Stage One - am I ready?

[horseyhorsehorse]

Hi all! I'm planning on doing my BHS Stage One course in January, leading up to doing the exam in March/April. I'm confident in walk/trot/canter and have a good seat so happy with the riding element - but I'm not massively confident on the ground when tacking up etc. If a horse barges or is a bit pushy I find it quite intimidating!

That's partially why I want to do Stage One, so I get more confidence and skill in different areas. But is lack of confidence going to put me very far behind everyone else? Argh - any advice?

 

[be positive]

It sounds as if doing the course will give you more confidence as well as prepare you for the exam, don't worry about everyone else they will all have their own issues to be dealing with, many may be less confident than you are riding so it all balances out, as long as you have a good instructor there is no reason for you to fall behind, get on with it and gain the confidence to stand up for yourself with pushy horses, they will all test the boundaries at times, you just need the skill to learn how to deal with it without feeling intimidated which should be doable in the timeframe.