Why do people exaggerate their riding ability?

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Vicki_Krystal

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Just wondering why people do this?

I am looking for someone to help excercise my horses while im at work and my advert clearly states im looking for an experienced rider for 2 sharp horses....

So so far ive had novices call me, one girl who sounded perfect until she actually got on one of mine
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or others not reading tha ad and asking if they can move them to their own yards??

So frustrating...
 
I think its probably down to the fact no-one has told them that they aren't all that great !! Ofcourse their regular instructor/trainer may but if they don't who else would ?
 
its very strange isn't it...then you get the really super riders who think they are terrible and put themselves down a lot
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when i was at uni we were doing team trials for the uni riding team and there was a girl who turned up and was talking about going round blenheim and everything and we were thinking that she would be brilliant. oh my god, she was terrible- the poor horse she was riding just ploughed through all of the jumps with this lunatic hanging off her mouth!
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Because there trainers want to keep them happy and paying ££££ so won't tell them the truth
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my yard the clients see what there instructor has rated them as on a form!
 
Hum. I guess it's more of a subjective thing, when you're riding terribly, it's not as obvious (to yourself) than if you were playing the flute badly, for example. It's easier to blame the horse, or just not realise that you're not 'very good'.


Some people are good riders, but only with one horse, also.
 
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its very strange isn't it...then you get the really super riders who think they are terrible and put themselves down a lot
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when i was at uni we were doing team trials for the uni riding team and there was a girl who turned up and was talking about going round blenheim and everything and we were thinking that she would be brilliant. oh my god, she was terrible- the poor horse she was riding just ploughed through all of the jumps with this lunatic hanging off her mouth!
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God I know that one! This year I sent out paper application forms before team trials to try and weed out the weaker candidates earlier.... well it didn't really work.... I mean we got a fab team in the end but we had some shockers at the trials and a couple of the girls who eventually were on the friendly team (no money for trials) were acctually far better than the BUCS team yet I didn't send them to trials because they were modest about they're ability. Suffice it to say, they're already heading to trials next year!
 
Sometimes because there are "trainers" who prefer money to unkind truth. Elderly BHSI friend reduced a rather arrogant young man to tears by explaining that contrary to what he had been told, and charged for, he was an unbalanced mess who knew nothing....of course she might have been kinder if he hadn't argued!
 
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This annoys me too! But I suppose it comes out once they sit on a horse. I'm the opposite, I know i'm rubbish and tell the truth!

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ditto
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Same problems here - the local instructors are more interested in earning money than improving riders. We've had folk turning up saying they can ride that simply are'nt safe to be off lead rein - the your the big bad wolf if you try to help them!!
I've always found the quiet riders are the best.
 
Some people are SOO ignorant that they can't even comprehend the extent of their ignorance/inability... Think of being a kiddie and thinking you can dance- it is only when you see people actually dancing (and then see the video that your uncle made of you dancing at the wedding) that you become ashamed by your hideous lack of ability
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If these useless horse riders have never been an eyewitness (courtesy of camcorder footage) of their own inability they might just not know how bad they are!
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In my opinion I am not a very good or skillful or talented rider, but I am very willing to get lessons etc. to improve my skills!

It does depress me at times at just how bad I am, which is when I then get ocd about grooming my horse
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But what I really hate is when people say they are Gods gift to the horse world, and when you ask them to tack up they put the nummnah on the wrong way, boots on the wrong legs, the bridle on back to front (i dont even know how she managed this?!). needless to say she didnt know as much as she thought she did
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going to open a big can of worms here, but i find its the riding school people are often the worst, as they think they know it all after 1/2 years of riding lessons once a week (the type where they are starting trot by week 3/4
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) and then find that they cant ride "real" horses after all
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Because there trainers want to keep them happy and paying ££££ so won't tell them the truth
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my yard the clients see what there instructor has rated them as on a form!

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Nail,head head,nail
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The woman who taught me would give praise when you earned it(for effort as much as getting somewhere,she knew if you were working our but off to get it right but made sure you knew the difference between "your working hard,keep at it" and "well done,you got it down") and I think I would run a mile from a overly nice RI!
How the hell can you imprive if you are never told whats good and whats shite?
I am safe at all paces(or was #,not been on a horse in a while) but was far from what I would consider a good rider.
 
My instructor is very honest with me. Even when I think I am doing something sort of ok she soon tells me different
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She does do it in a kindly way though and sort of spurs me on to improve rather than just giving up riding for good
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I think that I would spot an instuctor that was just flattering me for the money. I know that I am never going to amount to much at my age and with my back, hip etc problems so if someone started telling me how great I was I'd smell a rat
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i think i can ride most horses confidently - but - i only say this because i used to have a job where i HAD to!

That doesnt mean there were times i wasnt ever worried - that happened nearly every flipping day working for who i did!
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Im not looking for a pro to ride my horses - just someone capable of sitting on a fresh horse that sometimes has the odd tantrum.
I even have a competent teen riding one tomorrow to see how she gets on.

Its just so annoying that people lie!
And as most of you say - some of them actually think they ARE gods gift and dont realise what a fool they are making of themselves!
 
True knowledge is knowing the extent of one's ignorance!

