Do you ever realise that you just can't ride?

R

reindeerlover

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 March 2010
Messages
1,305
Visit site
I appear to have forgotten how to ride. I keep falling off and now I am nervous about getting on. I couldn't get my mare to trot instead of canter sideways and then my friend got on and she was fine. I need a rocking horse or a half dead 40 year old cob. Bleurgh :(
 
Having never had a proper riding lesson in my life I have picked up loads of bad habits through the years, and often convince myself I can't ride. Until I see the way some (who have riding lessons) ride, It makes me think that maybe I can ride after all and I am good at it.

You just had an off day don't put yourself down ! It happens to all of us !
 
We all suffer a lack of confidence at some stage. Go back to basics and do something you enjoy together like hacking rather than schooling. :)
 
I'm a total spanner when it comes to riding. I persevere but there is only so long I can keep attempting lessons on Belle with my legs flapping about and me generally being a numpty. I have absolutely faith in my instructor, I just seem incapable. My feet stick out sideways, my legs either flap around or I'm reaching for my stirrups, can't get my hands right, I tip to the side, I can't keep my arse in the saddle, my heels don't stay down for transitions, my elbows don't stay bent. I spend my life looking at photos of riders thinking "gosh, don't they look lovely" and then think of my own riding with shame.

On the plus side, I don't care about competing so I guess it doesn't matter too much.

So in summary, yes, I do realise that I just can't ride!
 
Every nown and again, I need someone to shout at me (AKA lessons :p ). I used to ride a decent dressage test, but having ridden my nappy mare for a few years, I can get her to go where I want (yay!) but it's not beautiful. :(

ETA. as she's going to be out of work for a while ( :( :( :( ) I'm going to have some proper lessons on proper horses to keep me ticking over. It's going to be a total shock because in that time the only other horses that I've ridden were: one Welsh Cob once, a second WC once and an ISH twice.
 
Last edited:
Sad isn't it? I don't really want to go for a hack- all my horses are "quirky" apart from the retired (lame) one, well even he is but at least I know when he is plotting to throw me in the nettles and can make an alternative plan. I just can't seem to get my head around bringing one in and getting on it, I have huge amounts of excuses made up just in case anyone asks me why I'm not riding. I have 2 for sale and they they are both fine with everyone else but just not with me- how the heck do I ride them for when people come and see them?? I had to put someone off earlier, thankfully the mare wouldn't have suited anyway but FGS, I need some Man-up pills.
 
I'd get someone else to come and ride them for you to show prospective buyers. If you are worried about it then you won't show them to your best ability anyway. Then when they're gone you can think about working on your nerves?
 
Could you bribe a friend, with some choccys maybe, so that they will ride the horses for the viewers?

Confidence is so easy to break and so hard to build up. We've all been there. Time and lots of baby steps (making sure that each baby step will go well) is the key. You need to build up lots of good experiances and don't pressure yourself too much.
 
Yes, sometimes your confidence takes a knock for one reason or another and then its hard to get back into the swing. I used to have to force myself to do 20 mins every day and within a week, I was back in the groove!!
 
I often have phases when I feel just like that. I usually know exactly what I *should* be doing but getting my body to co-operate is not always easy! It's always made so much worse when you see someone else riding the same horse beautifully, too.

When I get like this I find not riding for a couple of weeks helps as I start to miss it which gets me motivated again. I also start to forget about the incident that sparked it off - with me it's usually one big-ish thing which knocks my confidence in my riding and then leads to lots of little niggles. If possible, I'd try riding some 'nicer' horses whenever possible. A couple of good sessions when you feel secure and confident and the horse is going well will help immensely.

Hope you're feeling more cheerful soon. Riding a tricky horse well can give you such a good high but when you're not feeling so confident they just make things worse. :(
 
Oh no FL! (((Hugs))) It happens - I fell off opening a gate not that long ago - in front of some REALLY fit cyclists!!!!! I got wedged between a saddle and a rather spiky tree. The cyclists laughed and said all they could hear was a muffled "ahhhhrrggg, mooove you fat lump!" with an arm sticking up in mid air waving madly at them - I wasn't at all - didn;t even know they were there til they chortled. Loudly.

Maybe your suction-pads have expired. You really ought to reinvest in some new suction-pads.
 
Last edited:
Hell yes! I have been riding since I was 5 years old and still rubbish. I still cant jump properly and feel like I am going to fall off everytime we turn in canter :)
 
tallyho! said:
Oh no FL! (((Hugs))) It happens - I fell off opening a gate not that long ago - in front of some REALLY fit cyclists!!!!! I got wedged between a saddle and a rather spiky tree. The cyclists laughed and said all they could hear was a muffled "ahhhhrrggg, mooove you fat lump!" with an arm sticking up in mid air waving madly at them - I wasn't at all - didn;t even know they were there til they chortled. Loudly.

Maybe your suction-pads have expired. You really ought to reinvest in some new suction-pads.
Click to expand...

Is it wrong that I had to stifle a laugh while nodding sypathetically? :o

I hadn't thought of suction pads, my velcro trousers have worn out a bit though... My really bad fall from a couple of months ago was due to me "bailing out" when horse took off (didn't even BOLT) in a school and I landed on my back on the wooden sleeper at the gate. Stupid FL. :mad:
 
Farrierlover said:
Is it wrong that I had to stifle a laugh while nodding sypathetically? :o

I hadn't thought of suction pads, my velcro trousers have worn out a bit though... My really bad fall from a couple of months ago was due to me "bailing out" when horse took off (didn't even BOLT) in a school and I landed on my back on the wooden sleeper at the gate. Stupid FL. :mad:
Click to expand...

