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If you are one of those riders who has eaten dirt at leastonce and wondered what in the world happened, you arenot alone. As a trainer and riding instructor, I do not believe in the theory that falling off is part of learning to ride, anymore than I believe that totaling a car is just a part of learning todrive or that burning down your home is just a part of learningto cook!Below are some simple, uncomplicated steps that you can follow to avoid the most common reasons for falling in the firstplace:CheCk the girth three times before mounting1. Tighten the girth on the cross ties (as you saddle up).2. Saddle before bridling and after your horse is bridled,check the girth for the second time. 3. Walk your horse to your mounting area and check the girthfor the third time just before mounting.So often is the case that horses will bloat/hold their breath because the tightening of the girth is a constraining experience andto brace themselves, they hold their breath. The result is that inless than a minute after you THINK the girth is tight, it no longeris. Many people use the knee in the gut method of making thehorse exhale, but I don%u2019t recommend this because it doesn%u2019t takea rocket scientist to figure out that you can%u2019t hold your breath for10 minutes and neither can your horse. If you follow the threestep girth tightening I outlined above, you can avoid this loosegirth problem and avoid the need to knee your horse in the gut.If for any reason you follow the three step process above anddue to a strength problem, you are unable to really tighten upthe girth, there are gadgets on the market now that will help youtighten your girth. You may also want to consider investing inbreast plates for your Western saddles. These will help to keepthe saddle upright even if the girth is not completely tight. Youcan also look into herculine fabric saddle pads (Western) whichwill help stop the saddle from slipping.not All riding Problems hAve to be solved in the sAddleThe most common problem that horse owners face is a toofresh horse - a horse who suddenly is acting like a knuckle headfor no apparent reason. Sometimes, this will appear as a horsethat is bucking. Other times, it is a horse that won%u2019t stand stillwhile you try to mount up. In another situation, your horse maytake off across an open field. In other words, the symptoms maylook very different from horse to horse, but very often, the realproblem is a feeding program that is too hot, or a horse thathasn%u2019t had enough exercise to work off that rich diet. There are plenty of easy-to-understand reasons why your usually quiet, docile horse occasionally turns into a perky maniac.Does this mean that you should expect your horse to turn into amaniac? No. But it does mean that as you better understand yourHow To Avoid Getting DUMPED!by Bonnie Marlewski-Probert38 Arizona Horse Connection July, 2026continued on page 40Twisted Tree Farm29001 N. Hayden Rd. %u2022 Scottsdale, AZ 85266(480) 860-8215 %u2022 www.twistedtreefarm.comHunter/Jumper Horse Boarding & Training Barn%u2022 Beginner To AdvancedRiding Lessons%u2022 Training %u2022 Internships%u2022 Show Jumpers For SaleDedicated to showingchampion hunters,jumpers and hunt seat equitation at all levels throughoutthe United States,Canada and Mexico. Janet Hischer