Horse riders love to saddle up and gallop away. But having a thousand pound-animal suddenly collapse beneath you has led many to bid “adios” to their palomino pals.

A new study from Scotland, however, suggests you don’t necessarily need to put your pinto out to pasture after a single instance of collapse. In a case review of 25 healthy horses that suddenly collapsed, only one went down again.

The key to preventing recurrence is proper diagnosis and treatment of the underlying problem. Owners can help by providing details about what happened before, during and after the collapse.

Once any underlying problem is under control, the horse may be watched for several months. Riding can be resumed gradually with supervision. Although there is no guarantee that trouble won’t recur, there may be some truth behind the admonition to “Get back on that horse.”