Does it make me a really rubbish unconfident rider if I never want to jump?

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padderpaws

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I have really lost my confidence lately due to being bucked off again. I am no spring chicken and when I had a lesson today I went into melt down and couldn't even jump a small cross pole in trot. Not that I could ever jump anyway but in the past have achieved a lot more. I don't ever want to jump, not anything, but does that make me a defeatist? I don't even want to ride again I felt such a failure. Can I just gently hack? is that really naff? :(

Have sold my horse (whom i really did love ) but felt I just could not ride him any more. Oh dear what a mess :(
 
I think its useful to be able to jump, its no harder than sitting a spook so if you can't jump I'd be worried about your level of skill if you intend to hack alone. But if you can jump but don't want to well that's up to you. It's your horse and riding is something you do for fun, so don't torture yourself doing something that terrifies you.
 
Of course you can just hack! Lots of people don't like jumping, and lots of people don't like going particularly fast. It's up to you how you enjoy your hobby :-)

I have pretty much just hacked for the past few years (although I do like a good gallop etc) and was hoping to get into jumping now I have bought my own horse, but just before that happened I had a fall, so just getting out for a few hacks is always the first hurdle and I can't see myself jumping over more than two foot ever at the moment (I have probably done about 20 jumps in my whole life haha), but who knows how I'll feel in the future. You just need to ride a horse you feel confident with :-)
 
You can do whatever you want to, there is no reason to do more than hack if you are happy hacking, everyone is different.

I no longer really jump, been there done it and decided I no longer enjoy jumping, I have one livery who only hacks, she does the odd bit in the school but does not really enjoy it, another livery hates hacking, they have some amusing conversations but it is their horse, their choice. I school one horse and hack the other so horses and humans are happy.

Ignore anyone that puts you down or makes you feel a rubbish rider, hacking can be a big challenge, there are scary things out in the big wide world just waiting to eat your horse, if you can deal with that you are actually doing rather well:)
 
Right padderpaws, I'm going to ask you a serious question here.....

Why do you ride? Presumably because you want to enjoy it? So why should you do something you don't enjoy? If as you say you are at an age where you are no spring chicken, then you should be comfortable with the following saying:

“Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind don't matter,
and those who matter don't mind.”
― Dr. Seuss

Do what you want and be happy with it. :)
 
You are a grown up, that means you can do whatever you want!

Its hard when you have a confidence crisis. I used to feel terrified about jumping, but then again my mare was tricky to jump and it nearly always ended badly. She was a mother and daughter share so daughter did scary things and I did what I wanted - hacking, schooling and a little dressage. Once I gave myself 'permission' to do what I wanted I felt much better and my confidence increased. My old girl is now retired and I am getting a new pony after nearly a year out of the saddle. Am excited and bricking it in equal measures.
 
I think you need to remember that what ever you do, it's all supposed to be fun!!

Just do what you want and try not to think about things too much. There will always be someone better/worse, braver/more yellow bellied! :-)

Leave the jumping for now but don't write it off, you may feel more up for it in the future. x
 
I don't jump! Horsy is excitable. I am novice. Put the 2 together and we do what I feel I can do! Sometimes I feel impatient and wish I could do more, but hey Ho xx
 
I can't jump - at all - end of. I have no real desire to either. I have tried but I just cannot co ordinate with the horse's movement over a jump. I can sit a spook though as my horse's do like the odd spooky moment!!
 
I never ever jump :) It does not appeal to me at all, I completely lost my confidence with my old pony and now don't do it, but I think that even if I did have confidence I wouldn't do it- horses should be a fun hobby, you don't need to put pressure on yourself if you don't enjoy it :)
 
Starbucks said:
I think you need to remember that what ever you do, it's all supposed to be fun!!

Just do what you want and try not to think about things too much. There will always be someone better/worse, braver/more yellow bellied! :-)

Leave the jumping for now but don't write it off, you may feel more up for it in the future. x
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Exactly this! Don't stress over it - go back to enjoying it until you are ready to give yourself the push :).
 
OK, Ok, thank you all, I am taking in all the lovely messages. Now I don't have the responsibility of my own horse I am going to use my spare time to visit different riding clubs that take people out hacking. Just enjoy the ride and no pressure. Thank you all.
 
padderpaws said:
I don't ever want to jump, not anything, but

does that make me a defeatist?
No, just human. Who says that you have to jump? You know how to, but just because you know how to doesn't mean you must.

