Losing Your Bottle

G

Georgia68

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 September 2009
Messages
63
Visit site
I've been bucked off my, increasingly unhinged (!), horse 3 times in the past 4 weeks, each time landing on a different part of my anatomy (I think it's fate trying to make me a lovely shade of blue all over instead of a bit patchy!).

I thought I was quite brave when it came to horses, but the last time I got back on and was a bag of nerves, could barely ask him to walk.

If you've lost your riding confidence, how long did it take you to get it back?
 
Last edited:
Georgia68 said:
I've been bucked off my, increasingly unhinged (!), horse 3 times in the past 4 weeks, each time landing on a different part of my anatomy (I think it's fate trying to make me a lovely shade of blue all over instead of a bit patchy!).

I thought I was quite brave when it came to horses, but the last time I got back on and was a bag of nerves, could barely ask him to walk.

If you've lost your riding confidence, how long did it take you to get it back?
Click to expand...



its 11 years since i lost my confidence & im getting there (it was 9years before i would even get back on a horse) now i have 2 of the sweetest & loving ponies that are sorting my confidence daily.
i dont think i will ever be as confident as i was but then i have also aged & gained 3 very small dependants (3yo,2yo & 6month old kids) s am more aware of my mortality.
good luck.
 
i suppose its down to ur personality type and confidence/motivaiton. its different for everyone, 'I' for example have always been taught to get back on, or rather 'Get back on that BLOODY horse!!' haha!! iv ridden everythin from terrified youngsters to bolchy, old push overs....so ye, depends, if you want to build ur confidence back up, id start to ride a quite allrounder, perhaps a friend or even pay a visit to ur nearest riidng school for a hack or a lesson. and then get someone experianced to give ur horse a few turns. its just making sure every ride u have is reassuring and safe, making sure u gain confidence and more knowledge on how to handle a horse like ur own. just a bit of advice lol!!
 
I lost my 'bottle' years ago when I first brought my horse and he started napping and rearing .... I never did fall of (god knows how) but my stomach would turn over at the thought of getting on him.

I was getting to the stage where I didn't want to ride him and I was going to sell him ...I then discovered that if I put a market harbourgh on him he wouldn't do it .. he might try but he couldn't - so he gave up the fight and just got on with it, after that I was ok with him - now 6 years later we know each other inside out and we have done really well ...

....what I'm trying to say is can you find something that will stop him doing it - what about one of those Buck Stop things? do they work? just to get your 'bottle' back?

(Obviously if you have had his back, saddle & teeth checked):)
 
Actually I am going to have a few lessons on a school horse and also ride my partners reliable chunky cob for a couple of weeks whilst some very experienced people work with the mad 'un!

My fear is specific, i.e. I'm not worried on getting on other horses just my horse, but after a couple of days of worrying my pants off, I've decided I've just got to grit my teeth and get on with things. I know my instructor will be pushing me to get a grip.

He's 17.2hh, and somehow those extra inches make it disproportionately more scary, plus he does have the propensity to strop.
 
Last edited:
Lollii said:
I lost my 'bottle' years ago when I first brought my horse and he started napping and rearing .... I never did fall of (god knows how) but my stomach would turn over at the thought of getting on him.

I was getting to the stage where I didn't want to ride him and I was going to sell him ...I then discovered that if I put a market harbourgh on him he wouldn't do it .. he might try but he couldn't - so he gave up the fight and just got on with it, after that I was ok with him - now 6 years later we know each other inside out and we have done really well ...

....what I'm trying to say is can you find something that will stop him doing it - what about one of those Buck Stop things? do they work? just to get your 'bottle' back?

(Obviously if you have had his back, saddle & teeth checked):)
Click to expand...



Yes back, teeth, saddle all checked :0)

He's recently had his hocks done and is actually super springy as a result. So that's part of the issue - though obviously a positive thing!

I think I'm going to hold off on the gadgets until we reach last resort, though I have heard buck stops are pretty good in the right circumstances.
 
Oh poor you, that's no fun. They key really though to getting your bottle back is to solve the problem that stops the horse from ditching you.

I came off badly out hacking a good few years ago in my teens when my horse was attacked by a dog and I got trampled. It took me about 3 months to even get back on and I had to start off on a very steady schoolmaster on the lead rein!! It took me a good few months to get back to where I had been before the fall and I still have a moment now when I see a dog off the lead out hacking!

I've got a really tricky horse now though, I've had him for quite some time and the first few months were awful. I nearly sold him on several times but my instructor was fantastic and helped me to keep going. He is always going to be a handful but I feel totally confident on him these days as I know what he is likely to do and I know what to do to deal with it (i.e. Nothing! Ignore him and sit tight works best!). I took him on a hunt fun ride yesterday and he leapt about quite a bit and I didn't get butterflies even once for a moment like I used to. We had a great day and he was so keen and brave. I could never have done that on him a few years ago but in truth he hasn't changed much its my confidence thats improved dramatically.

