For those of you who have lost your confidence!

Fii

Fii

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Please don't give up!!
Today i went for a two hour hack, and even...... wait for it...
......poped a couple of logs out on the forest (very, very small ones) and had a short canter!!! :D
It has taken some weeks of riding out at walk with a friend, until i grew a little bored with the pace, but i am getting there, WHOOOOOOOPPIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!

So if i can loose my nerve, but eventually conquer my fear at the ripe old age of ,*coughs* 46 :D , then so can you!
Take it slowly, and onley go to the next stage when you are really ready, and have someone with you who gives you confidence.
 
I've been in a similar situation a few times, and believe that the best way to regain confidence is by gong at it slow and steady - as you say, until you're bored and desperate to do something different! Well done with your great progress!
 
Well done! My confidence comes and goes but as I rode back hoime the other day I realised that I was totally relaxed and enjoying myself! It's great knowing there are others out there feeling as I do, reading posts like this on H&H forum has really helped.
 
Persephone said:
I am so happy to see this!! xx
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:D, i so enjoyed myself , i can't tell you!!

I just want to give a virtual boost to everyone else who are in the same boat.
I could'nt have done it on my own, it is all down to my friends daughter, coming out and riding with me.
So thankyou very , very, much K!!
 
I'm in a similar position at the mo, i've built up the confidence on Mr B but still don't have the guts to take him too far as the routes are a bit too excitable for him and scary for me. I also haven't cantered him while out again yet but it will come, we are going out which is a good start and i'm just using each time i am with him, either ridden or on the ground, to get trust and confidence built and have fun/enjoy our company.
 
Well done you - sounds fantastic :)

I moved my girl to a new yard on Saturday and I'm not confident because I've not been riding much infact, hardly ridden at all :( My plan is to hack out at walk with a friend and her sane horse. Hope I progress as well as you.
Thanks for your positive post.
 
Fantastic stuff :D Lovely to read about somebody enjoying their horse.

I can suffer from shakey confidence and lately have been barely riding (joy of working with horses, spend my life chasing them around and teaching people on them, and very rarely at the moment get as fas as actually getting on one myself!) - but this last week I got on my adopted boyo and jumped for the first time in about a year, whizzing through 3' grids in an alarmingly blase fashion. Which I've never been like, ever. So I'm not sure what's happened in the last 3 weeks I haven't sat on a horse, but it seems to be the answer to my wobbles lol.

(Eta not his first time in a year, he jumps in his sleep. Mine lol)
 
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Sarah_horsey said:
I'm in a similar position at the mo, i've built up the confidence on Mr B but still don't have the guts to take him too far as the routes are a bit too excitable for him and scary for me. I also haven't cantered him while out again yet but it will come, we are going out which is a good start and i'm just using each time i am with him, either ridden or on the ground, to get trust and confidence built and have fun/enjoy our company.
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Like^^^^^^^^^^^ this!

Do you have someone to ride with?
I can't recommend that anough!!
 
Funny reading this someone said to me why are you looking for a novice horse as you can ride and are an experienced rider. I said but I am a big baby these days 45 and I just know I wont bounce as much as I use to(well not on the floor). My bones ache but since retiring old ploddy(he wasnt really a plod) I have gone to have some lessons and am really enjoying them so far.I have gone from 14.1 cob to well some giants! I need another step to reach the blooming stirrup or a crane! So far every week I have ridden a different horse and I dont actually enjoy school work at all so very alien to me going round and round! With a few diversions here and there.But the horses all have their little traits which I enjoy.

So its good to read this I really am missing my hacking and my horse search continues for the novice nervous rider!! I just know my limitations and will never claim to be an expert! But its good to hear I am not the only one!
 
Tiffany said:
Well done you - sounds fantastic :)

I moved my girl to a new yard on Saturday and I'm not confident because I've not been riding much infact, hardly ridden at all :( My plan is to hack out at walk with a friend and her sane horse. Hope I progress as well as you.
Thanks for your positive post.
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Great plan!!
Good luck, i am sure you will be fine. :)
 
Fii said:
Like^^^^^^^^^^^ this!

Do you have someone to ride with?
I can't recommend that anough!!
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That's the prob i don't have anyone to ride out with. Last time we did he wasn't too bad just took off at a canter up a hill, was too exciting but didn't worry too much as half way up he was shattered ( quite unfit!).
I have had someone coming out with me on foot but i'm now worried that i'm relying on this...time will tell though.
 
Well done you, what a lovely breakthrough for you. Thank you for sharing that with us, it is so encouraging and that is the way I hope to proceed when I'm mended again and can get back in the saddle, clearly us nervous ones are not alone and its great to realise that. Good luck to us all in having fun and enjoying our riding!!
 
