I appear to have forgotten how to ride - any hugs going spare?

S

SarahK

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Oh dear lord! I have just been looking at pictures of me riding my loan horse over the past year and i have come to the conclusion that i am now a terrible rider
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This horse has been troublesome for me and is certainly not as he was described by his owner. Despite this i have tried to persevere with him and have had regular lessons etc.

The loan period is now up and i am willing to admit that he is not the horse for me - he will be going back in 2 weeks. I have no desire to ride him anymore, i only get on him because i cant send him back as fat as a pig!
He has changed me from a confident rider to a nervous nellie and he has taken the fun out of riding for me
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I am now left with zero confidence and looking back at the pictures my riding has got steadily worse because of my fear of the horse and lack of confidence.
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I will be in a position to buy my own horse next year but just feel so down about my riding capabilities and whether i can overcome this
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has anyone else had this problem and how have you managed to pick yourself back up?
 
i'm in a similar position after having a break away. i'm back with a lot less confidence and ability
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i'm now having the odd lesson and trying to work through it.
last time i rode the horse tried to bronk me off. instead of being happy about how well i sat to it and rode him through it, i now haven't ridden him since and am worried up about riding him again.
i do know i just need a kick up the backside and told to get on with it.
i doubt your riding is that bad really. i'd get back to riding something you enjoy and then see how you feel.
if you feel it necessary then why not get some lunge lessons to help re-adjust your riding?
or if you want i'll give you a kick up the backside and you can return the favour for me
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Your probably right - maybe we do need to kick eachother up the backside!!
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I'm the same as you. I have overcome alot of the problems i had with loan horse but he can still be dangerous and has taken all the fun out of it for me
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Him going back should help me move on i hope. I really want to buy my own horse next year and its something i've ALWAYS wanted but i just have so many doubts about my riding ability...
 
hugs! you can definately overcome this. All horses are different, and not suited to every rider. Try not to let it dishearten you, remember if its your hobby, then its meant to be enjoyable! Its an expensive hobby at that, so you hae to get as much as you can from it, so if this horse is not for you there will be one somewhere with your name all over him.
I've had my horse for 15 years, we used to compete every wkend, xc and sj. He's now 30 and we did less and less demanding work as he got older, I started to get more nervous when we did do anything. Sometimes I am amazed at what we did when I look at photos of us a shows! If given the chance I think my nerves would get the better of me nowadays.
I think confidence affects lots of riders at some stage, so dont be too hard on yourself.
hugs... again!
 
try not to worry so much
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you'll find the right horse, and you'll compliment each other and it should be fun again.
def get some lessons until you're ready and you'll see you're nowhere as bad as you think
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yes it is possible
i used to compete upto national standard as a kid and was given many ponie sto compete cos no one else could ride them- after a 15 year break and a child i was so surprised to be worrying about silly stuff every time i rode.I lost a lot of confidence, so i had a break had some lessons and then bought myself a horse thats been known to my yard for3 years, hes not perfect but has done wonders for me.Within a month i was cantering and galloping out in open space and jumping. My doubting very quickly became a memory.
 
Ah bless you! Don't beat yourself up over it, I feel like you on a regular basis! Remember, riding is supposed to be FUN, find the right horse and it will be again. xxx
 
Sarah K dont thnk that.. I had a horse that knocked my confidence down to nothing he was horrid luckily my father in law took him off my hands & for a while I rode a lady at the yards cob (who was a superstar) he gave me my confidence back.

There will be a horse out there for you just try to go more for temperamant and riding compatibility more than looks dont give up
 
We all go through this from time to time.

My sister has ended up terrified of her own horse, partly becuase she became very ill and had to take 18months off just 2 months after getting her new horse. She was still a very novie rider.

It has taken over 6 months but she will now finally trot on the lunge. What really helped was that I took her hacking with a local riding school. She realised that she is not as bad as she thought and more balanced than a lot of the regular riders on the hack.

I know that if you find the right horse and instructor you can overcome this. Make sure your instructor knows that you are nervous, but is prepared to stretch you and give you a "kick up the bum" from time to time without being so demanding that you scare yourself gain
 
I have exactly the same problems, mine is down to my own self confidence, I am now considerring hypnotism as I am sure the problems are in my head! I have been riding for over 40 years but my confidence took a nose dive last year, I was bucked off twice ( my horse thought he was in a rodeo!) Unfortuneately you don't bounce so well in your forties! I am having regular lessons and things are slowly getting better, but a blip three weeks ago has shaken me up (I did not come off this time, despite entertaining the lesson with my rodeo impression ) my confidence has been shaken but I am determined not to give in!
 
I got into a similar position with George, It wasn't that I didn't want to ride him it was just that I was so nervous after falling off a few times. You could see in the pictures of me riding that I was leaning forwards, hanging on and looking really unsafe. I just began to think that I really couldn't ride and that George was too big for me, but with some help from a friend at the yard and my instructor I've had a real breakthrough, yes I'm still nervous but I really enjoy riding George again. Good luck, there will be a lovely horse out there for you.
 
hi!
ive had the exact same problem! i was a nervous wreck, i couldnt even lead my loan horse down to the field without being scared out of my pants!
I found the best way to beat nerves is to have someone with you, whether riding or on the ground...but eventually i just had to admit we just werent meant to be, and now have my confidence up to 100% again with a safer, more laid back cob. sometimes, some horse and rider combinations dont mix.
xxxx
 
<hugs>
I'm sure you're not that bad!
Nervousness will spoil your position and ultimately your security.
If the horse is not for you, good for you in recognising it and well done for making the decision to send him back.
Now take a deep breath, relax and move on!
 
You have not forgotton.

I am sure you can still ride very well, what you have done is lost your self belief.

not sure I am allowed to name it, but would highly recommend the confident riding book by one of the most well known natural female horseman abdocators , was recommended to me as I lost my confidence jumping, and really it made a difference.
 
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