Ruby Walsh: I always stood up after a fall – I had to show my wife I wasn’t dead

Ruby was speaking on the latest edition of our From the Horse's Mouth podcast.

From the first time I started riding you would always get up as quickly as you could after a fall.

Even if you had a broken leg!

It’s all about making sure you’re giving out that message of ‘I’m alright’.

There’s people watching who care about you – or at least you hope there are.

So you get up, or move something to say to the wife I’m alive… not dead!

From there you just take what happens.

When you hit the ground you usually know how bad it is.

You get an x-ray after to confirm how bad – you never get one to wonder IF something is broken.

Broken wrists, fingers or arms are pretty straightforward but dislocating my hip was probably the sorest injury I had.

Dislocating your shoulder is pretty bad, but your hip is a whole other level!

But with your arm, for example, you can just strap it up and get it where it’s comfortable.

Usually with something like a fracture, if you don’t move the bone that is broken you’ll be OK.

A lot of riding a horse is static, it’s not like playing football which is more athletic.

That gives jockeys a chance to do what other sportspeople can’t and carry on through what sound like bad injuries – but are actually pretty manageable.

Ruby Walsh falling from Valseur Lido

So if you can get a broken bone not to move by getting it fully supported it’s fine.

I rode with a broken foot in the stirrup and because it was secure and not moving, it was fine.

Walking with that fractured metatarsal was a killer – but the riding was easy enough!

With your wrist or arm or fingers, if you can get them in a position where you don’t have to move them you can get away with it.