Am I getting too old?...

J

jam

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Light hearted thread really, just recently when I fall off I'm not bouncing so well as I used to. At what age did you give up riding the not so well behaved horses?
I fell in august of a horse that was being broken in and broke my humerous(carried on riding for two days before i went to a+e and then carried on anyway as they couldn't put it in a cast)
Fell this morning off a very badly behaved dressage horse, it hurt but I carried on, been clipping all afternoon now have the sneezes which seriously heart so I think I may have bruised my ribs.
Can anyone reasure me that I'm just going through a bad patch and that its not because I'm getting older( i'm only 21! lol) I'm sure it never used to hurt.
Any ways righting this has distracted me from sneezing :)
 
Was feeling quite sympathetic until the - i am 21 - bit :eek:

Seriously though, yes the older you get the longer it takes to recover, there is no way back unfortunately x

P.S. Broken ribs are an absolute killer :(
 
21!!!! Omg! I'm 29 and I feel young still lol although slightly creaky!!
When I was 21 I was throwing myself over 4ft fences because jumping any height jump starting with a 3 was 'boring', not to mention staying out all night and every night partying and returning home at 6am in time to do the horses :p. Make the most of it!!!

My mum is 51 and I think she is starting to feel she's at the age where she doesn't bounce as well but she still chooses a sharp ex racer as her horse :D.
 
Oh to be 21 again! I'm 40 and yes its true, I don't bounce as well as I did and I am cautious where at 21 I was fearless, but it didn't stop me getting an ISH mare for my 40th after a long break. And I've fell off her a few times too (though nothing too bad thankfully).
 
I hope to still be going when I'm 51! as for the partying never been good at that, I'll agree with the jumping big fences the first week after I broke my arm I rode a first time PN and three horses round an Intermediate, all good fun! I could never cope with sitting still but i'm guessing i'll have to become good at this as it takes longer to mend :(
LJR, broken ribs are a killer and i genuinely sympothise for anyone with these I managed to keep competing when I was 16 with broken ribs and collar bone at a very high level, I know I couldn't do that now and wouldn't want to as the muscle damage I did compensating was immence and took much longer to feel better!

Starting to sound like i get injured a lot so I'll stop now:o but its what I do to pay the bills and people generally don't pay you to ride good horses all the time, I can't afford to be choosey;)
 
Earlier this year at the age of 43 i finally conceded that there was a horse out there that i couldn't ride...it nearly finished my riding career but fortunately with a strong willed oh and a good dealer friend i am back on track :-)
 
21????? Jeez, that's positively youthful!!! :)

I'm 50, and have had to recognise that I ain't gonna be riding the horses I might have enjoyed (but probably wouldn't have!) at 21.

I don't think there's anything wrong OP in admitting that maybe certain types of horses and/or temperaments are not going to suit you; and 21 is a good age to be assessing your own riding ability and the sort of horses you are going to enjoy. Its no good over-horsing yourself, but so many people do ....... and then have endless problems with confidence etc.

Better by far IMO to have the sort of horse which is suitable and which you can enjoy and have fun on, and you're obviously going through a process where you're finding out what suits you.

Go for it! - and enjoy.
 
When I saw the title of this post I thought great I have been thinking about this a lot lately.
I am 50 have ridden all my life and 6 years ago had a terrible accident and 4 years of surgery and recovering. I got back to riding it was Long and arduous hunted last season have been doing dressage training with a few horses and a bit of jumping in the spring I prepared my hiunter ( hes a failed eventer)for a unaffiliated ODE and won the intro level class and I addmitted to myself that perhaps I am not though with all that stuff ( I evented up to 3star level before my accident) but my little hunter did not not enjoy it greatly so I left it there then I started looking for a horse ( WB to do dressage 7ish I thought ) ended up with a 5 YO TB he is talented on the flat and I have been jumping and lightly hunting him I really rate him and am thinking should I have another go a swan song if you like I am just thinking of intro and pre novice for a laugh nothing serious what do you think, am I mad ?
 
I'm 47 on Saturday & have also been thinking "am i too old" especially when my youngster decides to set his neck & charge off - he pulled me off my feet at the Stockland Lovell residential camp in September (so emabarrasing) & i'm still sporting a swollen black knee, which i can't kneel down on!!

I also did a local Hunter Trial in October and nearly died of exhustion - ok, slight exaggeration but i was bright red in the face & desperate for the last fence to hurry up before i fell off!!

Not as fit or strong as i used to be!

