A depressed wobbleberry....

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poiuytrewq

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I hadn't jumped for years, for no real reason. A succession of non-jumping horses and my horses hock arthritis more recently.
I used to love jumping and was perfectly ok at it! Happy xc or showjumping. Didn't find it hard at all.
So when I got my new horse I figured that yes I'd sign up for the wobbleberry challenge and by the time it came around I'd be totally back to where is used to be... like riding a bike right?!
No.
My first attempt was in a lesson and that was ok. Not brilliant but went ok. We did grids and I quite enjoyed it. He said it was a case of getting back into it and practise practise practise.
I practised once since, then winter and mud hit and I was unable to ride in the field so it was all put on hold.
So today I tried again. Horse was distracted by shrieking field mate which didn't help. It was a disaster.
I'm now really stressed out by the fact I have to do a BE80 this summer and can't even do a cross pole at home... :'(
 
Its just one bad day don't be a depressed wobbleberry, its a great cause and I'm sure you'll be fine by the time your challenge comes up, supportive vibes :).

Have a glass if wine, relax and try to forget the bad practise and focus on the better first one. Good luck op.
 
fuzzymooch said:
Its just one bad day don't be a depressed wobbleberry, its a great cause and I'm sure you'll be fine by the time your challenge comes up, supportive vibes :).

Have a glass if wine, relax and try to forget the bad practise and focus on the better first one. Good luck op.
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Good advice!
 
You will be fine!!! Trust me I've just gone through EXACTLY the same thing.... When j was younger I had no fear, now I think oooo it may hurt lol!! But you know what.....get on kick on and smile!!! For me it was all about getting over the little annoying fear factor, getting my balance and keep practicing

You will be fine and u will get more confident as things progress, get a trainer who is Positive and guides you through while still pushing The limits,
And smile!!
Keep it fun and keep going
Love to hear how you progress! We are all cheering for you :)
 
Every day is a step closer to success. Today might not have felt good but it's done so you can do better tomorrow or the next day. Tomorrow's improvement wouldn't happen without today's progress.

You're doing a brilliant thing, keep going safe in the knowledge that you and all other wobbleberries are going to be heros just making it to the start box.
 
Take the pressure off. Just do some schooling and pop the odd pole on the ground in your canter work. Lots of canter poles then make them into a small x when you feel comfortable then it's a grid and so on.
 
Firstly, you don't have to do anything, I'm a Wobbleberry and if we don't make it this year we'll do it next year... secondly you had one 'bad' hour, that's nothing - start again tomorrow and take one step at a time.
 
Take the pressure off. One not-so-good lesson is not going to ruin your plans.

I am also a WB and last week had a complete wobble. My horse is very green and we had been doing well in our first few xc schooling sessions. Then went schooling with a bigger group than usual, I fell off, he kept stopping or running out and I was ready to write a sales ad. I was too crap to bring on a youngster, we would never make the challenge, etc, etc.

But I had a chat to my trainer and managed to find the positives and make a plan.

I think we are all going to have the feeling of 'one step forward and two steps back' at times during this challenge. We just have to keep plugging away and do the best we can. If we don't make it in 2017 there is plenty of time in 2018.

Chin up. Your next lesson will be better.
 
One more thing. Remember why we are doing this. Remember we are lucky to be able to do it even if we fail. Every day is a lucky day. That's what I tell myself.
 
tiga71 said:
Take the pressure off. One not-so-good lesson is not going to ruin your plans.

I am also a WB and last week had a complete wobble. My horse is very green and we had been doing well in our first few xc schooling sessions. Then went schooling with a bigger group than usual, I fell off, he kept stopping or running out and I was ready to write a sales ad. I was too crap to bring on a youngster, we would never make the challenge, etc, etc.

But I had a chat to my trainer and managed to find the positives and make a plan.

I think we are all going to have the feeling of 'one step forward and two steps back' at times during this challenge. We just have to keep plugging away and do the best we can. If we don't make it in 2017 there is plenty of time in 2018.

