Returning to riding after a 10 year break

[cowboylover]

Hello everyone! Been really enjoying reading all the posts so I hope someone can help me.

I had my own pony and then on to horses untill I was 17 when I had a head injury in a road accident not horse related but totally lost my confidence so horses sold and I moved out of dads farm and never thought about it again. Still enjoyed watching but never wanted to ride again.

So 10 years later my niece was riding in a showjumping competition and I really wanted to jump on! I just had to do it!

I am heavy so took a while to find a suitable school with horses I can ride and I'm loving being back in the saddle already. The problem I have is that my mind knows what to do and my body just won't do it!

Has anyone else returned to riding after a break?
I would love to be competitive again but want to be realistic.

Thanks for reading

 

[Carlosmum]

I had about 15 yrs off from college to marriage, breaking husband in & rearing children. Rode occasionally during this time. Have now been back in the saddle for about 10 yrs. Didn't know how much I'd missed horses until I started again. Biggest difference I found was the change in equipment & expectations of a 'normal horse' to be in an outline etc for a simple dressage test.

 

[Copperpot]

I had 12 years off. Had a loan pony when I was younger. Gave it up at 16. Bought my first horse when I was 28. Good luck with it

 

[Pampered Ponies]

Firstly, so glad you gave it a go and are enjoying it.

I got "banned" by my parents at the age of 8 and didn't really ride again, except a few treks, until I was 30. I went to a riding school first and went from there, ending up with 3 of my own now. The biggest thing I found was that what we are taught as children is not the gospel. The whole "inside leg to outside reign" is too perscriptive and I had to re-learn to just do what felt right for my own horses rather than trying to ride them like top-class dressage/jump horses. I realised I had to learn and so did they. I got very frustrated for a few months but absolutely love it and am so pleased I decided to go back.

Hope you continue to enjoy it and to see some photos of you at your fist show soon.

 

[LJN]

Hi, I stopped riding when I went to Uni and had to sell my horses. Not quite 10 yrs later (but close enough!) I decided to have a couple of riding lessons, which turned into two or three a week. Although I was seriously unfit, my riding instructor pushed me hard and soon enough my muscles started to be able to do what I knew they were meant to be doing (most of the time).

I started my riding lessons in Oct last yr, and in Feb this yr found myself the proud owner of a 6yr old, 16.2 (I'm 5 foot 2!) Show Jumper and have been doing some local comps. It's great fun, and hilarious when the 14 yr old kids from our yard ride past and tell me 'don't be nervous, you will be fine, the course is really easy'!

I think you should go for it, the worst that will happen is that your legs will hurt for a couple of weeks

 

[PucciNPoni]

I had a ten year break - gave up in my mid twenties and took it back up again about 6 years ago. I'm back to competing, at a much higher standard than I did before. I get regular training sessions and am very active with a riding club. I have recently joined BD (though yet to compete affiliated so looking forward to doing that!)

No real reason why you can't do it all again

 

[Merlin11]

i had a ten year break and started again with lessons.oh also wanted to learn by then so we had lessons together. 20 years later we have 4 horses at home and still ride together. it will come back to you. i found things more relaxed when i came back. as a child i was taught the strict way - using a crop etc. i much prefer the more relaxed way of riding now.

 

[Equinus]

I haven't ridden for about 7 years and am desperate to get back to it. I worked with horses for 20 years and had my own for 25 years. When she died suddenly six years ago at 28, I didn't want anything to do with horses or anyone I knew, I was devastated. But time heals and though I sometimes get a tear in the eye when I find white hairs on brushes or boots I am moving on at last.

Other things have changed too, I got married, stopped smoking, went (going) through the change and all this has made me gain weight and my arthritis has got worse so that I feel quite insecure on my legs. But I am determined.

We have now had our gelding for nearly a year. He is a really lovely horse, sold to us out of the field by a dealer who said he was a novice ride but hadn't been ridden (and only briefly) for six months, when a novice friend had ridden him in walk. After sending him away to be re-started and bringing him back home because he had a nasty buck, we admitted defeat and retired him at 11 to be our rather large pet. However we have found out from a former owner that he has been a pet all his life, till last spring, and was never broken or given any training, so no wonder he bucked when asked to do too much.

So with a novice husband (who had a few lessons and proved to be a natural) and a walking stick, we are doing the groundwork and hopefully one day soon he will be backed and ridden away and who knows. Because he is such a lovely lad we are desperately hoping no lasting damage has been done and we will, in our fifties, one day ride him. So I will be looking for somewhere to have a couple of lessons to see if I can still manage it.

