ifandbutwhynot
Member
Hi
Just wondered if anybody had any advice for getting confidence back jumping? When I was having riding lessons a few years ago I was really confident and happy to jump anything, but I've started working on a small racing yard and frankly, since I've started riding there I've not wanted to jump at all..
Firstly, don't get me wrong the yard are really good to me and I've learnt probably more there in 2 years than I did in 6 or 7 years at a riding school. They're really good people to learn from but they also aren't slow to b****** you if you do something wrong..
Secondly, I think the problems started when I started to ride this 4/5yo mare ... she was literally always fresh when I rode her and it would have been stupid to jump her.. so I went from jumping most weeks to not really jumping at all for months. Then on the odd time I'd give her a pop my boss would leave them reasonably small (2ft3ish) and make me walk her into them .. she used to leap them. On the times she wasn't fresh she'd jump them really nicely, and she taught me a lot, but I think because she was fresh and too sharp most of the time I became less confident ?
So anyway, I can't afford my own horse or really to be paying for lessons again and I'd like to stay at my yard. I've been riding someone elses' horse, a nice thoroughbred gelding for a little while and jumped him on two occasions.. Fell off both times. He's not a bad horse (although she told me he'd never refuse and he promptly stopped at the next fence lol) but he's very forward going into jumps and he jumps quite big, and I'm pulling him in the mouth when he takes off. He then proceeds to shake his head around, motorbike himself around the corner and unbalance me :/ I want to be more confident on him but I don't really know what to do about it.. I'm trying to lean forwards more because looking at my jumping position I've started to let it slip - I always used to be told I saw a really good stride into a jump and leant forwards nicely .. until the last pony I rode jumped over a labrador and I was yelled at for leaning forwards ! I've always been told by people I can't ride and I'm not going to be good enough and frankly I believe it now.
If anyone has any ideas, I'd really appreciate them
Thanks and sorry it's long and probably badly worded! Not sure how you add pictures but I've got a couple of me looking really bad on him haha
A x
Just wondered if anybody had any advice for getting confidence back jumping? When I was having riding lessons a few years ago I was really confident and happy to jump anything, but I've started working on a small racing yard and frankly, since I've started riding there I've not wanted to jump at all..
Firstly, don't get me wrong the yard are really good to me and I've learnt probably more there in 2 years than I did in 6 or 7 years at a riding school. They're really good people to learn from but they also aren't slow to b****** you if you do something wrong..
Secondly, I think the problems started when I started to ride this 4/5yo mare ... she was literally always fresh when I rode her and it would have been stupid to jump her.. so I went from jumping most weeks to not really jumping at all for months. Then on the odd time I'd give her a pop my boss would leave them reasonably small (2ft3ish) and make me walk her into them .. she used to leap them. On the times she wasn't fresh she'd jump them really nicely, and she taught me a lot, but I think because she was fresh and too sharp most of the time I became less confident ?
So anyway, I can't afford my own horse or really to be paying for lessons again and I'd like to stay at my yard. I've been riding someone elses' horse, a nice thoroughbred gelding for a little while and jumped him on two occasions.. Fell off both times. He's not a bad horse (although she told me he'd never refuse and he promptly stopped at the next fence lol) but he's very forward going into jumps and he jumps quite big, and I'm pulling him in the mouth when he takes off. He then proceeds to shake his head around, motorbike himself around the corner and unbalance me :/ I want to be more confident on him but I don't really know what to do about it.. I'm trying to lean forwards more because looking at my jumping position I've started to let it slip - I always used to be told I saw a really good stride into a jump and leant forwards nicely .. until the last pony I rode jumped over a labrador and I was yelled at for leaning forwards ! I've always been told by people I can't ride and I'm not going to be good enough and frankly I believe it now.
If anyone has any ideas, I'd really appreciate them
Thanks and sorry it's long and probably badly worded! Not sure how you add pictures but I've got a couple of me looking really bad on him haha
A x