Anyone else lost their mojo?

Hormonal Filly

Hormonal Filly

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Lost the love for riding recently.. maybe its the weather, not to sure.

Made myself book a lesson in a couple of weeks time and telling myself to get on and ride but not enjoying it like I should be!

Need something to give me a kick up the ass.. anyone else feeling the same way?
 
Oh hell yea...I lose my mojo....find it....lose it....wonder if I ever had it....find it! You get the picture, but I've had a 3 year break from riding after riding almost daily for 25 years. I've now got a 4 year old clydesdale which is newly backed and I'm going to keep hold of my mojo this time! lol
 
Do you have any friends to ride with? Could you perhaps plan a fun hack or competition with friends?

I think everyone goes through peaks and dips of mojo, I felt awful this weekend cos Id booked us in for too much stuff. Horse is a brilliant mirror and picked up on my stresses. Gave us the day off anything yesterday, feeling excited now to ride tonight!
 
It's meant to be fun. If you're not bouncing out of bed in the morning, full of the joys of spring, desperate to get on your pony, something's wrong. Go and find something that is fun - lessons, different sports, a competition goal, a new hacking route / plan / area - whatever works for you...

(Some hyperbole may apply. After a late night counting bats, I had to drag myself out of bed this morning for sure... I'm still looking forward to riding though!)
 
Me too. My lovely highland is well, sound and happy. He's on a yard which is literally a few hundred yards from my house, the people are great, we have lovely hacking on site ..... all's good. Except I can't get myself to tack up and actually ride.

If I turn round and bend over, would someone pop round and give me a sharp kick up the rear please ......
 
LaurenBobby said:
Do you have any friends to ride with? Could you perhaps plan a fun hack or competition with friends?

I think everyone goes through peaks and dips of mojo, I felt awful this weekend cos Id booked us in for too much stuff. Horse is a brilliant mirror and picked up on my stresses. Gave us the day off anything yesterday, feeling excited now to ride tonight!
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Maybe this is the issue, as no, I have no one to ride with. I regularly box out, to ride on my own. Hack out on my own, school on my own. I'm on a very small yard which is pretty much private, a couple of ladies compete so are out eventing most weekends and the rest don't ride or when they do its in the arena so I rarely see anyone at all.

I am boxing out with a friend this weekend to go for a hack.. but already thinking how I can't be bothered! I use to have so much go in me at my old yard, lots of people to ride with but since moving yards 2 years ago its got worse.
 
ForbiddenHorse said:
Maybe this is the issue, as no, I have no one to ride with. I regularly box out, to ride on my own. Hack out on my own, school on my own. I'm on a very small yard which is pretty much private, a couple of ladies compete so are out eventing most weekends and the rest don't ride or when they do its in the arena so I rarely see anyone at all.

I am boxing out with a friend this weekend to go for a hack.. but already thinking how I can't be bothered! I use to have so much go in me at my old yard, lots of people to ride with but since moving yards 2 years ago its got worse.
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That's probably the issue. It's easier to be motivated when there are others who motivate you with their enthusiasm and vice versa.
 
I have just found it again … it took a rather expensive (to me) saddle purchase though and no doubt I will lose my mojo again soon enough!
 
ester said:
Also, you've had an awful lot of horse stuff going on between the pair of them
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this.
It's Ok to feel a bit "meh" about things now and then.
The hot weather does it to me, I still have shows and lessons planned which makes me keep on going when I don't really feel like it, but equally it wouldn't matter a jot if I just sat in the field and watched them pottering about.

If you want a kick up the bum, people will have some suggestions. If you just want a bit of a quiet time, that's fine too. It IS supposed to be fun, but that doesn't mean you have to be living the dream every day, IME.
 
I've lost my mojo for schooling and jumping lately, which are my favourite things to do. It's the hot weather. We've been doing a tonne of hacking instead!
 
dogatemysalad said:
That's probably the issue. It's easier to be motivated when there are others who motivate you with their enthusiasm and vice versa.
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God, yes. My regular hacking buddy is fantastic for motivating me. His horse is a spooky Arab, but he still cracks on and will go absolutely anywhere on him. For me, having somebody who's that confident to hack with me is great for my nerves, and watching how easily he deals with his horse's constant spooks and sidles and contortions reminds me that Blue is never going to do anything like that. Hacking last night, his horse was turning himself inside out, bucking, going sideways, and A. just sat there and dealt with it. Blue had a little 2-metre tank when something spooked her, and tried to roll in a puddle, and that was the absolute worst she's ever behaved on a hack in company.
 
