People who lie about their riding skills

People lieing about their riding ability doesn't afect me, I just feel sorry for them because they have to go to such lengths to make themselves look and feel better.

This is unless (as said before) it is affecting me and Joey. I've had several people who think that they're so much better than us because Joey is a cob and they are on a fancy bred horse with all these "famous" bloodlines, that doesn't annoy me in the slightest, because I know what Joey can do and he always tries his hardest for me.

It does annoy me when they think that becasue they are competing at a higher level than me (regardless of wheather they are doing well at it or not) they think that they can tell me how to train my horse and what I should be doing with him! They assume that because he is a cob he is the laziest thing going who cannot possibly jump or do anything and then when they actually see us competing they assume that he is a push-button pony, this is not the case because Joey has very much a mind of his own. I know that we have a long long looooooong way to go with flatwork etc and I am certainly not considered to be a "brilliant" rider by any means, but I always try my best and as long as I can do that then I'm happy and don't really care what other people think! :)
 
elliefiz said:
Completely agree with this. Unless someone's fibs affect your life directy why not just disregard it and accept some people have an over active imagination. Also who cares if someone came 2nd out of 2 people? Its the taking part that counts and its not a lie as they were actually 2nd. I dont get the need to rain on anyones parade, the saying "live and let live" springs to mind.

Arizahn- that sounds terribly uncomfortable, hope you feel better soon.
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Thank you. Numbing agent has finally worn off. This is both good and bad...
 
At my last livery yard we had a few kids but none my own age, I was in my late teens at that time. We finally got a girl come looking for livery who was 2 years older than me. She babbled on about all this experience she had riding wise, all these difficult horses she dealt with and even the fact she went to vet school for 1 year.

A few months down the line and 3 horses later (different story all together) it was apparent that she only ever done riding lessons and her 'difficult' horse was a massive heavy draft breed that would tow her around the arena! Her experience of Cross Country was some rustic poles put up in an arena with bushes and said draft horse. To this day I'm still doubtful about the vet school aswell as I seen her bandage her horse and it was absolutely horrific! There were also points in her stable management that were beginning to get down right dangerous that I actually fell out with her for and to this day still do not speak to her.

It's funny that too because she turned out to be a prolific lier with everything and caused many stories to make their way round the yard.... You can only think that there's something going on in her life that makes her want to do it. I personally couldn't be bothered!
 
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horselessb said:
I also find that people think they are an 'advanced' rider when they have a forward, push button horse that most riders could get a tune out of. get on a lazy, stubborn horse- or a nutcase and they dont look so advance!!
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Completely agree, the amount of people who have told me to sell minis pony and get a push and go!!! I would be a millionaire :)

We have stayed with him, and now it is all falling into place :)

Yes she could have gone further with a push and go, but she loves him, and has fun, and is now jumping small jumps and cantering far later than her friends , but my goodness he has taught her to ' ride'
 
GG2B said:
This would be me right now. As a teen I was the kind of girl to ride anything and whilst I probably wasn't the prettiest rider I was rarely phased by anything. Unfortunately after a bad fall and a few years out of the saddle I've come back to riding with confidence of glass and hope none of the people who've offered to hack out with my new boy would put me in such an uncomfortable position.
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Ditto :( hate it :(
 
RaposadeGengibre said:
Thinking about booking a riding lesson but after reading the thread I really not sure how to explain my riding abilities. :D
In teen years Ive been riding every possible nutter but usually hacking and/or bareback and hardly any proper schooling.
So who am I, considering absence of riding for quite a few years, back problems and no core muscles? Rusty novice who still sticks to the horse like a tick? :lol:
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Ditto LOL when the riding school wanted to sign me up I said, yes I can do everything on your list, but choose not to now : D

Wish I could get my confidence back, but have realised that my time has come and gone, and my new courage is watching mini speeding around :)

I now want a plod who is scared if nothing, but know that does not exist ;)
 
When I was doing my training at the riding school, we had 2 women turn up all turned out as if they were going cubbing with the local hunt. They were complete with brand new, not yet worn in leather long boots, full make up, hair in nets, the works. I knew instantly that their declaration forms was not going to match their ability and I am very glad the school had started their assessment sessions before hacks the month before. My male colleague was all for skipping the pre-hack lesson and get them out on the ride :rolleyes: Sure enough, one was just about able to canter, other one wasn't.

