Who is a confident rider?

Shantara

Shantara

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Just a curious question, as I've been speaking to a lot of riders with confidence issues (like me) recently.

I'm not asking if you think you're a good rider or not, just about confidence!

I would class my self as - not very confident, but I never panic, just deal with situations as they come.
 
I've had confidence issues in the past and still occasionally have "off" days so if asked I would definitely say I'm not a confident rider.

However those that know me best say I'm one of the more confident ones as I have no qualms about hopping on any horse I'm offered a ride on and thanks to H's hard work at spook-proofing me I can generally ride through most things thrown at me. So perhaps outwardly I come across more confident than I actually feel.
 
I'd say I'm a confident rider- perhaps not a great rider! But quite happy to jump on anything whatever its quirks don't mind having a good old challenge ;)
Then again... I'm only 20.. Though feeling old!! So I suppose I do have age on my side alot of us did things when we were younger that we wouldn't dream of doing now!
 
OwnedbyJoe said:
Confident on my horses (after all I do regularly ride 50 miles, some of it in the dark, over unfamiliar tracks, in company, at an average of 8-10 miles an hour).
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This, plus I know my own horses. I will say though that I don't jump - scares the living daylights out of me.

However, I can't remember the last time I rode someone elses horse and I really don't want to.
 
I was very confident before I had kids over 20 years ago. Then self-preservation got the better of me, and I've not been confident on anything other than my own horses since. Even my small boy tests that theory too on occasion!
 
I'm confident and quite happy to get on anything and love a challenge, but I can sit most things so very rarely do I fall off else it may be a different matter. I wouldn't say I'm a great rider and I'm crap at flat work but iv got a knack of sitting tight if needs be. I love jumping and hunting but find dressage boring so won't entertain that. I like the buzz of going Xc
 
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I'm very confident - but only on Pie as I know him inside out having only ridden him really for 13 years. He was awful when I first got him - spooky, could either teleport about 10 feet sideways or spin into gallop in a split second, and also used to take off as soon as his feet hit grass.
The funny thing is now I'm less confident on other horses - I suppose I'm out of practice of riding different horses, can't read them like I can Pie!
 
Like others, I'm confident on my own horses! I love getting the opportunity to ride others, but if I know that a horse is particularly spooky/nappy, I won't entertain the idea!
 
I lost my confidence badly a few years ago, not for any particular reason just I was riding a few tricky horses and the "what-ifs" became over whelming, then not helped by getting a new job where I was bullied for the best part of 2 years, my confidence was at rock bottom and I decided I was never riding again. Not good when I already had 2 horses. So I decided I would only ride my horses, but I literally had to claw back my confidence every step of the way, starting with sitting on, then getting off. Next day sitting on and walking a few strides, then getting off. Gradually built it up so I was pushing myself a little every day but not so much as to scare myself. Now I would say I'm confident in my lack of confidence, I know when to push myself but I also know when to stop and address something another day. If I over think a situation I still get nervous, I have to just get on and ride but not be afraid to get off if the situation is getting out of hand
ETA a lot of people assume I have no confidence issues and are surprised when I admit I have nerves. I'll happily ride some horses that throw themselves around but have ridden others that simply walk and terrify me - It depends on the feel I get from them, if they're misbehaving every which way but I don't have a bad feel I'll keep going. Sometimes I get a psychotic feel just from a walk and that's when it's time to get off and re-assess.
 
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No, not confident at all but usually chill out once I'm on and concentrating.

The thought of hacking at the moment scares me - not necessarily because of my horse, he has been hacked by other people and he is fine. I'm scared of outside influence (dogs, drivers, cyclists etc) so tend to feel happiest in the school as I can see things coming and read the situation.

I'm happy to ride other horses that I know well, provided they are fairly sensible. I wouldn't get on a known difficult horse, nor a strange horse, unless in a trusted environment like a riding school.

So I guess that makes me a nervous nelly! :P it is getting better, I am slowly learning to trust my horse (after the last one tore my confidence to shreds!).
 
very confident, but then i ride about 4 horses for other people a week currently, sometimes more than that, and frequently hop on a few others just to iron out a specific issue, so strange horses are the norm for me.
 
