Confidence issues....

kerrie_jay

kerrie_jay

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Hey, I'm having some slight confidence issues with my ex racer at the moment. No problems at all riding in an enclosed space i.e school/field etc and have jumped him quie happily up to tthree foot in the school with no issues. However back in November he had a massive fit out hacking (some might remember my post) where he bucked reared span and bolted all in the space of about a second! I managed to stay on but he had never done this before. I tool him out the next day and he didnt buck or rear but he span and bolted for home. At this point I thought as the weather was getting wors and the daylight disappearing I would concentrate on my schooling for the winter to get him more used to me and responsive to my aids (I bought him in October), then restart the hacking in the Spring. I've just started hacking out again yesterday, just a short hack with lots of turning round and going back the other way and he was really good with no spinning or bolting etc. I planned on doing the same thing today with repetition being the aim for solving the problem but I seem to have lost my nerve a bit and bottled out! I think because he was so good yesterday I am expecting him to act up today and that the nerves that I am now feeling will affect him and the vicious circle begins!

So I was wondering what you guys would do - just get on and go for it or only hack out when I don't have the nerves (if that time comes!).

Sorry for the ramble and haribos to all who get to the end and tells me I'm not alone!

Thanks
Kerrie
 
aargh i so now how you feel, hate it when confidence goes, it puts you on such a downer. last year becuase of an accident (while out hacking, had to re-mount after going under low branch, horse freaked out bucking and bolted and i went flying and he ran towards a motorway :-o!!)... i was absolutely terrified of getting on my horse unless someone was holding him and my saddle - to the point where i was crying in the yard (and im not a cryer) if there was nobody about cos i was so frustrated with myself for tacking him up and not being able to get on!!!

I've been reading lots of sports psychology and have overcome it though so hopefully this might help you too!

Basically there are two things you need to do:
1) identify the fear (e.g. is it open spaces, or anywhere that's not the school etc) and then break it down into tiny tiny sections - so small you'll think they're stupid. e.g., i would stand on the mounting block with all tack and my hat, then put foot in the stirrup, then untack and put him away - next day with all tack, hat and body protector, foot in stirrup, walk away, next day when foot is in stirrup put just a tiny bit of weight, reward horse and put away etc). for you i guess this could therefore be: get horse out of yard gate, stand still for a minute (maybe let him eat a bit of grass for say twenty seconds) then just go home. Next day walk five yards from gate. next day fifteen yards, next day to end of lane etc etc... you get the idea. It will feel stupid - but that's the idea, the chunks are so small that they go on progressively and are totally fine and you doni't think to yourself OMG today i'm gunna go for it... it's the same as we should do when backing a young horse.

2) sounds lame, but honestly, use some visualisation techniques. if you visualise yourself in a situation where you and your horse are in a field, what do you think of? When i was visualising getting on, all i could imagine was that the saddle would slip and he'd buck me off - it may be that when you imagine yourself in a field, all you can think of is him spinning and rearing (if not, that's a bonus!). So, instead, concentrate on how it would feel to be in the field and you riding confidently, thinking of your horse as safe and fun, and how nice that is. then when you're doing all the boundary pushing in 1) above, have this image in mind, and keep focussed on how you WANT to be and WANT to seem to your horse.

You'll probably find that in the end, the steps in 1) don't go as slowly as you plan them - but that's great as it means you're overcoming things! Worked for me anyway....

good luck!!
 
Wow thanks for the response its definitely what I shall be doing! I was just so annoyed with myself today forr bottling it when he was oo good yesterday and I didn't really have an excuse. I'm fine as long as its an enclosed space, even a massive 40 acre field wouldnt be a problem! It's just on the roads! I think my fear is what you said happened to you, me coming off and him charging towards cars and busy roads.

A huge well done to you though for overcoming such a scary incident - I will get there eventually and tomorrow I am going to get out of that gate!