If you work day in, day out with horses and people you build up a pretty good gut instinct as to who is 'kosher' so to speak. I would say I would know within about 30 seconds of someone meeting a horse for the first time as to how familiar they are, and almost instantly the moment they take the reins to lead the horse. But this is from years and years of experience!

I under-sell. Far easier. Apart from anything else, what with the litigation society we live in now, if you sign your life away stating you are better than the Funnels and something happens that is down to your ability (or lack of) then you are stuffed.

I have the knowledge, and have been taught the skills that could enable me to event. Could I event though? Probably, although never at any decent level, as that was over 10 years ago and frankly I don't have the desire to. Would I say I could complete a 3ft XC course on a riding school form? Hell no, knowing my luck I'd get put on a nutty ex-event horse that throws riders like hoop-la - I am not paying someone for that privilege :D

As for push button horses - I got put on PRE stallion in Spain who apparently was a schoolmaster, capable of all the moves, makes anyone look good, really easy to ride etc. I got him walking, halted. Then couldn't get him moving again without the help of the instructor. Apparently the horse was only push button for riders taught Spanish classical style, not riders that have evolved to hang on to speedy ISH's!!!
 
Lol! I have had a grand total of 2 lessons in my life and am quick to tell people this! I have in my teenage years got on nutters and stuck on through good luck sometimes! As an adult recently returned to riding I now want to do it right, and have had my 2nd ever lesson recently ;)
 
slumdog said:
I have to admit that after doing reasonably well on ponies when I was a teen and then coming back to competing last year after I'd had children, I've realised I was never actually taught to 'ride' only to stay on!

(I also realised how important core body strength is and how children ruin you lol)
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Me too, after 30 odd years of riding I am now learning how to ride!
 
Hm well i think there is a slightly different angle too. I know now I am a rubbish rider! But 8 years ago when I got my first horse I didnt realise quite how rubbish! I could do everything I was told (sort of) in the school in a lesson but I didnt realise that on my own, on a hack or in a school without an instructor standing over me, I was utterly clueless. Hence my first horse terrifying the life out of me and having to be sold. (he is happy and doing well now by the way!). I certainly would not have said to people that I was a fabulous rider but those who enter the horsy world via lessons rather than via the horsy family and riding before they could walk, can get a nasty shock when they finally catch up!
 
tankgirl1 said:
Lol! I have had a grand total of 2 lessons in my life and am quick to tell people this! I have in my teenage years got on nutters and stuck on through good luck sometimes! As an adult recently returned to riding I now want to do it right, and have had my 2nd ever lesson recently ;)
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Im not alone!:D
 
My friend just told me that at the weekend she took a ride out with a man who insisted on undoing his hat and not wearing the chin strap correctly . He was all I can do this I can do that , I've hunted in this country and that . He decided HE was doing the gate , his hat then fell off his head . Was a completely different person on the way home !
 
It's a bit silly and borderline dangerous to embellish or outright lie about your abilities when booking a lesson or hack. But I can also see how some people may just not realise how low/limited their riding ability is, or may get confused between what counts as being a beginner or an intermediate ect.

I must admit I find it difficult to know what to call my riding abilities... when people ask I'm happy to say novice (walk, trot, canter, some lateral work and whatnot). To non horsey people this is interpreted as 'a novice; not a complete beginner but still new to the sport' but horsey folk like to interpret it as 'beginner under the delusion that they're going to the next olympics'. I'm pretty paranoid about people assuming I'm a liar- I remember when I first started at a different riding school because I'd moved to Brum for uni, and signed up for a beginners lesson. At the time I'd been able to walk and trot on the more forward-going horses at the riding school at home, so this is what I put down on the registration form. So I get put on a pony, and find after many attempts to get him to walk on that he doesn't respond until you give him an almighty boot to the ribs. Instructor was looking at me like she was convinced that this was the first time I'd sat on a horse. I'd never felt so embarrassed and disheartened.

Regarding what a couple of people said earlier: do riding school horses really just respond to what the instructor is doing? The only way I can ride is through weekly lessons at a school. We always do something different each lesson and I've seen a definite difference in how my current usual horse goes and responds to me as the weeks go on, but what some people have said makes me concerned I'm wasting my time if it's not me the horse is responding to but the instructor :/
 
erminex said:
Regarding what a couple of people said earlier: do riding school horses really just respond to what the instructor is doing? The only way I can ride is through weekly lessons at a school. We always do something different each lesson and I've seen a definite difference in how my current usual horse goes and responds to me as the weeks go on, but what some people have said makes me concerned I'm wasting my time if it's not me the horse is responding to but the instructor :/
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Please don't worry, there are a lot of riding schools that are really excellent and you get a really good riding education. Unless you are working as a ride rather than riding about doing things independently then the horse will not be listening to the instructor. If you believe you are making progress then you probably are. Why not have the odd private lesson on a horse that is new to you so that you can see how things are going :)
 
The only time it's concerning is when it puts people and horses in danger.

