Riding really badly....

dominobrown

dominobrown

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Does anyone feel get the feeling like they are suddenly riding really badly and everything they once knew is now all wrong?
I feel like I go through phases where everything goes a bit wrong, and I am useless and the horses are going badly for me 😯
I had being all right, my young horse getting 3rd at BE80, and a confident first run at 90, only to go backwards at her 2nd run. I seem to be getting critised at all angles, and feel clueless even though I have been doing this for a while (!😂)
Not sure how to get out of this rut... being trying to get people to film me ride, and analysing compeition photos at all my faults in my riding.
Jumping wise, think I have suddenly decided to get in front of the movement, my lower leg position which was once solid is now not.
My hands are getting worse, struggling to get a consistent outline, and a decent dressage test!

Anyone else have ups and downs similar?
 
Yes, things go fine for me, then I start overthinking things and get very critical of myself and think I'm terrible at everything. Then something will click and I learn something new and I'm all happy again. And on it goes... I must start learning from it.
 
Yep, absolutely. And not just with horses, I get it with everything. It's completely psychological for me and the more I try the worse I get. The only cure I've found for it is to do something completely different for a period and then when I come back to whatever it was I have become magically competent again :rolleyes:. In the case of riding that is usually to have a period just hacking - I decide to work on horse fitness to give me a straightforward focus and allow my brain to get back a grip on itself.

The ultimate goal of my life is to work out a way to not flake in the first place, but I'm not quite there yet :p
 
DabDab said:
Yep, absolutely. And not just with horses, I get it with everything. It's completely psychological for me and the more I try the worse I get. The only cure I've found for it is to do something completely different for a period and then when I come back to whatever it was I have become magically competent again :rolleyes:. In the case of riding that is usually to have a period just hacking - I decide to work on horse fitness to give me a straightforward focus and allow my brain to get back a grip on itself.

The ultimate goal of my life is to work out a way to not flake in the first place, but I'm not quite there yet :p
Click to expand...
At least we're both self aware;)
 
Thank god!!! Feel completely inept at the moment... and over analysing everything which is how it started... maybe change bits, bridles? Do I need one of this anatomical bridles?!, feed... must be wrong... maybe horse is lame? In dyer pain... teeth... farrier (both booked for tomorrow no kidding!), me.... too fat.... get fitter (while drinking wine...), maybe need to change bit back to original one?, are my hands to low/ high... my saddle... must no longer fit, need to new saddle, girth... maybe should be more anatomical too?

Ramblings of a crazy person 😂🙄🙈
 
dominobrown said:
Thank god!!! Feel completely inept at the moment... and over analysing everything which is how it started... maybe change bits, bridles? Do I need one of this anatomical bridles?!, feed... must be wrong... maybe horse is lame? In dyer pain... teeth... farrier (both booked for tomorrow no kidding!), me.... too fat.... get fitter (while drinking wine...), maybe need to change bit back to original one?, are my hands to low/ high... my saddle... must no longer fit, need to new saddle, girth... maybe should be more anatomical too?

Ramblings of a crazy person 😂🙄🙈
Click to expand...
You're not alone:D
 
Yup! I learned i needed to relax and take things one step at a time. I found i would ride worse when i was trying too hard to make the horse go "well" or trying to hard to make myself look good. Now i try to focus on one part at a time. If i need to work on my leg being sound, i focus on that. The horse may be going sideways or look like a donkey, but he does it with my leg being sound...if that makes sense. Then eventually it all comes together again.
 
dominobrown said:
Thank god!!! Feel completely inept at the moment... and over analysing everything which is how it started... maybe change bits, bridles? Do I need one of this anatomical bridles?!, feed... must be wrong... maybe horse is lame? In dyer pain... teeth... farrier (both booked for tomorrow no kidding!), me.... too fat.... get fitter (while drinking wine...), maybe need to change bit back to original one?, are my hands to low/ high... my saddle... must no longer fit, need to new saddle, girth... maybe should be more anatomical too?

Ramblings of a crazy person 😂🙄🙈
Click to expand...

Pretty much all of those things have been going through my head recently too, and it's exhausting. You're not alone!
 