Sadly, today everyone is a 'rising super star' whether it is on a horse or on the stage.............shame that no one can be criticised or told the truth about their ability, or lack of it!
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going to open a big can of worms here, but i find its the riding school people are often the worst, as they think they know it all after 1/2 years of riding lessons once a week (the type where they are starting trot by week 3/4
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) and then find that they cant ride "real" horses after all
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Too true.
A friend of my mums came over one day with her two daughters, the oldest of whom was a year older than me (13 at the time). She wanted to ride, and after both she and her mum had assured my mum that she was competent, had ridden weekly at the local riding school for three years, etc, etc, we let her ride Mum's old hunter (27 yrs old
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)

She couldnt hold one side of him. She sat tipped so far forward she was practically on his neck, and when he jogged, she couldnt stop him. When she didnt stop him, he decided to muck around a bit more and went into a canter...whereby she screamed, flailing around yanking on the reins. He didnt stop....but she did - she bailed out going through a gateway and ended up with a bloody nose
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We learnt a lesson after that!!!

I also agree with the comment about riding your own horse. I would say I am a relatively good rider - but only when I am in my comfort zone, i.e. riding Ellie. We've been together so long that we know each other inside out, we can get the very best out of each other, and I undoubtedly can stick on when many other people would fall off (she nearly killed my instructor once; he now refuses to ride her
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) But....on another horse, I would not rate myself as all that special
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I usually say I am a good at what I'm good at. I'm good with the lazy toads who root to the ground/ buck when you ask them to do something hard etc and I'm good at getting youngsters forward and going in the rough right direction, I'll leave the polishing off to other far more qualified people! I shoulda posted on the other thread, I'm more effective than correct!

But

Put be on a bolter/forward/fizzy type I am a quivering wreck and can't ride for toffee! Hence I stopped doing Uni competitions as you never know what your gona get!
 

My RI is OLD SCHOOL and the saying on the yard is that if she doesn't shout, she doesn't care.

Yes, I've had 'have you forgotten how to ride?' and 'look at the state of you, you look like a dodo' but when I get 'I've never seen that horse going so well' I feel very pleased indeed.

I'm not great with sharp/spooky horses or runaways. I do seem to be good with younger horses.

Having said that I rode a 'runaway' (25 years old, racing saddle, mouth made of asbestos) while I was away last week and it felt awful, but his owner really liked how I rode him and the pics he took didn't look too bad at all.

But yeah, there are a lot of bullsh!tters about.
 
i think i'm a crap rider but i also think i'm a brave (or read stupid?!) rider. i will get on absolutely anything. i may then fall off after 2 minutes or not be able to ride for toffee but i'd always 'have a go'.... and then generally get back up and on again!!
thats why i was good at the uni riding comps- i never minded the crazy looking ones that they brought out that had broken people's noses in the working in and stuff!
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My RI used to use me as a crash test dummy.

'Here's our new showjumper. He's lovely. Up you get!'

No noseband, rubber snaffle, wheeeeeeeeeeeee...I got him stopped after his seventh lap of the arena....
 
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going to open a big can of worms here, but i find its the riding school people are often the worst, as they think they know it all after 1/2 years of riding lessons once a week (the type where they are starting trot by week 3/4
crazy.gif
) and then find that they cant ride "real" horses after all
blush.gif


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Very true. I have ridden for near enough 10 years, the first 5 at a riding school on 'plods'
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and after that I would get on the 'sharper' horses, that weren't used for customers. Even that didn't prepare me for riding a "real" horse as you put it, outside a riding school - to be honest I have only really 'learned to ride' in the last three years, on sharp horses or babies
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Please don't think I think all riding schools are crap - maybe just the two that I went to
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I was never told I was a 'amazing' rider but when I went to work for a sj that's when I really knew what a sharp horse was, lol
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I think the RS's have it tough. It's easy to slate them for producing riders who can't ride a 'real' horse, yet realistically they aren't going to put paying customers on anything that's remotely likely to hurt them in today's litigious times.

I had a bit of a problem with my ex-OH in this respect. He had only ridden in a riding school really. Technically, he was a tidy rider, good position etc, but my horse was just too sharp and unpredictable for him. Put OH on a sensible horse and he was good, put him on mine who was a little bit stupid and OH panicked, horse panicked and OH ended up on floor.

I think possibly people who have only had the opportunity to ride in a RS may unwittingly over estimate their own abilities through lack of experience.
 
I worked in trekking centres for a number of years and in my experience the people who blow their own trumpet are the ones you put on the safe-as-houses-wouldn't-dream-of-putting-a-foot-wrong horses and the riders that come and say "Have ridden...not the greatest but had some experience... etc etc" are usually the good, careful riders.
 
Lord knows why they do it....I'm the opposite. I happen to think I'm utterly rubbish and get constantly told off for saying it. I'm no Mary King by any means but I'm apparently not as bad as I make out.

The difference being I suppose that I'm quiet, or try my best to be. I'm not good with lazy horses but I'm having lessons at a riding school as I'm nedless atm and don't want to go and try horses being as out of shape as I am. I was told I shouldn't have told her I was rubbish and that not many people get the tune out of the horse I was riding that I did. Although I also got told I'm 'too bloody soft'...which I'm taking as a compliment.

I've done some bringing on etc and the owner was pleased with what I did and I keep getting offered horses so I know I can't be as bad as I think I am but I'd rather tell people I'm crap and surprise them than tell them I'm amazing and disapoint them.
 
I am a TERRIBLE rider & most of my lesson time is spent with my instructors saying 'Don't put yourself down' but it's always better to err on this side rather than be over-confident!

I really do agree on the riding school front - the RS on my yard puts its babies into the riding school for more 'experienced' riders, but makes sure they're tired first. 'Experienced' in RS terms means can kick, pull and saw - this obviously doesn't suit everyone, and doesn't suit most of the babies so it's really great for development.

Have to say, I never had the stamina to get the best out of RS cobs/plods so I *look* a much better rider now I have a sharp horse, but I honestly think I'd be just as bad if I went back to lessons.
 
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