, in our opinion.

You are absolutely spot-on, Stacey. Horesback riding is a dangerous sport, and we all need to face that reality in order to prepare ourselves to react appropriately during emergency situations. Adopting a head-in-the-sand additude only contributes to the danger. Let's face it, all riders will eventually fall off - so why not learn how to react during a fall in order to protect yourself and your horse? Seems like a no-brainer to me! 

Oh, and I hope you're not too sore from your fall. Icy Hot patches work wonders.  

Frizzle:

Oh, and I hope you're not too sore from your fall. Icy Hot patches work wonders.  

 

It wasn't too bad. Thanks for the tip though! I'll definitely keep that in mind. Typically I go for a couple Advil and a glass of wine! ;-)