Lawn Dart

Well, Dee finally managed to get me off.  I always knew that the first time she succeeded would be spectacular.  She was actually being quite good, but the second time I asked for right lead canter, rather than leaping with a little buck into it (like she sometimes does), she apparently decided to just buck. Hard.  And it MUST have been hard, because she's never managed to unseat me like that (and mare can buck).  I ended up at her ears, and at that point I knew it was all over, so I just went with it, but of course I tried to slow my fall.  Cut to an unknown amount of time later.  I was laying in the ring, on my back after being knocked out.  Still on my back, I looked around to see Dee running in panicked circles around me.  I think maybe she was upset that she might have killed the only person who actually likes her.    It took me four or five times to sit up, and when I finally got to my feet, I just remember staggering around until I managed to get to Dee, who let me use her as a crutch to get me to a chair at the side of the ring.  We stayed there for awhile, while I tried to deduce what day it was, why I was there, and what the heck happened.

Finally, I managed to get Dee up to the barn, untacked her, and put her in the wash stall (I do not remember any of this).  Finally, one of the other boarders arrived, and called an ambulance and the barn manager.  She also washed Dee down and put her away.  The paramedics said I was fine even after telling them that I lost consciousness and showing them my helmet, which now has a big crack in it, and told me I probably didn't need to go to the hospital.  So, I said goodbye to Dee and the barn manager and her boyfriend drove my car and I home.

I did end up getting checked out yesterday.  Concussion and huge bruise/lump on the back of my head, but no bleeding or fractures.  I'm pretty bummed, because this was my week off before going to Nashville for a month, and I intended to ride everyday.  Now, I can't even get a helmet on over my lump, and I'm still a little bit out of it.  I'm hoping tomorrow I'll feel ok to drive out to the barn so that I can at least lunge her.  Maybe by the weekend the swelling on my head will have gone down enough to put a helmet on.  Silly mare.