Hemirjtm
Well-Known Member
I think this is going to be long 
Sorry!
On Monday I got a call from a professional Showjumper (who knew I was looking for work experience last year, and he's very close - 10mins down the road, and my mum works at the chateau where the yard is...so it's pretty perfect!), well he phoned to say that he wanted to asses my riding on thursday evening (tonight!). My mum had told him I had left school and maybe I could come and muck out stables and learn a bit from him to pass my exams at some point in the next year. I was very nervous, but basically he is looking for someone to school and bring on his youngsters, and I didn't know what he would think of my riding!
So on Monday I had a really good dressage lesson on my trainers horse (PSG 'schoolmaster' - if you get it right!). I then managed to fall off the 3yr old, and then rode my pain in the bum orange horse who decided that not behaving himself would be the best idea. Tuesday I took mine for a gallop as he needed it, then I got up to ride the 3yr old again and a thunderstorm hit in 5mins after arriving needless to say I didn't ride! Schooled Orange yesterday and then had an AMAZING SJ lesson on him today. We finished with a 1m25 spread - first time since last summer that we have properly jumped, and biggest we have EVER jumped together, not bad for a 15.3hh trotter x arab who couldn't canter a circle last year! Needless to say I was so happy and not nervous about riding in front of the pro at all.
Got to the place on time, and met my horse. A lovely 7yr old, AA, gelding but about 17hh (i'm little and have quite short legs!). Got him tacked up. Got on and felt very wierd on him. The saddle made me tip forward, and my stirrups were too short to start off with! Anyway, warmed up. Felt really confident, felt I was actually riding the horse rather than just sitting there. Did flying changes, shoulder in, shoulder out, a bit of leg yielding...just so he could see what I could do. Shortened and lengthened strides, but not really changing the rythm.
He then put a pole on the ground...and it just went downhill from here Basically with my horse you have to really hold him until the last stride, then give with my hands. But he told me that was really wrong and 3 strides before the fence you have to push. This was really alien to me. And I felt a bit incompetent over a pole Anyway we got there in the end. He then put up a tiny jump...and the first time I did what he said to do, and the horse took off a stride too early and I got really left behind - how embarrassed did I feel. He explained to me what he wanted instead of that and I came again. It felt OK until the last stride, horse stopped and spun, and I landed on the jump. I was sooooo embarassed. I literally wanted to cry. I haven't fallen off in over 2 years and now twice in one week I fall off!
Anyway got back on gave the horse a pat, and we jumped again. This time from trot. It was fine jumped it ok. Then he put it up to about 90cm and jumped it OK, I wasn't confident though. We finished there. Did a bit more flat work and felt better as thats a bit of a 'comfort zone' for me now as I find getting a rythm easy. So finished on a good note.
Walked him off and talked to them about it. He said my dressage was very good, I sat lightly but effectively. And got the horse really moving and swinging underneath me Then he said my jumping was rubbish! But we talked about my horse and he said he completly understood and wasn't holding it against me as he had basically changed my whole approach to a jump which is quite difficult to do in one go as I have been doing it like that for years!! He said that he wasn't really looking for someone to jump the youngsters, so he was mainly looking at my dressage which was in his opinion very established, and getting on a horse that you don't know is quite difficult
He's going to think about it, but it seems quite positive So now I'm just waiting for an answer. Obviously I will understand if I don't get it, but it could be an amazing opportunity, so I would be gutted if it didn't go ahead!!
Anyway I'm really pleased my dressage was good, but so ashamed that my jumping didn't follow suite But we can't be perfect can we
Thanks for reading, sorry for rambling I told you it would be long, but any tips on how to improve confidence when jumping a new horse? I think I have a confort zone with H and when someone tells me to do something else I freeze.
xLx
Sorry!On Monday I got a call from a professional Showjumper (who knew I was looking for work experience last year, and he's very close - 10mins down the road, and my mum works at the chateau where the yard is...so it's pretty perfect!), well he phoned to say that he wanted to asses my riding on thursday evening (tonight!). My mum had told him I had left school and maybe I could come and muck out stables and learn a bit from him to pass my exams at some point in the next year. I was very nervous, but basically he is looking for someone to school and bring on his youngsters, and I didn't know what he would think of my riding!
So on Monday I had a really good dressage lesson on my trainers horse (PSG 'schoolmaster' - if you get it right!). I then managed to fall off the 3yr old, and then rode my pain in the bum orange horse who decided that not behaving himself would be the best idea. Tuesday I took mine for a gallop as he needed it, then I got up to ride the 3yr old again and a thunderstorm hit in 5mins after arriving needless to say I didn't ride! Schooled Orange yesterday and then had an AMAZING SJ lesson on him today. We finished with a 1m25 spread - first time since last summer that we have properly jumped, and biggest we have EVER jumped together, not bad for a 15.3hh trotter x arab who couldn't canter a circle last year! Needless to say I was so happy and not nervous about riding in front of the pro at all.
Got to the place on time, and met my horse. A lovely 7yr old, AA, gelding but about 17hh (i'm little and have quite short legs!). Got him tacked up. Got on and felt very wierd on him. The saddle made me tip forward, and my stirrups were too short to start off with! Anyway, warmed up. Felt really confident, felt I was actually riding the horse rather than just sitting there. Did flying changes, shoulder in, shoulder out, a bit of leg yielding...just so he could see what I could do. Shortened and lengthened strides, but not really changing the rythm.
He then put a pole on the ground...and it just went downhill from here
Basically with my horse you have to really hold him until the last stride, then give with my hands. But he told me that was really wrong and 3 strides before the fence you have to push. This was really alien to me. And I felt a bit incompetent over a pole Anyway we got there in the end. He then put up a tiny jump...and the first time I did what he said to do, and the horse took off a stride too early and I got really left behind - how embarrassed did I feel. He explained to me what he wanted instead of that and I came again. It felt OK until the last stride, horse stopped and spun, and I landed on the jump. I was sooooo embarassed. I literally wanted to cry. I haven't fallen off in over 2 years and now twice in one week I fall off!Anyway got back on gave the horse a pat, and we jumped again. This time from trot. It was fine jumped it ok. Then he put it up to about 90cm and jumped it OK, I wasn't confident though. We finished there. Did a bit more flat work and felt better as thats a bit of a 'comfort zone' for me now as I find getting a rythm easy. So finished on a good note
.Walked him off and talked to them about it. He said my dressage was very good, I sat lightly but effectively. And got the horse really moving and swinging underneath me
Then he said my jumping was rubbish! But we talked about my horse and he said he completly understood and wasn't holding it against me as he had basically changed my whole approach to a jump which is quite difficult to do in one go as I have been doing it like that for years!! He said that he wasn't really looking for someone to jump the youngsters, so he was mainly looking at my dressage which was in his opinion very established, and getting on a horse that you don't know is quite difficult He's going to think about it, but it seems quite positive
So now I'm just waiting for an answer. Obviously I will understand if I don't get it, but it could be an amazing opportunity, so I would be gutted if it didn't go ahead!!Anyway I'm really pleased my dressage was good, but so ashamed that my jumping didn't follow suite
But we can't be perfect can we Thanks for reading, sorry for rambling
I told you it would be long, but any tips on how to improve confidence when jumping a new horse? I think I have a confort zone with H and when someone tells me to do something else I freeze.xLx