Getting wimpy in old age......

[Neddie123]

After a long conversation with my mother over xmas lunch she tells me that as people get older they tend to get more nervous riding.

There is a woman at my yard in her late 40s who worked for the hunt in her 20s and would jump and ride anything but now wont jump at all. She tells me that she is nervous of getting hurt since she had children (very sensible really).

I'm 38 and definitely less "gung-ho" and find things that wouldn't scare me at all 5 years ago, now make me think twice.

What I'm wondering is if others have found the same? Am I simply becoming more 'sensible'?

Will I be terrified by the time I hit 50 or does it just depend on the sort of person you are?

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

General anxiety levels seem to increase as one gets older...but it’s bound to depend on what kind of person one is anyway. My mother would happily drive through London in her 30s and 40s but then noticeably shied away from driving in any cities in her 60s. Nerves around riding fluctuate too ... I won’t hack on my own (late 50s) i think due to an awareness of potential problems...which fortunately I haven’t yet encountered. The gung ho teenagers I know ride in twilight, no hi viz and regularly have incidents of folk falling off and needing to be rescued..but continue to do it.
Just keep letting us know how you feel as the decades pass...?

 

[rextherobber]

Once I had a child, I became much more cautious practically overnight. I wonder if that would have happened anyway, as I was late 30s, but I think definitely connected to motherhood

 

[Flame_]

I think that by the time you get into your thirties, if you've ridden since you were a kid, you'll have collected enough old injuries, aches and pains which never really go away, and some which get progressively worse, that you know that it really is worth doing what you can to avoid collecting more.

It is the responsibility thing as well. The only consequences of stupid riding decisions that I used to worry about a bit were death, pain and embarrassment, which really weren't enough to stop me going ahead with said stupid things. Now I worry about letting work down, being off sick and not earning any overtime, getting too permanently physically knackered to do my job, not being able to afford or take care off the animals, etc...

It is being more sensible, IMHO.

 

[Cowpony]

Yep, you definitely get more cautious after having children and then as you age. I don't jump any more, I leave that to my young sharer who enjoys it. I've come to the conclusion that I have nothing to prove and don't need to do things I don't enjoy any more ?

 

[teddypops]

Yes, I definitely worry more than I did when I was younger. I noticeably became more cautious when I had my son as I was aware that if something happened to me then there would be no one to look after him, but now it’s a gradual thing.

 

[catembi]

It seems to be an accumulation of bad experiences. So if you canter past a hedgerow every day, it doesn't really occur that a pheasant might fly out & you might fall off until it happens...then you can't forget that it might happen & might feel safer walking/trotting past the hedge in future... Then if you have a bad experience with a motorbike on the road, then you think, eeeppp, what if another motorbike comes... Etc etc. And there aren't really any +ve experiences to cancel out the bad as an uneventful hack is 'neutral' rather than the opposite of a near death experience.

Also, I used to have a very sharp competition horse, was forever getting spooked off/nearly off, having near death experiences out hacking, 'interesting' experiences at comps etc. We did a Discovery or a 1.05 at a gallop & put one stride in a 2 stride double as he just got away from me & I was furious at not winning anything rather than frightened. Didn't think anything of these seat of pants moments. He died when I was 36 & I have had a succession of sick notes ever since and I am now 49. It is impossible to say what would have happened if I'd got another good horse straight away & cracked on at the same level instead of having years drifting in & out while trying to keep anything sound & in work. So I am not sure if my gung ho ness will come back if I ever manage to find a sound horse that doesn't have PSSM... I would really like to feel that I might want to do something super-crazy like team chasing if I get a new horse, but sometimes I feel that a 20 min plod in the arena every day on my ropey old ex racer is my limit. My age or lack of practise? I really don't know.

 

[AdorableAlice]

We were talking about this out hacking this morning and recalling 20 years ago today I was jumping hedges out hunting. Today a 6 mile hack with a jog up the odd hill was plenty !

I am 60 now and very cautious. I was never over brave anyway but now I certainly do not want to come off a horse. The last fall I had was 10 years ago and involved being upended in water under a horse. The simple fact is as you age you tend not to bounce and not to heal as quickly.

 

[Sir barnaby]

Wow like minded people, I have hunted for well over 30 years, would ride anything just to be able to get a ride, however I last hunted 3 years ago see picture left. I am 69years and I must admit I doubt I will go again, even hacking out I have to put my brave pants on as I’m really wary of falling off and hurting myself at my age you usually break something. Also I’m solely responsible for my two horses and would hate to have to rely on others. Now I am careful I dont ride in high winds and if hacking alone I only walk and trot and keep to safe rides. But by saying that I’m realistic one of the older liveries took her pony out in hand and she tripped in a pot hole and broke her humerus, so it isn’t just riding that’s risky is it.

