im 19 yrs of age and have been riding horses ever since the age of 3.. i love my 2 horses to death one is a thoroughbred and the other a arab quarter horse buckskin
i havent ridden them in a year due to work and study issues.. they have never hurt me...
i am very experienced and love any kind of competitive riding especially barrels.. but i have lost my confidence..
i just dont feel invisible anymore
is this because im getting older or can i get it back
please help.// any ideas on getting my confidence back?
Answers:
Think back to when you rode regularly. Do you remember the little things or big things you enjoyed - the wind in your hair, the posting trot, the agony of posting without stirrups? ;) Try to remember what it felt like. It wasn't scary. Nothing hurt.
Now just take baby steps. One day, maybe just take a visit to your barn; give your horses a nice long groom. Later practice tacking up. Another day, just take your horses into the ring tacked and slowly mount up. Take it easy. A walk a couple of times around is fine. Take more steps as you feel more comfortable. Confidence doesn't come in a snap - you need to build it up again. Don't try something you don't think you can handle - walk until you feel comfortable, then try easy trotting. Once you feel very comfortable, you can begin to progress normally.
The good news is, you're perfectly normal; the bad news is, it gets worse as you get older.
As I have aged, it seems the ground has gotten both harder and further away.
Add a two year hiatus for health problems and I found myself with serious lack of confidence. I've been addressing it with a lot of ground work before I actually hopped up there. The first couple of times, try to get with another "safe" rider. On the trail, at least, it tends to be "monkey see, monkey do" for the horses.
My sister who has never stopped riding in her 44 years confessed to me that goes through a little anxiety every Spring on that first trip out on the trail. She gave me the best advice I could ask for: You'v'e just got to ride it out.
Start off slow, quiete hacks then add in a canter track.
do a bit a schooling and when you feel a bit adventourous do a couple of little cross poles and that up.
I had not ridden properly for 5 years, met up with an old friend with Grade A BSJA horses and I 3 months later I wouldn't think twice going to blow cobwebs on the beach or a blast across the common back to my old hell raising ways.
I think when you grow older, you start to think of all things that you could do that you might get hurt by doing them.
When you are younger, none of these thoughts enter your mind.
So you love to barrel race? Maybe go to an open show one day and watch the barrel racing. Do you feel like you need to get back in the saddle and replace those people or are you thinking, "Oh my goodness! Those people could fall and get trampled!" ? Think of this, if you are worrying about falling, it is very hard to come off a western saddle. The seat is deep and you have a horn. Do you feel like your horses are too hot for you? If you just are not confident that you'll get back into the swing, take it slow from walk, trot, to canter and work on your form and muscle until next year you can go out and show competively. Run some barrels inside in the winter once you get your confedince up. You can walk them if you need to. No one is pushing you to do anything more than what you want to do. Even if you do get back up into showing, don't be afraid to stop and trot the barrels if you feel like it is too much to handle.
i had a problem with confidence too a while back. What made me gain my confidence back was just to ride a nice mellow horse that I knew I would do well on. Most improtant is to have fun. After a while i was back in the game riding the crazy ones :) Also you can try just talking to the horse when you feel a little nervous because it really calms you down. And another thing i found that helps as well is wen a horse takes off or you tense up and feel scared, just laugh because it relle relaxes you even if you feel relle stupid! its the funniest thing wen a horse takes off and you see this rider laughing and hanging on for dear life. Hope my wierd and crazy ideas work! :)
im 21 and have been showing QH professioanlly for 12 years my parents were trainers in OR. I have been hurt by many horses, like being kick, bit, stompedd on, rolled on, they have flipped over on me, bucked me off, or rub me on the fence. over all if your nervous you just have to go out there and do it!! you said your horse has never hurt you so what are you afraid of. if your nervous than your horse will sense it. trust your horse and just let go.
i know exactly where you are comin from as do many of the others who have replied.the older you get the more it hurts!!i got my mare in dec after a break of 10years,i now have a child who is 7.by the way im 28 now,just so you dont think i havent ridden for a couple of centuries.i would have normally gone for a bolshy 16h highly strung creature.i got a 19 year old haflinger 14.1.shes 150%bombproof in every way,has given me my confidence back and she will remain my faithful companion who gave me courage forever.
picture what you love most about riding. as you ride, think of that, not what is bugging you.
a good idea would be to just go and ride. just go get one of your horses and just get up and walk around a little. if you are comfortable enough to ride bareback do it. just walk some and then just let your horse graze. just sit up there and do nothing in particular. i do this when i have had a bad day or i am feeling nervous about riding or something else i just get up, walk around a little and then i just let my horse graze. sometimes im up there for hours. if you dont really have to time to ride enough right now to get your confidence level up just do things with your horses. one day go and get one out of the pasture and walk around with them some. let them graze or give them a treat, walk the horse on hand around like the house or the barn and put them back in the pasture or stall. sometimes just being around the horses can help you gain your confidence. also if you have a good friend that likes horses to you can have them over one day and the both of you can do things with your horses even if it is just a major grooming day. being with your friends and your horses can do wonders to your confidence.
good luck
I feel your pain. I wouldn't worry about it; it just comes down to the fact that you haven't ridden in a year. I recommend just trail riding for a while to rebuild your confidence. The more you ride from here on out, even if you don't do anything "demanding," the more confident you'll get.
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