Lost Confidence update

[WallisM]

Hi Guys,
Just thought ad let you know how I am getting on with the confidence thing !

Well last night my pal came over to help out, I did some flat work and a little bit of jumping in the school for about 45mins he was a bit sweaty

then took him into the field, I trotted up and down and when I felt ready asked to canter, But I kept my reins quite short, He started prancing around so I cracked him and shouted @ him

, Then my pal pointed out that she didn't think he was misbehaving and that I was telling him to go but holding him back at the same time

so I relaxed my reins and he cantered real nicely up the field. So I did it another 4 times to make sure it wasn't a flook hahaha

So I feel a bit guilty getting angry when it was me argh bless him.

So I am getting there slowly but surely.
Thanks For Reading

x

 

[Madam_max]

Well done.

 

[Walder]

dont know your story as im new to forum - but well done anyway - it only takes a small thing to lose you confidence - but dont you feel good when you over come it!!!??? Keep in your own safety zone and expand very slowly at your own pace - dont let anyone pressure you to do too much too quickly or youll end up back at square 1 x

 

[filly190]

Sounds like you are heading in the right direction. It is so easy to become tense, expecting something to happen and then giving the horse mixed signals. Breathing and body posture help, when you feel nervous, talk to the horse, sing, anything no matter how daft because it helps to relax you. Having people around gives confidence because you dont feel so alone with it all.

Have you got anyone nice and calm to hack out with? So you can begin enjoying the countryside and get some roadwork into the horse.

 

[WallisM]

Thanks for all of you postive vibes !

The YO has offered, I have rode out with her before I lost my confidence, The only thing is her horse is 15yrs but acts like a 5 yo

, This didn't bother Jim in the slightest. Jimmy is very well behaved on the roads it's just I have lost the confidence when riding in fields or cantering along tracks

. I know that if we did hack out YO would be happy to walk and trot until I was feeling ready. Might hack out on Sun as I have a lesson on Sat.

 

[the watcher]

This just shows how important it is to have somebody on the ground who has an overall view. Well done, you will be amazed how quickly it all comes back

 

[Walder]

I have lost my confidence cantering out - but on sunday i went out on my own and did loads of transisions - halt to trot - trot to halt - etc. when i felt confident i did trot to canter for a few strides then back to trot - then walk to cnater for rew strides again - try this next time, it did my confidence no end of good - i didnt feel under pressure to canter for a long period - i am gradually going to build the canter up in length x

 

[WallisM]

Hey Junosmum that is a good exercise to do will be working on that now.

I also feel confident when there is someone watching as if i do come off least they can get hold of my boy before injuring himself as that is the only thing that really frightens me not the falling off hahah silly I know stuff me get my horse

 

[Michelle73]

I had a fall on 13(!) August last year, I can't tell you what happened coz i have no idea. I remember leaving the yard at 855am and waking up in hospital. No serious injuries except the bleed on the brain. It took me 5 months (he was turned away for two of those!) to go back through the fields that I came off in because I had to wait for someone to be with me in case Hercules (the love of my life) remembered what had happened. I got round it by doing every bit of the hack route except for the fields on a regular basis and to see if there was anything that would make him react. Nothing did. By the time I'd found someone to ride accross the fields with I was just desperate for a gallop. My horse is a saint and thats no word of a lie - and still can't even guess at what went wrong that day!!! Since that fall my confidence has grown so much that I'm now taking him to all sorts of places that I've been too afraid to tackle in the past. We laugh now and say that fall did me the world of good. I will say that I'm sorry you felt you needed to hit your horse. I have practiced natural horsemanship ways for the last 18 months and haven't needed to smack my horses since. Good luck to you and keep us posted of all the other things you get up to.