XC thought for the day - genuine fear?

[only_me]

well, ive had a horse fall on me xc schooling, and also different horse and I fell into water jump (both of us were submerdged at one point

) but i carried on and finished the course after the water jump (did get a big cheer though

) and xc schooling i got back on and did more!

I dont find xc scary, and i hope i never will. I still find rider frightners scary but i know that they will probably ride the best. Eg. That drop off the house that Tigers_eye did - I would love to have a go at that!!

My problem is that I have way too much trust in my horse, so i expect him to get on with it when sometimes he isnt so sure

but he is much more trusting now and will generally do what i point him at!

Some riders at the top are having to be encourage to jump the big tracks - they need persuaded. This imo isnt safe - the riders have to be comitted at that level.

Once i am out of start box i am on a mission and am very focused. But before i can get very nervous, but never scared.

 

[only_me]

BQ it was pippa funnel

 

[glamourpuss]

I used to have no fear at all in any sort of jumping. Like kerelli I would have happily jumped advanced fences out schooling on my boy. The thing was I knew that despite not being the scopey horse on the planet he would have turned himself inside out to jump off the earth had I asked him.

After the birth of my son things started going horribly wrong and we lost so much confidence in each other, he started stopping, I started worrying about leaving my son without a mother....it all became a horrible scenario. The thing was it went from being about 'excitement' and nerves to the actual fear that you are talking about in your original post.
So I retired him from eventing and just did the things we enjoyed for a couple of years. Now we seem to be getting our partenership back. We've completed a pairs hunter trial, some show jumping and been having some jumping lessons and it is thoroughly enjoyable again!
I don't think I'll ever get back to being as blase about it all as before but I'm certainly having a lot of fun amidst the nerves and wibbling!

 

[ihatework]

BQ - yup Matt Ryan did used to be physically sick apparently Not sure if he still is though.

I'm a complete wimp about jumping, happy to admit it and stay within my comfort zone. Still get the nerves but not physical fear.

The one time I did get that real fear was when I had borrowed a friends horse for a RC Open team, I had ridden it once, the XC was way beyond my expectations and I had an injured leg (massive hematoma) from a fall of my own rather ungenuine horse the previous week. I withdrew from the competition 5 minutes before I was due to start as I could envisage a crash.

 

[MegaBeast]

Think there's a very big and real difference between nerves and actually being scared. IMO you need nerves to perform at your best cross country and that's why riders get such a buzz out of it.

Real terror/fear is something that's very hard to override (pardon the pun) and I doubt there are many truly terrified people out there competing, it's just too debilitating.

 

[kerilli]

milliepops, i'd love to know your mantra... please pm me if it's too embarrassing for the open board!
must admit, i get nervous before the sj, a tiny mistake can be SO expensive and so annoying. so, any mantra or tips to keep me in a nice calm frame of mind to keep a good rhythm when sj, would be great! oh, and to keep me breathing too!

 

[jumptoit]

I do get nervous and think what if? But I know that I want to do it and that if I go out onto the course scared or in fear and don't ride that is when the accident will happen.

I wouldn't want to do it on someone elses horse - I hate riding other people's horses full stop, but that is just me really I don't want to do something wrong or injure it. That is probably a fear, although I can try a horse for sale, but tbh I don't see a need to overcome it really. I just avoid those situations.

 

[siennamum]

I used to have no fear at all and so would ride well & confidently. (20 years ago!)
I also used to ride far better under pressure and so could move up the field during the jumping.
Jumping Sienna has never given me confidence. Don't know why, she doesn't do anything wrong, I was at the stage where I could happily canter round a PN & find it fairly easy. Then I did SL a couple of years ago and went completely to pieces in the XC. The SJ was sticky & ugly but I simply froze in the XC & ended up with Sienna stuck on a fence.
It was quite unlike me and I have really doubted my aboilities since. I am also terrified of jumping, although I still make myself. I refuse to give up and will try to ride more horses & get out and about jumping. It is absolute fear though, not nerves and I still make myself jump. I can't face the alternative which is to give up jumping.

 

[Baggybreeches]

I am really fortunate not to suffer with nerves at all, I do have a friend who used to be sick before xc and I couldn't understand why she carried on

I think Ginny Elliot used to be really scared too.

About the jumping advanced fences, I have done that too, but only on a select few horses!
I think it depends on whether you are an 'ultra prepared' type or a bit 'gung ho'. (I fall into the latter group)

 

[jumptoit]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm another one who doesn't get 'the fear' on the XC but can do in the SJ. In the past I have found it almost debilitating, to the point where I just froze riding into fences and my (genuine) horse clambered over them.

Fortunately my fear of failure is worse than my fear of SJs, so I'm getting much better and now have a mantra I say to myself all the way round, which keeps me riding in a good rhythm, and ignoring everything else. I still *WILL NOT* do an SJ course walk though. I don't want to see the fences that close up!