 

[oldie48]

It's my 72nd birthday today and I haven't been riding Rose, apart from the odd hack, for several months due to illness. I need to get back on and almost did today then remembered she'd had a day off yesterday and not much turnout so thought it more sensible to wait a couple of days. No, I'm not so brave these days, partly because I've had the odd nasty fall and partly because I've seen Rose throw the odd shape when she's had a difference of opinion with her rider. Actually she'd have been fine today so tomorrow just might be the day! I am trying to convince myself that now I'm in my 70's I might as well just go for it and stop worrying but I'm just not quite there yet!

 

[Bernster]

I think yes, in my case. I feel like I have nervous non brave tendencies generally but I def did much bolder things when I was younger. I would think nothing of taking my poor little 12.3h pony over what must have been 3’3+ fences and now I’m lucky if I’ll trip over 2’3.

Ive not had kids so for me it’s not that, but perhaps just feeling more fragile as you age, and having had a few falls (but touch wood nothing serious) has knocked the confidence out of me. Or knocked the sense into me?!

 

[Fastasflames]

i don't think you become wimpier, just better at being sensible and life experience / maturity enables you to make choices about the risks you take.

 

[Cortez]

We were talking about this out hacking this morning and recalling 20 years ago today I was jumping hedges out hunting. Today a 6 mile hack with a jog up the odd hill was plenty !

I am 60 now and very cautious. I was never over brave anyway but now I certainly do not want to come off a horse. The last fall I had was 10 years ago and involved being upended in water under a horse. The simple fact is as you age you tend not to bounce and not to heal as quickly.

This ^^^ more or less. I don't bounce like I once did. Don't fall off as much either, but it tends to hurt more now, both because by the time I'm off these days things have got seriously out of hand, and because I'm a bit fatter and gravity + mass = force: translation, the heavier you are, the harder you land.

 

[daffy44]

Yes from me too, I used to be very brave, worked in a dealing yard, backing youngsters, and riding nutters! I jumped 1.40 classes and evented to BE Intermediate and never thought that anything bad could happen. As I have got older (late 40s now) I realise that bad things can happen, and I have responsibilities and that causes more worry as I feel I cant afford to be hurt anymore, so its sort of crept up on me over the last decade. I do dressage now, so no more xc riding, but I would be happy to do it again on the right horse, but at a lower level, I do jump my dressage horses, but only over small jumps, and that doesnt bother me at all, but I wouldnt jump 1.40 again! I know I do some things that some people think if as brave, eg sitting on my three yr old for the first time alone, and I hack my just backed youngsters alone, and take them by myself to their first shows etc, but I only do things I feel comfortable with, and I know how that I am far less brave than I used to be.

 

[ycbm]

Lose it as you get older? Yup. See avatar. Those days are long gone, never to be seen again!

For all the reasons everyone else is giving.
.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I'm not as stupid brave as I was 20 or even 40 years ago, am 15 months short of 60.
Used to compete, drag hunt, back, rehab, take problem horses and ponies and deal a bit.
I still jump but only to 80 in lessons and 70 when out, cheerfully hack at all speeds but am circumspect about company I ride with these days.

Like Cortez, it hurts much more to hit the deck, so I'll try anything to avoid that!

As I said to a friend earlier today, there are not many good things about getting older, but 'don't care' is one good one I use Most used in a clinic if I don't want to progress to 85 or 90, I'm just not bothered or embarrassed about dobbing out now

 

[AdorableAlice]

This ^^^ more or less. I don't bounce like I once did. Don't fall off as much either, but it tends to hurt more now, both because by the time I'm off these days things have got seriously out of hand, and because I'm a bit fatter and gravity + mass = force: translation, the heavier you are, the harder you land.

Which reminds me of an incident last year. I tripped up going into the hay barn, went head first and landed head first in between two round bales and was wedged. My husband found me by spotting the bottom of the wellies sticking out. He pulled me out by my feet and told me if I wasn't so fat I would not have got stuck. I blamed the hay man for putting the bales too close together.

 

[MereChristmas]

Which reminds me of an incident last year. I tripped up going into the hay barn, went head first and landed head first in between two round bales and was wedged. My husband found me by spotting the bottom of the wellies sticking out. He pulled me out by my feet and told me if I wasn't so fat I would not have got stuck. I blamed the hay man for putting the bales too close together.

I know AA.
I went to move the electric fence. It is across a hill.
I slipped, splat!
Some minutes, well quite a few minutes later, after many attempts, I crawl to my feet covered in mud, water and grass, having hauled myself up with the help of a plastic fence post.
OH wouldn’t have noticed for a while as I was behind the hedge.