Yep happens to me too. Happened this week, just sort of lost the plot a few days ago.
I have fortnightly lessons so I just have to hope that when it strikes it's not long til the next one, because I know that is what will sort me out :p True enough had a lesson yesterday and back on track again now :cool:
 
Yes although most of the time I think I ride badly! But I def do the over thinking and riding badly when I’m nervous or tense. It can be part of a good learning curve, whilst you work through something you’re aware of it can feel worse. From conscious incompetence to conscious competence (part of a learning cycle) but, if you’re genuinely getting worse, do you have lessons do make sure you’re on track?
 
dominobrown said:
Thank god!!! Feel completely inept at the moment... and over analysing everything which is how it started... maybe change bits, bridles? Do I need one of this anatomical bridles?!, feed... must be wrong... maybe horse is lame? In dyer pain... teeth... farrier (both booked for tomorrow no kidding!), me.... too fat.... get fitter (while drinking wine...), maybe need to change bit back to original one?, are my hands to low/ high... my saddle... must no longer fit, need to new saddle, girth... maybe should be more anatomical too?

Ramblings of a crazy person 😂🙄🙈
Click to expand...

Yep, totally familiar with this!

I just book myself a couple of lessons and try and muddle through, always come out the other side eventually :)
 
I find a very straight talking trainer makes all the difference in these times!
I am on a yard now where there are lots of 'experts' and its easy to get sucked in / listen / panic
Then I go back to trainer, tell him all my worries (same ones as above, - lame / saddle / i'm too fat / how come I could do it last week) and he basically gives me a kick up the ass, reminds me to focus on the important things, gets me doing one thing confidently to restore my faith, and off I go again (until the next time)
 
Me? No, I've never felt like that. I'm always sublimely confident in myself and my ability not to ride like a chump.

Also me, last Sunday:

"I think I've broken my horse."

Coach: "Er, I doubt that. I'm sure it's fine..."

Me, wailing: "I'M NOT READY TO FLUNK OUT OF ANOTHER HORSE SPORT, I'VE BARELY STARTED THIS ONE"

Coach, looking deeply alarmed: "err. well. no. right. Lets get going and see what we're dealing with..."

Horse: *raises head slightly in protest, otherwise completely saintly*

Me: "Was I being ridiculous?"
 
All the time. I think it's just the nature of having a hobby/sport. I analyse my riding frame by frame.

And then the daily worries about my horse - Is he comfortable in all his tack? Should he be getting more regular massages/chiro/physio? (There's nothing wrong with him) How are his heels? Are they becoming under-run? (No) Am I doing too much with him? Is he getting fat? What will I do if he becomes lame? (Plans entire rehab programme) What if there's something wrong with him but he's too sweet to kick up a fuss? And so on and so forth...
 
So glad you wrote this thread db. I thought I was the only crap rider constantly letting my horse down and over thinking things which seemed easy a year ago. Turns out we are all rubbish !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I think if riders are honest everyone feels like this sometimes, its how you deal with it that counts. Its great to be self critical, its how we improve, but only if we approach it in the right way, if we just get bogged down in the the whole "I'm so awful etc" then its very destructive, but if we are able to analyse ourselves and say "I need to concentrate on keeping my shoulders back, my lower leg under my hip etc" then its great, its how we improve.
But to stay on top of it consistently I think the only reliable way is regular lessons from a trainer you respect.
 
Just a thought OP, but I have a physio who does both my horses and myself (very important to do the two!!), plus a trainer who observes me from time to time.

Something she has observed in the past, is that when either I or my horses (or both of us!) need a physio visit, then I start doing stupid stuff whilst in the saddle i.e. riding unevenly, poking my nose out, dipping my lower back, legs all over the place etc etc!

I'm just wondering whether perhaps OP this might be what is going on for you?? I just offer it as a suggestion..........
 
