Am I just feeling low because its winter????

goneshowjumping

goneshowjumping

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anyone else feeling a bit low over the winter?
i feel like nothing is going right at all!
i have ex racer 5yr old, whom is coming on great but we seem to have more worse days than good days at the moment! just feel like giving up on it all to be honest!
had a pretty rubbish ride last night where he decided it was easier to just land on a spread than jump it properly.....bearing in mind he jumped a lovely 95cm class on Sunday at Keysoe....then last night it all fell apart again!
just feel like im not getting anywhere and wasting my time!

wow.....just realised how much im moaning lol :D

Anyone else feeling the winter blues or shall I just kick myself up my A*@e and get on with it!!!! :p
 
Bless you! I am also having an early winter dip - things will pick up when the days start getting longer again, I'm sure :)
 
I actually hate winter!!! I always feel down when the weathers cold and nights dark.
My horse is actually being a star and going beautifully but I've lost all enthusiasm and just want to curl up in front of the fire with a baileys hot chocolate and sleep!!

Your horse is only young, he's bound to have days where he's not 100% on the ball. Focus on his good showjumping round he did, that sounds smashing :).
 
I have totally lost my mojo at the moment. I managed to work one of my boys for the first time in a week yesterday but today I'm back feeling unmotivated and.....meh :(
 
thanks festivefirewell, i know we are all in the same boat, and agreed about the baileys!!! (minus the hot chocolate i think!)

he is young, and yes bad days are not good but when he has a good day wow he is a star!

I think we should just stop this changing the clocks malarky!! :-)
 
Ooooh a splash of baileys in a mug of hot chocolate is SO warming and delicious! I'm trying to limit myself to one every other day in the evening as I'm a bit worried I may get addicted!
:D
 
goneshowjumping said:
anyone else feeling a bit low over the winter?
i feel like nothing is going right at all!
i have ex racer 5yr old, whom is coming on great but we seem to have more worse days than good days at the moment! just feel like giving up on it all to be honest!
had a pretty rubbish ride last night where he decided it was easier to just land on a spread than jump it properly.....bearing in mind he jumped a lovely 95cm class on Sunday at Keysoe....then last night it all fell apart again!
just feel like im not getting anywhere and wasting my time!

wow.....just realised how much im moaning lol :D

Anyone else feeling the winter blues or shall I just kick myself up my A*@e and get on with it!!!! :p
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I know exactly what you mean! I have a youngster and it often feels like 1 step forward, 400 hundred back!! I think it makes it easier when its lighter, when its dark and depressing you just feel like giving up but I try and concentrate on the points when she was really good and see that as my goal :-)
 
If it's any comfort, you're doing better than I am!

I had to sell my lorry to fund house structural repairs. Bought a 4x4 a while ago & was saving for an equitrek, but was so down with no lessons & no competing that I suddenly thought, eff it, let's buy an old Rice & get going. And now Trev won't even contemplate going in it!

We are borrowing a Monty Roberts dvd & headcollar from the tack shop & will be having another go, but in the meantime, I am well & truly grounded.

I too have an ex-racer who can be a complete t*t. If I *ever* get the stupid thing to go in the trailer, perhaps we could do some stuff together? I am quite keen on doing a shared lesson as he is totally giddy in the warm-up & I think he needs to get used to other horses in stages.

I am currently riding every day in my school by the light of a single floodlight in the cold & dark, & can't go off for a lesson due to said loading problem...!!
 
catembi said:
If it's any comfort, you're doing better than I am!

I had to sell my lorry to fund house structural repairs. Bought a 4x4 a while ago & was saving for an equitrek, but was so down with no lessons & no competing that I suddenly thought, eff it, let's buy an old Rice & get going. And now Trev won't even contemplate going in it!

We are borrowing a Monty Roberts dvd & headcollar from the tack shop & will be having another go, but in the meantime, I am well & truly grounded.

I too have an ex-racer who can be a complete t*t. If I *ever* get the stupid thing to go in the trailer, perhaps we could do some stuff together? I am quite keen on doing a shared lesson as he is totally giddy in the warm-up & I think he needs to get used to other horses in stages.

I am currently riding every day in my school by the light of a single floodlight in the cold & dark, & can't go off for a lesson due to said loading problem...!!
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oh god im so sorry...i feel a bit silly moaning about trivial things now.
I hope things can pick up for you and soon!
Where abouts are you? I had the same issues with my boy loading and I brought a monty roberts headcollar and after doing the groundwork with it, he went straight in the lorry! they are brilliant but you do have put the groundwork in first I feel.
Only asking where abouts you are as I am looking at finding a new instructor/coach (someone who BE events pref.) and wouldnt mind shared lessons if we are close enough!
 
I am on the Herts/Beds/Cambs border, a mile from Potton xc course, a mile from Tetworth & about 2 or 3 miles from Waresley Park.

I usually do jumping lessons at Lordsbridge (indoor school - yay) & dr at Bev Brightman (another indoor school) & compete at Keysoe, & used to compete at Lordsbridge & Manor Farm. May venture out to Shuttleworth; I've taken Trev to Twin Trees once & he was freaked out by all the little ponies & I had to take him home.

The plan is to persuade him to load, start sj & dr lessons, start competing in dr then go to v low key jumping & see where we go. Affil if we are both still alive at that stage. (Trev in sj warm-up is NOT for the faint hearted.)

But if he won't load, I will sell my trailer again & use the money to buy him an endurance saddle & he can bl**dy well HACK to Keysoe. He should be settled in the sj warm-up after a nice 20 mile hack up the A1...!!
 
