What knocks your confidence?

[Teej]

Following on from Eeeks thread, just thought I'd start a new thread on my recent experience....or non experience!!

I've had a few nasty experiences in the past whilst mounting but Chip is being so good lately at the mounting block that I'm not bothered about that anymore.

HOWEVER........... ! Something has caused a knock to my confidence on Chip recently and I can't put my finger on what it is!!! Yes he throws the odd excited buck in the school which doesn't unseat me but whilst he's bucking and shaking his head I'm thinking 'I'm gonna fall off' but somehow manage to stay on. That would normally be sufficient for me to think 'woohoo, I stayed on' and be a great confidence booster! Whatever it is that's bothering me is causing me to want to plod along and I'm inadvertently blocking him going forward. I'm forever adjusting my reins to keep them short enough to stop him bucking but too short allow him to move!!! Really don't know what's going on, perhaps it's just because we haven't ridden regularly throughout winter and I just need to get back into it ? I'm thinking of booking some lessons on a schoolmaster but not sure if that's the answer?

[Guesstimation]

Hopefully perseverance will pay off and eventually as you stay on each time and ride him more the feeling will go.

I'm nervous of canter since being bucked off full pelt on the moors and doing my ankle lots of damage, I actually ended up never being able to canter that horse again not helped by her bucking 2 other people off after! However it's really only with that one horse thankfully and got Tigger to canter for the second time yesterday no bucking yay!

[casper_cb]

I think booking some lessons on a different horse might be a good idea. I know for myself, when it all goes terribly wrong with one of mine and I feel like pants, and wonder what on earth I'm doing wrong, I just feel totally bleugh - horrid feeling ...... but then I'm lucky, I tack up the next horse, and it goes well, no spaz attacks, leaping about, and I'm able to think to myself, it's not me, Basil is just a prat!! I find sitting on different horses helps to stop the seed of doubt embedding itself in one. If that makes any sense.

Another idea could be to ask an instructor you trust to have a sit on Chip. Maybe ask them to warm him up for you and get him thinking forward, then you get on him. I find having someone on the ground really reassuring. With Oscar I got to the point where I took him to my instructors yard for a lesson and as I was going away I left him there for a week. I was getting no where with him. He ****** off with me in trot and canter, tugging like a tank, so I pulled, got him too short and was fearful of kicking him. I'd stopped trusting him to hold himself. Even in the space of the lesson, the instructor had me dropping the contact and putting my leg on, not holding him up and it was working. I just did not have the trust in Oscar or the confidence to do it on my own without the guidance of the instructor. He stayed there for a week for the instructor to ride to really establish the new way of going. It helped immensely.

And lastly, I'm sure you have, you mention bucking and head wiggling, so the obvious checks; teeth, back, saddle.......

I hope you and Chip find your sparkle again soon.

[My Crazy Clan]

I would say its were you haven't been regular riding, I find I can get like this.

I actually rode sisco for the first time in years today! he un-nerves me because he used to try and shoot off and throw a buck which i could never sit.

The main thing though is bolting, I hate it, I hate the thought of not be able to stop them, I am just the same inhand.

[Grey Haven]

Echo, when he spooks, spins at 100 miles an hour and tanks a few strides back the way he's come.

I've through worrying about his bucking now, like you I think "ok I can sit these!" - of course there is going to be the odd one which catches me out!

He's done the spin and spook thing twice now and also he's had reason and I've stayed on and he's pulled up within a few strides it's made me a little nervous!

[Loz]

Agree with the others, I think having a couple of lessons on another horse would be really beneficial for you and then perhaps have some on Chip?

Rou was an absolute cowpat this morning to do anything, she's in season and is surrounded by geldings which sends her crazy!! Anyway the wind was blowing a gale, she wouldn't stand still to mount, on the way up to the school she was bouncing and threatening to rear then wouldn't let me close the gate so I had to get Sue my trainer to come and shut the gate, she then saw what Rou was doing and said she'd stay around for a minute or two...queue having the most amazing flat lesson of all time! Just having Sue there for back up made me feel like I was much safer.

I think with more riding as well you'll feel much better xx

[Grey Haven]

I does help just having someone there on the ground, even if they aren't teaching you. Just gives you a bit of confidence I think...if anything happens I'm not alone!!

[Cancara]

Other people!!

Group On had a special offer on recently for riding lessons locally. I figured with Ella being such a baby it couldn't hurt to ride another horse just for the feel. I got a lovely cob, quite forward but sweet to ride in a group beginners lesson (I'd tried to ask them about having an assessment lesson on a horse to see what group I should be in, but got told everyone started in this one). He was on the bit but ok- until the instructor marched over to me! Poor cob clearly thought he was not going fast enough and tried to trot, cue several minutes of lecture for me on being too tense and telling him to go when he didn't have to, which made me even more tense and produced more refusals to stop etc...

Nightmare!!

Also was told my Mountain Horse winter riders are not appropriate rider footwear...?!!

A baffling experience. Instructor kept telling me the cob was making me nervous, I just wanted to say well actually, if you'll leave us be I'll happily take him for a canter around this arena, the poor chap's obviously just bored to tears and you're the one making me panic!!

I wish she'd seen me yesterday on Ella when she was having one of her no sorry canter is all you're gonna get days!!