It may seem strange and discouraging to talk about falling off before you even got on a horse. But the fact is that as you learn to ride, and all the way through your riding career, you are going to fall off: there's no avoiding it, and anyway everyone will tell you that you are no kind of rider until you fall off - many times. However, it is possible to learn how to fall off so as not to hurt yourself, at least from a simple fall. This knowledge will take much of the fear out of falling, and this helps to reduce anxiety. The trick is to go to a local gym and practice falling on a trampoline; tuck your head in as you fall so that you roll, and don't put your hands out to break your fall - that's when arms and wrists get broken. And when you're in the saddle, when you feel yourself falling, it's best (if you can) to quickly take your feet out of the stirrups, just by taking wait out of your heels and loosening them from the stirrups. That way, your foot won't get caught in the stirrup. I've seen and heard many people getting dragged or having broken legs from feet caught in the stirrups.
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