riding today and feeling v v nervous...

[joanne1920]

Im riding mickey on a hack this afternoon with a friend and her pony. firstly i hate hacking but i know i have to do it, dont feel in control at all, its all so open..... AHHHHH! and it will be the 1st time since mickey (rising 4 cob)rolled with me(see previous post) and ive been told there is a massive puddle we have to walk through, just bl**dy marvelous.... just feeling really nervous.... i know you will all tell me to pull myself together.... but..... sorry nervous rant over for now!!

 

[JadeWisc]

I know just how you feel. I think we all feel like that at times. Try your hardest to remain calm becasue that is the best recipe for a safe and enjoyable ride. Mickey will sense your nerves and no doubt feel aggitated. Just remember that just because something bad happened before does not mean it will happen this time. You will not be alone so I am sure all will go well. Just have a cup of chammomile tea before you go out and relax and have fun!

 

[Stella]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm riding mickey on a hack this afternoon with a friend and her pony. firstly i hate hacking but i know i have to do it, dont feel in control at all, its all so open..... AHHHHH! and it will be the 1st time since mickey (rising 4 cob)rolled with me(see previous post) and ive been told there is a massive puddle we have to walk through, just bl**dy marvelous.... just feeling really nervous.... i know you will all tell me to pull myself together.... but..... sorry nervous rant over for now!!

[/ QUOTE ] why do you have to hack if you don't like it. Who made this rule that you terrorize yourself with? There is a lot of stuff and nonsense talked about hacking

So long as your horse gets plenty of turnout and is happy in arena work (admittedly, some just love to hunt and hack and switch off in the school), there is no reason why you can't confine your riding to what you like t do - flatwork, show jumping whatever!

I don't hack, I did for years before because I too believed that I should. My mare is out 24/7 in the summer and every day the rest of the year. She enjoys her work in the arena. We only do dressage, I take her to my trainers twice a week and probably to 4 competitions a month from spring to autumn, fewer in the winter. She is very happy and fit.

So maybe the answer to your problem is to stop forcing yourself to do something you hate!

 

[Meadon]

Hello! I can sympathise with you. Hope the hack went okay in the end. I have problems hacking and get very nervous. I agree with Stella don't force yourself, I've found this made me even worse. I have two friends I really trust and rely on that I feel comfortable hacking out with. They don't pressure me and if I can't face the thought of riding in a field (I have a field phobia lol) we don't. If we do go in a field and I'm not happy to canter we walk instead. It's all about building confidence. They know if they want to go for a good flat out gallop I'm happy to school instead. I had quite a bad accident a few years ago and it has really affected my riding, but I'm slowly getting there!