I don't even want to ride again I felt such a failure.
Take your time, have a breather from riding if you feel like it, no need to make a hard and fast decision right now. Riding is supposed to be fun, if it is no longer fun, why do it?

Can I just gently hack?
Yes :)

is that really naff? :( [/B]
Not at all
QUOTE]

:):):)
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well, I don't think it makes you rubbish and unconfident. I'm no great rider myself, but I love hacking out, I'm lucky to have a great horse on full loan and I'm trying to learn to have more control cantering in company, I will have happy then, no wish to jump at all! Good luck Padderpaws, and hope you find your perfect place.
 
Sugar_and_Spice said:
so if you can't jump I'd be worried about your level of skill if you intend to hack alone.
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I can't jump and I hack alone alot. Jumping has nothing to do with it. As I said I cannot fold at the right time, I can't see a stride or take the movement. Yet I can sit a spook or a spin. I can ride on roads with confidence and in open spaces, I can do gates and get off and on if needed. I have also backed my young horse myself. I just can't jump, and I don't really intend to start now.
OP - do what you want to, I only ever hack, can't school a horse or ride in an outline, but one thing I can do is hack!! My youngster is fun and forward due to all his hacking and is now ready for a friend to school on. I know plenty of people who can ride perfectly in a school and jump 3 foot plus but they are scared to hack out so don't do it, and that's fair play, I'm just the other way around, yet I get criticised as I can't jump!!
 
I can jump but don't enjoy it so don't do it unless I have to.

I love hacking and schooling and having general flatwork lessons.

But you can do whatever makes you happy.

I do think however it's good for some horses to have a change once in a while - but you can always find a willing rider to give him a gallop or jump to mix things up.
 
I don't jump and I very rarely hack. I enjoy my horse and spend time doing what I want to do. I would never criticise anybody as long as their horse was happy and healthy. This is meant to be fun and I don't see the fun in forcing myself to do something I don't want to.

Life is too short to do what other people tell you to do :)

On the other hand, if you WANT to jump but your confidence gets in the way then thats a different issue. E.g do you watch show jumping or see pictures and think "wow i'd love to do that"?
 
I used to be quite a confident jumper - and I used to enjoy it. But as I got a bit older I started to prefer the flatwork, and then moved onto doing dressage instead. I don't want to jump, I don't even like watching showjumping. OP it doesn't make you a rubbish rider, if you dont' have any inclination to do it then don't, jumping isn't a compulsory part of horse-riding! And whoever likened it to sitting to a horse spooking is just so way off the mark - I've sat to my horse broncing, rearing and bucking down the road with no problems - it felt nothing like when I used to do jumping!
 
Learning to jump was one of the targets I set myself last year when I started riding. I was so excited and maybe a little nervous about it when I first tried but it was a goal achieved. I seemed to get the hang of it quite easily and i loved it too but having learnt how it no longer matters that much. So I'm a yes, I can jump but it's not how I judge my riding and it probably wouldn't bother me if I never did it again.
 
You would struggle to find anything to jump on a hack round here, unless you were daft enough to put your horse to a garden bench as one foo who ended up with a lame horse did.
If you enjoy hacking - do that, if after a while you decide you want to do something else, do that. I understand how you feel, I've never been an enthusiastic jumper. I too am no spring chicken and now have a completely bombproof Draft horse, who can barely lift her legs high enough to jump anyway. I have no intention of falling off ever again, if at all possible. I had quite enough when I landed on my head on the road after the ID with a back problem threw me off. There were health repercussions from that for months. That was my first fall in over 20 yrs and I'm intending it to be my last.
 
No as everyone has said. I use to jump but now over fifty and dont enjoy it anymore will pop the odd log but nothing else. We have all sorts on our yard some jump quite scary things but hardly ever hack out, its supposed to be fun so do what you want and enjoy, lifes too short
 
Not at all. I was always rubbish at jumping and hated it, and after my first pony destroyed my confidence, I hated hacking too.

So I became a dressage only rider and trained for several years, not to compete just for my own enjoyment and challenge.

Do not let yourself ever be pressured into doing things like this if you don't want to! Choose your own challenges in life, and let others choose theirs.
 
I think if its a fear thing, through a lack of decent jumping experience, then in time you should give it a try because you might be missing out on something you love. I've met plenty of people who's limited jumping experience has been spoiled by a bad instructor or difficult horse, who later love jumping when they experience how it should be.
However if you simply don't like it then do what you like. The vast majority ride for pleasure, so why do something you don't enjoy?
 
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