Ever Feel Like You Can't Ride?!

criso

Coming over here & taking your jobs since 1900
Joined
18 September 2008
Messages
12,986
Location
London but horse is in Herts
Visit site
For my tb spring means yummy grass, lovely tender leaves and delicious blossom in the hedgerows. I can see me looking like one of those small kids on a Shetland trying to pull the head up.
 

Boulty

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 April 2011
Messages
2,296
Visit site
The orange Welsh used to fluctuate between making me look waaay better than I am (that line of flying changes in the bending poles? Yeah I totally asked for every one & could absolutely repeat that in a straight line… or not! 😂) or making me look like I’d never sat on a horse before (it’s normal to fall off if your horse has steering failure & nearly runs into the fence riiiight?!)

The fuzzball tends to stick with making me look & feel as incompetent as possible. His current life’s mission is trying to use tree branches as a method to remove me… particularly embarrassing when he stops under low hanging ones to eat them or tries to climb inside hedges 🙈 A few days ago I had a runout in trot from a flipping pole corridor… Some days walking in a straight line is a challenge!
 

The Xmas Furry

🦄 🦄
Joined
24 November 2010
Messages
29,605
Location
Ambling amiably around........
Visit site
I shall come back to this thread tomorrow lunchtime, am booked into my 1st clinic in 6 months, tomorrow morning ...
I think I can, at least today!
As just posted on the weekend thread:- We went and did sj clinic, v rusty after not being out for 6 months but came away with a grin.
Lovely coach, we popped various fences and strung some together including spooky wavy planks, double with filler boards and a treble which B coped with brilliantly. I got a lovely compliment about position through the treble, so I 'can' still do it! 😜
Def need to get us both more fit tho!
 

4Hoofed

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 October 2015
Messages
148
Visit site
😂 my friend videoed my first time schooling the giant ginger boat in a few months… we’ve been hacking, improving fitness, turns out as I’ve not sat on his back in canter in 3 months I’ve lost the ability to transition from trot to canter and vice versa without looking like I’m doing a Mexican wave with my belly, or looking like I’m about to fall off 😬😬😬 yeah needless to say I’ll not be videoing myself again for a few weeks!!
 

MereChristmas

riding reluctantly into the sunset
Joined
21 February 2013
Messages
13,061
Location
the sat-nav is wrong, go farther up the hill
Visit site
Been doing it for 50 years, still haven't quite grasped it...😁

Me neither

I never could ride but my goodness I had a sticky arse in a crisis 😄. Hunting teaches some skills. 🤣

Totally agree. F spooked at nothing on the Fun Ride this morning. Although I think I may have acquired a ‘mane graze ‘ on my cheek. It was our first FR of the year.
 

Clodagh

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 August 2005
Messages
26,651
Location
Devon
Visit site
Me neither



Totally agree. F spooked at nothing on the Fun Ride this morning. Although I think I may have acquired a ‘mane graze ‘ on my cheek. It was our first FR of the year.
Which cheek? 🤣🤣🤣.
Not in Devon are you? OH is volunteering at a FR today.
 

hock

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 November 2018
Messages
584
Visit site
I try to remind myself every day that 99% of the time it’s rider error that’s the cause of lack of performance etc. But then I give my horse 100% of the credit when it goes well. And there’s been times when I’ve been frustrated and I’ve felt terrible when that’s shown in my riding. I’m a perfectionist which is ridiculous because I’m never going to reach that standard so it causes me to be miserable which potentially leads to frustration. 2 tests at the weekend, first one dire second one I was much happier with as I had a word with myself about about putting myself under silly high pressure. I got a “working correctly” comment on my scores this weekend and that meant more to me than the frillies etc, my husband thought I was mad lol. I just want to do my absolute best for my lovely horses 100% of the time but I’m slowly realising the pressure that causes probably makes things harder. I think ultimately if we’re worried about how we ride we’re trying our bestest and to give ourselves a break!
 

Titchy Reindeer

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 September 2022
Messages
1,137
Location
Middle of Nowhere, France
Visit site
My last instructor told me that I actually ride very well. I understand the correct use of the aids and the outcomes of using them. I always make the right decision but....

I overthink everything, assume the question is more complicated than it is so don't do what I should.

So if I could switch my brain off, I'd be a much better rider 🫣😒😶
My very diplomatic and never contradictory instructor regularly says that horse riding isn't a sport for intellectuals... He then bemoans the fact that most of the kids he teaches can't remember a five jump course (the "jumps" are sometimes even just poles on the ground between the jumping wings, so even the stress excuse doesn't even work).
 

Jules111

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 October 2016
Messages
161
Visit site
I've been riding for 40 years, I often wish I actually knew 10% of what I thought I knew when I started out. The more I learn the more I realise how much I have to learn.

I'd love to have half the skill Elf has on the worst days.
 
Top