I hope you get the problem solved and you get back on and start to get your confidence back soon. Be positive and don't get disheartened!
 
Last edited:
He's always been an opinionated chap - we really struggled with him on the ground initially - was aggressive with horses and people. He now gets turned out alone (next to other horses so gets contact without harming himself or others - this really suits him). His behaviour around people on the ground is so much better and with those that he trusts he's a bit of a charming dolt. I was very confident on him, schooling and hacking, until after the op when we went out on a "walking" hack and he decided to turn it into a galloping bronking hack! And so it has continued - I think its a combination of him feeling better physically, being on stable rest for a short while, not being allowed to canter and his general pig-headedness!
 
How long has he been back in work? Sorry if you've already mentioned that and I've missed it! Feeling better and being on box rest are enough to send even the sanest horses a bit bats for a while. Mine is so awful on box rest that he had to fix his tendon out in the field last year cos I just couldn't cope with him being in. It was like mucking out a wild rhino twice a day. It took quite a while for him to settle down when he started being worked again too. 20 mins of walking a day was 20 mins of prancing and hopping and when we were allowed to start trotting he invented a new gait which was hilarious to watch but not so funny to sit on. It was awful and I was convinced he was going to bust his tendon again but he just felt so great and was SO happy to be out of the field doing something he just couldn't contain himself. He settled down fairly quickly though once he got into a routine again.

Does the bucking you are dealing with feel like high jinks? Have you had the horse long?

Good idea though to get someone else to do a bit with him while you get your bottle back on something calmer for a little while. Hopefully when you get back on him he'll be a bit more settled.

I lunge mine in a pessoa, sometimes only with the back/bottom bit on, just to stop him broncing and making the lunging session a total waste of time!
 
seoirse said:
How long has he been back in work? Sorry if you've already mentioned that and I've missed it! Feeling better and being on box rest are enough to send even the sanest horses a bit bats for a while. Mine is so awful on box rest that he had to fix his tendon out in the field last year cos I just couldn't cope with him being in. It was like mucking out a wild rhino twice a day. It took quite a while for him to settle down when he started being worked again too. 20 mins of walking a day was 20 mins of prancing and hopping and when we were allowed to start trotting he invented a new gait which was hilarious to watch but not so funny to sit on. It was awful and I was convinced he was going to bust his tendon again but he just felt so great and was SO happy to be out of the field doing something he just couldn't contain himself. He settled down fairly quickly though once he got into a routine again.

Does the bucking you are dealing with feel like high jinks? Have you had the horse long?

Good idea though to get someone else to do a bit with him while you get your bottle back on something calmer for a little while. Hopefully when you get back on him he'll be a bit more settled.

I lunge mine in a pessoa, sometimes only with the back/bottom bit on, just to stop him broncing and making the lunging session a total waste of time!
Click to expand...

He's only been back in work for 4 weeks, so its early days. But he wasn't on box rest for very long, only a week. It was 2 weeks of walking then 2 weeks trot, he still has another 2 weeks trot to do...

I've had him for a year, so we are quite new to each other still - and it's been a steep learning curve. He's a complicated horse mentally, but prior to this he's been fairly straightforward to ride - was thought of as the most reliable to hack in a yard of competition horses.

Bucking feels more like nervous energy mixed with a bit of a tantrum if that makes sense?
 
Last edited:
Georgia68 said:
He's only been back in work for 4 weeks, so its early days. But he wasn't on box rest for very long, only a week. It was 2 weeks of walking then 2 weeks trot, he still has another 2 weeks trot to do...

I've had him for a year, so we are quite new to each other still - and it's been a steep learning curve. He's a complicated horse mentally, but prior to this he's been fairly straightforward to ride - was thought of as the most reliable to hack in a yard of competition horses.

Bucking feels more like nervous energy mixed with a bit of a tantrum if that makes sense?
Click to expand...

Here's an example of what 'feeling better' can do to them! I've got an elderly ex BSJA pony that used to belong to my little sister, she is on part loan to a novice family who come and pootle about with her 3 times a week. She is a real poppet and doesn't put a foot wrong, you can take her anywhere and put anyone on her these days but in her show jumping heyday she was a manic, a super flawless jumper, but a real handful. A couple of years ago she started getting stiff so I put her onto Superflex. Well, I've never seen anything like it. Within 2 days she was mental. Charging off and bunny hopping like she used to in her youth! I am 100% convinced that it was the sudden effect of the superflex. I took her off it and reintroduced it reeeealllly slowly, she didn't go bonkers then but there was a marked improvement in her way of going and flexibility so I am pleased I put her on it. I'm telling you this as an example of how feeling good again can send some horses a bit mad. I wouldn't have believed Superflex could have made such a dramatic difference to her!

