Bloody men and their natural talent...

sidesaddlegirl

sidesaddlegirl

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Joined
11 November 2007
Messages
2,594
Location
Wigston, Leicestershire
www.sidesaddlegirl.co.uk
OK, I've been riding since I was 12 and I still struggle with things although I find I'm better at side saddle than in a normal saddle. Our halts in our dressage tests aren't square and sometimes Hattie would rather go around with her head looking at everything else beside the job at hand...

My OH who has ridden a total of TWO times in his life (the first time was being led on a shire horse 11 years ago), gets on Hattie today and proceeds to walk her in an outline on both reins and do square halts. :p

He bought his own helmet yesterday (complete with cow print cover) and now keeps going on Ebay looking for riding boots and jods. He has claimed my astride saddle as "his". He finishes early from work on Wednesday and has "booked" a riding lesson with me then, lol.

It's sickening so I have decided to only give up riding normal ever again and just stick to side saddle as my OH can't beat me at that!!! :D

Men!!

Hattie and Gary showing me up...
gary1.jpg
 
Had the same thing with my first husband, within a year he went from never having ridden to cubbing and learnt to jump to he could keep up. Started off on a very kind ID and then progressed to our fruitcake Welsh D.

His balance was unbelievable.

We cubbed one morning and I watched him fly over a scaffold pole at more than 3' into the covert and then out the otherside over a 5 bar gate. I am not convinced he planned to tackle either obstacle but the cob was a bit of a character and they were both smiling when they came back to me, I had of course, gone round the scaffold pole and opened the gate !!
 
HAHA, i reckon its because the horses are on their best behaviour. BeauBeau does it to! An ANGEL fro anyone who doesnt know him, but if he knows you know what your doing, he is a wee ****!
 
My OH was same. 6 weeks lessons on a friends horse and then he took it hunting. 4 weeks after that was jumping out hunting. He used to drive a bobsleigh so has really good light hands! And just had natural good balance. One day we flew a fair size hedge together side by side, would have made a lovely picture :)
 
Same here! My husband decided to take lessons for the first time a few years ago (prior to this had gone on one trek and a short hack, that is all) and of course he took to it like a duck to water.

He was rising to the trot within half an hour and quickly picked up the concept of diagonals. The instructor even sent him over a small jump at the end of his first lesson and apart from his toes drifting down every now and then and a few issues with his hands he pretty much nailed everything he was taught the first time he was shown what to do. Fast forward a few months and we are both doing a small jumping course in a group lesson, where we did a mock show (the closest to competition I will ever get) and he wiped the floor with me (and the rest of the class) in the jump off! So bloody annoying.

He is a surfer has amazing balance and timing and of course no fear. It was the same when he went ice skating for the first time. I spent most of the session hanging on to the rail or my backside and he was whizzing around laughing at me.

I am of course incredibly proud of him but it is bloody sickening at times!
 
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One of my mates is like this. In two years his gone from being a non-horsey, not a clue to a brilliant rider, has his own horse and riding another nutter as well - absolutely no fear!!!
 
Yep he looks like he's been riding for far longer! Agree with the comments about trot, my husband looked like that until he trotted lol apparentyl its vvv painful
 
my OH had quite a different experience of horse riding. Having never sat on a horse before he had seen me "hop" on bare back and ride my old boy in from the field bare back, quiet as a mouse. One sunny day he said "can you lead me and i sit on".....what harm can there be i thought. So i legged him up.......with that horse took off bucking depositing OH and running about like that cat with the cream.

OH version of events - my wifes nutty animal took off like a wild thing so i jumped off quick before he thought he had the better of me.

Needless to say OH seems to think this makes him an accomplished rider and often offers "a hand" if I am having trouble with a youngster.

men - so much to learn!
 
Hehe sorry I had to laugh :D I love the cow print hat silk!

Good luck keeping your horse :p I think your going to have competition soon.
 
Miss Bean said:
One of my mates is like this. In two years his gone from being a non-horsey, not a clue to a brilliant rider, has his own horse and riding another nutter as well - absolutely no fear!!!
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Miss Bean, I have emailed this thread to OH to stoke his competitive spirit :D
 
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My OH is like that too. He rode a little in his teens, then nothing until I got my first boy. Got one big enough so that he could have a little ride every now and again......

Fast forward to now, he has taken him on permanently (as he's too much for me I decided in the end), they are fantastic together having jumping lessons and his little 'yeehaa' moments don't scare him.

Jumping about 2' 6" already after about 8 lessons and never having jumped before. I think as he also races motorbikes as a hobby he has the balance and no fear so it doesn't worry him. (although see my previous post about breaking his collarbone on Saturday racing his bike!!)

Good on your OH, although you may soon have to get a second horse like we did :D
 
LOL, I won't complain if we get a 2nd horse! Maybe if we do, it will convince him that we NEED a trailer and 4x4 then (or at least, a little lorry :D )

He knicked my nearly new Mountain Horse boots tonight. I was going to put them on Ebay as they are a bit big for me and the zips wreck the pommel on my side saddle but they fit him well!
 
Minstrel_Ted said:
My OH is the same. I swear they stay so balanced and centred in fear of crushing the jewels ;)
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An instructor friend of mine also reckons men are more naturally balanced then women on a horse because they don't have wobbly chests ! and are therefore not top heavy. I think there is some truth in that, women do seem more round shouldered on horses and I can remember many a lesson having ' shoulders back' screamed at me.
 
I think men are far more aware and confident of themselves physically, they grow up wrestling, skateboarding, biking etc, I know girls do too, but not so many and mostly not as much.
 
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