Lost Confidence on own horse...fine on others???

M

Marley&Me

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 January 2011
Messages
166
Visit site
Hi All.

Hope you can help. I have a gorgeous traddy cob, who is more sporty and whizzy than you might imagine, quite strong and you need very little leg. I have had him 18 months and all was fine until February this year. But he had been out of work for a few months over the winter and I was bringing him back in.

He had a personality transplant overnight following being clipped....which left me bucked off in a muddy field with a hurt back.

Issues now resolved...following new saddle, chiro, vet and exercise programme to help his topline develop and an experienced friend riding him for a while.

In the meantime I have been riding weekly at the local riding school doing the stage 2 course. I am perfectly happy and confident on the riding school horses, even now jumping 2t6 courses...something I havent done in 15 years!


But I am yet to get back on my own horse! I am really nervous, and keep making excuses. Thing is he was fine before the incident which left me on the floor, but I am worried to get back on as I am 3 stone heavier than my friend who rides him and am thinking that he will know it is me and I will end up on the floor again!!!


At this point I have considered selling him and buying something from the riding school! irrational thoughts!

ideas?
 
Hello,

I would get an instructor to give you lessons on your boy asap - the longer you leave it, the worse it will be. Good luck xx
 
Thing is if you dont make your self do it you wont. may be ask your friend ride first then while she is there get on second, even ask your friend to walk round with you. even if you only walk a litle way on your horse, once you are back on the floor safley it will feel great x and hope fully next time it wont be half as hard to get back on
 
Hi,
The situation that you have just described could have been written by me a couple of months ago! It does get better!
I also have a trad cob mare although I have not owned her for as long as you have had yours. She had a few weeks off over the winter and I asked an experienced rider to bring her back into work for me which resulted in my mare dumping her on the road! My confidence was shattered (it was already pretty low, hence me not bringing her back into work myself)
The way that I got over it was to ask a local intructor to come out and ride her a few times a week who had no problems with her. Then I took her up to the riding stables where I ride and the instructor rode her out on hacks while I rode out on one of the schools horses.
Again, like you, I was fine on one of there horses but wouldn't get on my own!
My instructor was brilliant and when we got back from our hacks she asked me to get on my mare back at the yard and just sit on her for a few minutes, then, gradually she led me a few steps until I would ride her up the yard and back.
now I am riding her out on hacks and touch wood, so far so good! :) we are gradually building our relationship and trust and I'm enjoying it!
I still sometimes feel nervous before I ride her but it is getting better.
Hope this helps - just take baby steps to start with until you feel comfortable - it does get better xx
 
I had this about 4 months after I bought my youngster - only I fell off a RS school horse (well, I say fell, more forcibly ejected). As a result, I then suddenly started thinking that if a RS school bronc'd me off, what would a recently backed youngster do to me :(

I had to start at the beginning, like backing a horse from the start again. So get on, walk a few steps and get off again. Then build up from there. Went out with friends on hacks, just round a field and back again. I can now hack out (albeit still in company, can do alone, but I end up winding him up through nerves) in all paces and jump, go up/down hickstead like banks etc.

I also did a Intro dressage test late last year and am off to my next one in couple of weeks time. If funds had allowed I would've been off to a 3 day pony party end of july!

But it has taken me best part of 2.5 - 3 years to get to this point :( On the plus side I have a well mannered (90%) horse that I can do anything with on the ground :D
 
I have the same issue with my TB, he ditched me quite spectacularly a few years ago, now when I come to get on him I always have that 'what if' feeling yet I get on other horses without a second thought!
I know that it's ridiculous because I only came off once and he was afterwards diagnosed with navicular so was in pain but I can't shake that feeling, I've found a great trainer who's helping me deal with it and it's getting easier each time I come to ride, definitely get some help from someone experienced with confidence issues.
 
Hi all, great to know I am not alone!

I think you guys are right I am going to have to do it, perhaps with an instructor I trust to start with.

It feels so silly. As until this point things had been ok, he had never bucked but the day he did it he really meant it, and had 2 bursts of bucking fits which I came off of the second burst. I was on my own too hacking out and it was when I asked him to canter. But I am super confident on the riding school horses. Crazy.

Now I have a mental block over gettng on him. He is young, just turning 6 but more like a 4.5 year old in green-ness as his work has been intermittant at best....due to various health or circumstance issues.

Think I need to be tough with myself.
 
rose bud said:
Sorry if you said in your original post but was there a physical cause for the bucking?
Click to expand...

Hi rose bud

Yes we think so.

He had been barefoot and treeless successfully (or so it appeared) for a year, but was developing uneven muscle tone over back and following being clipped (full) he started bucking, spooking and shaking in sheer panic/pain when sat on.

So I got osteo, saddle fitter (new saddle), vet, xrays and eventually farrier to come and examine. Essentially after spending most of the spring working out the problem he was lame behind and very foot sore and this had caused referred pain in his back and uneven topline development due to the problems with his gait.

The clipping obviously made him more sensitive in his back and started the crazy behaviour.

The problems he was suffering have now been ironed out and he is much happier but currently needs bringing back into work again properly as he had now not been in consistant work since August last year! Eeek.

Shoes and an exercise program to develop his top line and he is now sound and coming back into work again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top