What's your nervous riding song?

It was The Grand Old Duke of York when riding my loan mare. I don’t feel the need to sing when driving my Shetland mare - I’m usually talking to her, mainly “Steady, steady” and “Oh, alright then” when I actually want her to trot.
 
Usually 10 green bottles although starting at a much larger number!! Once when the rugby was on I treated my then horse to a combination of badly sung and only partly known versions. Horse couldn't care but walker in footpath thought it was hilarious - but we didn't teleport at sight of the walker so must have worked!
 
Three blind mice, if it an emergency, e.g. baby cows running along the hedge line. Morning has broken or all things bright and beautiful.
Sometimes a bit of Simon and Garfunkel - The Boxer or Sound of Silence.
 
I have a few. I Will Survive is a good one, as are Reach for the Stars by S Club, Yes by McAlmont & Butler, and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun as the lyrics are pretty uplifting. I tried my usual karaoke song I Think We're Alone Now but soon realised it wasn't that suitable when it got to the bit that goes "and then we tumble to the ground". :D

I tried a few nursery rhymes too but most of them are pretty dark so they put me off. "The Sun Has Got His Hat On" is quite cheery though so is usually my go to when I'm too nervous to remember the words to the others.
 
What's that coming over the hill
Is it a monster? Is it a monster?

By the time I have got to the end of the chorus the horse has forgotten the scary thing and is begging me to stop.

I used to hum The Lark Ascending when I was riding over Leith Hill, in Surrey. Horse found that quite soothing.
 
Don't have one as singing does nothing to get you from the lacking confidence head space into one where you believe that you can and that the horse will do whatever you ask.
If I get nervous, I hear Karl Greenwood's voice saying "the horse will do whatever you tell him to do " instead of worrying about "what if he spooks at the motorbike " etc.
 
Sossigpoker said:
Don't have one as singing does nothing to get you from the lacking confidence head space into one where you believe that you can and that the horse will do whatever you ask.
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No, but it can calm you down enough to damp the situation down enough to get enough headspace to get both of you into a place where you can start to do that.
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I don’t sing if I’m nervous. My singing would make my poor horses nervous. ? But I used to sing Heavy metal lover by Lady Gaga to my TB coz it’s a great song and was often played in my car to the stables. Mostly the line

I could be your girl, girl, girl,
Girl, girl, girl
But would you love me if I ruled the world.
 
ycbm said:
I know we did this a few years back but I thought it would be fun to repeat for new members.

It's often advised to sing when you're feeling nervous as it helps you and the horse. What's your song?

Mine is either "I'm a pink toothbrush" or "Gilly Gilly Ossenfeather Katzenella Bogen by the Sea", both by Max Byegraves and from my childhood

And for those too young to know them:


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OMG I love Gilly Gilly. I thought I was the only one. Fun fact- there is a real ‘katzenellleborgen” in Germany. My hubby is German and it’s v near where he is from. Whenever we pass it, I throw myself into song. His folks think I’m mental (for more reasons than this).
But it’s not by the sea!
 
I generally only sing on those beautiful, summer evening hacks and my two songs are Mad About the Boy ( Dinah Washington ) and Summertime ( Ella Fitzgerald) .
Both songs make my heart sing. I used to sing them to my first grandchild to stop him crying. He's 18 this year, so many horses have been subjected to my offerings since then.
 
Chopo My Pony. But mostly used when I was grooming livery horses. I am riding a mare at the moment and it would seem rude. Miss Aledo and Doney Gal were the mares, but I never had the songs in my head. Thank you for reminding me.
 
My singing is absolutely terrible, so I ONLY sing by myself with my horses (as well as in church). I've sung It Is Well With My Soul so many times that whenever my horses get upset I'll sing it and I calm right down. If I'm the upset one I'll usually just make some sort of tune out of "pleasedon'tletmediepleasedon'tletmedieaaaahhhhh!"
 
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