My horse-riding issues..

[snoopygirl]

Hi everyone. I've never posted Off Topic before so this is a first..
I know that a few of you have ridden horses and I am a rider too so I thought I would share my worries, you lucky people

Okay, so I went riding yesterday, the first time in a month. I normally ride every 2 weeks. I've been riding at a few different schools since I was 10/11, I'm now 14.
I was on this pony called Jack. I always start out in the lesson okay, but I think I am genuinely too UNFIT for this!! I started getting really tired after half an hour. I thought I was going to actually die after 45 minutes (lessons are an hour long) (okay that's exaggerating but I thought I might faint and today my muscles are just agony!). Jack is really hard to ride because when he's meant to be going fast, he goes slow. When he's meant to be going slow, he goes fast. I was tugging on the reins all the time and he was nearly crashing into the horse in front, and his saddle feels like I'm bouncing around on a rock. Last time when I rode him without stirrups I got bruises all over my thigh from the saddle. It was freezing and frosty but I was overheating and dehydrated. I couldn't stop though because I really didn't want to be so petty and wimpish. We did so much trotting, round and round, and I was so poooooped. And then we were going over poles and I was so tired I couldn't even try hard enough so then my instructor said in her words "that was rubbish". Which makes me feel even better, doesn't it?

AUHHGHHGGHH!!!
Thing is I love horses and riding but it's starting to be a bit like torture. And I can't quit anyway because I have arranged to do my work experience at my riding school and that's end of March/start of April which I regret because I am HOPELESS at stable stuff, and everything... I just don't know what to do anymore...

I'm sorry guys. Just had to get all this off my chest.

And I have science exams tomorrow and thursday which has nothing to do with anything except add to the stressiness. AHHHHHHHHHHHHGGHH!!!!! *there is no appropriate smiley emotion*

[Deerie me]

For a start I am a complete amateur, so I don't know if I can be much help but if you haven't been for a month you will ache.You use different muscles and I don't suppose your muscles were warmed up before hand. Some sly stretches before you start round the back of a barn so you don't feel like a muppet, might be good. Did you mostly do trotting? I always find that a killer. Are your stirrups too short? That will make you wobblier and more unstable. Are you keeping constant light contact through your reins or just tugging when you need to? The trouble is some riding school ponies are so de-sensitised(sp?) that they are used to getting jabbed in the mouth and kicked so using sensitive contact is ineffective and they get away with sticking their nose up the bum of the horse in front and playing follow the leader. What did you do in the lesson? What comments did you get?

[snoopygirl]

Oh, thanks for that reply, Tracy I didn't expect one today.
Yes, the whole hour was practically all trotting. I think my stirrups for once were okay, though, and I don't think my 'leaning' problem happened so that's at least good.
When Jack kept going so fast, I just tugged and tugged on the reins and he didn't change, so I was just pulling constantly. My instructor advised me not to do that because if I'm pulling the reins taut all the time then he won't know when I am or when I'm not asking him to slow down. So I gave and took the reins as she suggested but it still didn't work, he just kept on going. I could get him slower if I sat to the trot but then my instructor told me to keep rising and we were doing trotting poles one after the other, and he was trying to run out to the side and he wasn't being straight at all, so my instructor told me it was rubbish. I'm not trying to blame Jack of course, I was so tired at this point I was passed properly caring about straight lines.
As it was frosty we were doing mostly trotting and a little walking in 20m circles and all around the arena, and then over some trotting poles. I got the poles right and straight just once.
It was so hard. I am hoping it's just because I was a bit rusty after not being for a month.

[snoopygirl]

Oh and also I'm surprised she didn't comment on the faces I was pulling because I must have had some weird ones on! I felt tortured at some points, and other times just generally in pain, exhausted, and at one point like I was about to burst into tears She, however, did not seem to notice or at least she didn't say anything about my struggle.

[Deerie me]

I'm not surprised you were struggling if you were trotting solidly for an hour. Its exhausting. Especially if you don't ride every day. It does sound as if Jack is a bit unresponsive. Do you always ride him? I can picture the scene. He trudges round with his nose stuck up the bum of the pony in front and then when its his turn to do some work he gets it over with as quickly as possible in order to return to trudging nose to tail. Am I close? Maybe you should try a different pony or a different riding school. We ave a few round here and they really vary. One is excellent. Its expensive but they have a lot of horses which means they get regular holidays which keeps them fresh. They assess each rider and match horses appropriately. They seem to all be light on the bit and responsive.

[Sadie G]

Hmmm......I really have no input here, but here goes. I have only been on a horse twice in my life. The first time I was a toddler and got my picture taken sitting on a pony. Does that really count? The second time a friend of mine asked me to go horse back riding with her, but we would just do slow trotting and walking....so she said. I'm always game so off we went. (It was her aunt's farm and horses). Well, from the getgo I was pretty scared, these horses were BIG! And when my horse started up the hay mound in the middle of the barn I had had enough! I watched the rest of the time while she rode in the barn and in the pasture!! I like it better on the sidelines!!

So snoopygirl you are an expert in my book and I am proud of you for even getting on a horse!!


Oh and I hope you do well on your tests! I guess there is stress no matter what your age huh!! Good Luck.

[snoopygirl]

Hey thanks Gwdgma Shame about your bad horse experience! I did one of my 2 science tests today and if I was to rate how I thought it went on a scale of 1 - 10, (1 being I think I FAILED miserably with a U and 10 being I just sailed through with flying colours and got A*) I would say it was about 5/6. Not as bad as I expected, but I still have another on Thursday.

And you're pretty much spot on Loki's Mum, really. I have only ridden Jack twice including on Saturday. I find him extremely challenging to ride. I get quite a range of horses. I've been riding at this school since... Spring 08, and I've ridden Horace, