Ok so ive been riding for 4 years and at my old stable i was riding at i was jumping fine untill i had a bad fall and hurt my finger (ouch)
im scared of straight jumps,im fine with cross poles but any sight of a 'bigish' looking jump and im SCARED ive tried to overcome my fear but a few months ago i was jumping a small cross pole and the horse jumped fine the first few times but after that she refused like 3 times and cantered REALLY fast away from it..
I try to be brave but i now do dressage/Flat work because im scared to jump...
(I only ride on a Sunday at a private lesson)
Does anyone know how to build my confidence without me getting terrified?
Do you have a horse that you can ride that you completely trust, one that won't stop on you even if you mess up a bit? If so, I would work a lot on cross-rails, and figure out what height you are comfortable with on them. Cross-rails don't have to be tiny - you can get them up pretty big. Really work on your riding ability and seat over them until it is second nature to you. Then go back and do little bitty verticals. Don't put any fillers in it for now, just simple post and rails. Gradually up the height then add in some flowers, maybe a little gate. Just keep taking baby steps like you are completely reteaching yourself to jump, and if you get to a point where you're terrified, back off and go back to your comfort zone for a while, then rechallenge yourself. It will take a while, but you can get back to it. Best of luck!
I had a really bad fall a several years ago that took my confidence away too. At the time I was showing and jumping 3'-3'3". I ended up with a fairly minor injury but that injury did put me out of riding for a while. When I came back and took my first lesson again, I was terrified. I was taking a lesson as an adult rider with some of the beginner kids that were jumping little jumps and I was terrified to just do a little cross rail. I just had to start all over again jumping small jumps. I switched to a horse that I trusted a little more (not the horse that I fell with) and just took it a little at a time.
If you are okay w/ cross rails do a lot of them. Then, put a very very small verticle up. Slowly raise that as you get more and more comfortable. Also, don't jump without someone there to help, especially if you are nervious. Make sure you tell your instructor about your nerves. Sometimes you need to just push through them but the instructor does need to know so that they don't push you too far.
Thanks guys!,I will ask my instructor if i can do that,problem is...The horse i was telling you about..(not the one i fell off) was the one i trusted and she is a high jumper,there is another horse but she knocks poles down alot...i guess i can improve it
Once again thanks for the advise i have to wait another few days until i see my instructor again. :idea:
First of all, like everyone else said, make sure you are riding a horse that you trust completely. Also, start with small jumps (like 6" or 1") and build up combinations, then make the jumps higher. Maybe also you could talk to your instructor and see if they could help you get over your fears. They would probably know better than I would what would help you! Good luck, though.
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