Losing The Motivation To Ride

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Elf On A Shelf

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For once I have a day off work where it's not raining! Woo! I have 4 horses/ponies that I could ride but I can't be bothered. I can't hack out here as I would have to go for at least a mile on a very fast road, all by myself, met with a sharp bend which ever direction I take. I don't have a school so I just ride in rhe field but I am incredibly bored of just going in circles. If i had a show lined up I would kick myself into action but all of the shows round here have their racehorse classes at the very end of the day which is no use when you have to be home to start work again at 7pm. Most shows the classes wouldn't start til at least 4.30pm. I could take the Welsh Cob out but he basically needs started from scratch again and properly schooled and I have no desire to do it. Mainly because I don't have the time to ride him.consistantly so I don't see the point.

I don't know. This is a pretty pointless moan I am just bored out of my skull with working 2 jobs and having no time to enjoy my horses. Anyone want to buy me the winning lottery ticket?!?!?
 
Sorry i want to buy me the winning lottery ticket, could you not loan,or sell 3 then all your time could be concentrated on one horse/pony.Then the joy and enthuseiasm may return. Plus the money you save may mean you only need one job, more horse time ,win win situation?
 
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Not really as whilst there are 4 I could ride there are also another 10 shetlands kicking about of my.mothers that I deal.with in return for keeping mine at home. Plus no one would want any of them lol!
 
In your position, I would do something completely non- horse related today. You need a break by the sound of it to refresh yourself. A bit like turning a horse away for a while after a period of sustained hard work
 
I get like this sometimes. I know you're not in the UK. Is it winter where you are? I always lack motivation to ride at the end of winter. When all I had to ride in was a field I sometimes used to put earphones in and just randomly ride around listening to the music, staring at the scenery and trying to relax like I would out hacking. It's my natural tendency when faced with an enclosed space to see it as a schooling area so I had to make a conscious decision to mentally switch off and just ride about. 2 jobs and no time to enjoy your horses sounds demoralizing though.

ETA: 10 shetlands and 4 horses, you need some horsey friends then you could have more fun. You could have races. Do the shetlands drive? You could do that thing with the cones and balls, scurry maybe it's called? You could do all kinds of things with that amount of equines, if you had more people to help. All on your own it must be mostly horse chores and not much riding time.
 
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WE're hopefully coming to the end of a long winter - just take time to enjoy yourself (even if none horsey!) when spring is fully here and the weather better, I'm sure your mojo will return :)
 
I can relate to that! I keep my horses at home so no one else to ride with. To hack out I need to go along a very busy road for a little way, its quite hair raising! I had an operation last summer and prior to that I was too ill to ride for a while. All my lot did very little in that time and what with the rubbish winter we've done little since. They need bringing back into work but I just don't seem to be able to get on with anything consistently. Its a struggle to fit it in around work (family farm) as I have no set hours or actual time off. The farm and the kids get the bulk of my time and when I do have time for horsey stuff I just can't get inspired to get on with it! I suppose it will get better as the weather improves!
 
I've lost all motivation too, even though I had been given the all clear to ride after my horse had been through several months of box rest/turnout.

I'd just started him up again when I lost him to something totally unrelated this past week, but it's odd because although I miss him like crazy, I'm not mourning the lack of riding even though the weather has bucked up. I can potter my oldie out once a week, I guess.

I have an elderly, semi dependant, mother to care for, plus a family. I'm not working as such, but I've lost my mojo and it's been gone for a while. I'm happy pootling about with my old boy.

So OP, you're not alone. Horses don't care about not being ridden, but if you could find a sharer to help you out and ride with you, maybe that would give you a kick up the you know what?
 
Most of the shetties are breeding stock so they don't do anything but eat. I was supposed to have the wee colt out at a show today but he got kicked. That's just sods law.

I ride racehorses for a living so I do ride 5 horses a day 6 days a week. I don't lack the actual riding aspect just the motivation to ride my own at the end of the day.

I need a new job lol! But I have been saying that for years.

Sugar And Spice - I live in Scotland so it's winter all of the time!
 
EKW said:
Most of the shetties are breeding stock so they don't do anything but eat. I was supposed to have the wee colt out at a show today but he got kicked. That's just sods law.

I ride racehorses for a living so I do ride 5 horses a day 6 days a week. I don't lack the actual riding aspect just the motivation to ride my own at the end of the day.

I need a new job lol! But I have been saying that for years.

Sugar And Spice - I live in Scotland so it's winter all of the time!
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That must be why I thought you lived somewhere else because of it always seeming to be winter :D Not sure I'd want to ride my own after riding at work all day either.
 
I think in your position if I wanted to continue in the same job for a significant number of years I would pass the horses on to someone else and lighten the burden.

Or do a different job where they become your leisure time.

The problem with having 4 to ride plus the Shetlands is that it's easy to be so over whelmed with the things you have to do that you don't do anything with any of them instead!

I was like this myself with dogs for a while and I do not regret cutting down to just a couple for work and no hingers on. It's better for them, for a start.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
In your position, I would do something completely non- horse related today. You need a break by the sound of it to refresh yourself. A bit like turning a horse away for a while after a period of sustained hard work
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I know a few people in real life who could benefit from this, myself included sometimes. We put ourselves under such pressure, I don't think a break away harms either horse or human.
 
EKW said:
Most of the shetties are breeding stock so they don't do anything but eat. I was supposed to have the wee colt out at a show today but he got kicked. That's just sods law.

I ride racehorses for a living so I do ride 5 horses a day 6 days a week. I don't lack the actual riding aspect just the motivation to ride my own at the end of the day.

I need a new job lol! But I have been saying that for years.

Sugar And Spice - I live in Scotland so it's winter all of the time!
Click to expand...

Know how you feel exactly! I no longer work with horses, did work in racing/ pre training and was riding up to 8 a day.
As i know longer work with horses i dont feel as much pressure to do my own, however when I do its more of a novelty, however I dont feel like pushing myself.

As much as i love horses and riding sometimes you need a break....
And sometimes it will take you months.
 
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