I'm on the other side again at the moment but know what you mean. After a winter of persuading myself to do something constructive on all those cold dark nights on the basis that I would reap the rewards come summer; and then it not happening. I find myself wondering if I can do it again.
But now I rarely get to ride, and find myself wishing the days away until I next get to ride, I suspect I will go back again.
Ideally I need to cope with just riding at weekends, which would be some peoples idea of heaven and is exactly what I find myself wanting to do once I have a regular week day chances to ride.
Apparently there is no pleasing me :)
 
Greylegs said:
Me too. My lovely highland is well, sound and happy. He's on a yard which is literally a few hundred yards from my house, the people are great, we have lovely hacking on site ..... all's good. Except I can't get myself to tack up and actually ride.

If I turn round and bend over, would someone pop round and give me a sharp kick up the rear please ......
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I could do with one as well. Your post put it so well.

When I'm at the stables I want to ride, but when I'm at home I can't be bothered to lug all the tack from house to car to stable to horse and back again. Sooo wish my rented place was secure enough to be able to leave it there. The sheds were broken into a while back, so I just can't risk it.
 
I hear you. I enjoy riding my horse but don't enjoy being at the barn. I don't think the yard owners like me, and I only have one barn friend, who I don't see much now as her work schedule changed. I haven't been able to click with the other liveries. I feel like I'm from another planet. I mean, Boulder, Colorado is sort of another planet from the west of Scotland, but still. It takes a lot of motivation to drag myself down there. A new yard isn't an option at this point for reasons I've gone into on other threads, so I'm stuck with it.
 
I have. Lost my nerve more than my mojo but also got upset by a negative encounter while on a hack and it's just put a massive downer on things. I basically don't want to hack any more because I feel like it makes people cross that I'm getting in their way and I find that upsetting. But hacking is what I've enjoyed most so I'm trying to persuade myself that it's ok. I find the large livery yard I'm on difficult and tiring and as much as I love The Beast I miss my old mare and it all still feels a bit weird without her.

Fortunately the light evenings mean husband can ride after work so I can take a back seat for a bit and just get on a couple of times a week.

I'm sure I'll get back into it all/get brave again eventually.
 
Sort of. Bog is more than ready (having had some short lived lameness in May) to be in full work. I’m busy with work and just enjoying not having the pressure to keep him competing fit, lessons, jumping etc.

I might do an event before the end of the season but now I’m out of the swing of it, I’m really not fussed.

For me I’m looking forward to autumn hunting on Salisbury plain at 6am! I cannot wait and know Bog will be super happy when he hears the hounds
 
I was born in 1961 a swinging time so the Mojo is strong in me I also like my own company so when I go out with my horse thats one more friend than I normally have. I have a bit of a Hippy no rush man attitude which has paid off with the horses. Todays hack I had a digger cutting a trench a huge crane lorry on a country lane someone cutting grass ,but because I was not bothered probably lost in thought contemplating life they were not worried.
 
Its easy to suddenly lose your riding-mojo, its like your get up and go has got up and gone!

I posted on here earlier in the summer as I was in the same position; I'd had a summer Bug and that had pulled me down a bit, but now I've discovered my riding enthusiasm again and yay its great!

For me, I usually hack solo, which can be a bit dispiriting if you do it ALL the time; and the thing that pepped me up was going riding with friends. It is now the summer holidays and there is far more opportunity.

Riding with someone else made me raise my game a bit and as I've got a youngster, have been able to use it as a schooling time for her too, i.e. the other horses go ahead, and then behind, and then pass at walk and trot, just to get her used to different horses doing different things. That gave us focus and something to aim for, and it has been good.

Later this morning I'm riding with an old chum; she'll be riding my other horse and we'll be catching up!! All good stuff.

