Should I give up riding?

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Sorry, I don't mean to be feeling sorry for myself, but I g enuinely am starting to wonder whether I should just give up riding. When I ride Liri she lollops around the school in her own little world (and I am in mine too), yet two different friends have ridden her this week and she pops straight into an outline and works really nicely. I'm not a quick thinker and so uncoordinated its untrue, just wondering if its fair to keep a horse which I am doing no favours to whatsoever (apart from being a big lovely pet). I am having regular lessons, but am just not getting it. Does anyone else feel like this, or am I just doing the wrong hobby.
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I think we all must feel like this at least once in our lives, but at the end of the day horse riding is a hobby, and as long as you are enjoying yourself, and horse is in no harm what so ever, then there is no problem.
 
Weezy, I did enjoy it when I used to go the local stables and sit on a horses back and go off through the woods, but now I am trying to ride properly its weighing me down a bit to be honest.
Moggy, its not my trainer, its me, believe me.
 
Try not to compare yourself to other people. We can all look around and see people that we think are doing better than ourselves!
Don't let worry/analysis get in the way of your enjoyment.
If you can relax and just enjoy then there is every chance things will get better anyway.
I think you may well regret it if you gave up.
 
Maybe get your friends to explain how they got your horse to do this? Or get a good instructor.
I always find that horses go better for other people to prove us wrong
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Like Weezy said, who cares if you don't excel as long as you love riding + horses!
 
As long as you enjoy it keep it up - it's a bit like driving, it all clicks eventually. Horses don't care what you look like, as long as they're fed etc they're happy, they don't stress over whether they should be up to elementary level by now! Just chill and have fun
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Try a different trainer, a different view on things sometimes works wonders
 
OK, do you truely know how to ride a horse into an outline? Do you ask clarification from your trainer regarding things she asks you to do or are you a little loathe to because you feel you should know already?
 
Just so long as you enjoy your riding, and your horse is bringing you pleasure, that's all that matters.

Don't compare yourself with others who probably have different aims and may have ridden longer, your only goal should be that you enjoy your rides and lessons. I bet Liri is more than happy to lollop round the school in her own little world, she has no ambitions to be a dressage diva, she just wants to be well fed, looked after by someone kind and exercised by someone who appreciates her laid-back nature!

Do you fit that bill? Then don't even think of selling her!
 
Weezy I have asked her how to ride in an outline and she has told me to forget about the head, just keep riding her forwards, but Liri is very lazy so I am concentrating on keeping her going. As soon as I relax my legs she goes sluggish. I don't know how to ride in an outline but everyone around me does. I do ask for clarification, and my instructor will show me and physically put say my leg in the right place etc. But then we move on to something else, and I can't seem to concentrate on two things at once. I can drive a car, so have some coordination, but just cannot get to grips with riding, which is making me wonder if I ever will.
 
I sounds like you're not enjoying your lessons and feel pressurised to "ride properly". If you want to be a happy hacker then be one! Plenty of people are and as long as you're not riding in a way which harms your horse then enjoy your horse in this way rather than setting yourself targets which you feel you can't achieve.
I know loads of people who've had horses for years and just hack out.
You don't have to be the best rider in the world and you don't have to take it too seriously, just get to know your horse and have a nice time.
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Llewelyn, it is very true what you say, but I have lessons to make me feel safer and improve my riding, but just don't seem to get it, and am getting so frustrated by it its spoiling the enjoyment of riding. I love Liri and enjoy looking after her, mucking her out, feeding her, etc, but just can't ride her very well.
 
i wouldn't give up, why not just hack? nothing says you have to school and i'm sure your horsey would enjoy hacking a lot more than doing circles in a school. just enjoy it - i think we all sometimes forget the reason we took it up in the first place is because we love riding horses.
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You are doing SO well, don't let it get you down, you ride her really nicely and will go on to do some fab things with her, it's really hard when you do get down, but pick yourself back up and carry on with what you are doing, you'll find it will all click into place nicely,
Chin up
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Weezy, I did enjoy it when I used to go the local stables and sit on a horses back and go off through the woods, but now I am trying to ride properly its weighing me down a bit to be honest.


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sounds like you've hit the nail on the head! Maybe you're just not having enough FUN at the moment?
Spring is on its way, why don't you get out and do some hacking, fun rides etc, just relaxe and enjoy yourself - and it might help your horsey be a bit less sluggish too?

I am just learning about getting my pony to go in an outline. we've been working on it for a few weeks, but it always takes a good half hour of transitions, circles, cantering about like a loony
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before I can even think about asking for it.

At the end of the day, we put so much time and money into our horses - we may as well enjoy them, don't feel you have to be something just because everyone else does.
 
Thank you The_Stropster and bellaboo, but you have seen me ride and you know the truth really. Orange_tb, the reason I have lessons and am concentrating on the school is cos Liri gets on her toes out hacking, so doing the other to make me feel safer. Hacking isn't great at the moment because I get nervy, so if I just do hacking it will end in disaster.
 