Im not confident on other peoples horse and I need to take my time to understand how the horse is so probably like 3 or 4 times of riding that horse then.

Also Im a million more times confident when I have my instructor with me!! She fills me with confidence :)

Cant wait to get on my youngster though whos in the process of backing - i think i will be confident with him as I have had him since he was a yearling so built up a good bond.
 
I'm confident to the point of stupidity on my own horse; I'm 52, have been injured in falls and permanently damaging my body yet still ride like a bullet proof teenager. I really need to be more sensible but I have so much fun. I'm not nearly as confident on horses I don't know but rarely ride other horses so that's to be expected.
 
Depends on the size of the horse :P I've always been asked to hop on naughty ponies due to my size, so quite happy to do that. However, something over 15hh doing what a 13hh pony would do, no thanks!

I'm definitely more confident on my very spooky, very sharp Welsh pony than anything else, regardless of whether it's a saint or not.

Confidence is slowly dropping away with age (and not riding other horses as regularly), and a number of nasty accidents in the last year have made me much more cautious about agreeing to getting on anything (that used to be the only way I could get rides - now that I'm working and paying my own way, I can be much more selective!)
 
I'm confident, but mainly as it has been my job for until last yr. I still work/produce/buy babies and problem horses but only because it can get me a nice horse cheap. I have recently learnt where to draw the line when it becomes outright dangerous though, good life lesson for me
 
Me. Have to be, it's my job and if I ever got to the point of feeling frightened I would give up riding (can't understand why people ride horses they're scared of). I am, however, not foolish and have no qualms saying "no, I won't ride that", but it's only happened a handful of times.
 
I rode my horse on Sat after 4 months of, he knocked my confidence last time by rearing vertical 3 times. Then discovered he was injured. So after box rest ans bring back into work i got a friend to ride him. And on his second ride. I got back on. Expected to be really nervous but I felt so confident and totally unworried. But I'd still stay I'm not a confident rider hehe
 
pansymouse said:
I'm confident to the point of stupidity on my own horse; I'm 52, have been injured in falls and permanently damaging my body yet still ride like a bullet proof teenager. I really need to be more sensible but I have so much fun. I'm not nearly as confident on horses I don't know but rarely ride other horses so that's to be expected.
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This x1000, except I'm 22 not 52! :p

I'm not unconfident on other horses but I'm definitely more cautious. I had my pelvis broken 7 years ago after a rotational fall onto an XC jump and have never liked riding larger horses (15.2hh-16hh +) since as the accident happened on my old mare who was 16hh (When you're 4'10, that's a really long way to fall!). Despite this, back in October, I still took my friends 14.1hh Welshie who I'd only ridden 3-4 times prior and who can have quite a strong opinions when she wants to, round a 3ft XC course after my friend had a bit of a confidence crisis on the day, and had the most awesome time, regularly school my share pony over courses of between 2'6 and 3'0 without fear and don't really worry when hacking, so I'm not exactly a nervous nelly either!
 
Cortez said:
(can't understand why people ride horses they're scared of).
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I agree with you, it is daft. In my case, it was either ride my Arab or don't ride at all ;)! It wasn't any fun though, and ruined my confidence completely. If I'd just drawn a line under riding him the first time I fell off, we would all have emerged a lot happier!

The funny thing being, I feel fine on my girl, she is naughtier than my boy ever was. When she gets bored of schooling she'll shoot forward a few paces. She won't worry in the slightest at a lost jumper blowing in the hedge, but will pretend to be scared of an oddly shaped fern. When excited, she bounces. I just trust her, and I can read what she's going to do, so she doesn't scare me! Confidence for me now comes from the feel from the horse - I'd get on most horses, but I'll get right off again the other side if they feel flighty.
 
