LandSafe Clinic: Fall Safety Training Takeaways

Last weekend I participated in a two-day LandSafe Clinic at the Barrington Hills Park District Riding Center. If you’re not familiar with LandSafe, it’s a research-based, riding safety training that teaches equestrians how to land a horse riding fall as safely as possible.

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Danny and Keli, the instructors, have impressive riding credentials in eventing and both possess an additional level of expertise: Danny in the realm of steeplechase and timber racing, Keli as a gymnast. The pair travels with a horse simulator, gymnastics mats, a mini trampoline and what looks like the world’s largest blow up mattress. They teach riders of all ages, levels and disciplines techniques for how to land fall safely.

The LandSafe clinic I attended was hosted by the Fox River Valley Pony Club and I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to be the one old lady in with a group of nimble, fearless kids. I could picture them giggling and pointing at my uncoordinated self flailing about.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to have a few other adult riders in the group of ten with me. They were my inspiration and support. And, I’m happy to report the bouncy gaggle of girls were sweet and took pictures and videos of me. I didn’t see a single one of them laugh at any of us adults. 🙂

I have an old back injury that flared up a few days before the clinic thanks to my new obsession with polo. I was in a lesson and felt the sharp pain, but my friend and I were scrimmaging with the instructor. Even though I KNEW I should have stopped, I kept going! It was just too much fun. I shared with Keli at the outset of the LandSafe clinic about my injury–that I would participate as much as I could without going crazy. She said that was fine.

The eight-hour training is extensive and builds. My intent in sharing a handful of my takeaways is to inspire you to attend a clinic and think about falling differently. Here are some tools I learned to protect myself in a future fall situation AND a mindset shift I have now about falling.

LandSafe Clinic Takeaways:

Fight Back in a Fall

So I never thought about the concept of passivity in a fall before, and how I can be an advocate for my own safety. That comes through having a plan and instinctual response.

At the most basic level, this means instead of flying through the air, reins in hand and landing like Flat Stanley, my job is to tuck my chin to chest, knees in (making myself like a little ball as much as possible) and brace my arms like a halo around my head thus creating a cage. Better to have my hands pushing off the ground than head!

I learned instead of just letting the fall happen to me and going SPLAT, I need to fight against the ground–to literally push my body away from it.

Cage Your Cranium and LandSafe

As we learned how to frame our hands together into the brace position, Danny kept saying “You’re not getting held up at 7-11!” What he meant is we weren’t supposed to just raise our hands over our head, but keep a bend in the elbow, hands touching each other and arms forward a bit.

The idea is to push the ground away upon impact, kind of creating a “cage” for your head. He said in all of his various falls he had broken fingers, but never his arms or wrists with this technique. Quite frankly, I’d rather break my wrist than my neck.

Curl Up and Roll

If I can push off the ground with my hands, tuck my chin to chest and roll away from my horse, it will hopefully get me out of harm’s way and disburse the impact of the fall.

As Danny said, “Fight to stay tight!” and “Knees protect belly.” He added that if you watch an NBA player fall backward on the court, they don’t throw their hands out behind them. Instead they tuck, chin to chest and roll along their spine, protecting their neck. “Bounce like a ball and don’t open up.”

Let Go of the Reins!

I feel like there’s a belief that it’s noble to fall off while clenching the reins, so the horse doesn’t run away. I don’t remember anyone ever teaching me, “Don’t let go of the reins,” but it seems instinctual to hold them in a fall. This is NOT a good thing.

Danny shared when he was a kid his dad would say, “I can get you another pony, but I can’t get another you.” The point stressed is that in a fall, it’s better to place your hands together, assuming the brace position which will protect your head and neck than to land, hanging onto reins which will compromise your safest possible fall position.

LandSafe Clinic Recommended Equipment (& Reading)

At the end of the second day of the clinic, Keli and Danny shared the products they endorse for safety reasons. These Tech Stirrups caught my eye as I have been doing reviews of all the various safety stirrups (ever since we had a tragic accident at the farm where I rode in CA).

If you want to read my safety stirrups series, start here.

I bought the book Surviving the Unexpected: Fall Safety Training for Horse Riders which I believe has much of the same content as what we learned in the clinic, but I think it will be good to have to review and retain the information.

I was happy to hear LandSafe strongly recommends Charles Owen, as that’s what I typically ride in.

In Conclusion

I am thrilled I was able to participate in this clinic as it gave me a new mindset regarding falls and an arsenal of techniques to draw upon for my next one.

I can’t say that I mastered all of the various types of falls: my ouchy back coupled with a bout of insomnia prior to Day Two made my brain and reflexes slow. And I know from all my years in education I’m a very strong linguistic learner and much slower of a kinesthetic learner–I need words and explanations, over and over. Rhymes and catch phrases work well for me. I can’t just watch an action/movement and mimic it. However, this was a clinic well worth it–money well spent and I walked away with new confidence and a couple of new horse friends. Win win!

I strongly recommend you to attend a LandSafe clinic too. Check out their site landsafeequestrian.com. Let me know how it goes!

Thanks for reading and tally ho! 

Leave a Comment: Have you ever learned how to fall properly? Was it through a LandSafe clinic? What was your worst fall?

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