Positive metal Attitude, he will do in, but as others have said ground work with the halter is the key, I have the Richard maxwell one with a DVD if you need it. Poppy used to go over backwards and walk on grab a mouthfull of feed then run off again, I used to get her out somewhere then wonder when I would ever get home. She wandered up on her own last week. Just dont look at him and dont react whatever he does, the pressure just stays there until he walks forward then the release is his reward!!

Good luck, if you need a hand at a weekend give me a shout, Im not far away and am a seasoned pro with loading issues!!
 
catembi said:
But if he won't load, I will sell my trailer again & use the money to buy him an endurance saddle & he can bl**dy well HACK to Keysoe. He should be settled in the sj warm-up after a nice 20 mile hack up the A1...!!
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hahahahahahaha PMSL.....love it!!
we ventured to keysoe last sunday for the first time and my boy was ok.....typical TB but ok!

your not that far from me so just give us a shout if you fancy doing anything!
 
Oooohhh Holidays I would *love* a hand! Even if we can't actually load him, perhaps you could show me the basics & then I could practise? Don't want you to be stuck here for the entire day, as that is what it would take. Trailer + Trev + car are all at home, so it won't require much organising.

I have a piano lesson Sat am but can be around for the rest of the w'end.

Would be good to see you again...don't think I've seen you since MF sj a looooong while ago!

T x
 
Dito here. I hate winter. Too cold, too windy, gets dark too quick. I usually just try and have as much fun the horses as possible and forget about the seriousness.. just makes me cranky. :D
 
you are definitely not the only one. I feel pooh after we had very poor dress rehearsal for a Dr comp this weekend oddest 15m circles ever! Working hard on the positive mental attitude but a lie-in on Sunday is now sounding so lovely!!

Don't be disheartened your boy is only young and I swear TB's are so bright that they try out all the options (including the bad ones) for any activity just to see what is it like. He was probably testing the structural strength of jumps to see how much splat they create!

Can I have that baileys after squiz22 :p
 
The dark really gets me down, especially in the mornings!

Tbh I would have a break, even if it's short, as I always find it gets your enthusiasm back and its great for the horse too! If you can turn away for a while even better, if not just turnout everyday and don't even think about riding for a while :)
 
Well I have always battled through winter and this time until middle of january mine are hairy, have no shoes on and are not being ridden.

They will be brought back into competiton fitness in the spring. Its the first time Ive done it and have to say Im absolutely loving it!
 
I think winter blues get everyone at some point, hate looking at topper compared to summer when he was is best condition ever!! roll on summer!
 
Yep think we're all feeling it, it's a lack of natural daylight. Maybe have a little break as suggested then carry on, soon the days will start to open out again:)
I've just been sorting the hundreds of photos on laptop and wondered where the season had gone but not long now :)
 
Eurgh, tell me about it. I've definitely got the horsey winter blues at the moment. It's becoming apparent that I can't keep calling him a baby when he's been broken for over a year and we still struggle with trotting round corners :( .

The physio has told me she thinks it will come together on the lunge first - however we aren't allowed to lunge in our arena and the yard have been building a lunge ring for the last 3-4 months, it's now finished (!!!) but with no lights - so useless for those of us who work (who wants to lunge on the only 2 days you get to see your horse in daylight!).

Hopefully the light will be sorted in the next couple of weeks and that'll ease the pressure of having to ride him in the school all the time in the week and just going round and round repeating the same arguments. If pony would just accept work and not argue every stride it would be lovely but I'm not sure the fell pony temperament is designed for that!!

Roll on the summer (is it too early to start wishing!)
 
Can I join in the winter blues and request for Baileys. I'm about 1/2 way through rehab for my mare following Kissing Spines surgery and we are at the joyous - she has to trot but only in straight lines stage. Cue me spending a lot of time running behind her on long reins trying to convince her I don't want to eat her. As an ex-racer she's much faster than me!

Because it has to be 6 days a week I rarely get a break from the running! Roll on spring when she should *touches all wood and crosses all available apendages* ready for me to ride again.

Look back at pictures of us competing this summer and think of all the high hopes I had for our first winter affiliated doesn't help the winter blues at all!

xx
 
mmm..definately winter blues i havent ridden my pony in 4 weeks:( seem to have no get up & go not that the cobby is moaning hes tucked up at night & out stuffing his face in the day:p
 
Am so glad its not just me then. I look at my horse and groan. I dread getting up in the mornings at stupid oclock and chuck my fat, hairy cob out as much as I can as we are lucky enough to have 24/7 turnout. I am working silly hours, and after finishing at 7.30 pm most nights, the thought of even going into our frozen up arena turns me cold. I only keep him ticking over as he is 18 and I dont want to just turn him away for the winter or he will stiffen up and he enjoys hacking.

Think I will join you with the Baileys.
 
This thread has cheered me up too, theres something in the moaning together !

Its baby horse's first experience of getting up on a cold winter morning and being worked and she does NOT love it. Pretty much have to put up with a warm up interspersed with little tantrums (today it was stopping, kicking out and pawing the ground) and then she goes fine, but I am pretty bored of the tantrums already. I dont like dark,cold mornings either but I have no choice (and nor does she!). Oldie is used to it so gets on with the job once I am on but a lot of gnashing of teeth in the stable ! Everything takes ages too with all the rugs etc so I havent managed to do both before work for a few weeks. The evenings are darker, so worse, plus I have been really busy at work so riding in the evening not an option. On top of that I sprained my ankle and damaged my foot nearly a month ago, and its still swollen and painful.

I am cold most of the time, hate walking to and from the station in the cold/rain/wind (not sure why this is worse than being at the yard but it is) and getting up is so hard, I just want to hibernate. I have one of those alarms with a light which gives a fake sunrise and is a total lifesaver but its still a huge effort to get up.

Only about 2 1/2 months to go.. by which time I will have SAD...
 
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