Perhaps OP you need to do something different to what you normally do? Maybe a lesson with a different instructor? Try out a new equine discipline like TREC? Endurance? Carriage driving? Vaulting?? Western Riding? Just something to get you going again!!

Hope you get there.
 
I sort of had lately. Both my horses were on holiday for various reasons in the field for 3 weeks and I was quietly enjoying all the spare time I had and I didn't feel guilty because I knew they were happily living the life of Riley. BUT I had a saddle fitting last night and now finally have a saddle to fit my ever growing (upwards but mostly outwards) 5 year old and now I'm really looking forward to getting back on.
It's difficult when you don't have people to ride with I do think it helps to have plans so that even if you don't feel like it on the day, you go anyway because you don't want to let that person down and you usually end up enjoying yourself.
There are lots of people and horses where I am but a lot of them don't ride much or very far or they just ride at times I can't make. I have made plans in the past with people - lessons, events, pairs hunter trials, team chase but for one reason or another they never come to fruition which is always a bit disappointing but I'm thinking about joining a riding club so I have people to do more things with that aren't just a bumble around the block.
 
Last 10 days or so I have been awful! Its either been red hot or chucking it down. Its mainly because we are competing this weekend so I need to practice my dressage test and I just cant be bothered. This is something I will be very sorry about at 12.20 on Saturday!
 
Sasanaskyex said:
I'm thinking about joining a riding club so I have people to do more things with that aren't just a bumble around the block.
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I joined a riding club 6 months ago for that reason! Arranged to hire places, meet for hacks and get let down a hour before really irritates me. The riding club I am a member of regularly run rallys, competitions, training etc but horse has only just been signed off.
I really should put my name down for some things and kick myself up the ass now.. I would highly recommend joining one. Before all my horse troubles, the club were brilliant and so friendly. I don't think it helps my horse is bored as well!
 
Yes, I have. I've been bringing on my young cob and was enjoying it, despite losing the old git. Two weeks ago broke my ankle and wham - depression city here. I got on twice at the weekend for a gentle walk on him, but I was nervous all over again and of course, so was he. I was supposed to ride yesterday, but weather stopped that. I aim to go out, today, but at the mo I'm not feeling it. I had another dream last night where I was crying about H, triggered by writing a clinical summary for the post mortem vet students and feel weepy today, so might just groom him. I'm also struggling to find someone to ride with. Am actually considering moving back to my old yard as my paddocks are still free, because nobody at current yard seems to want to ride in company or with anyone other than their 'bestie'.
 
Fransurrey said:
Yes, I have. I've been bringing on my young cob and was enjoying it, despite losing the old git. Two weeks ago broke my ankle and wham - depression city here. I got on twice at the weekend for a gentle walk on him, but I was nervous all over again and of course, so was he. I was supposed to ride yesterday, but weather stopped that. I aim to go out, today, but at the mo I'm not feeling it. I had another dream last night where I was crying about H, triggered by writing a clinical summary for the post mortem vet students and feel weepy today, so might just groom him. I'm also struggling to find someone to ride with. Am actually considering moving back to my old yard as my paddocks are still free, because nobody at current yard seems to want to ride in company or with anyone other than their 'bestie'.
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I’m not judging as I rode 10 days post op with a broken ankle, but if you are nervous- riding knowing you are taking a risk with the ankle probably isn’t very helpful?

There’s no way I’d have got on mine if I was nervous of him until my ankle was 100%
 
I have been struggling with my mojo for ages trying to work out what was wrong. Still wanted to ride but not go to the yard but I love my yard and my horses so it made no sense. Decided it is a combination of my injuries making things hard, having the wrong horse and being at the wrong yard to best manage that horse and enjoy riding her .
 
Michen said:
I’m not judging as I rode 10 days post op with a broken ankle, but if you are nervous- riding knowing you are taking a risk with the ankle probably isn’t very helpful?

There’s no way I’d have got on mine if I was nervous of him until my ankle was 100%
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Completely see your point, but I'm not normally nervous of him - it was more the 2 week break from riding resulting in the usual hacking what if scenarios (a hang over from riding my very reactive mare before I bought him). He's a good boy even when he's unsure. Once out I felt ok and after a trot I knew the ankle was fine. My anxiety isn't ankle related and is helped by 'getting on with it'.
 
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