I suspect, like driving, if you learn at a young age it all comes that much more easily and naturally and you are confident (until you have a few nasty accidents, or, like me, are over the hill and not as supple and flexible as you once were). I was fine with rearers, buckers, nappers (not so with bolters lol) until I got older - I now find I have to consciously adjust my weight whereas before it all happened automatically.
Would be interesting to find out whether those who struggle with confidence didn't learn to ride until after their twenties.
 
I wouldn't say I'm confident, I'd say I'm stupid. I'll get on any horse not really knowing how it rides- however I only feel comfortable and safe riding my own horse as I know his quirks.

However if out XC I will always ask the instructor if they think my horse is capable of jumping each thing, if they say yes of course then I'll do it, even if I'm not entirely confident about it myself (but I don't let the horse know that!)

So it's false confidence from me- I will only do something if someone tells me my horse can do it- If i'm out on my own I don't even jump small logs in the woods!
 
Bit of both but am very conscious how fragile confidence can be. I'm confident on my own although others would think she looks sharp to ride, I feel completely safe on her. But have had confidence issues in the past with my bombproof horse - go figure. And not confident riding others, particularly big uns. I find there are some horses I'm fine with, others I can't seem to get on with them at all !

I've even been on a confidence clinic but the biggest boost has been having the right horse for me tbh.
 
I'm confident, and used to riding strange horses, I will get on most things. I have learnt a lot of self preservation after a few cases of spectacularly hitting the deck and injuring myself on other peoples' horses, so I am quite happy to say "no" these days - riding is not my job, and there is a lot to be said for how much I enjoy my own horses.
 
Cortez said:
Me. Have to be, it's my job and if I ever got to the point of feeling frightened I would give up riding (can't understand why people ride horses they're scared of). I am, however, not foolish and have no qualms saying "no, I won't ride that", but it's only happened a handful of times.
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It annoys me when people mistake sense for confidence (or lack of)
Like you, I will happily say "I'm not getting on that!" and have been called a wimp because of it! It's not just naughty/dangerous horses I won't get on, but also ones that are just annoying! I'm a leisure rider, not a professional, I ride for fun so on the rare occasion I am asked to ride someone elses horse, I am a little selfish :P
 
I was incredibly confident on J - there was basically nothing (within his scope) I wouldn't try. On Fergs I'm really confident in schools / fields / competing etc - I just hate hacking him alone. His evasions are just adorable and I trust him not to do anything nasty :p With Dae, I'm absolutely confident to handle most stuff, although I've never hacked him far alone because I just don't see the point these days!

Other horses, I'm generally a bit wet with. I will usually get on something which is sane enough and school / pop a small fence quite happily though.
 
I'm confident on my own horse (even though he can nap, buck). Most of the time I go hacking on my own (training for pleasure rides now so mostly at trot/canter).
I'm 46 and I have been riding for just over 2 years ( I bought my horse 14 months ago). I am confident on some other horses (if I go on holidays/hacking/lessons as I trust that the horses there are for my level).

I would ride people horses if i know the horse is quite "safe". I'm more used to ride cobs so I would feel more confident on them...might be nervous on "finer" type (even though I did ride my sister's half arab just after she bought her and it I felt confident)...I'm not a good rider !
 
Used to be very confident ( or stupid ) in that I would ride anything, jump anything and like to go fast everywhere. Fast forward to me at 49 and I am confident on all my horses but would not get on anything anymore, nor do I bomb around jumping everything. Long slow hacks are fab these days :)
 
stormclouds said:
Depends on the size of the horse :P I've always been asked to hop on naughty ponies due to my size, so quite happy to do that. However, something over 15hh doing what a 13hh pony would do, no thanks!

I have a naughty 12.2hh tank that has been bucking the kids off I have to bring back into work so could do with someone like you! Much rather ride the over 14.2hh at least there is more to sit on!

Used to be confident before I had the kids (worked with racehorses) and would jump on most things but now I am happy for the others to sort out the naughty ones! I seem to get butterflies before I get on a different horse but once on and concentrating actually do enjoy it.

As others have said im confidant on my 2 horses. I think the more i get to ride different horses the more it boosts my confidence.
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