Lightbulb moment break through + confidence.

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black_horse

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Some of you may or maynot be aware but *despite* how i come across at times i really suffer with my confidence. Currently i ride delicia in a double because of this. However, my ultimate aim is to get her back in her snaffle.

so, I had a bit of a breakthrough today. I went hack on delicia for around 3 hours, i got thorough lost but i didnt care as she was calm. because she was calm i dropped the curb rein completely and rode off the snaffle rein. She seemed to be listening and really streched out her neck from the withers and into the contact.

I am going to stop schooling in a school and focus on hacking her as its good for her head, and have her in her double but with the curb rein dropped then aiming for her in her snaffle in the summer!

Am i being mad? I am having a break from competing and i can school her whilst she hacks, i dont need to be within an arena environment to do this. I think ultimately it would be better for the horse and for me.

Gah i need a valium! lol.

Please be gentle with me, black_horse is starting to try to not be so cocky.... :)
 
Hacking sound likes a good idea, it'll be nice for both you and her, especially if its encouraging her to work well.
Why not do a mixture of hacking and schooling, then you get the best of both worlds? :)
 
I think i am tensing up in the school and i seem to have more confidence out of the school then in it (weird aren't I :p)

I might school for 5-10 minutes when i come back :)
 
I had the same 'epiphany' moment with a horse I bought last yr.

I bought him having been un-ridden for 6 mnths, and in the school he was very tense, would buck into canter and was generally unruly and spooky. I tried to work on these issues but was getting no where fast, and even got to the stage of thinking he was the wrong horse for me.

However one day I headed in the opposite direction of the school - and went for a long hack on a loose rein. I then had a totally different horse! From that day on for about a month I just hacked him quietly every day - we soon got a bond and relaxed with each other's company. Therefore when we eventually returned to the school we both approached our work in a more happier manner.

A year on I have competed this horse with considerable sucess, am currently hunting him weekly, and have a closer bond with him than any other horse I have owned.

The problem with schooling is it is so easy to 'hammer' away at issues, and set un-realistic goals - going for a hack relieves all these pressures and allows us to commune with our horses in a more sociable and enjoyable way.

Good luck!
 
Well done you. Just remember that not every day will be brilliant, but you can cope and move forward.

I don't know whether it would help, but my confidence has been more robust since listening to Sharon Shinwell Confident Rider hynotherpy tapes. Maybe its because it reminds me I am not the only one who lacks confidence but there is a way through with positive thinking!
 
black_horse said:
Some of you may or maynot be aware but *despite* how i come across at times i really suffer with my confidence. Currently i ride delicia in a double because of this. However, my ultimate aim is to get her back in her snaffle.

so, I had a bit of a breakthrough today. I went hack on delicia for around 3 hours, i got thorough lost but i didnt care as she was calm. because she was calm i dropped the curb rein completely and rode off the snaffle rein. She seemed to be listening and really streched out her neck from the withers and into the contact.

I am going to stop schooling in a school and focus on hacking her as its good for her head, and have her in her double but with the curb rein dropped then aiming for her in her snaffle in the summer!

Am i being mad? I am having a break from competing and i can school her whilst she hacks, i dont need to be within an arena environment to do this. I think ultimately it would be better for the horse and for me.

Gah i need a valium! lol.

Please be gentle with me, black_horse is starting to try to not be so cocky.... :)
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Sounds like a good plan. :) Schooling can be done anywhere suitable and mixing it with other activities adds variety which stops boredom. The riding is still the same in school or out. It's just some of the manoeuvres that are more complex and may require a 'safe' surface.

Schooling is after all, in my understanding, teaching the horse to respond calmly, lightly and consistently to aids/cues you teach them.
 
amandap said:
Sounds like a good plan. :) Schooling can be done anywhere suitable and mixing it with other activities adds variety which stops boredom. The riding is still the same in school or out. It's just some of the manoeuvres that are more complex and may require a 'safe' surface.

Schooling is after all, in my understanding, teaching the horse to respond calmly, lightly and consistently to aids/cues you teach them.
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Exactly. I cannot let my fear get in the way of riding. Everyone is right, in order for dee to help me i need her on my side, i need her soft and responsive and i am not going to get this whilst i rely on a curb. I wont win a tug of war.
 
monkeybum13 said:
I firmly believe that hacking is a brilliant cure for many issues. Be interesting to see how you get on.
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Me too, i have forgotten the basics. I want my horse and i want her to be happy and responsive. I want to be able to ride in a snaffle, i would rather compete in one then in a double :)
 
You might as well try it as it seems to work :D

I've found if I go for a quick spin round the fields for 30 mins just in walk then do 30mins schooling, Red's much better in all ways :)

Good luck :)
 
It doesn't surprise me that you feel better hacking, after all you have no expectation either for yourself or your horse when you are hacking other than getting from A to B in walk trot or canter..Schooling can be tense and stressy, not always a good way to build a partnership. Like you I feel better hacking mainly as I can relax and not beat myself up about my skill or lack of it. I think you will make progress this way.
 
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