Confidence issues

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Simbacat

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It was about 2 weeks ago that my mare bucked me off with a couple of ENORMOUS rodeo bucks cause I tried her in my OH's bitless bridle. I bought her about a year ago to play polocrosse on and she is really sharp and hot, but playing the game I just didn't care. Now I am moving her away from the polocrosse yard where she was stabled cause its just too far from London and my OH's horse has had arthritis and he can't play any more. Anyway I am having a bit of a crisis of confidence. I'm wondering why have a turbocharged polo pony to hack on? She has never actually bolted on me but she is very very fast, I reckon we could win a flat race. I have spent a year trying to chill her out and I have had some success, I can walk her out on a loose rein and she can stand stock still after cantering but she is always gong to be a very fast creature. I have come off her 3 times in the last year and feel I am a bit old for this.Once in a line out ( OK so I was on my tip toes with a heavy polocrosse stick on my hand and she leapt out, reared and spun at the same time - but that's because we were just both so wound up so not her fault) Once she slipped and fell over with me - again not her fault, but the mighty bucks have shaken me - even though I did push her too much in that bridle.

I do love her but just feeling a bit shaky about her - specially as I am moving her and expect that will be rough.Maybe I should just buy a body protector and try and regain my confidence - it hasn't helped I've had 2 weeks off due to concussion and we fairly flew around the ménage when I rode her yesterday Any words of advice ?
 
It will work if you want it to but it depends how determined you are to adjust her to a life hacking rather than doing polocrosse. Do you want to keep her?
 
I do want to keep her, I think she is special, I'm just a bit shaken by a week with the aftermath of concussion - I know I could sell her very easily as she is talented and it is a waste having her a hack ( she came 4th in the polocrosse world cup last year with the USA team, and the girl who rode her would have paid twice the price I paid. I'm just having a confidence crisis!
 
She won't feel wasted as a hack, horse's don't have ambitions or plans. Don't feel guilty about not competing her.

The key to getting your confidence back is to create a really strong positive visualiation in your mind of how much you'll both enjoy the hack together. Picture your route, think about how she'll feel, how calm and relaxed you'll be and then run the video through and through in your head. Getting your confidence back is about rewiring your brain to think "Ooo, this is going to be fun" rather than "I'm not sure I want to do this".
 
its so interesting you say that. We have this big field with a hill my OH and I can ride around were we currently are ( well actually the only place to go) We galloped round at full throttle ( I allowed that - not bolted with) and then I tried to canter round more coolly which made her head toss, then my OH said exactly what you just have - visualise it going well, and we cantered up the hill softly - I could feel every stride under the saddle).

I tried the bitless because I thought it would give me more control, what I don't like is the feeling I am holding her in the mouth and if I get it even slightly wrong in terms of weight on the reins and balance - she will head toss or even do little bucks ( not the big ones that floored me due to the bridle) But the bi gbucks have made me question my faith in her _ I guess i just need reassurance these things happen and you can come back from them...
 
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