Written By You
Every month Equestrian Network Magazine features a short story written by one of our readers. It can be a story about an adventure you had with your horse, a fictional short story, or poetry. If you have a submission send it to info@equestmagazine.com and write "Something New" in the subject line. This month, Elizabeth Thompson sent us a story.

by Elizabeth Thompson

My husband and I met friends for a Memorial Day morning trail ride at the "C & R Center" which is a wildlife / trail riding area, located in Felton, De. There were eight of us riding that day. All casual riders, some very green, others had been riding for years. Not one was wearing a helmet. I ride an 8 year old chesnut arabian/paint mare named Cheyenne, she can be 'hot', but normally is manageable. I took a very light copper roller snaffle for Cheyenne and the bridle had no curb chain. I figured this would be ok since it was just a walking trail ride. (Poor preparation of tack, before the ride). I ride in an english style treeless saddle. I was wearing riding breeches, and tall english boots; however, no helmet.

the ESP messages. I took her to the back of the pack, and decided to lope her away from the group down the trail and then come back, because by now I was so frustrated at her, I couldn't see straight.

Cheyenne took off in a dead bolt gallop.

I couldn't stop her, the snaffle bit had no effect on her, and her speed was increasing with each stride. I tried to bend her, tried verbal cues, but the trail was narrow, through the trees, and she was not yielding at all.

I had forgotten the trail was relatively short behind us, and ended in a large metal gate, which barred passage from the C&R Center Road. Within less than a minute we reached it. She didn't slow as she approached it, and I thought she was going to try to jump it; and impale us both. She instead crashed through the trees at top speed. I put my right arm up to protect my head, if I was going to hit a tree, I would rather break my forearm, than my skull. All I could picture is the solemn shrine of flowers left at the place of a fallen female rider on the same trail at C&R Center. I thought I was going to die too... We broke through the woods and Cheyenne veered hard left to gallop up the road. I fell off to the right, and landed on the right side of my head. I was dazed for a minute, but crawled to the side of the road, not wanting to get hit by a car. I had 2 tshirts on, I pulled the top one off, and pressed it to my head; it came away with bright red blood, I thought I had fractured my skull.

None of my fellow riders on the trail were aware this had happened. A truck stopped, and I asked a man for his cell phone. When he handed it to me, the blood from my hands got all over it, and I was so dazed I couldn't remember my husband Randy's phone number, or decide if I wanted to call 911.

My husband and a friend had stopped on the trail to wait for me, and they said they saw trucks slowing... stopping, as filtered through the trees. They said, "Something's wrong...", and they started back to find me.

I don't remember what else happened, it moved too fast. I remember a friend calling 911, and the ambulance coming to pick me up. I went to Kent General, and they stapled my head wound shut, and gave me a strong shot of pain killer.

In hindsight, lots of bad decisions added up to this entirely preventable injury:

*several green riders. I was so worried about a family member riding with us on my other arab that I wasn't fully concentrating on managing my own horse.
*several new horses, that weren't getting along added to everyone's tension. We should have put red ribbons on potential 'kicker's' tails.
*We started on the trail backwards, which meant we were immediately on the blind spot curvy road, not the wooded path, when everyone's horses were nervous, and people were just getting started.
*Cheyenne's mild bit, and lack of curb chain.  She needs more training, and that mild snaffle had no brakes for a runaway headstrong arab.
*Cheyenne was being fed performance horse sweet feed, which has much more energy than her caloric needs. We have moved her to a low sugar pelleted feed, and grass hay.
*I was trying to multi-task, take pictures, talk, keep an eye on my green-rider family member on my other Arab...not focused on riding.
*the trail was short behind us, not enough room to lope down and back. Maybe only 1/4 mile.
*my cellphone in it's holder was strapped to my saddle, not my leg like it was designed to be. When she took off after I was th r own, I had no way to reach anyone.
*I WASN'T wearing a helmet. Biggest problem. I will from now on, my life depends on it. If you see me on a trail ride, and I'm not wearing my helmet, you have permission to yell at me.

So, long story short, please wear a HELMET. Yes I have one. A very nice Troxel, that was home protecting a nail in my tack room at the time of this incident. And yes, the hospital asked me why I wasn't wearing it. We think we look stupid in helmets, or they're hot... or itchy... I think a wheelchair looks worse in pictures. I'm very lucky I'm alive, I'm lucky to not have permanent brain damage. I'm amazed I didn't break anything. I was thrown at 20+ miles an hour, head first, into blacktop. Not good odds. Axial loading (fast pressure onto your spinal column from the top) almost always results in a spinal column severe injuries.

So, that's my long winded story of what happened Monday. I DON'T blame my horse. It's not her fault she's arabian, it's our fault for over feeding her, and undertraining. It was absolute stupidity to let her gain speed, in a bit I knew wouldn't stop her if she put her mind to it.

I'm blessed with the good friends I was riding with that day; I ride alone, helmetless and at a gallop often. How different this story might have turned out, in that kind of scenario. Andy Bates and Connie Butkus of Goldsboro, MD kept me calm,  they loaded our horses in our trailer and took them back to our house, so my husband Randy could ride in the ambulance with me to the hospital. They also brought my car to the hospital so we would have a ride home. Amy Miller of Camden, DE and the others came back to check on me, while we waited for the ambulance , and kept the horses calm. A man and his little girl (I don't know who you are, I just know the little girl was named Paige) stopped to help also. Thank you!!!