Hedwards
Well-Known Member
Just thought I'd post as I jumped for the first time in over a year after seriously loosing all confidence going over fences!
As a child and up to the age of about 20 Jumping was all I was interested in, on anything and over anything! dressage was boring as far as I was concerned!
I had a bad fall while at uni on a young horse (not mine), and it seriously put me off (although i would pop my old mare over small fences in a school), a couple of years on I had continued to put off jumping any horse but my own, until she broke, and never jumped again, a year later, my old mare was pts. Then I had an ex-racer on loan, and really concentrated on his dressage as I'd got the bug by then, jumping him was far too scary for me as I just remembered my fall at uni. He went back to his owner after the loan period ended, and I got Connie - que me getting back into jumping and absolutely loving every second - last year Connie was diagnosed with Concussive laminitis - her jumping days are behind her, and so I stopped jumping again...
The confidence ebbed away over time to the point that the thought of going over a fence made me feel physically sick. I think my problem was finding a horse that I was happy with to go over a jump - If i could have ridden Connie or Betty I would have been happy as larry!
I've been riding a friends horse occasionally a lovely IDx very similar psyche to Connie, although incredibly lazy and hard work to get going compared to Connie! On monday i bit the bullet and had a half hour lesson with a friend on the yard who is also a fantastic instructor - and jumped, not big, probably 2' at the most, ended up on a grid of 3 fences - I loved it after the initial feeling sick and making excuses as to why I didnt really need to jump and that we should do flatwork instead!
So its going to be a monthly lesson now and I cant wait for my next one!
A completely pointless (and sooo much longer than I meant) post, but it means so much to me that I can enjoy jumping again, something that for the majority of my 'ridden' life has been the ultimate in fun!
As a child and up to the age of about 20 Jumping was all I was interested in, on anything and over anything! dressage was boring as far as I was concerned!
I had a bad fall while at uni on a young horse (not mine), and it seriously put me off (although i would pop my old mare over small fences in a school), a couple of years on I had continued to put off jumping any horse but my own, until she broke, and never jumped again, a year later, my old mare was pts. Then I had an ex-racer on loan, and really concentrated on his dressage as I'd got the bug by then, jumping him was far too scary for me as I just remembered my fall at uni. He went back to his owner after the loan period ended, and I got Connie - que me getting back into jumping and absolutely loving every second - last year Connie was diagnosed with Concussive laminitis - her jumping days are behind her, and so I stopped jumping again...
The confidence ebbed away over time to the point that the thought of going over a fence made me feel physically sick. I think my problem was finding a horse that I was happy with to go over a jump - If i could have ridden Connie or Betty I would have been happy as larry!
I've been riding a friends horse occasionally a lovely IDx very similar psyche to Connie, although incredibly lazy and hard work to get going compared to Connie! On monday i bit the bullet and had a half hour lesson with a friend on the yard who is also a fantastic instructor - and jumped, not big, probably 2' at the most, ended up on a grid of 3 fences - I loved it after the initial feeling sick and making excuses as to why I didnt really need to jump and that we should do flatwork instead!
So its going to be a monthly lesson now and I cant wait for my next one!
A completely pointless (and sooo much longer than I meant) post, but it means so much to me that I can enjoy jumping again, something that for the majority of my 'ridden' life has been the ultimate in fun!
