First February weekend plans

Had a great lesson today. Much, much needed, as trainer has been away for a month. Not needed in terms of actual teaching, just in Positive Mental Attitude ;) no nonsense kick up the bum support group kind of stuff. God there is no substitute for a trainer that understands you :D

Been on a rollercoaster this week and it's only Tuesday o_O Proper low spot on Sunday, confidence at rock bottom, starting to lose hope that we would really make any progress. Yesterday was picking up the pieces and talking myself into it. Today back on form. This has been such a tough winter but it's great to have someone who can see how hard you are trying but also how you're up against it.
 
Confidence is such a funny thing isn't it MP. I go through similar rollercoasters. I am currently doing ok, I had a wobble before I got on this morning (first time in 6 days) but I needn't have worried, he was a little poppet and we even had a few strides of canter down the long side which he seemed to enjoy.
 
Fiona said:
Who had the lesson MP? Darcy? Or Kira?

Fiona
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Darcy :) Kira is probably about a month off full fitness still. Looking forward to getting her out and about again though <3

Dyllymoo said:
Confidence is such a funny thing isn't it MP. I go through similar rollercoasters. I am currently doing ok, I had a wobble before I got on this morning (first time in 6 days) but I needn't have worried, he was a little poppet and we even had a few strides of canter down the long side which he seemed to enjoy.
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ah brill :) yes it's really weird. Both of mine are fairly daft at the moment, feeling well and super fresh as they have so little turnout. Objectively Kira is much more badly behaved, she has been outrageous for the last couple of weeks but she doesn't bother me at all when she's scuttling around on her back legs or whipping around, I'm more annoyed that she is supposed to be doing sensible rehab not prancing about ;)

Trainer asked me what I was worried about with Darcy and I can't really put my finger on it. Again objectively I don't feel like he's going to chuck me off, he does lots of silly spooks and leaps but it's never unseating (touch wood!!) but someone always riding him on my own at home means i feel really vulnerable and find it hard to stay positive. Your brain plays tricks on you! I wish I could figure it out o_O

I think part of the problem is they are such opposites to ride, Kira you have to give her a microsecond to think about an instruction or else she will refuse to comply on principle. If you give Darcy any thinking time he uses it in a negative way. So I have to ride her with a pause, and him with *no* pauses, and that's something I just will have to get better at remembering which is which! I've been riding him like her - waiting for him to say he's ready, but that is never going to work. He has to be told :p
 
MP do you just think it might be a bit of fear of the unknown with Darcy? I know Skylla gives me more wibbles even though she is 99.9% better behaved than Topaz, I just expect the worst for some reason... That and when they're weaker they are more unbalanced and don't feel as securely under you (which I know sounds a bit bonkers when Topaz is rodeoing about I still feel she's in balance), when Skylla does anything I feel much more like she's going to land on her face lol.
 
milliepops said:
Trainer asked me what I was worried about with Darcy and I can't really put my finger on it. Again objectively I don't feel like he's going to chuck me off, he does lots of silly spooks and leaps but it's never unseating (touch wood!!) but someone always riding him on my own at home means i feel really vulnerable and find it hard to stay positive. Your brain plays tricks on you!
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I have pretty much the exact same issue, except mine are all more straightforward to start with (and I'm less competent, less brave, and have no facilities so I'm forced out into the big wide world every bloody day).

Fergus is a twat to hack in winter. He's spooky, he drops his shoulder, he will happily pissage for an hour or more threatening to explode / spook / turn himself inside out. I hack him out and happily canter / gallop and laugh at him being a twit. Dae's super easy, by comparison, because he's not spooky, but he's bouncy and is quite happy to "ask for a hooley" by bouncing up and down, and I have zero worries about galloping / walking him through it (depending on if we want a gallop or I want to remind him he doesn't always gallop!).

On Carrot, I'm a complete twit. Every spook or silly moment is met with hours of agonising about whether I'm screwing her up, and whether I'll be able to ride her in 6 months time or if I'll be too scared, or all the other what ifs. It's definitely fear of the unknown with me, and a sort of existential fear of making her too much horse for me or something daft like that.

So basically, what we need is some kind of distance support group that we can access mid ride, without taking hand off the reins if schooling / in risk of death moments :p
 
JFTDWS said:
I have pretty much the exact same issue, except mine are all more straightforward to start with (and I'm less competent, less brave, and have no facilities so I'm forced out into the big wide world every bloody day).

