Help needed for a newbie please!

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au_soleil

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23 September 2010
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Hi all

I have been trying to pick up the courage to post on here for quite a while! I am a long term “lurker”.

Anyway, recently I have completely lost my confidence with jumping and I sorely need a kick up the behind!!
I just have no confidence jumping round a 1m course – I keep asking to have the fences down to 80cm!
It is annoying me because 6 weeks ago I was jumping 1.20 in competitions successfully!

Is there any way to regain my confidence? It has been seriously knocked through little incidents all year, chipping away till I have literally nothing left :(

I feel so useless and pathetic, but have no one to talk to – last night my YO confirmed to me that I have had my confidence seriously knocked :(
Big kick up the bum needed, and to be told to get my act together!

It appears to be custom to offer a sweet treat for reading a long thread like this, so how about a curly whurly?
 
Hi and welcome :)

I had a complete brakedown with confidence after i had my son, for me it was just a case of jumping at the hight i felt comfortable with for a few days, then bring the pole up 2 places and jumping that for a few days, and so on, while i was getting confidence back, i found it easier to jump spread fences, for some reason, an upright the same hight gave me wobbly legs lol. But i have now found my confidence to jump, i still have my moments, if i haven't jumped for a bit, so i just bring the poles down and jump it a few times then bring them back up.

If i have particular bad confidence, after falls for example, i stop jumping for a little while, and give myself time to pull myself together, then start again. I also find jumping in company useful, and on my approch, i imagine sailing over the fence in gold medal winning style (silly i know, but i works)
oh yes, big *kick up the bum* ;)
Good luck :)

Hope i was a bit helpful.
 
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Ok - cos I love curly wurleys!

A lot of us go though this. The only real answer is taking your time and going back to basics. Its the end of the season, so give yourself a break, don't put any pressure on yourself, hack out for a month, then spend the winter going back to pole work and small grids (60cms even, the height doesn't matter). If possible do this with an instructor. Could you do RC lessons over the winter with jumping? Only go up a level if you really feel happy - not because you feel that you ought to. At the end of the day this is your hobby, so you should enjoy it, and it doesn't matter if you're jumping smaller for a while, or indeed for ever.. Don't be hard on yourself...xx
 
Thanks all for replying :)

The problem is i dont feel like I can say it to my trainer/instructor - I have no problem on the flat with any horse its just jumping where I have lost my nerve :(

The nice thing about winter is, like most of you say, is that things are winding down competition wise so the smaller training shows are on around me, which would be good to go to.

The big problem for me at the moment is that I am selling my horse and then going to get another young horse to bring on (Bringing on young horses is where my "talent" lies), but I don't want to get a young horse if I have no confidence as this will just hinder the young horse and possibly spoil it - which I dont want at all costs.

However, if I decide to not buy until I have my confidence back - I run the risk of never getting back into riding!

It is a vicious circle - and I definately do not want to try a green as grass barely broken 4 year old with my confidence in tatters, as if anything happened it could lead to me never riding again :(

:(
 
au_soleil said:
Thanks all for replying :)

The problem is i dont feel like I can say it to my trainer/instructor
Click to expand...

You really must tell your instructor!! I know how hard it is (my instructor is terrifying!!!) but they can't help you if they don't know something is wrong. I'm sure they will be understanding, everyone has rough patches, and will do some good confidence building excercises.

Like others have said, take it back to basics :)
 
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