[/ QUOTE ]

I am the same I cannot walk the SJ course at all and I only like walking the XC course in a positive frame of mind, thinking what problems I could have puts me off - I'd rather walk round saying I jumped one like this at X and it went fine

We spent 2 hours walking an Intro course as a team for PC going round looking where we might slip up and that made me very nervous followed by the 20 minutes walking the SJ course walking strides when all I wanted to do was get on my horse and warm up as I was first in! I then rode awfully and had a pole down at 90 cm but the next week dealing with it my own way I went double clear at PN. If I walk it alone I get told I have no team spirit - no I just get nervous and deal with it differently. Now I either don't walk the SJ course or just walk a tricky line or it at a lower height.

 

[kerilli]

siennamum, i think that's highlighted something really important - some horses give you confidence, some just don't.... and it isn't as simple as "talented horses give you confidence" etc, sometimes it can be a gut feeling, how you click, etc.
is there another horse you could jump too, to build up your confidence?
i know thatcertain quirks can really affect my riding - e.g. i know riding a ditchy horse for years made ME ditchy, then i over-rode ditches on non-ditchy horses, which sometimes made them suspicious, or we'd get there way too strong because i'd expected them to back off and over-ridden, when it wasn't necessary. running myself into a whole lot of unnecessary trouble!

 

[milliepops]

[ QUOTE ]
milliepops, i'd love to know your mantra... please pm me if it's too embarrassing for the open board!


[/ QUOTE ]

It's not embarrassing - I just chant 'quality canter, quality canter, quality canter' to myself as I'm going round the ring (incl over each fence)! OK, I feel like a total idiot, especially in the warm up, but it really works for several reasons

1. I say it in the perfect rhythm for my horse's canter, so it makes me concentrate on this, and riding forwards
2. Takes my mind off searching for a stride and getting in a panic about that
3. keeps me breathing!

Had to own up to my instructor what I was saying to myself, but luckly he approved

 

[kerilli]

ooh, please can i borrow your mantra?! i count at the moment, but that sounds much more reliable to me. counting can run me into trouble if i'm counting down to fences...!
i like Thistle's idea of "tiger canter" for sj too, as powerful as a tiger waiting to pounce.

 

[milliepops]

[ QUOTE ]
ooh, please can i borrow your mantra?! i count at the moment, but that sounds much more reliable to me. counting can run me into trouble if i'm counting down to fences...!
i like Thistle's idea of "tiger canter" for sj too, as powerful as a tiger waiting to pounce.

[/ QUOTE ]

by all means

I didn't like counting, in case I counted wrong, like 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1....

 

[Safina]

I say "hippo-poto-mas" over each SJ to try and stop me flinging myself forward and then slapping back into the saddle really quickly.

I also find humming twinkle twinkle little star helps my canter and breathing in the SJ.

I have heard someone shout "Mummy's gonna buy you lots of pony nuts" over each fence but hey, we all have our coping mechanisms!

 

[LEC]

I have never been worried going xc even on something incredibly green. I can jump some pretty big stuff in cold blood as well as long as I know the horse.

Out hunting I feel really apprehensive until you jump the first fence then I am fine but guess its fear of the unknown. I will jump big hedges in cold blood as well but again know the horse!

I jump stupid things out hacking on my horse - hedges, ditches, gates etc but again never really worry about it. I think I am pretty brave as nothing really phases me xc. I would only worry about technicality more than anything!

 

[only_me]

Kerilli - The best mantra for showjumping that i have ever heard is "better than Beth" - that really works and really helps your confidence as well!

 

[worMy]

haha i LOOVE xc!
nervous bout particular combination maybe, as worried may have run out etc! lol
but nah, its the best bit!!!

 

[Baydale]

Fascinating post, I'm loving the "quality canter" chant milliepops.

I always tell myself that I'm not nervous, I'm excited, as I know how good it will feel when I finish and it's gone well. The last time I've been genuinely fearful was when I did the Melton Hunt Ride on Max (aka Mad Max); I knew he was a good horse, bit quirky but v capable, but it was more the other nutters doing it that scared me and the fact that I didn't know what to expect. It all turned out well though, and I'd do it again if we still had Max.

I do feel the pressure/anticipation when I'm about to go cross-country and think it would be odd if I didn't, but once I'm going I'm fine. If it's a difficult/tricky horse then I'm almost better once I'm having a difficult/tricky moment as I just get on with it. Normally it's the thought of doing something that scares you more than the actual doing it. Saying that, I didn't have a single nervous moment before xc with HH at Aston last week, but he's so fab xc. If only I could be that chilled when Hector gets back into it at Little Downham, but I suppose that's understandable when you've had a crash.

