Verity&Lifa
New User
I'm 30yrs old and am fulfilling a lifetime's ambition to learn to ride. My friend from school has loaned me her 21yo 15.3hh Latvian mare, Lifa. I love her to bits, we have bonded, and have just started lessons with an instructor down the lane. I've had her on loan for a couple of months now, and go to her every day to groom, feed her etc. So far we've had 2 hour long lessons, and in the school I feel confident because I trust my instructor.
Last year I was riding my friend's other horse, a 17.2hh mare, who bolted with me when I was doing a no stirrups exercise, and I fell off. It seemed a LONG way to fall, and I was frightened to get back on. Lifa is a much better height for me, and I think we have bonded over all the grooming and ground work. She isn't a nasty horse, she's just excited to be back in work after a period off.
When I started riding her on my own, I limited it to a walk/trot down the lane and back, except for our hour lesson each week where we've been trotting around the school wit lots of obstacles etc. I think Lifa was getting bored of going up and down the lane. One day the trot seemed too fast for my liking, so I made the mistake of sitting down and she interpreted this as canter. I panicked, and practically held onto her mane not to fall off. We came to a halt, I dismounted, and led her back.
Yesterday I went down the bridle path for the first time with my friend and a young horse - Lifa's son. I was behind, and Lifa was very forward as she used to know to canter all the way back up the hill. After my two bad and unprepared experiences in canter, I didn't feel ready. It was really hard to keep her in walk/trot, and she "bounced" a few times, because as I shortened my reins, she thought we were going faster.
It seems there are so many things to think about - breathing, sitting up straight, heels down, not panicking when everything inside me tells me to panic!!
I love riding, and I want to enjoy it, but I'm beginning to wonder whether I will ever canter and enjoy it. I'm going out in an hour to do the same thing down the bridle path, and I find myself anxious that I won't be able to do it, or we'll tank off and I'll fall. I think these things are so much more terrifying when learning as an adult.
I really want to do it, it just seems so fast ....... and I don't want my friend thinking I'm scared or useless.
Help, please!
Last year I was riding my friend's other horse, a 17.2hh mare, who bolted with me when I was doing a no stirrups exercise, and I fell off. It seemed a LONG way to fall, and I was frightened to get back on. Lifa is a much better height for me, and I think we have bonded over all the grooming and ground work. She isn't a nasty horse, she's just excited to be back in work after a period off.
When I started riding her on my own, I limited it to a walk/trot down the lane and back, except for our hour lesson each week where we've been trotting around the school wit lots of obstacles etc. I think Lifa was getting bored of going up and down the lane. One day the trot seemed too fast for my liking, so I made the mistake of sitting down and she interpreted this as canter. I panicked, and practically held onto her mane not to fall off. We came to a halt, I dismounted, and led her back.
Yesterday I went down the bridle path for the first time with my friend and a young horse - Lifa's son. I was behind, and Lifa was very forward as she used to know to canter all the way back up the hill. After my two bad and unprepared experiences in canter, I didn't feel ready. It was really hard to keep her in walk/trot, and she "bounced" a few times, because as I shortened my reins, she thought we were going faster.
It seems there are so many things to think about - breathing, sitting up straight, heels down, not panicking when everything inside me tells me to panic!!
I love riding, and I want to enjoy it, but I'm beginning to wonder whether I will ever canter and enjoy it. I'm going out in an hour to do the same thing down the bridle path, and I find myself anxious that I won't be able to do it, or we'll tank off and I'll fall. I think these things are so much more terrifying when learning as an adult.
I really want to do it, it just seems so fast ....... and I don't want my friend thinking I'm scared or useless.
Help, please!