FEEL LIKE I SHOULD BE DOING MORE

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Walder

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i cant beileve what a wuss i am! - i have been riding new pony 3 weeks now (OWNED HIM A WEEK) and i'm getting the colly wobbles for some reason! He has been such a good boy, thrown a few things at me but nothing malicious or dreadfull, but today i was worried about riding him for some reason! So i lunged him and did join up.
He is loving my schooling sessions as we just plod round the school and maybe do a little bit of trot and the lunge session this moring consisted of a lot of walk (no side reins ect) a liltte trot and canter on both reins - He thinks he's died and gone to heaven i think as he hardly has to do anything!!!! Im just keeping every thing quiet and slow for now but i feel as if i should be cantering by now but i seem to have got a mental blockage about it! i absolutly love him and he even went past the cows on saturday - (i have an issue with cows and pigs )but he didnt even look at them even though he must have felt my body appear like id had a broom shoved up my a**e! (i was a stiff as a board with fear!) Feel a bit silly really - has anyone had this happen to them?
 
No, I haven't personally had this happen to me.
What I think you need to do is have someone with you, either on foot or push bike, just so that you can chat, as when you talk your body will relax.
Hope you get over it.
Kate x
 
thanks kate - i have hacked out in company and chat away all the time, ridden under bridges alongside A14 next to lorries but i can feel my confidence ebbing but dont know why. - fear of the unknown i expect - we only walk and trot out and im having weekly lessons (3 rd one tomorrow) i have only cantered him a few times and i dont want to canter at all at the moment. I just feel a bit of a twit really.
 
Totally understand where you are comming from.

I have had Thumper for 3 months now. I think that I have only just now totally relaxed on him. We moved up a gear a fortnight ago in terms of the spead of our work - and only this weekend did I really gallop on him.

Take it at your speed. Do not let anyone bully you in to doing anything you don't feel ready for. But do ensure that you make yourself get on with it - and don't find excuses not to ride (which I found I was almost doing).

I can honestly say that I am 100% confident on my lad now, and am prepared for anything that he may throw at me. (Although I have to say that if there was such a thing as Mr Perfect, Thumper seems to be him
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).

Good luck - and just keep up the good work.
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thanks AMYMAY - glad someone else has felt like this - he is at the edge of my riding abiltity and although im not a novice rider im not very brave - but im really annoyed with myself as i always get into this 'what if' mindset. At the moment its 'what if his saddle pinches and he rodeos when i ask for canter!' (saddler coming out on 15th!!!!) i think i need a slap round the face!!!!!
 
it always takes a while to adjust to a new horse I find. You're doing the right thing by letting you and him gain trust slowly. keep on riding him and you'll find you've suddenly forgotten about your nerves. Don't make a big issue out of the cantering - it isn't a big deal whether you canter or not. If you do canter, help yourself by cantering in spots where you feel safer - ie towards a gate so you know he'll pull up of his own accord. Also you don't have to canter for miles - just do a few strides here and there.

don't stress yourself about it - it takes a while to build a proper relationship. Sounds to me like you are going about it in the right manner anyway!
 
These things seem to happen for no reason
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The good thing is you have spotted it early. Repetition does help with this kind of thing - the more you ride and nothing happens, the more you will realise (hopefully) that there is nothing to be afraid of. 3 weeks is hardly any time at all really to get to know a pony so its not surprising you are a bit nervous.
I would set yourself a plan of things you want to achieve (eg school 3 times in the week, hack out with friend at the weekend or whatever) and try and stick to it - but be realistic. Dont try and go for something like jump 4' at the end of week 4
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If you can get someone to help you get theough the canter thing that would be good. What about getting a friend to ride him, so you can see that he behaves ok ? Then work towards repeating it but with you in the saddle. These are only general ideas but I hope it helps. If you are getting really stuck then there are all kinds of specialised people/techniques you can use (such as Jo Cooper/NLP), but hopefully youre not at that stage yet. Good luck and keep us posted
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The 'What If' mindset is precissely what I was doing. It's because you don't know the horse, and what it's reaction will be to certain things.

I too have been constantly worrying about bucking - T came to me with a bad back, which has been treated. But I have been paranoid about it, and still am. He also has a very bouncy, collected, show jumping way of cantering - with his backside really moving you out of the saddle. And I have always felt he was on the verge of bucking. But he wasn't really - it was just my innexperience at riding such a powerful horse.

I think that if you continue to allow yourself to think about all the things you think you should be doing, instead of enjoying the things you are doing, you will just continue the cycle of doubt.

Chill, enjoy, and don't rush.
 
This happened to me when I first got George, I got an irrational fear of cantering, I thought he was going to bomb off (he didn't) or fall over because he is a bit unbalanced (he didn't). My instructor said if you don't want to canter don't, so I didn't except in my lessons, then suddenly one day I cantered him on a hack, he was a total star (of course!) and I built it up from there. I am still a little nervous cantering in the school as he finds balancing a bit hard but we are really making progress.
 
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He also has a very bouncy, collected, show jumping way of cantering - with his backside really moving you out of the saddle. And I have always felt he was on the verge of bucking. But he wasn't really - it was just my innexperience at riding such a powerful horse.



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thats exactly it!!!!!!!!! Im used to downhill on the forehand unschooled cobs and he is uphill and a showjumper so that is just how i feel that he is going to plunge and buck! Youve hit the nail on the head!
So you managed to overcome it and get used to him? So there's hope for me yet!! Thanks AMYMAY x
 
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So you managed to overcome it and get used to him?

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Absolutely. He is a total gentleman.

Took him out in the lorry at the weekend with some friends for a 'jolly'. He didn't put a foot wrong. Went in front, went behind, flew over some natural obstacles. We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I can't wait for the hunting season to start!!!!

Someone would have to offer me a very large amount of money to part with him now
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thanks orangempire and cobden99 for your support and words of wisdom
also thanks georgous_george
I think i made a mistake by cantering him on a stubble field with my instructor on her horse - and because he is a showjumper he put his head up and i put my hands up and it went a bit pear shaped through total lack of comunication then he did a big spook - i wasnt unnerved at the time but i keep thinking about it then i cantered him in my first lesson and he spooked again didnt worry me but again my mind keeps palying the scenes over and over with a 'what if' ending!
 
It is an arse when you have a mini bad experience early on (it happened to me!) but remind yourself that if that is the worse he will do (i'm sure it is!), you've got yourself a good egg!

Desensitise yourself to cantering in the same way as you would teach your horse to be calm about plastic bags or something - have small little canters regularly and slowly build up. Aim to have 3 strides of canter then go back to trot again - prove to yourself and him that you can start and stop at will. I'm sure you'll move beyond this quicker than you think.
 
just set yourself small goals to acheive,but nothing to big just things like running through a walk trot test by the end of the week. if you do things like this you should realise that you are cheiving things with him. it just takes time with new horses, you have to learn to trust them and after a while you will realise you can.
 
It always takes me longer than I think it should to get used to a new horse - which is why I'm so determined to fix the one I've got!
You need to get to know them and get used to their little ways (and them to yours). Just do things when you feel like doing them and as long as you're having fun together who cares whether you canter, lunge or whatever!
 
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