Thanks again!
xxx
 
Don't get annoyed with yourself, its so easy to lose that confidence in a moment of madness and it takes time to get it back.
Earlier this year I took a fall riding one of the cavalry horses (combination of very green horse and I wasn't riding as well as I should have been) the next few rides following that really tested my nerves and on the 3rd day I asked for the oldest, steadiest horse we have, I couldn't even mount him, I was shaking and feeling sick with nerves and decided I was making myself unsafe to ride with. I took him back to the troop and did that girly thing where you're holding back tears then someone asks if youre OK and you burst out crying - in front of TWENTY soldiers!!!!!! OMG Wanted to die. Luckily they are lovely down there, gave me a couple of weeks off then I built myself back up riding out with understanding friends who would take it slowly with me. I still get nervous cantering out in the open park space where the horses get extremely strong but ride by ride I am getting there and yesterday I cantered every canter track - cant tell you how pleased I was.
Anyway, not hijacking your thread just wanted to re-iterate the above point that it takes time and if you take it slowly step by step you will achieve what feels impossible at the moment and in a few months you'll wonder what the problem was!!!
Good Luck x
 
Hi Kerry-Jay
I have an ex-racehorse and i am having issues with my saddle at the moment. He is such a genuine chap and has never done anything bad to me (i have had him since Jan this year) on Monday I rode him out (th 2nd time i have been out on the roads at our new yard), and i had my usual saddle on but with a prolite front raiser underneath which was advised by the saddle fitter.
Well I had a really bad time. I had a friend with me and if she wasnt with me i think i would have dismounted and walked home.

My horse would not go forwards, he was bouncing sideways and backwards with some small rears, all down the back roads and on a main road, Using my leg to push him back to the side didnt work, in fact it made him go backwards. My friend had to keep coming on the outside to push my horse back in the the verge.
I wll be honest it terrified me. If a horse is fresh and threatening to bolt or really jogging forwards, then i think you have a chance to stop the bolt before it happens, by turning circles or taking a route that would make it hard for the horse to bolt, but doing what he did was so dangerous, i had no idea where he was going and it was anywhere but forwards in a straight line.
anyway to cut a long story short. I got back to the yard in one bit and nearly broke down in tears. untacked and I and 99% sure it was the prolite pad under the saddle causing the problems, his saddle pad was imprinted into his back and rubbing hard with the brush i couldnt get the pattern out and he was kicking his legs so he must have been so sore, (silly saddle fitter - got that wrong) Anyway am having his saddle checked again on Friday.

But - I have lost confidence, I havnt ridden since monday and was hoping to ride tomorrow or friday, I dont know what to expect, I trying to stay positive, and i will ride in my normal saddle with a sheepskin to lift the saddle slightly off his shoulder, so in theory if the saddle was the problem then he should ride ok, but i know if he messes around again my confidence is gonna go down and down and down.....

I am like you going to take things slowly and i may even just ride about 30 paces to the end of the yard and then turn back, or i might go in the school for 10 mins, but i will have to build up confidence slowly :-)

Good luck with yours
 
Before you hack him out, work him in the school or where ever. Do plenty of cantering and schooling excercises so you really feel on top of him.

The only way you win in these situations is to make sure your riding the horse! Not the other way round. If he is well worked before you take him out, you will automatically have the upper hand.

I would also take him out with another horse for awhile, getting him used to all the little rides which are in your area, then while out, sometimes put him up the front, and sometimes your friend.

When he is confidently dealing with this, then is the time to venture out by yourself! Good luck, and remember work, work and more work gets them with you. Ride him every day until your confidnece starts to grow again, and it will!
 
Hm. Haribos. Yum yum :)

So been there hun. I have found that just riding every day, and to start with it was very (very!) short rides. If you have anyone that will walk with you it might help give you the confidence?

Have a hug and a hot choccy hun :)
 
Thanks for all the advice guys.

He was in company when he first had a hissy fit but I have been out in company once with a bombproof schoolmaster since (just a short way) and he was fine so thought I would do a bit of both - alone and in company to mix it up a bit. Normally I would work him in the school first but its out of action at the moment due to it being extended. I can ride in the fields some days though if one is empty so I will definitely tyr to do that as much as possible for the next few weeks.

I'm definitely going to ride today - I just feel really silly cos I haven't even fallen off him yet (even during a paddy!) and I think I'm more worried about him hurting himself if I do fall off than me!

Thanks again guys - hope you enjoyed the haribos!!
 
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