I have to say Goldenstar you're not mad - you're inspirational
 
I have a friend in her late fifties who was nervously eyeing the horse she had been given to ride and mentioned to the gentleman standing next to her that she was worried about falling off. He shrugged, huffed and told her quite brusquely that 'you just get bloody well back on'. He was 72.
 
Not sure if I am inspirational or a self centred pain in the bum who can't do her family a favour by quitting while shes ahead.
The thing is so far I feel really up for it I am happy jumping ( at the level he's at) I love riding him I feel really torn and don't know what to do .
 
You are never too old. I have spent twice as long breaking and schooling my youngster as I would have done 20 years ago (when I was 30) but having done things differently has been fab, really interesting and probably more correct.
I have fallen off him a couple of times and boy it was a nasty shock, I can't afford to be injured so I have just managed my risk more carefully. I'm like a walking health and safety manual these days and a bit wet, but I have been given a new lease of life bring him on and am determined we will compete a at relatively decent level - in time!
 
I'm half way to 112 but I still bounce. Tested it out last Sunday on the road. Got a few scrapes and my shoulder has gone a funny old bruise colour but I still bounced.

Anyway, falling off cant be worse than the 47 staples I had when half of my colon was removed 4 months ago.
 
Just back from the dressage trainer had the best time ever I am going to go for it going to a clinic with Oliver Townsend on the 25 th will see how I feel after that .
 
21:eek: It's all down hill from here then.

No, I jest, you are a baby, I am old enough to be your Mother so I can say that without being nasty.

I gave up riding lunatics (reluctantly) exactly 5 years ago when it suddenly dawned on me that my then 11 year old daughter had only me and her father to rely on, the rest of the family are 3500 miles away. It seemed a bit selfish to risk my neck at her (their) expense.

I do, however, still ride a rather dippy mare but I stay off the babies and the headcases nowadays.
 
Great thread, but honestly, you are just a spring chicken, I am 47, gosh, I don't feel that old, I busted my back ages ago but I am still going. If it wasn't for my back I would be eventing tomorrow.
I will never give up, but I am more careful now, and don't do silly things, youngsters are fine, naughty is fine, but trotting downhill hurts and so do drop jumps, so I avoid these (most of the time). However I must admit, I don't recover so fast if I fall, and certain bits of my body don't do as they are told. I guess as we get older we either think it is too much of a risk, or what the hell!
 
I was pretty fearless and crazy up until 18, when I hurt my back quite badly. I then went to college, started work, etc, but suffered constant back pain for years and my riding confidence started to dwindle. I've never baulked at riding sharp horses, although I stopped jumping and didnt jump for about 15 years after my back inury.
Now, at 35 I'm getting it back again! I seem to be a lot stronger than before, and the horse I have now isn't as spooky or sharp as some of the previous ones I've owned, meaning I'm much more relaxed and i haven't had any back pain for quite a long while.

I'm currently jumping 1m courses, doing x country clinics etc. It feels like a real achievement!
 
I'm 34 and bloomin' heck, I hope I'm not too old yet as I've still got loads more riding I want to be doing yet!!!!! I think maybe I got more sensible than when I was in my teens/ 20's - so I won't "crash test dummy" for people any more.... but I'm still quite happy breaking horses, just so long as I am the one that has personally done all of the groundwork and I know that the groundwork is all as good as it can be before I hop on. Actually, tho, I think maybe that's just being sensible (and probably better for the horses!).

LOL - my life's goal is to still be hunting at the age of 80 something and then have a horrid fall and die instantly from a fall :) You still see some spritely old boys and girls out there hunting and they are my absolute inspiration!

and hey, I don't remember Mark Todd being a spring chicken these days!
 
Im 53 and compete at BE also have a youngster who shall we say is a handfull!
Started competing BE at the ripe old age of 46, and have competed at BE 100 hope to do novice next year!
 
Well I am reliably told by my 76 yr old Mum, that when riding a horse the 16 year old person inside her takes over. She fell of when she was 62 and broke a vertibrae - didin't stop her riding again though. She had a knee replacement a few years back - didn't stop her getting back in the saddle (although she is very ashamed of the fact that she now has to slide very slowly off so that she doesn't jarr the knee). She still has a sit on from time to time and I can't ever imagine her giving away her riding boots and hat!

I am 51 and have deliberately chosen my current horse because she has the temperment and ability to be my competition horse for the next 10 to 15 years, then a nice quiet "Old Ladies Hack" when I get into my dotage - following my Mum's example I will be disapointed if I am not still riding in my 70's!
 
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