Fergus is a twat to hack in winter. He's spooky, he drops his shoulder, he will happily pissage for an hour or more threatening to explode / spook / turn himself inside out. I hack him out and happily canter / gallop and laugh at him being a twit. Dae's super easy, by comparison, because he's not spooky, but he's bouncy and is quite happy to "ask for a hooley" by bouncing up and down, and I have zero worries about galloping / walking him through it (depending on if we want a gallop or I want to remind him he doesn't always gallop!).

On Carrot, I'm a complete twit. Every spook or silly moment is met with hours of agonising about whether I'm screwing her up, and whether I'll be able to ride her in 6 months time or if I'll be too scared, or all the other what ifs. It's definitely fear of the unknown with me, and a sort of existential fear of making her too much horse for me or something daft like that.

So basically, what we need is some kind of distance support group that we can access mid ride, without taking hand off the reins if schooling / in risk of death moments :p
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I found riding with someone else who is happy to tell me to man up in those moments super helpful for this!

Since moving yards and having someone actively push me and Skylla towards eventing, suggesting clinics, coming with me, etc, we’ve made huge strides forward and I feel less like I’m ruining her as much now.
 
HufflyPuffly said:
I found riding with someone else who is happy to tell me to man up in those moments super helpful for this!

Since moving yards and having someone actively push me and Skylla towards eventing, suggesting clinics, coming with me, etc, we’ve made huge strides forward and I feel less like I’m ruining her as much now.
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well this is why I keep taking him out for shows and other outings, because I'm much, much bolder when there are other people around. even if he's cartwheeling around out of control, I don't need anyone telling me what to do, even, I just need someone else there full stop, or so it seems.

there's never anyone around at home. the school is out of sight up a hill behind a hedge so it's not like you could even see anyone who IS on the yard ;)

the fear of fear is a huge thing, JFTD, I totally get that and that's what happened on Sunday, I thought I might have properly got the fear then, and that would have been the worst outcome, not falling off or whatever.
I think there's a few things -
1.no one else is going to do this job for me so I have to do it whether I want to or not, therefore I can't allow myself to get The Fear.
2. if I get The Fear, is that going to carry over to the next project (which might well be my first homebred and I really really don't want to cock that up)
3. feeling stupid because while the things he does are annoying and disruptive, they aren't essentially dangerous because I'm fairly sticky, and therefore this phase should be a piece of piss to just ride through
4. overthinking, (hello old friend)

it was helpful to have it pointed out to me that he does not get stressed when I bollock him for pissing about, if I ride in an agricultural way because he is being a rude thug then he does not get more stressed, if anything that is when he starts to relax because he appreciates being dictated to. He does not get stressed by the rider, he is stressed by the environment. So it's fine and helpful for me to be overbearing, he needs it. Remembering to kick when you feel like you're getting run off with is the hard bit but I will just have to practice!
 
Yep you've got to just get on and do it anyway despite the fear...

Darcy might be good practice for the homebred, as I did find I over thought things way more with Skylla as I was her only teacher in all things human, if things went wrong it was definitely me lol! I just need telling to trust her and it's suppose to be fun every now and again, and if in doubt put your leg on is always a good motto to keep in your head when riding too!
 
HufflyPuffly said:
and if in doubt put your leg on is always a good motto to keep in your head when riding too!
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oh yeah for sure. On any other horse it's like a reflex if they spook or whatever to whack my leg on. Wonder why I can't make myself do it with Darcy! I shall try and re-install that ;)
 
milliepops said:
oh yeah for sure. On any other horse it's like a reflex if they spook or whatever to whack my leg on. Wonder why I can't make myself do it with Darcy! I shall try and re-install that ;)
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It's easier said than done in the moment of 'I'm going to die!', it always feels like I'm just going to get there faster lol.
Topaz at first was tricky as I'd want to put my leg on still with a death grip on the reins, so all the energy always went up, leg on and let go had to become my motto with her lol.
 