Hey your friends may have her in an outline, but is it a true outline? I know lots of people who's horses look pretty i.e. in an outline but look more closely and you'll see there horse looks tense and isn't correctly working through from behind. Some horses also find it hard to work in an outline naturally so are harder than others.

Stick to it, may be try another instructor? I know horses are very frustrating esp when like mine they are not put together to work in a rounded outline naturally
 
If your trainer cant come up with a way to explains things to you that you can understand and follow you need a new one! Dont be so hard on yourself it's good that you want to improve but dont forget the fun!
 
hey I was the same until 2 years ago! I was ok whizzing around the woods and beach etc having the time of my life but put me on a horse in the school, either well schooled or not - and they both would go round like a donkey
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fast forward to now and I have improved no end - I was put on a riding school carthorse a few weeks ago and I was determined to get it working properly, and it did
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so it can happen! I don't think I'm a 'natural' rider but I know what I want and I work damn hard to get it - DON'T GIVE UP!!

What do you want out of riding? Do you want to learn how to influence the horse you ride and make it work properly - or are you happy hacking out etc etc?? The main thing is have fun, and don't put too much pressure on yourself.

How about treating yourself to a few lessons on a schoolmaster?

DON'T GIVE UP!! you are just going through a bad patch, we have all had those
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I have cried many times from where i thought was crap, but thinking like that does you no good at all
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what would you say if your friend told you that they were thinking of giving up???
 
yep, we have seen you ride and i think we shall video you, you don't do half as bad as you think you do, it's not a problem with your ability but more your confidence in yourself, you are more than capable of riding your mare so don't beat yourself up.
 
Just to add to all the above: if it's coordination issue that frustrates you the most you could try to have lunge lessons. If your mare doesn't lunge then teach her first or ask your instructor to help you.
The problem with lazy horses or those who need constant motivation is that you need quite a lot of dexterity to both ride forward and work on position and applications of the aids.
If your mare works nicely in a true outline with your friends don't take it as a negative thing. Think about it as a positive - she actually can work nicely and you will get there sooner or later.
Learning to ride well is such a fascinating process, don't speed it up but try yo enjoy every step.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for you
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Just so long as you enjoy your riding, and your horse is bringing you pleasure, that's all that matters.

Don't compare yourself with others who probably have different aims and may have ridden longer, your only goal should be that you enjoy your rides and lessons. I bet Liri is more than happy to lollop round the school in her own little world, she has no ambitions to be a dressage diva, she just wants to be well fed, looked after by someone kind and exercised by someone who appreciates her laid-back nature!

Do you fit that bill? Then don't even think of selling her!

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I couldn't agree with this more. Ok, so you're going through a tough time and feel you don't ride well at the moment, but you will come through it. If you're having lessons so you feel more secure and in control then concentrate on that and forget about whether or not your horse is in an outline for now. Maybe see if you could hack with your instructor or an experienced friend to get some tips on how to deal with your horse out hacking. Then you can go out and enjoy.
 
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Thank you The_Stropster and bellaboo, but you have seen me ride and you know the truth really. Orange_tb, the reason I have lessons and am concentrating on the school is cos Liri gets on her toes out hacking, so doing the other to make me feel safer. Hacking isn't great at the moment because I get nervy, so if I just do hacking it will end in disaster.

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That's it I'm gonna have to video you so you can see for yourself that you are not anywhere near as bad as you think you are
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I thought she went lovely for you this morning
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Hacking won't end in disaster, it didn't the other day when we went out
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How many times have you fallen off out hacking compared to me?
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Hey

U said before that you have to work hard to just keep your horse going and when you take your leg off she goes slugish on you, what about asking your riding instructor to help you do some exercises to get her going forward off your leg better. When you don't have to work so hard to keep her going forward the outline may come.
 
Sometimes I feel worse after a lesson because I feel frustrated, but put it into perspective and look back and see how far you have come. My horse will work in an outline, but then sometimes he just argues and we end up spending 40 minutes of the lesson working on the basics, and just 5 minutes doing what the instructor wanted us to do in the first place! Then I think I am useless and I have been riding for decades (not confessing my age here).

Tell your instructor, maybe he/she could change the format of the lessons, sounds like your instructor is sensible in that you don't want to worry about where her head is at this stage, just get her going forward (which is easier said than done in a school sometimes!) but maybe instructor doesn't realise you are no longer enjoying your riding, which is more important than anything else.

If you are not getting it, then a good instructor should try different things, or explain more clearly, or change the goalposts to something you can feel you get. Working in an outline shouldn't be the be all and end all of a lesson, and it isn't something you have to be able to do to enjoy riding.

Like other people are suggesting, lighten up on your expectations of your riding, go for some lovely hacks, get the fun back into it all, and then maybe your mare will be more motivated in your lessons and will offer you a bit more which will help no end.
 
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