Sounds as though getting someone else to ride him a bit is a good way forward as if he is battering your confidence each time you come off then each time you get back on you'll be more tense and anxious which is only going to make the situation worse for both of you.

I really hope you get him settled and you are back on board feeling confident very soon.
 
seoirse said:
Here's an example of what 'feeling better' can do to them! I've got an elderly ex BSJA pony that used to belong to my little sister, she is on part loan to a novice family who come and pootle about with her 3 times a week. She is a real poppet and doesn't put a foot wrong, you can take her anywhere and put anyone on her these days but in her show jumping heyday she was a manic, a super flawless jumper, but a real handful. A couple of years ago she started getting stiff so I put her onto Superflex. Well, I've never seen anything like it. Within 2 days she was mental. Charging off and bunny hopping like she used to in her youth! I am 100% convinced that it was the sudden effect of the superflex. I took her off it and reintroduced it reeeealllly slowly, she didn't go bonkers then but there was a marked improvement in her way of going and flexibility so I am pleased I put her on it. I'm telling you this as an example of how feeling good again can send some horses a bit mad. I wouldn't have believed Superflex could have made such a dramatic difference to her!

Sounds as though getting someone else to ride him a bit is a good way forward as if he is battering your confidence each time you come off then each time you get back on you'll be more tense and anxious which is only going to make the situation worse for both of you.

I really hope you get him settled and you are back on board feeling confident very soon.
Click to expand...

Thank you seoirse, I really appreciate your advice :0)
 
I lost my bottle when my new horse went through a bucking phase, alongside spooking napping spinning etc. He used to buck me off in the arena not out hacking, only cos he wouldn't hack out on his own (so naughty). I struggled for 18 months with lessons etc to overcome my fear but I was far from confident and terrified to jump. Ultimately he threw me off and I bust my arm!
Did all the checks etc. We think it was just high jinks. He was overfed, not turned out enough etc etc. Moved yards to get more turnout and fed him less and now TOUCH WOOD he only does it in the warm-up arena at jumping comps and in springtime cantering on grass in company when he's feeling fresh!
I have learned that a body protector, my mantra (heels down, hands up, kick on), a strap across the front of the saddle (my berjeesus handle) and very quick reactions keep me on his back and stop the bucks after the first one. My confidence has only come back in the past year since I have had to face my fears head on. You have to make yourself do it. I get this fear thing and I feel sick/dizzy but then something clicks in my head and I sort of tell myself that I MIGHT die but I will probably be ok!!!! And then I am ok. Strange!!!!!

I think we all eventually work out our own ways to cope. Good luck and all, I wouldn't fancy getting thrown off a 17.2 so get yourself a strap to hold on to.
 
noblesteed said:
I lost my bottle when my new horse went through a bucking phase, alongside spooking napping spinning etc. He used to buck me off in the arena not out hacking, only cos he wouldn't hack out on his own (so naughty). I struggled for 18 months with lessons etc to overcome my fear but I was far from confident and terrified to jump. Ultimately he threw me off and I bust my arm!
Did all the checks etc. We think it was just high jinks. He was overfed, not turned out enough etc etc. Moved yards to get more turnout and fed him less and now TOUCH WOOD he only does it in the warm-up arena at jumping comps and in springtime cantering on grass in company when he's feeling fresh!
I have learned that a body protector, my mantra (heels down, hands up, kick on), a strap across the front of the saddle (my berjeesus handle) and very quick reactions keep me on his back and stop the bucks after the first one. My confidence has only come back in the past year since I have had to face my fears head on. You have to make yourself do it. I get this fear thing and I feel sick/dizzy but then something clicks in my head and I sort of tell myself that I MIGHT die but I will probably be ok!!!! And then I am ok. Strange!!!!!

I think we all eventually work out our own ways to cope. Good luck and all, I wouldn't fancy getting thrown off a 17.2 so get yourself a strap to hold on to.
Click to expand...

The "my berjeesus handle" just made me laugh out loud!

We've already got him on a very restricted diet, which worked very well.

Definitely going to make more use of the body protector - I've got this stupid thing about it tempting fate to wear one - I know!
 
This time last year I completly lost my nerve from trying out horses and having some very nasty experiences. I wanted to give up and the thought of riding just turned me to jelly!

With the help of my mum and instructors I eventually got my nerve back, I had lunge lessons on my instructors horses and then I would walk off the lunge and eventually I started jumping again. I still get very nervous in open spaces but I can cope a bit more now I even did xc the other day!

My advice would be to get a very good instructor who can help you get your nerve back, where are you based I may know some instructors near you?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top