Chin up. Your next lesson will be better.
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Yep. I think it's giving some of us Wobbleberries more challenge than we'd realised, and we're putting ourselves outside our comfort zone, so there are bound to be down times. It's how you deal with those that's the real challenge, and where you can really succeed too.

Steady progress, keep chipping away at it but ofc be safe. Break it down into stages, keep assessing each if you hit a blip along the way to make sure you're on track, think about how far you've come, and crack on. If you're not ready that's fine, do it next year.

Winners are not those who never fail, but those who never give up. That's my mantra for this challenge.
 
Well I couldn't do a cross pole at home either a couple of months before I did my first BE80 :) to be honest I never got over the nerves properly, I just went out and did it anyway and cried lots. But I had a super honest horse.

Practice. Endless practice. Every time you ride even if you are hacking go and pop a single jump in the school after. Pack in as many lessons as you possibly can and sometimes you just have to take a deep breath, swallow the nerves and go for that x pole regardless. Lots of luck xxx
 
Thankyou all!
I just honestly didn't it would be difficult. Although I haven't jumped in years I did once or twice with now retired pop over a few of my daughters and it was fine. Also had a go on hers a few summers back. Straight over 90's no trouble so this is a shock!
I had planned lots of lessons from about now when the upkeep costs got cheaper and I figured I'd put any spare towards lessons but with a big unexpected vet bill I think my summer is going to be paying off my credit card!
So having had a good think over it all I know I was off to a bad start from the word go. The ground was hard which I was worried about. I was worried about daughters horse going nuts in the field alone (well with Shetland but apparently that doesn't count. I normally bring him into a stable) He always calls but I ride away and my horse never bothers, this time he was calling back madly (this is something that worries me a bit as my old horse used to call before turning himself inside out 😂)
Going into the first jump I don't think I rode him (erm, at all) so he wobbled into it and stopped. I've been told he used to refuse when things weren't right so then I just think I kind of figured I'd totally screwed up and that was that.
I did keep going, and got him over it several times but not prettily.
I will take him to a school, where he can't hear his friends and have another try!
I will stop being whingy...

Ffionwinnie, I didn't realise he was lame :( really sorry to hear that as you are doing so well! Any ideas what's up?
 
Well if you're not failing then you're not trying hard enough! It doesn't sound like the sky fell in to me, so I guess you should be alright to crack on :p
And isn't that what being a wobbleberry is all about? Overcoming those mental blocks that we all put in the way of achieving/experiencing all we want to....
 
It's amazing what a bit of pressure does to us tho isn't it!

Hoping just a bruised foot but he isn't doing anything to help himself heal as he spends most of the time pratting around and digging holes. Slight issues transitioning to his new life style!! Speaking to the farrier again his morning and hoping he has a miracle in his box of tricks.
 
Don't be disheartened. I think the problem is there are some Wobbleberries who aren't really what I consider wobbleberries IYSWIM.
When the idea came about it was aimed at people who haven't jumped/competed for a long time, possibly older riders with unconventional event horses. The point was they were setting themselves a very high goal, a real achievement. I liken it to someone who doesn't run training for & taking on the London Marathon.
I've seen quite a few people who were more than ready to do a BE80T, in fact I know one girl who last season was competing quite successfully at unaff 90!
Whilst it's great they are pushing themselves to do a BE event, I don't consider them the true spirit of the challenge.
What I'm trying to say is, don't compare yourself to others. This is your personal challenge & it will have the peaks & troughs personal to you.
We all have bad days, rubbish training sessions & moments of despair but it's keeping going when those hit that push your comfort zone & help you rise to the challenge.
Good luck!!
 
Another Wobbleberry having a massive wobble here!

After my big accident last year I signed up for the challenge hoping that it would give me a real focus and get me doing something that I had always wanted to do. I was initially told that I'd be out of action for 3 months but that turned into 7 months.

