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Scared/Nervous. :\

2K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  IheartPheobe 
#1 ·
A few years ago, I had a few bad falls and was terrified of cantering. After a while i started up again and continued on to move up a level and start jumping. For a while I was back in the swing of things. I even started riding a really, really fast horse and had a lot of fun with him. I would've normally been scared but now I wasn't.. my confidence was back. Since then, I don't know.. I've just lost it all together. Now I spend all the time in between my lessons freaking out that I'll be put a bad horse and they'll do something bad. It gets to the point where I can't sleep & I'm sick of it. Ways to gain confidence back//stop the nerves?
I think, personally, that I just need a trusting horse that will help me calm down, but my instructor insists on switching it up all the time and sticks me on random horses without my opinion. =\
 
#2 ·
You might try voicing your opinion to your instructor and tell them that you are not really comfortable being plopped on a different horse every time with no knowledge before hand and not letting you put your imput in. That may be a big part of your problem is that you never know which horse you are going to ride. Riding lots of horses is great for learning how different horses learn and react differently, but every time you ride is too much to switch. That would crack anybody's confidence.
 
#5 ·
The main problem is that every single time a horse is acting up, they stick me on them for some reason. So I have no idea who I'm riding and it freaks me out. If I knew I was riding my usual ****** who tries to kill me every lesson, I actually wouldn't be nervous cause I'd just be like, "As long as I have my heals down" or whatever. It's mostly the unpredictability [is that a word? lol] on who I get stuck on. >.<

thnx guys. :)
 
#9 ·
If that's the case, where either you use that horse or don't use one at all, maybe you should look into a different barn. That doesn't sound fair at all. I'm not sure how old you are, but if you are a younger student and your trainer isn't listening to you maybe your parents or guardians should step in and say something. There's absolutly no reason why you should be forced to ride horses that you are so uncomfortable with that you are making yourself sick.
 
#10 ·
My instructor has never done me wrong. I know she's just trying to get me to realize I can ride more advanced horses.
It's just sometimes it really scares me. : \
Yesterday I was on a pretty advanced horse who was really fast & a bit grouchy and we ended up actually haivng a great lesson. So maybe she's doing the right thing to build up my confidence.. but IDK. It just scares me sometimes.
 
#11 ·
I would still voice your concerns to her, she has to know. A good coach will always listen and not push you do to do something your not comfortable with. If she still wants you to ride a different horse, before you leave ask, so who do you think I will ride next week? That way, you can plan a bit, and if she says a horse you are really uncomfortable with, tell her you really don't feel comfortable on him and you would like to ride someone else.
Good luck! We've all had drops in confidence (well, I have at least) and I find the best way to approach it is to keep telling myself, I am a good rider, and I can do it. Say it enough times, and you will notice a difference!
 
#12 ·
I'd be peeved. You need to work up. It sounds like she's trying to get you to advance to quickly.
Talk to her about it for sure. It needs to be made clear that you are not comfortable with this constant switch up. And what are you going to learn if you're constantly focusing on staying on the horse?
If your trainer cannot do this for you, maybe finding a new trainer would be best. In fact, I honestly believe that.
 
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