I fell off, AGAIN! XC schooling **video**

Kokopelli

Kokopelli

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I actually just feel like giving up with xc atm!

He was jumping fabulously until we had a problem with a skinny brush fence on top of a bank, took us 5 attempts to get over. Then everything is all good again until we get to a combination with a large log pile to a skinny on a curve then another skinny but they were both not that skinny. Jumps the first part lovely but problems at skinnies, 3 attempts to get over them.

Then comes the trakhnner. We didn't get over that one at all. Looks like Andy is scared of ditches. Then some shark teeth and he stops drops his shoulder and spins. I go smack into the hedge (glad I had my airjacket on.) Got him over it eventually. The problem is when he stops they are very sharp and very hard to sit to which I think is making me overly cautious with him which then makes him stop. It's like a viscous circle.

I'm just feeling really defeated atm. So much for doing BE and PC teams in the summer.

So we have decided to bring him right down in height, but the problem we have is there isn't many course with skinny technical fences at a smaller size and he is jumping the simple bigger fence absolutly lovely.

Sorry for a bit of a moan I just feel like nothing is going right. I can't get rid of this 4 faultitis and his dressage is getting worse and now my xc is just dreadful! I just feel like I'm having all these lessons and training sessions but I'm still an awful rider.

[youtube]MttaP5FebWU?hd=1[/youtube]

CC as always please but please be nice as feeling a bit down about it all and nursing a banging headache.
 
dont worry good vid though! You can lead a horse to a ditch but you cant make them jump it!! haha on the whole really good such an excited boy... maybe look up a bit more sometimes it seemed like you were looking at his shoulders but that was only by like 2 fences really nice riding as usual : )
 
Ahhh, don't beat yourself up, you are really not a rubbish rider at all. In all honesty I follow your threads with great interest and love watching your videos and seeing how much you are progressing. I'm sorry I'm not good enough to give any cc, but don't give up. When I watch your vids and see how far you've come with Andy it really gives me hope that maybe I will be able to progress with my horse. Chin up!!!
 
First off, your XC doesn't look dreadful!!! He's got a nice jump! Would he go for the ditches better if you trot and give him a little more time to think??

I struggle with skinny fences too... it's the only type I really have to ride at... I find opening my hands out wide seems to keep her straighter and more focused on it xx
 
Don't beat yourself up, he was doing really well, if a little excited for the whole thing. Hope you're okay and not too battered and bruised. It can only get better :)
 
I see endless problems - one after the other and another, all over the show. . I think you and I need to swap horses. How do you feel about a 16.2hh 3yr old that struggles to walk in a straight line and is going through a bizarre spell of super duper head shyness? :p

Your lad is fab! I personally wouldn't worry about the occassional duck out/stop - he'd can't be absolutely perfect all the time. More to the point - one of fences we can see you kicking on and he ducked out so you knew he wasn't happy about it. He's just keeping you on your toes, doing you a favour so you don't nod off. . . :D

I like the way you ride too - my legs are helicopter blades when I jump and I've no idea why! The buggers just will not stay by the horses sides. Always been the same. Just have a mind of their own, up they get and away they go, flapping in the air. They're wannabe Whitaker legs but without the rest of a winning Whitaker!

I'm sure you must have much more important things to worry about, like what you're having for dinner, than the way your horse is going. He's going just fine, having the odd hiccup, learning from all your effort and training sessions {shrug} Leave him alone!! Bad girl :p

PS: can I borrow your cinematographer because they're video footage on all your vids is GREAT!!!
 
Don't beat yourself up hun, your a fab rider! I wouldn't even consider taking mine XC so you must be doing plenty right :D
Practise makes perfect and your always gonna have your ups and downs, just ride them out ;)

Andy is looking super!
 
Thanks everyone some lovely comments which are cheering me up. Not battered or bruised at all just peeved that we have to go and spend another £15 on a canister for the air jacket.

Will try opening my hands out and see if it helps, trotting into ditches he stops sooner so in canter I can atleast get him near it.

PMSL Whoopit! Really made me laugh that! You can have him for free if you want he costs a bloody fortune to keep. Actually I'll pay you to take him off me. ;) :D

I just feel that as he was 13 last week he needs to grow up a bit now!
 
Just to say I'm no expert at all, and you are a far braver person than me going XC!!!

