I have lost my interest in riding

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Ish2020

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I haven’t been riding for 5 weeks s because I has to get a heart surgery (pacemaker replacement) I am allowed to ride next week since it will be 6 weeks . Since I haven’t been riding because of my surgery I have completely lost interest in riding I am dreading going back to riding . I love my horse a lot she is currently being ridden by the yard to keep her fit. Do you have any suggestions to get my love of riding back.
 
Ish2020 said:
I haven’t been riding for 5 weeks s because I has to get a heart surgery (pacemaker replacement) I am allowed to ride next week since it will be 6 weeks . Since I haven’t been riding because of my surgery I have completely lost interest in riding I am dreading going back to riding . I love my horse a lot she is currently being ridden by the yard to keep her fit. Do you have any suggestions to get my love of riding back.
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Take the pressure off. You don't have to ride next week. Ride when you feel ready, and do something you will enjoy. If you like hacking, do that. If you like just pootling in the school, go for it. Personally, I love lessons so that's what I'd do, even if it is just a lesson in walk.

Otherwise just spend time with your horse. At some point you'll be grooming her and just feel like getting back on.

Well done for your recovery so far!
 
I agree with DressageCob. Just do what is fun for you. Don't do something just because you feel like you should.

For example, I've been meaning to improve my transitions. I haven't been in the mood for schooling though so I've just being jumping instead. The beast is thrilled! He thinks jumping is much more fun :p
 
I lost my riding mojo when I lost my old pony 6years ago. I've ridden inconsistently since, Ive found every excuse under the sun not too. My boys haven't minded at all. Lockdown happened and I've probably ridden more since then than I had in the previous 6 years even tho I said I wouldn't. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy hacking. While B2 is at boot camp, Me and B1 are out having adventures ?
 
I don't have my own horse. I've not ridden since March, because of The Confinement, and most years I have to stop for up to twelve weeks because the yard is taken over by kids' day camp.

I don't feel any reluctance to get back on (in fact, I'm impatient to start again next week), but I can understand it. I'd say just give yourself time. Go back and see your horse and watch other people ride, and the desire might come back.
 
I agree with the other posters, you've been through a lot, and the covid situation adds a lot of stress. Don't pressurise yourself. Just spend time with your horse when you feel like it, eg. grooming and maybe some easy ground work and maybe your feelings will change as time passes. The main thing just now is to take care of your health, and being around horses (in a calming way!) is good for the soul x
 
I never thought i’d not want to ride, but i actually have horses because i love the species, not because of what they ‘do for/enable me to do with them /they give to’ me. I never knew i would discover this when i was a horse-mad teen or when i had my own horses, my original intention was to ‘own them to ride them’!
I dont have them because i love riding. In fact, im so uninterested in riding them but sooo much more interested in discovering them as a species, just being horses. That’s my ‘baseline’ main interest. I never knew any of this until owning them.

It’s been so strange to go through this dis-interest for riding, so i relate to what youre feeling. Once i accepted i was ok with not ever riding, the appeal to ride returned.

Youve had major surgery, give yourself time to come right again from that, in the meantime enjoy your horse from the ground, and dont even think about when to ride, just enjoy the horse. At some point the desire to ride will trickle back....or not, and that’s ok - i had more than a decade off from riding and horses.
 
PurBee said:
I never thought i’d not want to ride, but i actually have horses because i love the species, not because of what they ‘do for/enable me to do with them /they give to’ me. I never knew i would discover this when i was a horse-mad teen or when i had my own horses, my original intention was to ‘own them to ride them’!
I dont have them because i love riding. In fact, im so uninterested in riding them but sooo much more interested in discovering them as a species, just being horses. That’s my ‘baseline’ main interest. I never knew any of this until owning them.

It’s been so strange to go through this dis-interest for riding, so i relate to what youre feeling. Once i accepted i was ok with not ever riding, the appeal to ride returned.

Youve had major surgery, give yourself time to come right again from that, in the meantime enjoy your horse from the ground, and dont even think about when to ride, just enjoy the horse. At some point the desire to ride will trickle back....or not, and that’s ok - i had more than a decade off from riding and horses.
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exactly me - I have ridden so much less with my own horses, I love riding but discovered so much more.

I now don't pressure myself, I've also battled hind leg hock/fetlock arthritis (wrongly diagnosed at it happened but diagnosed 2 years after buying my first horse), chronic lameness (3 years of trial and error to find out what it was), EMS, issues with keeping shoes on, then issues transitioning barefoot, laminitis and PPID in one horse and then KS / SI issues & rehab, ulcers / hormonal issues with the other and now she's started effing rearing when she doesn't want to do something I'm quite exhausted with the battle.

Taking the pressure of myself that I had to ride, now means that I want to ride and enjoy it more, but there are days when I go and hang out with them in the field, take them for walks or runs etc, go for a nice chomp on hedgerows (in Autumn that's both of us on brambles !).
 
Ish2020 said:
I haven’t been riding for 5 weeks s because I has to get a heart surgery (pacemaker replacement) I am allowed to ride next week since it will be 6 weeks . Since I haven’t been riding because of my surgery I have completely lost interest in riding I am dreading going back to riding . I love my horse a lot she is currently being ridden by the yard to keep her fit. Do you have any suggestions to get my love of riding back.
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Oh bless you. Just don't force it. Enjoy the time you have with your horse whilst letting others keep her ticking over. I'm pretty sure when you're stronger and more relaxed, then one random sunny day suddenly you'll just fancy having a sit on your horse again. Just go with the flow....

For the record, my mojo upped and left over Xmas. I dragged myself and my pony from intro to BD Ele, training at medium, then over Xmas pretty much threw the towel in. Now enjoying a much slower pace of life with the pony with no pressure.
 
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