 

[vmac66]

Definitely get more cautious. I find when I'm riding regularly the nerves go away but at this time of year I'm very aware of things going wrong. I came off 3 weeks ago when my normally rock solid mare decided she wanted to go with her freind when out on a, hack. She thought it would be fun to buck me off. Luckily we were on grass. Landed on my ribs. Still hurts 3 weeks later. Years ago I'd have bounced.

 

[Esmae]

Yes you get far more cautious. I wouldn't jump a stick on the floor now although I hunted and evented in my youth. I haven't ridden at all for a year or 2 and would love to get up again but it would have to be a saint to persuade me now.

 

[MereChristmas]

I am finding my reactions are slower, so any recovery is doomed from the start.
As others have said experience causes caution and what was simple years ago is now a distant dream.

 

[irishdraft]

I'm nearly 61 and still go hunting and have jumped a few hedges this season also have a jumping lesson every week to keep my eye in . I think it's important to keep going if you don't you do start to overthink things however I have a very safe horse who is a reliable jumper but if something happens to him I cannot imagine I will go through the process of starting again with another .

 

[Winters100]

Definitely more cautions in my 40s than I was in my teens and 20s. I used to ride anything, the sillier the better. The problem that I have is that when I fall now it hurts a lot more, and I break myself more easily. I still love riding, but only on horses who are relatively sensible. I don't mind a bit fizzy, but I am pretty careful about what I will ride now.

 

[canteron]

It's my 72nd birthday today and I haven't been riding Rose, apart from the odd hack, for several months due to illness. I need to get back on and almost did today then remembered she'd had a day off yesterday and not much turnout so thought it more sensible to wait a couple of days. No, I'm not so brave these days, partly because I've had the odd nasty fall and partly because I've seen Rose throw the odd shape when she's had a difference of opinion with her rider. Actually she'd have been fine today so tomorrow just might be the day! I am trying to convince myself that now I'm in my 70's I might as well just go for it and stop worrying but I'm just not quite there yet!

Happy Birthday - and only ride tomorrow if you don’t over celebrate today ??

 

[splashgirl45]

i used to ride anything and was always relaxed and confident untill i had some very hairy rides with my last horse, i was 55 when i got her and gradually lost my nerve, she used to lose the plot and didnt seem to have any self preservation and she really scared me but i know if i had got her 10 years earlier i would have loved the challenge , i cant blame children as didnt have any..after i had lost her i took on a loan horse who helped me to get back some of my confidence but i never got back to how i was...and if i was to ride anything now it would have to be safe as at 74 i definitely dont bounce like i used to...

 

[Laurac13]

Yes getting older does make you more cautious!
I bought my Merlin when he had just turned 3 (some of my friends thought I was crazy) and I was in my late 40’s at the time butI was confident till I was diagnosed with a heart condition and being on blood thinners I now only ride in company. I hadn’t fallen off for 14 years and after 6 years of owning Merlin 3 weeks ago due to hacking partners horse spinning and Merlin spinning to get out the way, unbelievable at 54 I bounced! I jumped straight up I think the race safe jacket saved me I really thought falling off a big horse would break me or at least make me very stiff for a week or two but I was lucky. I remain cautious I don’t jump these days and will only hack in company !

 

[planete]

Little cob is definitely not getting enough work to be totally sane out hacking right now and we are going to stick to work in the school for a bit. He lives out anyway and I will make it as varied as possible but, seeing the super athletic shapes he can throw on occasion, I no longer have the confidence to think I would remain on his back if he decided to have some fun. So a bit of nerves and also a bit of thinking why on earth make myself do something if I do not fancy it at my age? At 73, I really feel I have earned the right to do only what I feel comfortable with and stop making myself treat riding like a job to be done no matter what.

 

[cindars]

Was quite confident until my last Arab would spook and suddenly go pop if I had been younger it wouldn't have worried me but late 60s too much hit the ground a couple of times too, now I have a Welsh cob mare who doesn't need to be ridden every day and we are two old ladies pottering about even if she does spook there's enough of her to stop me coming off.

 

[Megan V1]

I would happily ride anything in my teens and early twenties, loved nothing more than a flat out gallop in open spaces although never been particularly keen on jumping unless it was ditches or hedges in the open. I bought a Welsh cob over 10 years ago who frightened the life out of me whilst riding on the road and he took fright at a load of cyclists who sped past him. Rode a few times after that but really lost my confidence with him and he is now a very happy field ornament. Can't imagine that the same situation would have worried me when I was younger but will be surprised if I ever get back on again. I am now mid fifties. I miss the riding and have no problem handling him or the other 5 I have but riding is another thing altogether.

 

[GTRJazz]

I think you should take note of your body and try to keep your weight down, if you are already full of aches and pains a big fall is not going to help you. I am Sixty next birthday and I still go out on my own for a Gallop and a bit of jumping. I use professional help now to bring my younger horse on rather than muddle through myself. Photo of an expert on my Horse for inspiration