Sorry to ramble.

 

[FionaM12]

So 10 years later my niece was riding in a showjumping competition and I really wanted to jump on! I just had to do it!

I am heavy so took a while to find a suitable school with horses I can ride and I'm loving being back in the saddle already. The problem I have is that my mind knows what to do and my body just won't do it!

Has anyone else returned to riding after a break?

Welcome to the forum!

I doubt many people have returned after a break as long as mine... over 30 years!

I was forced to give up when I was young due to becoming acutely allergic to horses. I returned to riding about 2 years ago in my fifties and now have my own horse.

It's really hard though. It's quite late in life to be asking my body to do new stuff and I'm quite scared of falling off, especially as I have the early stages of osteoporosis. But I never was interested in competing (just as well! ) so if I can just amble about on my mare and spend time with her, I'm happy.

 

[Max123]

I rode my own ponies from a young age until I was 16 when I sold my pony as I was interested in other stuff. I had very few lessons as a kid, hunted, show jumped at local level and did some pony club. I was a very confident rider @ 16 yrs. I rarely rode for the next 10 years - odd hacks at trekking centres only. When I was 27 I got a lovely but just backed 16.1HH. I had no reason to think there wasn't any horse I couldn't ride. I soon found out differently and after a few falls got really nervous and stopped riding her. After about 5 years I decided to get riding lessons. I have a different horse now but I never regained my nerve and if he gets anxious at all I get anxious and its a vicious circle. A lot of my prior confidence was from naivety. My advice to you would be not to over-horse yourself and to continue improving your own riding skills. If I could turn the clock back I would have got a steady cob and worked my way back up because I've tried and can't get my confidence back which is seriously holding me back.
Enjoy.

 

[Jewkes]

Hello! I have recently re-started riding after a break of 10 years+. I'm 32 now and had ponies from about 13 till 18 but never really had lessons or anything and certainly never competed - just happy hacking.. I think I was generally pretty crap. I eventually had my confidence shattered by a rearer and that was that.

Anyway, I thought i'd have a lesson and i've got right back in to it. Wish I could afford more than one lesson a week so i'm hoping to have lessons for a year or so and maybe find a share... or get a new job/lottery win and buy my own!

My Husband is

I am

Sarah.

 

[FionaM12]

Hello! I have recently re-started riding after a break of 10 years+. I'm 32 now and had ponies from about 13 till 18 but never really had lessons or anything and certainly never competed - just happy hacking.. I think I was generally pretty crap. I eventually had my confidence shattered by a rearer and that was that.

Anyway, I thought i'd have a lesson and i've got right back in to it. Wish I could afford more than one lesson a week so i'm hoping to have lessons for a year or so and maybe find a share... or get a new job/lottery win and buy my own!

My Husband is

I am

Sarah.

What part of the country are you in Sarah?

 

[Jewkes]

I live a couple of miles outside Dudley, West Midlands (near Brum).

 

[FionaM12]

I live a couple of miles outside Dudley, West Midlands (near Brum).

Oh okay. A long way from me in the North West. Just wondered if I could help, but I'm too far away.

 

[Jewkes]

Any help would have been very much appreciated so thank you for asking

<Curses at the distance!>

 

[equilass1914]

Hello I teach Pilates on horseback and i have had many riders that have had confidence issues but by using pilates are all back happy hacking/ eventing after head injury/ and hunting.

 

[cowboylover]

Thanks all! It's really great to know I'm not going mad an it can happen.

Great advice I think about over horsing myself as I am finding the Irish Sporty types way to appealing at the moment.

I think finding a share in the future would be a good idea so hoping to make some new contacts where I have my lessons and where my niece has her livery.

 

[LJN]

If you are having lessons, it might be a good idea to ask your instructor what sort of horse might suit you - they might even know of a share/loan that is available.

I got my horse through the stables I was having lessons at, I would never have thought that a young, big, strong and scopy horse would be what I need/want/can cope with, but because they knew his past, and knew my attitude and riding style (or lack of!), they came up with a pretty good match

Whatever happens, make sure you are having fun!

 

[Max123]

Hello I teach Pilates on horseback and i have had many riders that have had confidence issues but by using pilates are all back happy hacking/ eventing after head injury/ and hunting.

I presume you are in the UK?? Do you know of anyone that does similar in Ireland?