Perfection - are we all too hard on ourselves?

[Achinghips]

Reason I ask this is I always seem to be dissatisfied about what I'm achieving with my girl. Occassionally, I have a brill lesson or a fantastic day or see her in a new light but the high never seems to last very long, even though I reason with bone spavin I know she's limited and is doing her best for me. Get so frustrated somnetimes with the huge amount of work needed for small-ish results

 

[Allover]

I know what you mean, it can be damn frustrating!!

BUT anything worth having is worth working for IMO and those little things are far more special when hard work and commitment have allowed you to get them.

Keep plugging on

 

[VoR]

Be you human or equine you can have good days and bad days, feel ready for anything or just plain not up-for-it, enjoy the good times of which there are I believe many and forget the far fewer bad times, just enjoy .

 

[Achinghips]

You guys are great! When I was a kid and had a cob, I never worried about working in an outline or working from behind or coming down and round, conformation, correct musclature - I used to just get on and go have fun. Wierd isn't it? When did I become sooo serious about it all ...

 

[Dexydoodle]

I got really down over the winter (bought my mare in Oct and had saddle fitting issues and she's now seeing a physio as a result of having been ridden in a saddle far too small for her for 5 years) and have good days and bad days. We cantered round a corner in the arena for the first time last week (she struggles to bend but can now manage it in a trot) and was so pleased, and worked in an outline for a few strides last week, again for the first time and was over the moon. But some days I see other people getting their horses going nicely (and I know they've put a lot of work into achieving it) and get despondent, but just try to remember where we were when I got her and how far we've come.

 

[lara b]

You guys are great! When I was a kid and had a cob, I never worried about working in an outline or working from behind or coming down and round, conformation, correct musclature - I used to just get on and go have fun. Wierd isn't it? When did I become sooo serious about it all ...

That is all I do now! Occasionally we go in the school and try all those good things but most of the time we just hoon about having a great time (I am of course careful in heavy ground etc, but you get the gist)! I do think it is very easy to put too much pressure on yourself (I have done it many times with horses), but maybe the key is to just do the bits you enjoy and not spend all your time doing the bits you 'should' do

 

[miss_bird]

I think too many people spend to much time worrying what other people think about how their horse is working, is it in a outline etc, and we forget too much of the fun aspect.
So glad i am in my own yard and if i am riding in the school and just slobbing around having fun i dont care

 

[tigerlily12345]

it varies so much from horse to horse, ive ridden some and gotten really frustrated only being able to walk and trot (if needed) but my current pony, i can spend and hour trotting round in circles and be happy with the fact that shes going so well in trot!

 

[noblesteed]

Yes we are all way too hard on ourselves! I got my current horse expecting to have to work hard to get him to be a decent dressage horse, I had lessons and my ambitious plan was to compete at novice after about a year... I found out to my dismay horsey didn't see the point of dressage, he would buck me off in a dressage test, he was lazy, evasive, naughty etc. We had flashes of perfection then it would go tits up when he spooked at a blade of grass. I was ready to sell him - I know he has it in him, he is perfectly capable. But he can't be bothered, and I have come round to his way of thinking now. The last time I took him to a 'serious' dressage comp I got fits of giggles, laughing at everyone who was taking it so seriously, getting frustrated and making their horses stressed. It just looked so ridiculous. So I thought sod this, I'm just going to do what we both enjoy.
I cracked my fear of jumping so we do quite a bit of that, we go to RC rallies and little comps in which we rarely get placed, we do the odd prelim, we get clear rounds but we're a bit slow. We play on the moors and the beach and we are utterly fearless in traffic. We always have fun, we have a go at things like hunting, and I don't get stressed any more, or fall off as much as I did. Yes my horse can do a good dressage test, but he doesn't WANT to!!!