I can only say what I see, mainly I thought it looked really nice, to me it looked like though when you're coming to the ditches that you're worried and he's worried therefore there's a big rush/panic to get over. To me because he lacks confidence over these fences and he's not having time to learn that actually it's ok you're not dealing with the issue, yes you're getting over but you're not building the trust in one another -does that make sense???
 
Your kidding right, looked bloody brilliant to me, don't beat yourself up, I'm sure there's lots of us on here who wish we could jump like that.
 
I think you're a cracking rider on a horse who isn't making it easy for you :o he has some brilliant bits, especially when he is more collected as you then have a better set up to your fence....the run out at the double of brush/pallisades all looks quite rushed and unbalanced to me, and again the ditch seems like you would have been able to keep him straighter if you were a little steadier - but IMHO your instructor flapping her arms has added to a fair bit of tension for both him and you :o

I am a long way from knowledgable....so I'm probably talking complete baloney. But please dont give up, you're a cracking rider and with a little more time and practice I'm sure it'll click :) If you're at a real loss and feeling a bit down the black in my siggy is just outside Gloucester and he is a proper point and kick pony who you are more than welcome to go and have a play on just to get that confidence back up where it should be ;) :D
 
On the whole, it looks good! It sometimes seems like it isn't flowing well though, like, you seem to ask him to take off, and he chips in an awkward stride and you seem to have a bad jump, such as the skinny of brushes.

I also think at the trakener, you expected him to stop, so started flapping a bit, which may have disturbed him and made him back off? I agree, sometimes he seems to go too fast into the fences, doesn't have time to read them, scares himself and stops, like at the ditches.

Keep going how you are, try and steady him up a bit more coming into the fences, and I'm sure it'll all come together with time and practice :D
 
Problem is I'm a perfectionist which doesn't really work with horses as perfection never happens but when the slightest thing is off I feel awful. I'm like it in all walks of life as well.

I aim to get him out xcing more often and hopefully I'll be happier doing it and so will he and we'll get less sticky moments. :) I keep forgetting how far we've come 4 months ago I wouldn't even canter in a field.
 
Kokopelli said:
Thanks everyone some lovely comments which are cheering me up. Not battered or bruised at all just peeved that we have to go and spend another £15 on a canister for the air jacket.

Will try opening my hands out and see if it helps, trotting into ditches he stops sooner so in canter I can atleast get him near it.

PMSL Whoopit! Really made me laugh that! You can have him for free if you want he costs a bloody fortune to keep. Actually I'll pay you to take him off me. ;) :D

I just feel that as he was 13 last week he needs to grow up a bit now!
Click to expand...

Mines 12 now and acts like a 5 year old :eek: His farrier commented the other day saying he's old enough to know and act better :rolleyes: Haha, atleast he's keeping you on your toes!
 
Don't beat yourself up!
The rest of the video was amazing, you both seemed to flow really well if he chipped in an extra stride, there was no huge fuss, you just took it, if he took off early the same thing, if he got excited again, no fuss just okay well you can try if you like....you're a very quiet, well seated rider, he just threw you off your balance - he looks sharp when he stops!
You sat a few dances and stops well also - even the best of perfectionist riders come off :)

Don't worry too much it will come in time with practise. And if you feel down, just think about this - the last time I fell off I was walking...one minute sat aboard, the next on the floor in a huge puddle with (I'm sure) Kelly laughing at me! :D
P.S she's 17 and still acts like a 5 y/o so I wouldn't worry about that!!! :p
K x
 
I think you forget that you have only had him a short time,and it takes a long while to build a partnership.
Take a step back,and have a look at what you have achieved together in a short space of time. :)
 
FWIW I don't think you're an awful rider at all. You have a lovely stable lower leg and he is very responsive and forward going, with a very able jump.

What does your trainer say about your flatwork? To my eye, a lot of the issues you are having might be improved is he didn't turn himself inside out so much. He is lovely and positive, but you would have a lot more control and he would feel so much more confident if you could collect him up on the last few strides into the fence.
 
I have a feeling he's going to be like this until he retires. :p

KH how did you manage that? :)

Basically he is going fab when I have my trainer with me and the day after and then after that it falls to pieces, he has the odd bucking fit ignores all the lateral work just wizzes like a looney. After an hour and a half or tiring him out he begins to work very nicely but in a lesson we skip all the looney stuff and he works really well.
 
he was really making you ride him, wasn't he! i think it looked great and in no way are you a terrible rider. perhaps you both were having a kind of an off day. horses get those too, as well as people. everyone thinks they have hit a plateau in their learning from time to time - i think it's a particularly normal reaction after an off day.
 
