As published in the Rider Newspaper

Ride Like You’ve Never Been Thrown

Part 3

A Diamond Dozen

When I started writing this series of articles to assist those who have fallen from a horse and became fearful to ride again, I was determined to find the appropriate candidates to share their amazing stories with all of you. And for this third edition who better to share with us the effects and recovery of a bad ride than someone from the front lines.  The trainers who put time, effort and talent into gentling our equine friends so you might enjoy them safely.  Those brave master craftsmen who work hard to start the young horses right for you future equestrians and competitors.   Well I am happy to tell you that I found a gem of a trainer who in my opinion has been to hell and back. 

I met Sandy Diamond years ago when her full time job was one so many of us only dream about.  Sandy has an amazing riding facility.  Her day job was starting young horses; she gave riding instruction year round and enjoyed a change of pace in the summer with camps every year.  Sandy lived and breathed horses. 

Not unlike most of us, Sandy caught the bug very early in her life.  And on any given Sunday back then, her father would take everyone for a drive on the back country roads only to have Sandy hang from the back of his seat where she could stand and scout. She would cry out into his ears to pull over at the sight of any horse in the pastures on the roadside.   

The success of Sandy’s business was due to her talent as trainer using natural horsemanship; her compassion for the animals and the eye to see a good horse from the ground.  Her success accelerated her into many opportunities such as being hired to train and show for a prominent businessman who wished to introduce a relatively new breed to Canada.

Sandy spent months training the horses to ride and drive while the new facility was literally being built up around her.  She worked as many as a dozen horses a day in an unfinished arena where construction noise was constant and all the horses became accustomed to the chaos.

On the day of Sandy’s tragic crash she told me that it was the same chaos as usual from above where the viewing area was being fashioned and still remained open to the arena.  Looking back she attests the events to a series of issues.  She had worked the boss’ favorite last and the horse was very tired and sweaty as was Sandy.   This horse in particular was earmarked for demonstration of the breed’s ability and worked very well under saddle.  It was decided that Sandy should also train and show this horse bridle-less.  So as a cool down exercise she opted to review what the horse had been taught in that aspect. 

Sticks are used as part of this type of training to assist the bit-less horse to listen to the rider’s cues.  At some point something set this horse off at a full gallop around the arena with Sandy aboard.  There was little time for her to decide whether to bail or ride him out.  She unwittingly chose the latter and seconds later he stopped dead.  No slide. No shoulder drop.  Just done!  With the momentum from a full force gallop, Sandy inadvertently flew up and into the arena wall crushing her ribs, breaking bones in her back, breaking her scapula and collapsing her lung.  When she landed on the hard packed ground in the arena, she broke more ribs on her other side, now totaling nine, as well as her femur.

At the hospital, the concussion which made her confused and anxious was the least of Sandy’s worries. But even in an unconscious level her passion for riding shone through enough to demand that they not cut off her favorite chaps. “They have zippers! Don’t cut them off me” She moaned.

Her collapsed lung turned into pneumonia and she needed a plate and pins to bring her leg even close to normal.

 It wasn’t until her first physical exam after this incident when things were not healing properly that the doctor had feared she may not walk again and asked her if she ever needed to ride again.  She simply replied “Do you need to breathe”.

The pain through her recovery was immense but Sandy set herself obtainable goals at first.  Having been practically immobile for months working her way up from a wheelchair, to a walker then to a cane.  She knew she would need to start stretching her thigh and hip muscles if she were ever to mount a horse again.  As part of her therapy, she would sit on a saddle on a specially made saddle rack for only minutes at a time to begin with.  

One day after a year of preparing she told herself she was ready, so she had her husband tack up her 32 year old steadfast mare so she could be ponied around.  The fear was immeasurable.  What if the horse trips she would not be able to withstand any more pain?  The embarrassment was something she had to deal with as well.   Even alone with her husband she felt the humiliation of it all.  This isn’t who she was.  She needed to ride. She had to get back to business and as fast as she could.  Her career depended on it not to mention the financial burden on the family for not having her income.  And she needed to ride for herself knowing she could not live without it.

Sandy advanced onto a younger horse and it was like starting all over again.  The terror was brand new with each progression, but she continued on.  She developed ways to calm herself, so to relax in the saddle when the fear rose up.

Even today she has fallen a few times and told herself ‘okay so I’ve fallen off and I’m alright, good to go’. Now if a horse that she is working shies or reacts she calls for that inner strength and tells herself to keep calm, sit deep, and it will pass. It is working for her.

Sandy suggests that in order to get past it you need to start over and progress at a speed you are comfortable with.  Find a reliable horse and even a trainer to work you through it if you don’t have your own horse.  If you are stalled to the same point each time you try, you have to let go of the fear just enough to progress and soon you will let go more and more each time. 

Sandy has taken up dragon boat racing to help with her core and upper strength and she loves it.  She also became a PSW (personal support worker).  She is still a riding instructor. Although she may not train a dozen horses in a day, she has a few prospects on the go all the time.