Congrats! I know what a good feeling it is to feel you're making progress with your confidence. I have always had shakey confidence and after a couple of falls it wasn't great, I had some brilliant lessons at a riding school, built myself back up and was doing great but when I went to college I couldn't keep it up and after a while I wouldn't even walk the safest horse in the yard, he was 27, wouldn't hurt a fly, but I just stood in the centre of the arena for 45 minutes shaking, crying and having to defend myself from the others who were essentially laughing at me. A few weeks later when I was a bit better I got put on a horse that bolted around the arena with me, crashed into other horses etc and once I got him back my instructor told me to go and canter him again. He did it again. The best thing I did for my confidence was get a different instructor and request not to be put on anything to crazy. Since then I've taken it slowly, building myself up, I know I'm not a bad rider, I just lack confidence, so once I know I can do something okay then I'll be alright.

Since college I've shared two horses, when I first started riding both of them I spent time in the school pootling round at walk just getting to know them. I also did some ground work and grooming. For me being able to handle a horse on the ground is a totally different ball game to riding but it certainly helps.

I hope everyone else who is suffering lack of confidence finds a way to build things back again to being happy whilst riding, because really, that's the most important thing. :)
 
Sarah_horsey said:
That's the prob i don't have anyone to ride out with. Last time we did he wasn't too bad just took off at a canter up a hill, was too exciting but didn't worry too much as half way up he was shattered ( quite unfit!).
I have had someone coming out with me on foot but i'm now worried that i'm relying on this...time will tell though.
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Well you are doing better than me, i hav'nt gone out on my own yet, but am going to try some time this week.
Can you advertise for someone to ride with?

Pebbles, what happened to you?
 
thank you x i can ride at daughters yard but willl not where mine are kept - i find some equine owners can be hard harsh and bitchy - my lass is in semi retirement due to eyes but so would love to get on her - miss that but just wont or big lad :(
 
Fii said:
Well you are doing better than me, i hav'nt gone out on my own yet, but am going to try some time this week.
Can you advertise for someone to ride with?

Pebbles, what happened to you?
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Oh I'm a bit accident prone!! Was having lessons at local school to keep hand in whilst looking for next horse (ridden/owned all my life but had a long break after divorce and then a couple of false starts in my return to horse ownership). All going great until 8 weeks ago in school had a nasty fall at speed into a fence, broke 3 ribs, knocked myself out, punctured lung and airlifted to hospital. Rather dramatic and not a good move in respect of confidence building!! Still not fit enough to ride again yet but can't give up so very much looking forward to being able to post about hacking out happily on my new horsey one day in the not too distant future I hope. Great to have the moral support of everyone on here and share our ups (and downs) x
 
Fii, you are inspirational! I agree,having someone with whom to ride is so important. I need to get my a** in gear and get sorted.

Pebbles, hope you heal quickly,sounds pretty horrific!
 
cinammontoast said:
Fii, you are inspirational! I agree,having someone with whom to ride is so important. I need to get my a** in gear and get sorted.

Pebbles, hope you heal quickly,sounds pretty horrific!
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Thank you hun, no not much fun! :-( and good luck to you too, I think having someone with you to chat with also makes you relax more and of course then the horse feels that too and the whole process is much less tense for everyone.
 
Pebbles said:
Oh I'm a bit accident prone!! Was having lessons at local school to keep hand in whilst looking for next horse (ridden/owned all my life but had a long break after divorce and then a couple of false starts in my return to horse ownership). All going great until 8 weeks ago in school had a nasty fall at speed into a fence, broke 3 ribs, knocked myself out, punctured lung and airlifted to hospital. Rather dramatic and not a good move in respect of confidence building!! Still not fit enough to ride again yet but can't give up so very much looking forward to being able to post about hacking out happily on my new horsey one day in the not too distant future I hope. Great to have the moral support of everyone on here and share our ups (and downs) x
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Oh poop!!
Will keep an eye out for your hacking post, hope it's not to far off. :)
 
Well done!!! and so good to hear you took it at your own pace,I was a ball of nerves show jumping, vomitting, not eating, couldnt really talk to anyone, had to be there before anyone else and walk course a few times. I got talking to woman who owned venue, and she remembered me after 11 year absence. she told me to keep jumping 80cms(smallest course available in this friggin country), until it felt small, then move up to 90cms, etc.... She said in all her years, the amount of people that over jumped themselves to keep up with the jones', that problems always arose, so keep within your comfort zone until you know you are ready to move on, is the way to go. Well done again, delighted for you!!!!
 
cinammontoast said:
Fii, you are inspirational! I agree,having someone with whom to ride is so important. I need to get my a** in gear and get sorted
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I could'nt bare feeling so scared and hopeless, when i got on a horse/pony, or the feeling that i may never ride again.
Although it has taken the best part of a year to get this far, i just wanted others who feel this way, to know, that there is a way forward.

We may need a seperate stickied thread, to post our updates and to boost our confidences!
 
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