Confidence boost. How to keep it?

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Ilovefoals

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My boy is a 4yr old ID. He's been in and out of work since I bought him in may with foot balance issues and now has shoes off and diet adjusted (thanks Oberon) and is back in work.

He's a very sweet lad but of course is green and can be silly being only 4 but has been such a god send for my non existent confidence. My last horse really knocked me down all the way to rock bottom and I even thought about giving up entirely.

Well yesterday, I must have put my brave pants on in the morning cos I decided to load up and go down to the local indoor as weather was pants. Husband at work and daughter off school so loaded him up myself, which I was chuffed to bits with as he did it in 2 mins where sometimes it's been an issue. Got there to find a full course of showjumps up which I lunged him around about before getting on. He was as good as gold. No spooking, lookiness or naughty behaviour at all. I don't know why I expect him to misbehave. He rarely does but I think after my last horse, it's become ingrained in me and I battle to banish those thoughts from my mind. I was so so pleased and my little girl (6) took some pics on her camera for me.

Then he loaded to come home in 2 mins again :) I could not have been more please and it was a real confidence boost to me. Any tips anyone has for keeping my confidence levels up would be much appreciated! I seem to only be able to hold onto the good stuff for so long then it goes again. There doesn't even need to have something bad happen or for him to act up for my confidence to disappear, it just slips away gradually.

A few pics of my gorgeous boy. Not from yesterday as they were all blurry, bless her :)

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Just a gush really cos I was so pleased.
 
Ilovefoals - ok, going to be brutal here. You just dont look right on him. Ill do you a big favour, and come and take him off your hands. PM his address and ill be there tomorrow :D
 
well done, lovely boy youve got there:)

Focus on how well you did today and when you feel your confidence fading look back at this post and remember how you felt when you typed it :)
 
That's great, he's lovely :D

I have the same thing as you, where I keep expecting my new boy to behave like my old one, where as in actual fact he's very sensible and hardly ever puts a foot wrong :rolleyes: I'm getting there though , glad to hear you are too :D
 
I'm going through a similar lapse of confidence - I have just broken in (with help) my 3 year old and being a bit long in the tooth and not having ridden much over the last 10 years have had to really force myself at times to ride - however, little by little I'm getting more confident and I've come to the conclusion that confidence does wax and wane, but just to keep going with what you feel comfortable with. You have a stunning youngster and you are obviously giving him confidence aswell. Don't expect to feel fully confident all of the time, sometimes I have to kid myself into it and those are usually times when things go really well. Keep going, your horse will reward you with confidence. Well done to you - your lad is gorgeous.
 
Thanks everyone. I appreciate the lovely comments. He is an utter dude and really a bad thought would never enter his head. It's just me that thinks like you, 3baygeldings, that all of a sudden, he's going to change. I keep thinking, ok any day now the bucking will start, or the napping, or the barging etc etc. I can't believe it hasn't and so I'm just waiting for something bad to happen. I need to somehow accept he's nothing like my last horse so I can get on and enjoy him. I think for now, very baby steps for both of us is the way to go. I'm glad I'm not alone tho and thanks again :)
 
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