If the odd livery wants to brag about coming 1st out of one entry or whatever, then let them! Seriously, what harm is it doing to you? They might just be really proud of entering that class for other reasons, or maybe they've never won a 1st. Whatever the reason, a small distortion of the truth is not going to hurt you. Let them have their 5 minutes.

No wonder horsey people are perceived as bitchy!
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
i guess the thing is, i would NEVER try and find out someone bad results just to use them to make said person feel bad....however if said person is coming online to belittle MY results, or the way i train (when not asked i hasten to add), i WILL then go and find out just how experienced/succesful they really are.
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So, if someone has an opinion of your riding style or whatever that you don't agree with, you'll chase up their comp results for ammunition? (Or am I hopefully just reading this wrong?)
 
MileAMinute said:
The only time it's concerning is when it puts people and horses in danger.

If the odd livery wants to brag about coming 1st out of one entry or whatever, then let them! Seriously, what harm is it doing to you? They might just be really proud of entering that class for other reasons, or maybe they've never won a 1st. Whatever the reason, a small distortion of the truth is not going to hurt you. Let them have their 5 minutes.

No wonder horsey people are perceived as bitchy!
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I've actually done this haha!
It was my first ever go doing in-hand with the Ned (who's known to be a nutter at shows) and we won!! I was over the moon, I wore my 1st place rosette with pride and was telling everyone how I won!
Though I was honest and told them we were the only ones in the class...
Still, I did "win". Ned was a good boy and that's what I set out to achieve :)
 
Nah said:
I've actually done this haha!
It was my first ever go doing in-hand with the Ned (who's known to be a nutter at shows) and we won!! I was over the moon, I wore my 1st place rosette with pride and was telling everyone how I won!
Though I was honest and told them we were the only ones in the class...
Still, I did "win". Ned was a good boy and that's what I set out to achieve :)
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Good! Be proud! :D
 
Personally if I was riding a strange horse I'd prefer to be under rather than over horsed.

It does work the other way. Donkeys years ago my friend was competing in an endurance ride & I was going as crew. It involved an over night stop, so as the ride was using a riding school for the venue we asked if we could hire a horse to ride so we could go out for a hack the evening before the ride. They asked about my riding level, & my friend said I owned an arab & jumped a pony for someone to a reasonable height (we sj up to 3'3" ish, not bad for a 13.2hh pony - she was brilliant, I literally just steered). They said we could only hire one as part of one of their hacks, not go unaccompanied, fine understand that. I went to get on this hairy thing, to be told I must not carry a stick as he was so whizzy.

At this point wonder where he finds his energy from....but hairy ponies can be forward going. Get on, & we go out. Pony knows exactly what to do, where, totally ignores me, dead to the mouth & leg & so sloooooow. As it happened my friends horse (tb) decided to give her a very hard time (as she thought she was competing & we were going too slow), so after an hour we switched. I had a fab comfy ride on a lovely tb, friend spent hour on pony who was totally wooden in body, mind & saddle (you were sitting on the frame!). I defo got better deal.

Having sat on that pony though I can understand how someone would think they could w/t/c, & hack out, if they hadn't experienced an animal that you actually had to ride & listened to you. They may not realise animal is on autopilot & just doing its usual hack. Same in lessons, listening to instructor for commands rather than rider.

There is a RS near me, & in all the kids lessons the instructor carries a lunge whip. Who is that pony's attention focused on, the rider or the instructor? Who is really sending it forward? But if kids never ridden anywhere else, they will think its normal.
 
I haven't read any of this thread 'yet' however, I would say that not one of us is 'truthful' or 'accurate' about our riding skills, we either overestimate or underestimate our ability (the latter being more preferable in my opinion) and then there are parents, who think their little bobby who rides like a sack of potatoes, will be competing at international level next year ;).
 
Queenbee said:
I haven't read any of this thread 'yet' however, I would say that not one of us is 'truthful' or 'accurate' about our riding skills, we either overestimate or underestimate our ability (the latter being more preferable in my opinion) and then there are parents, who think their little bobby who rides like a sack of potatoes, will be competing at international level next year ;).
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Couldn't agree more :D
 
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