Q. I'm scared as heck to ride my school pony again since I fell off him and got hurt. I haven't told anyone; they would laugh at me. But, he had no reason to start bucking. I've galloped him in that field many times. I had to get back on and ride back, but I'm afraid he'll throw me again. Guess I'll have to get over it. No point in being afraid of a 14.1 pony.
A. Your fear is a perfectly natural reaction, particularly after a bad and injurious fall. The best way past this will be to restrict your riding of this pony to very safe environments and safe riding habits (surely your trainer told you NEVER to move faster than a walk back toward the stable!) until you regain your trust and confidence in him. Chances are, this pony just saw his buddy having a good time and decided to join the fun. There was nothing malicious in his bucking. Sounds like he was just kicking up his heels, so to speak. Try not to hold it against him, but don't give him such an enticing opportunity again either. And don't pay any attention to other kids at the stable who might give you a hard time about being more cautious with this pony for a while. Let's just imagine how they'd react if they broke bones coming off their mounts!
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