If you worry you are rubbish it shows you care, or that's what I tell myself.
Sometimes when I feel like this I take a step back and go hacking for a week or so. It reminds me how lucky I am just to ride and almost resets
A good trainer is a must though, without my lessons I would be a blubbering mess
 
Well dentist for horse he been today... horse fine...
Rode her very early this morning when there are no distractions in the field and she went a lot better than yesterday.
Physio booked for me next week... I get chronic back pain which makes me ride more “guarded” and stiff than I should.
Did have a lesson with a top dressage trainer last week but my normal trainer is really busy at the moment but she shouts at me more (in a nice way 😂) which I find helpful.

Was thinking about withdrawing from eventing at the weekend because I am so “useless” etc but have spent the morning riding some very well schooled horses (I school horses for a hoys level showing yard) so on one horse I could just work on “me” and on the other I had the same feel as the showing producer did, I.e picked up on the same problems etc.
Not withdrawn so far.... can back to original bridle pony was broken in in, fiddled with saddle pads a bit....
think it’s a young horse thing too... gets a lot worse before it gets better 😂
 
Yep, all the time - and I really am rubbish!

I can't think of something similar to do on a horse apart from changing the focus of what you're doing, but when I was a musician I had the same doubts about myself/ability/was I getting the phrasing right/was the tempo ok/ was i in tune etc etc. I read a brilliant book that suggested when you were tying yourself in knots to go and juggle for 5 to 10 mins. Bizarre, but it really worked - it was like a reboot for the brain as in order to do it you have to concentrate, but it's simple enough that you can't really overthink it, and you have to relax.

So if anyone can think of something along similar lines that would work while on a horse, please speak up as juggling on horseback could be 'interesting'... :D
 
All the time...! So much so I don’t ride a huge amount now as I can’t get my head in the right place for it. I get it for driving too not helped by conflicting training but I tend to muddle through that better.
 
Me all the time. When I’m riding well (if I can remember back that far :oops:), I don’t ‘think’, I just ‘do it’.

It’s not helped by currently having a wonky, albeit lovely, horse, so I can’t just get on and go for it. All the pootling about gives me too much time to think about what I’m doing, or not doing.
 
dominobrown said:
Thank god!!! Feel completely inept at the moment... and over analysing everything which is how it started... maybe change bits, bridles? Do I need one of this anatomical bridles?!, feed... must be wrong... maybe horse is lame? In dyer pain... teeth... farrier (both booked for tomorrow no kidding!), me.... too fat.... get fitter (while drinking wine...), maybe need to change bit back to original one?, are my hands to low/ high... my saddle... must no longer fit, need to new saddle, girth... maybe should be more anatomical too?

Ramblings of a crazy person 😂🙄🙈
Click to expand...
Yep we’ve all been there (pretty much on a weekly basis 🤣). I have a tendency to over-think and over-analyse everything about my riding. Sometimes I have to remind myself that if I want to get on something that I have total control over and it performs the same every time I ride it I should get a bike! I am the queen of “if only I did that” or “perhaps if we tried this” but to be honest you can end up spending a fortune on new equipment that makes bugger all difference.
 
I have just got myself out of the other side of a rut. I went on holiday for a week, got back and felt I could not ride at all and x, y, z was wrong with my pony. So I gave us a week of hacking/lunging/freeschooling and got him checked over. Nothing was found, just immaturity basically. So I had a lesson and told myself I would ride properly. And now we are back to progressing well.
 
Yes, absolutely. I am currently beating myself up because I am a one horse rider and I have got it into my head I will never progress without riding multiple horses (I have a lot of successful friends who have a string of horses to ride, so naturally that is what my brain has cooked up).

I seem to swing wildly from crap hands, crap legs, hunched shoulders, dropped chin… I’ve taken to videoing myself riding and then pouring over the video later in the evening, critiquing myself to the point of despair. I sometimes think that I’m not actually as crap as I think I am, then watch over the aforementioned videos and wail into a glass of pino.
 
I do this all the time, massive highs, followed by massive lows, of i don't know what im doing, i analyse everything, beat myself up for riding rubbish etc., etc., even down to the MOST ridiculous things such as feeling guilty that i don't have enough time to give her enough baths in a week :eek:

I think we all go through it regardless of what level we ride at, i think its part and parcel of horses and riding.
 
Feel is a liar

When it feels good it’soften a low mark and a disappointed rider

Often what doesn’t feel great is!
 
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