What is the correct emergency dismount and when should you use it?

The emergency dismount — sometimes called a bail or a controlled fall — is a skill Clinton Anderson teaches as a genuine safety tool, and his position is that every rider should practice it in a controlled setting before they need it in a real situation, because a skill practiced under no pressure will not be available under high pressure. Anderson's emergency dismount involves removing both feet from the stirrups simultaneously, swinging the right leg over the horse's back, and landing on both feet facing forward beside the horse's shoulder. The key technical points are: both feet out of the stirrups before any weight shift, landing with knees bent to absorb impact, and landing beside the shoulder rather than behind the flank where a kick is possible. The most important element Anderson emphasizes is the stirrup removal first. Riders who attempt to bail while a foot is still in a stirrup risk being dragged if the horse bolts. Getting both feet clear before committing to the dismount is the non-negotiable first step regardless of how urgent the situation feels. He teaches practicing the emergency dismount from a standstill first — simply stepping out of both stirrups and stepping down — until it becomes smooth and automatic. Then practicing from a walk, then a trot, until the movement can be executed without thought. The moment when an emergency dismount is needed is not the moment to be thinking through the mechanics. The situations Anderson identifies as warranting an emergency dismount are: a horse that is about to go through a fence or into a dangerous obstacle, a horse mid-buck that the rider cannot ride out, a horse that has fallen and is still going down, and any situation where staying on presents more risk than coming off in a controlled way.