I've been back on board for a month now, hacking out and doing my first dressage tests. I was even thinking of having a go over some ground poles this weekend but on Tuesday evening Dangerous Brian decked me in spectacular fashion, straight onto my bionic arm. I'm proper battered and bruised and desperately hoping that my arm is OK (it felt alright initially but now I can't lift it so I'm hoping it's just damaged the muscles a bit).

I could cry, and have done! All I see on Facebook is a girl I know who is doing her challenge in the next few weeks. She's young, has endless training opportunities and was competing at BE90 last year. It's pretty demoralising when I managed to come off trotting in a field...................

BUT

I guess this is why it's such a challenge for some of us and that the feeling when we finally complete it, be that this year or next, will be incredible.

Kick on and know that you're not on you own with this.
 
FfionWinnie said:
Yep my horse is still lame and I'm looking at doing my 80 on foot at this rate!
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I'm in your gang FW... took my Wobblehorse for a XC lesson and, apart from the bits where I rode like a terrified moneky up a pole, it wasn't going too badly. Then went hopping lame in the water. We've fluctuated between 'it's just a big stone bruise' to 'omg he's done something awful', vet was happy it was probably just a deep bruise, sent him videos last night and he is not happy with progress (10 days post-injury) so now wants him in for a full lameness work up. ARGH.

I do have a back-up in NF pony, but he's very inexperienced jumping and is a hand shorter... which makes the jumps looks a hand bigger... gulp.

Fingers and hooves crossed yours is just a bruise and you are back on track soon :)
 
OP am I right in thinking you're a Glos wobbleberry? I know that Ben Greenwood has been doing some work with the local wobbleberry's, he's great at building confidence and I don't think is too far away from you at Cirencester? Don't give up, I know of several who are only just getting going now for various reasons, and at least one that has yet to leave the ground!
 
FfionWinnie said:
One more thing. Remember why we are doing this. Remember we are lucky to be able to do it even if we fail. Every day is a lucky day. That's what I tell myself.
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This. While the challenge is great, the reason you're doing it is the important thing.

poiuytrewq - I'd have 2 or 3 lessons before you start practising on your own - for no other reason than to build your confidence. I know I'm a different rider if I've got someone on the floor watching me. I also think you need to look at the positives. Ok you had a bad start, but you got over it and got him over the fences. It may not have been stylish, but are you going to care if it was stylish when you've finished your 80 - getting round is the important thing.

I'm sure you'll be fine with a few more months of jumping under your belt.
 
To add to the great advice above, in terms of tips for confidence I found this simple tip really helpful when I had my recent splat event. I wrote down everything that had gone well, listed all the positives. Just doing that made me feel better immediately. And when I had a couple do down moments later on, I got the list out and read it a couple of times. Really helped.

I found it again recently and read it through, and was please with how different I feel about it just a few weeks later.
 
Have lots of lessons, building up gradually and always setting yourself up to succeed. Don't go diving off at the deep end.

Once you're back in the swing of it, you'll be well away :)
 
I'm another thinking I'm more likely to do it next year then this. My problem is confidence jumping which is very 2 steps forward 1 back. Still determined to do it but it's taking longer than I hoped.
 
I know nothing about the wobbleberry challenge apart from what i can gleam on here, and it sounds like a fantastic idea. From hearing about worries people have coming up closer to the time, did they receive packs or info with training plans, or goals they needed to hit en-route, so that they would be confident doing the full event? Were there smaller events run 60s/70s at all to help people get their confidence up?

I know from my own experience getting back eventing years ago that i really needed a good solid training plan, broken into smaller steps, so i could see where i was at and what i needed to work on, and i would be no way a nervous jumper and i still found it overwhelming at the start. I just think an 80s is almost too high a height for nervous riders who havent been jumping to do for a first event. would it have been better to run a smaller class maybe? Just so people can enjoy the day instead of being in terror!!
 
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