i wimped out !!

P

PaintboxEDT

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i put a post on here the other day asking for tips on hacking alone for the first time and wanted advice.

So decided to get tack ect ready and walked down to the yard then felt physically sick and shacking !! i couldnt do it,a friend of mine was going to walk out with me just round the block.I ride him out fine in company i just couldnt take him out on his own,he gets a bit daft when he is alone on the ground but not mad just calls out alot and is joggy,he is a bit of a wimp as he has always been use to being with other horses,he is 22 this year and surley should be braver and chilled !!!
i just need some guts,ive had horses on and off forever so why do i have no confidance now ??
i feel so silly and need a kick up the bum,please any advice greatfully recieved,hes 17hh with a very high head carriage so i wouldnt want to get off on a ride as hes a big boy,this is prob what is worrying me ?? if he starts being silly
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ive had horses on and off forever so why do i have no confidance now ??


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Perhaps gut insticnt or self preservation is kicking in?????? If in doubt, don't do it. At 22 you are never, ever going to change him, and if he doesn't 'feel' safe enough to hack out on his own, then he probably isn't.

Don't risk it if you have any doubts, it's simply not worth it.
 
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can you not ask one of the other people on the yard to take him out on his own and then report back to you how he was?

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i would do but wouldnt want anything to happen,i would feel bad if someone got hurt
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ive had horses on and off forever so why do i have no confidance now ??


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Perhaps gut insticnt or self preservation is kicking in?????? If in doubt, don't do it. At 22 you are never, ever going to change him, and if he doesn't 'feel' safe enough to hack out on his own, then he probably isn't.

Don't risk it if you have any doubts, it's simply not worth it.

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quite possibly,im 30 on thursday and have a 10 yo son,perhaps i see the dangers in everything now where as when i was younger i use to go out bareback in a headcoller lol
he is a good boy with manners being an ex carriage horse for near on 20 years,i think this is why he doesnt like going it alone to use to being in a team
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How about putting neck strap or breast plate on to put a finger or two under just to give you a bit more security and when you pull on it he can feel it so might steady him up a little?
Take him out a few times with company before you attempt to go alone so he's not as fresh when you try by yourself!
I used to tense up riding D, waiting for him to do something and my last instructor had me shouting out what I had for lunch in a lesson to take my mind off of things. It might not be a good idea to shout things out as people might think you are mad but how about quietly singing or have an indepth chat with your friend who walks out with you?
 
from what you have said though, he doesnt sound dangerous, just flighty?

We have a 23 year old shire x at my yard and he goes out on his own every week and he jogs and spooks and his owner just rides through it.

Is there a confident rider at the yard that you would trust to take him out or would be willing to take him out?
 
yeh i will prob take him out again a couple of times first again before i attempt it,i can imagine shouting things out lol they will think im mad !!!
i will try the strap thing if i can find one big enough !
i remember using seat belts at riding school
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many many moons ago
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from what you have said though, he doesnt sound dangerous, just flighty?

We have a 23 year old shire x at my yard and he goes out on his own every week and he jogs and spooks and his owner just rides through it.

Is there a confident rider at the yard that you would trust to take him out or would be willing to take him out?

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yeh he just misses his friends and would rather be out with them,there arnt that many that want to get on the big boy purely cos of his height even though he is a lovely chap,just a wimp lol
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An old stirrup leather will do
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ah yes i will have to dig one out,theres something in the old tack box to be chucked,i caught an eye of it yesturday i will see if thats any good
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Why not hack out with a friend and then part company (you and friend not you and horse hopefully!) she continues away from home, you go home on your own. Make the distance really short, like half a field and build up slowly. They are usually quite happy going home.
 
lol yes i hope me and the horse dont part company !!
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i have done this taking him to the field,the mare went to her field and i carried on up to his field,he couldnt understand where she had gone and started calling out and trying to look behind him,that unsettled him a bit,im not sure what he would do but i could try
 
I too am nervous about hacking out on my own since falling off, but I have managed to do it! George is quite nosey and he likes to look at everything and he sometimes tenses if he can't work out what something is. My instructor suggested singing to relax me, and also to almost laugh at whatever he does in an attempt to relax us both. Easier said than done i know.
 
thanks gg,i remember you coming off your braver than i for getting back out there,i know as soon as i do it once i will be fine after that,well hopefully,its just that first time,out alone !!!!
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What do you think he wil do L if you take him out alone? Nap/rear/spin?

LOL dont let age fool you, Lance is 19 and spent Sat galloping home with OH (he was riding in the back fields), I will PM you the vid to give you a laugh, and he can nap for england, and regularly does, espec when out alone, but he is just a lazy sod who knows where the food is...home!
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i dont think he will go up but i think he mite nap,i rode him round the farm just after id got him and he was trying to nap back to the yard,i just dont want him doing this out on the road !! god i sound like such a bloody wimp myself,i should just get on with it shouldnt i !!
 
Paintbox - don't know if this might be any help but I'm an Olympic Level wimp too. I read that in the Victorian days when horses were the only means of transport so there were zillions about and often poorly backed and broken, the wise old horse masters used to dab lavender oil on the horse before a ride as it's calming. You can see where this is going I bet!!! For the last trillion years, I have been buying industrial size bottles of Boots lavender spray and before ANYTHING, me and Sunny get squirted, Sunny on his chest, me on the thighs. It's worked for me all these years (though a horse like Sunny does help) and it has the additional benefit (so my colleagues tell me) of us both smelling like the perfume counter at Debenhams when we ride out! Seriously, if you BELIEVE it will help, it will! Try it! Squirt on you, squirt on ned and get a pal to walk in front of you. Just round the block...a circular route if you can and then next time you will know you have your magic potion...bit like Dumbo's magic feather if you're a Dumbo fan like me. Though I can't watch the bit where all the mother circus animals are rocking their new babies to sleep and Dumbo's mum has been chained up away from him and she can J-U-S-T reach him by stretching against the chain and rocking him with the tip of her trunk. Makes me howl every time!!! Need hanky now at the memory {{sniffle}}
 
I have PM'd you L. Lance used to nap extremely badly, had to be ridden out with two whips so you could catch himeither way as he tried to spin round, but he would never go up, for me as long as a horse doesnt rear then Im fine.

As Lance gets fitter he naps more, however as long as I stay really really firm with him, then he does give in eventually.

Is Earl the type to spin and run? that used to be Lances trick, spin then gallop off.
 
As someone who has acompanied many a nervous horse and rider out on the busy roads of North and Central London I would suggest that you find someone locally who is sensible and has a bombproof/spookproof horse and is happy to hack out with you on a regular basis before you even think of atempting to ride out on the roads by yourself.
 
ahh yes going out in company he is a saint infact he is a good nanny horse,but he turns into a wimp on his own,i have no probs going out on him with others,its prob just me i need a boost !!!
 
I'm riding in the morning early so bring the saddle and if you can't get on him and ride him to the gate I will. If I can do it without crying you've got to get on and do it!!!!!
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This is your challenge for tomorrow!
 
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