Forget about jumping?

sidesaddlegirl

sidesaddlegirl

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www.sidesaddlegirl.co.uk
I used to love jumping when I was younger and thought 3' was baby jumps, whoever now as an adult, fear and self preservation has taken over and I am now rubbish at jumping. I don't even think my horse is particularly good at it either.

We did a clear round show today and we did the 1'6" fence class and we completely ballsed them up. Crashing into them, refusing, knocking them down... Even though I'm scared, I do still kind of like jumping. My OH says I should just stick to being a Dressage Queen and showing. On a good note, we jumped the skinny without her running out and nailed the strides between the triple combination so that is good I guess :D I even got some new riding boots and a new numnah yesterday but felt like "all the gear and no idea" today :p

When I got back to the yard, I schooled to end on a good note and we did some brilliant dressage work with my mare working in an outline on a light contact, lovely transitions and lovely working canters. Our flatwork is brilliant, our jumping- not so much.

Anyone else here suck at jumping but don't just want to be a DQ? :D
 
Go for some gridwork/jumping lessons, sounds more like you aren't talking to each other properly when the jumps come out.
 
I used to jump at a very respectable level abroad and did a lot of catch rides too, thinking nothing of getting on a strange horse and popping it round a 1.10m+ course easy.

Then a few years ago I had a pretty bad fall, fell and twisted my foot right round messing up my knee quite badly. I then went round a cross country course just for fun, my stirrup snapped and fell off and knocked myself out resulting in a stay in hospital with concussion. That was the final straw for my confidence!

I now suck at jumping just because I no longer have the guts to keep it together and concentrate on what I'm doing. I really know how you're feeling because I actually still really enjoy jumping and would love so much to be able to at least get half way back to the level I was a few years ago but I just don't have the confidence to do it.

I'm trying to build myself up gradually now, taking it one step at a time. There's no shame to going right back to basics, even poles on the ground to teach yourself how to think again because that's my problem - I freeze and stop riding actively because all I can think about is that it's all going to go wrong! I'm also not expecting too much of myself, my goals are small now so that I don't feel like a failure and anything that I achieve over and above that is a bonus.
 
I find it's so easy to lose your confidence jumping. I was happily popping round a course of 1.05m before I broke my leg and I was nervous jumping a cross pole today. I'll be starting at the beginning again. :o

Definitely have a few lessons and don't give up. :)
 
I also would have jumped almost anything in my teens. Now I've not jumped for over 10 years, I don't really know why. I didn't have a fall or a bad experience but I seem to have lost my confidence. I've just bought myself a new pony who I am hoping will pop over a few small fences for me this summer and have a lesson or two with to get back into it. Good luck with your jumping! Don't feel you have to jump bigger, as long as you and your horse have fun with it that is all that matters.
 
LOl, glad it's not only me! We have slot jumping with instruction next Saturday so am hopeful about that as it's a good instructor that is doing the teaching. My high jumping days are over but would just be happy to canter over a 1'6" without demolishing it and not kak myself with the jump in the Riding Club Horse classes. in the clear round, we always do the first two jumps well and the last ones but everything else in the middle, gets wrecked so I do think that my brain stops thinking and goes into panic mode and then at the end, it goes back to thinking as I know there are only a couple of jumps left.
 
I'm the same. When I was a teenager I thought nothing of hopping on a strange horse and jumping 3ft6 - 3ft 9. I also used to jump hay bales and water troughs when out on a hack. After an accident, a couple of loan horses that were not confidence givers, and now a lack of regular riding....I have lost all of my confidence!

My loan mare was not a great jumper. I once tried a teeny tiny clear round and we completely ballsed it up same as you. But when the jumps were put up she was much better. Could you get some grid work lessons? My confidence started to improve with grid work as I have a problem with getting the rhythm right...and then everything goes wrong after that!

I am now thinking about investing in some jumping lessons on a school master to help my confidence!

Wish I had the guts of a teenager again!
 
My horse is a fab jumper, me however, that is another story! I just can't sit her and every jump I get catapulted then have to regain myself for the next jump, oh and I often loose my stirrups :(:o

A lady even came up to me at a show and said " You're horse has a fantanstic jump, would be a fantastic eventer but you need to get some lessons" ... how embarassing :p

Buttttt I still do it!
 
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