We all spend lots of time learning how to stay on our horses. However, there will be instances that arise where it will be safer to bail out. While these cases will hopefully be few and far between, it’s still a good idea to learn an emergency dismount.

First of all, before you learn to emergency dismount, make sure you are comfortable mounting and dismounting. It’s important that you can do both from the left and right sides of the horse? Why? Well, there will be situations where it won’t be possible to mount or dismount from the traditional left side. Particularly in trail riding situations, obstacles or terrain may make it necessary for you to mount or dismount from the right side.

Second, you should know how to fall off your horse. That’s right, if you want to be a good rider you will, at one time or another, fall off your horse. But you don’t want to get hurt doing it, do you? Younger people tend to make better “fallers.” Not only are they a bit more limber, but they lack the fear that tends to make adults stiffen up. If you’ve done it recently, you know that falling flat isn’t a good way to go. Learning how to curl up and roll will not only make you less afraid of falling, it will minimize and prevent injuries.

And if you lose your balance beyond the point of regaining it or for other reasons need to get off your horse, knowing how to fall is the first step in a good emergency dismount. That way, if you don’t land on your feet at least you won’t land on your head!

In most cases, it makes sense to stay with your horse. So when should you use the emergency dismount? If you have completely lost your balance, or if your horse you have lost control of your horse and don’t want to go where he is going—into a fence or traffic, for example—it’s an appropriate time to use the emergency dismount.

After you’ve decided to dismount, the first thing you should do is drop your stirrups. Next, lean forward and wrap your arms around the horse’s neck, still holding on to the horse’s reins. Straighten both legs, swing your right leg over your horse’s back, look up (this will help you land facing forward and on your feet), and slide off. Make sure you bend your knees to absorb any impact, and run a couple of steps with the horse before you decide to try to stop him or let go of the reins.

So what’s the best way to practice your emergency dismount? On your horse, of course! Start at the walk, and then move on to the trot and canter only when you’ve mastered the previous gait. Knowing that they have the skills to bail out if necessary helps most riders deal better with minor losses of balance and other upsets.