Ok I can help with skinnies! (She says!!)

Charisma is the same as your boy - good jumper but can run out know and again. On Charisma's part I think it's due to low milage and she needs a rider to back her up - thing is, I have low mileage too! No problem though :) It's all practice practice practice!

She refused a skinny a number of times at a ODE a few weeks ago, so I have been practising like mad. I've tried her over a poly block in the field, a narrow show jump and again today in a lesson over a barrel (see my post in comp riders!). Charisma is not easy, I can't just point and she'll jump I really need to be there for her and back her up otherwise she'll find a window and fly out of it (like she did a number of times today too!)

If you want to practice skinnies try a poly block or barrel with poles on either side guiding her in - make it as obvious as possible where you want him to go. Do this a few times, then gradually take each pole away, until you are left with just the block or barrel. This can be over a number os schooling sessions, doesn't have to be right away. In my lesson today we also had me getting thr right canter for this type of fence, there's no point going xc canter at it as this stage when they are so wobbly because there will be no control there in case they feel like ducking out! No shame in coming back to a sj canter (nice and round and bouncy) then pushing on after the fence. Also really try to have him in your hand and keep your leg on so you can feel what he's wanting to do and try and stop it!

It's not going to come straight away (I'll be practising all summer!) but it's ok - have fun with it! I'm fed up of taking things too seriously (I want to do BE as well) but at the end of the day as long as we're both having fun I don't care.

Oh and you are not a bad rider at all please don't think that!
 
Okay , im have no idea what im on about but to me it looked like the ones you were worried about, you tensed andd he shoved his head up and went for it...
for the record you're a fabfabfab rider ,you're so still! keep it up, horses arent meant to be easy, but they are meant to be fun! xxxx
 
I wish I had your guts !!! don't beat yourself up, you look a great team and i'm sure as time goes by more and more his confidence will grow and grow in you and you in him, and things will iron out, enjoy yourself !
 
Andys looking really well in vid!! Can see all your hard work really paying off!!

As with others I'm no expert but for ditches it looks a bit rushed & with his head up he'll not be seeing it properly -have you tried slowing everything down just walking around them/straight at them then turning away so its your idea etc etc then every now & then asking him 2 step over -I did this with a horse terrified of poles/fillers it took a while but really worked & I used to walk her at 80cm fillers & pop her over no bother as long as walks active they can do it!!
Another good thing to do if you can is to lunge him over ditches so it takes away any rider probs-like you said getting a bit hesitant & then you can really drive him forward over it
Also I'd maybe try without the flappy instructor -hes probably thinking more bout her than anything else!!
 
Often it seems like we are fighting an uphill battle....but then oneday all comes together! Nice video, I enjoyed it!

On another note....how do you get your videos to play on the same screen, rather than as a link??

:D
 
You're being far too hard on yourself! You both jumped loads of fences beautifully on that video and (I'm no expert but) the rhythm and approach looks a lot more controlled and greatly improved since your last x-country video. Skinnies are definitely something you can work on at home, that Team Fredericks series on H&C TV has quite a lot of advice about skinnies in one of the episodes if you ever watch that. As for ditches it might be an idea to let him walk up to some for a few times or get a lead off a friend?
 
You call ANY of that rubbish? :confused: I so want to send you a horse I have as I can't think of anyone else I'd like to have her. I see huge improvements; after all, he's a wily pony who isn't keen on ditches and is a bit of a thinker. I agree he needs less time to decide he isn't up for trying, but steady, possibly with a ditchaholic lead, schooling over ditches is a must or you will end up with a bogey about them, too!

I know you aren't fishing for compliments but you have to be less tough on yourself. My son is the same - one misser at a warm up fence and the day is a disaster, even if he wins the class :D. Chill and enjoy that fabby little lad :)
 
To be totally honest I think that was a lot for him to take in. What's his past xc hsitory-has he done much before now? He looks quite green, looks a bit flustered by it all and not ready to do more technical things-did you try a ditch before the trakehner?
I would take him back to simple stuff that's easy and straightforward before worrying about skinnies.
Have you tried jumping showjumping skinnies?
 
hey it was far from terrible so snap your self out of this attitude!!! :p ;) I think you are coming on so much together and as you say you are a perfectionost (so am I :rolleyes:). I think with a bit more work slowing your show jumping down and having a bit more control you will find xc better so keep at it. :)
 
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