stereotyping?

[Seahorse]

Do you think that people assume you're a good rider if you can jump? So if you don't jump they think you can't possibly ride well?

I think they do, wrongly I might add, but a friend thinks the opposite as she can jump but she can't ride ( meaning she's not very good at 'schooling')

 

[Cop-Pop]

I think that people who compete/school a lot etc quite often look down on happy hackers who don't compete. When I say look down on I mean they underestimate their ability... It's too late at night for me to make sense

 

[Munchkin]

Yes, but I think it comes from the riding school mentality of learning to do things in that order... walk, trot, canter, jump. So for someone to be jumping, they are obviously more advanced... that mentality just stays with some people I suppose.

Although it doesn't help when [often very talented] dressage riders say things like "I do dressage because I'm too old/scared etc to jump." Hush!

I do think you have to be "braver" to jump, but that shouldn't be confused with talent. It is sometimes large egos/stupidity rather than bravery anyway

 

[Seahorse]

I must admit that when I was younger I used to think that people only do dressage because they are too scared to jump! Of course now I do dressage I don't think that at all lol!!!

 

[YorksG]

Having seen the 'riding' of some of our local jumpers the too do not equate, however the jumpers do seem to think it does

More emphasis on equitation I say

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

To be honest I think people just look at the rider & it matters little what they are doing, flatwork or jumping, you can see if they know what they are doing from the way they sit the horse.

Some assume that if a rider primarily show jumps that they cannot do dressage. Also some assume that a showjumper is incapable of doing dressage. Both assumptions are very often wrong. During a round of show jumping 90% of the time you are on the floor so flatwork schooling is extremely important. Jumpers who don't consider flatwork schooling important will rarely progress & be successful in larger classes when the courses are less forgiving.

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

On our yard they confuse competence with confidence. If you are brave enough to get on anything and ride it then you are a real rider. If you are nervous, like me, and only ride your own horses and get anxious sometimes on those, then the perception is that you can't really call yourself a rider

.........

 

[NeedNewHorse]

In a sense jumping is far easier, I mean the only goal is to get over the jumps not matter what style or way!! We have all seen dreadful riders going clear (ish) on their lovely horses but dressage is a different kettle fish.

However, I am nervous jumping but I also don't actually care all that much I absolutely love dressage to watch it, read it and attempt it.
But I guess, I think the main the 'idea' is if you don't compete.
Then you really are a bad rider lol
xx

 

[Kat]

Yes sooo true.

We have a couple of people in our group lesson who don't jump and only come for flat lessons, including my husband. There is a perception if you say you don't jump then it is down to ability, but all of those that don't jump in our group can and choose not to.

One has injuries and has decided that as jumping isn't her favourite bit of riding it isn't worth the risk of falling off. She is an AI though, a very capable rider who has jumped in the past. She gets a similar attitude because she is picky about what horses she rides due to her injuries.

My husband is one of the others, he is a great rider who also used to jump but no longer bothers as he doesn't enjoy it much has no aspirations to jump and would rather spend his time perfecting his flat work. He will jump occasionally and actually has a beautiful jumping position, lovely light hands and gets his lines spot on.

He is also a bit of a nervous rider and finds that people automatically assume you are incompetant if you say you are nervous. We once went to a treking type place and he was put on the biggest horse there as he was tallest and then told that she was only 4 and could be nervous, he said he wasn't happy with that (which I thought was quite brave) and the owner put me on that horse and proceeded to put him on a totally ploddy unfit old nag that was so small his feet were round its knees. He was one of the best riders in the group he just didn't want anything that would be spooky/sharp/difficult as they were horses we didn't know in open country that we didn't know.

People do it on here too, you say nervous and people assume novice. Pippa Funnell used to suffer with nerves and sought help from a sports psychologist, it can affect the best of riders not just riding school numpties who want to ride dobbin the cob down the lane in walk.

 

[Hippona]

I'm not great at jumping.,...bit nervous as I am less bouncy than I used to be....however- my horse is very sharp/spooky and I *think* I ride him well and can get most horses going nicely.

Everyone on my yard knows I don't do much jumping.....but they don't look down on me for it. A visiting instructor was admiring my horse, and said he looked like a nice steady sort (!)....to which the lasses she was talking to laughed and said no he aint, its just that I made him look like that because I was such a good rider

....I rode round the corner and punched the air

how sad of me.......

 

[LauraWheeler]

I hate jumping and only realy jump Lucy who i trust with my life. I'm not that good at dressage either.

But i will ride and normaly sort out any horse ie buckers, rearers, bolters you name it and i'm also good with handeling problems. I break youngsters in and bring them on. I think it all depends what you want to do in life i enjoy helping problem horses and giving them a second chance when often i am there last hope. But if you put me in a competition enviroment i fall appart, I'm so nervous i forget how to ride (even if the horse is being a saint

)
But thats me i'm used to being told i can't ride (that is untill they have problems with there horses and need me to sort it out)

 

[Enfys]

It is back to the old question "What IS a good rider?" isn't it?

Opinions vary, it depends who you ask. For example, is it better to kick and haul a 5 year old to an untidy and fiddled clear round at his first event, or to nurse him round and set him up for his fences even if he does have one down?

Put me on a horse infront of any instructor and they'd relegate me to the stables with a wheelbarrow and shovel! I couldn't ride one side of a dressage horse, and wouldn't subject the horse to my riding, but I can take a fit racehorse (flat or NH) and exercise it perfectly well on the gallops. I am a good work rider, I am a crappy technical rider. Swings and roundabouts.

I think that different people have different strengths and talents, some have more confidence than others, some like the technical side of things, some enjoy throwing themselves over jumps at high speeds. Some people KNOW how to make a perfect shape over a jump because they have been taught, but it doesn't mean that they are actually good at it, ditto dressage and anything else.