Also a member of the neurotic riders anonymous club. I'm a terrible over thinker and totally plagued by self doubt and imposter syndrome. Honestly I don't even know what I am afraid of really - I think the thought that everyone will find out that I'm rubbish and incapable terrifies me more than falling off and injuring myself! It's ridiculous to put in to words but there it is, I'm always first to make jokes about or pick holes in my performance.
I am currently trying to keep hold of the fact that supercob had no canter at all in October so being told on Sunday that he doesn't have a flexible canter shows just how far we have come but looking up the mountain ahead is so far to go. That and the "Good riding" comments I got from Andy Heff the previous weekend give me hope though
 
I avoid riding at home unless I am feeling very confident as I know if Rose is silly and I back off her, I will pay for it in spades later! I have been through a few months of lacking confidence, partly the weather but largely due to the fall that I had. Rose really sucked into my lack of confidence and was starting to get quite nappy and naughty. For me it was the lesson I had with JS at AMD that turned things around as she got me to confront the issue and take Rose on but I couldn't have done it on my own. Horses can be so intuitive, can't they?
 
Roxylola said:
Also a member of the neurotic riders anonymous club. I'm a terrible over thinker and totally plagued by self doubt and imposter syndrome. Honestly I don't even know what I am afraid of really - I think the thought that everyone will find out that I'm rubbish and incapable terrifies me more than falling off and injuring myself! It's ridiculous to put in to words but there it is, I'm always first to make jokes about or pick holes in my performance.
I am currently trying to keep hold of the fact that supercob had no canter at all in October so being told on Sunday that he doesn't have a flexible canter shows just how far we have come but looking up the mountain ahead is so far to go. That and the "Good riding" comments I got from Andy Heff the previous weekend give me hope though
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Liking for the last para not the first ;)
welcome to the club. We better not talk about badges on here because someone will accuse us of having a clique :p

Yeah you have to take the positives when they are there. Having no canter to a not-flexible canter is a definite improvement! and yes nice complement. Trainer yesterday told me I was a sensitive rider, that's what works with K but not really with Darcy because he is not sensitive enough yet so it's a kind of future-strength rather than something that helps me now ;) keep on keeping on :rolleyes:
 
milliepops said:
Liking for the last para not the first ;)
welcome to the club. We better not talk about badges on here because someone will accuse us of having a clique :p

Yeah you have to take the positives when they are there. Having no canter to a not-flexible canter is a definite improvement! and yes nice complement. Trainer yesterday told me I was a sensitive rider, that's what works with K but not really with Darcy because he is not sensitive enough yet so it's a kind of future-strength rather than something that helps me now ;) keep on keeping on :rolleyes:
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Thanks at the moment with facilities being poor and money short we don't have regular lessons with any one instructor - just clinics. Tbh, I know I am good enough on the flat that for where he is right not I don't need lessons and having them at home in a little square outdoor is a bit pointless so nobody has seen our progress.
 
Well my mare was back to her normal zen self today. Don't know if it's because it was the first day in forever it's not been blowing a gale while I've been out, or if it's because I remembered to bring up a packet of polos for bribery. There's a small, psychotic part of my brain which wonders if she's missed the security of knowing she's in the good books from the start... I know that's nuts.

I also hacked Fergus and had an incident with a pack of loose dogs, one of whom came flying around a corner on the bridleway and went for Fergus while completely out of control :mad: Bloody dog walkers had at least 8 of the buggers loose with no apparent recall. One of them was terrified of Fergs and bolted the length of the track and onto the road in the village - lucky it wasn't hit by a car. I'm pretty sure they're commercial dog walkers too - I bet the owner of that poor pup would like to know how little care these people take of it :(
 
We had our dressage lesson today too. Finn is a white grey and had a touch up wash before we went, but was still damp in places when I put her on the wagon, so I lunged her for a few minutes when we got there t make sure she was warm.

Finn was FAB. The lesson was FAB. I love that I have an earpiece so the atmosphere is taking and calm as opposed to shouty. It was a glorious sunset through he windows of the indoor arena too. I am crooked and we worked on that.

Must be feeling confident, have booked us in on a group jumping lesson in 2 days. Not jumped in months!
 
I went out dressaging as planned on Saturday. I had underestimated how enthusiastic the big lad would be about being back out and about ? My first test (E43) was a bit too enthusiastic and we got 60.89% for 5th. Oops. His bum was so far in that the canters across the diagonal into counter canter turned into a half pass of sorts ? When he gets keen his bottom gets wiggly you see. He's a treasure ?

I felt that the second test went far better, but it turns out that my circles were not accurate so we didn't score more than a 6 for any of the 10m circles or half circles in E50 (and there are a lot of them!!). We came 3rd with 61.2%.

Moral of the story is the big lad needs to get out more ?
 
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