*sucks air through her teeth* ow wowowowowowow!!!! Nnnnyeah, that would put me off for a while too... were you ok??
 
Yes today in a group lesson, the first lesson I'd had of any description since last November. I just wanted the ground to swallow me up and felt so sorry for my pony having me on board! It was the instructor I normally have when I used to have lessons and I left feeling I owed him a huge apology for my dreadful riding!
 
Yes, my first riding lesson in 17 years last week with a local dressage rider - he asked me to walk, trot and canter on both reins so he could see how I normally ride and I promptly fell to peices, bouncing around, flapping legs heels pointing to the celing and her head up in the air - he could only mumble "you have a good basic seat" but he was avoiding eye contact so I took that to mean "bloody hell". Luckily by the end of the lesson we were both going nicely but then he said something about taking my stirrups away and i yelled "dont do that I'll fall off". I've been schooling without stirrups ever since just in case he does!
 
Not so long ago I had a lesson where, to say I was pants is an understatement. Instructor was trying hard to say something positive, so we could end on a good note, but it was proving a struggle poor woman.

Anyhoo, lesson ground to a halt and I went to get off, thinking as I swung a leg over, "At least I can do this right!"

Oh famous last thoughts.... I landed awkwardly and fell backwards, ending up flat on my back, and a sore cocyx for the next x weeks.

Poor instructor. The look of disbelief on her face! I just lay there thinking "How?! Why?! Bl00dy hell! Ouch!"

Ho hum.
 
Oh good gracious YES -almost every time I ride the older I get......never had a formal lesson in all my nearly 60 years of riding - my eyes glaze over when young friends ( and VERY good riders of course!:)) talk about half passes, shoulder in, nicely rounded etc. etc.

Usually havent a clue what they are on about, but when I question them it appears I do actually achieve all of the former great feats of ridng - but seems I dont know the technical terms OR how I achieve it - just do it...badly no doubt.:rolleyes:
 
The older I get the worse I get. These days I just feel so stiff and uncoordinated. All we've been doing recently is hacking out in walk, as horse had been lame and vets advice was to avoid schooling for a few weeks. I'm hoping we'll get the all clear to start our lessons again soon but in some ways I'm dreading it as I'll be like a big sack of potatoes wobbling about all over the place :(
 
Farrierlover said:
Sad isn't it? I don't really want to go for a hack- all my horses are "quirky" apart from the retired (lame) one, well even he is but at least I know when he is plotting to throw me in the nettles and can make an alternative plan. I just can't seem to get my head around bringing one in and getting on it, I have huge amounts of excuses made up just in case anyone asks me why I'm not riding. I have 2 for sale and they they are both fine with everyone else but just not with me- how the heck do I ride them for when people come and see them?? I had to put someone off earlier, thankfully the mare wouldn't have suited anyway but FGS, I need some Man-up pills.
Click to expand...

Man up! :D

I've got some in my car, I'll bring them over :p

I think what you need is a good crash test dummy to come and knacker out all your beasts and then you can get on when they've stopped being pillocks - yes?
 
oh god yes - on a good day - i am at least aware of my hopelessness - on a bad day - my incompatence is so extreme that i am not even aware of it:D
 
tallyho! said:
Oh no FL! (((Hugs))) It happens - I fell off opening a gate not that long ago - in front of some REALLY fit cyclists!!!!! I got wedged between a saddle and a rather spiky tree. The cyclists laughed and said all they could hear was a muffled "ahhhhrrggg, mooove you fat lump!" with an arm sticking up in mid air waving madly at them - I wasn't at all - didn;t even know they were there til they chortled. Loudly.

Maybe your suction-pads have expired. You really ought to reinvest in some new suction-pads.
Click to expand...

As much as I hate to take pleasure in the misfortune of others, this did make me giggle. :p

Someone saw my horse the other day and asked if I event her and I think I said "no, I just sit on top and try to stay there." That's pretty much the extent of my riding ability... and sometimes I can't even manage the last part.
 
I'm crap. Bought a new horse to hack on and can't even manage that as he very scarily walks backwards when he's had enough and just wanders off home! So tried to school him instead and realised that i should just give up really as can't even manage a 20m circle in walk :eek: Really want to get my broken mare back into work as i just sit on her and point in the direction i want to go and sit on top until we get back home again.:D
 
Right. That's it. C'mon FL!!! Grab a handful of xspiralx's MAN-UP pills and take with a good swig of Pale Cream. I mean a GOOD SWIG!!!!

Get your backside ON that flippin' horse of yours and tell it who runs the place. Roar!!!!

You CAN bloody well ride, I've seen you (in your sig, not in RL). You ride like a sporting princess. I can only think some nasty gnome has come in the night and taken away that riding mojo. I'm sure there's more where that came from so, I order you to straddle, sit tight and make that horse do your bidding woman! (Who DO they think they are? Enormous pets?)

In fact, that goes for all of you!!!

p.s. xspiralx - you got enough to go round?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top