 

[jumptoit]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ooh, please can i borrow your mantra?! i count at the moment, but that sounds much more reliable to me. counting can run me into trouble if i'm counting down to fences...!
i like Thistle's idea of "tiger canter" for sj too, as powerful as a tiger waiting to pounce.

[/ QUOTE ]

by all means

I didn't like counting, in case I counted wrong, like 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1....

[/ QUOTE ]

For XC I just go for Kick, Kick, Kick .... ... ... ... ... ....

 

[siennamum]

Yes I'm dying to get on another horse and see if I shoudl give up. Later this year all being well.

 

[TableDancer]

Interesting thread

I fall into the "Green with nerves beforehand but fine once I'm on board and no nerves after I leave startbox" camp. At a three day if I have to hang around for hours beforehand on xc day I really do get psyched out, I hate it: lots of "what if?" thoughts etc. But once I'm on board I'm fine

At lower levels I get a bit nervous but nothing too major - occasionally I have no nerves at all and for me I'm not sure this is a good thing.

There are many riders at every level who get very nervous. I haven't been with Matt at a 3 day for a couple of years but last time I was he was still throwing up well (you know you're in trouble when he starts clearing his throat!)

Pippa got/gets incredibly nervous and even Toddy was quoted as saying on the morning of XC at an event like Badminton he spends his time thinking "Why am I putting myself through this?" Each person is different, feels different and copes in different ways. To me, the key thing is how you feel once you are out there: the day I feel frightened/nervous once the starter says "GO!" is the day I'll give up

 

[FinkleyGladiator]

I get really scared before I go but when I'm on course i forget all about it. I get really excited about competeing but theres a point about 20 mins before I go when I feel physically sick but then when i get on the nerves just about disappear.

Also I'm blessed with the loveliest pone in the world (biased? me? no!!) who jumps so well for me I dont need to worry!

 

[Halfstep]

I had that kind of fear for XC, and it is precisely why I do dressage now. Never had it show jumping. But XC - yes, just walking the course I would feel physically sick, not adrenaline sick but true fear sick. It never got better, so I just stopped doing it!

 

[kerilli]

[ QUOTE ]
Kerilli - The best mantra for showjumping that i have ever heard is "better than Beth" - that really works and really helps your confidence as well!

[/ QUOTE ]

thanks, only_me, i'll try that as well. the only "beth" i can think of is Liz Edgar though, and i don't think i can convince myself i'm better than her to a showjump!
hmm, "quality canter" is 5 beats, "better than Beth" is 4, wonder if it makes a difference to the breathing?

haha TD, i made the mistake of approaching Matt in 10 min box at a 3-day when i'd just gone round, i didn't realise he got nervous... he just went green and waved me away... i got the message and left him alone! oops!

 

[charliebo]

It does not matter how scared you are before you go X country. What matters is if you are scared you are when you have left the start box.
If you are scared after ther starter has said "3 2 1 go" then you should not be competing.
If you are scared before then, it is normal!

 

[kerilli]

hmm, i'm not sure i agree. if someone is terrified to the point of not wanting to even look at the fences beforehand, i'd say that's a bit abnormal.

 

[meardsall_millie]

No 'genuine fear' just the usual (I guess?) butterflies. When I get called over to the start box I have a momentary panic attack where I just want to trot back to the lorry (I suppose this is the 'fight or flight' moment) but I give myself a kick up the bum and choose to fight. Then remind myself I do it for fun and make sure I go and have some!!

 

[hannahkirkhill]

I have the oppsite problem, I drive every one mad by my layed backness at an event .... mum says if she cant see me in the warm up arena she just looks for the person gossiping in the corner

The only time I can remember feeling truly nervous was at Gatcombe doing the Advanced, but mainly as I so wanted it to go well and is was the biggest me or Jay had ever jumped, but as soon as we jumped off it went, and once he jumped the first big oxer I was buzzing

''some horses give you confidence, some just don't'' I am having this at the moment with a horse of mine, first time it has happened to me and its really got to me- I know in my heart he wants to go and be a brillant s.jer (he happily jumps 1.30 tracks) / dress horse (working at med easily) that would look after some one up to PN level eventing, but I really feel like I have let him down some how as he is amazingly talanted and I cant make up my mind, keep trying or sell him

Sorry ramberling !!
I cant imagine going x.c feeling frightened....I will happily retire from eventing when my nerve goes and do Dressage or S.Jing- its a lot cheaper for starters

 

[katie_and_toto]

I get absolutely TERRIFIED on the day before and the drive over to xc schooling!!

I don't even know why I want to go xc sometimes, I hate it until I get onboard and get going, and I'm still quite nervous once I'm jumping, I stick to mini fences, mostly at the trot

So then why am I desperately looking for hunter trials on the internet???

Or have been begging my mum to let me go xc schooling for my birthday?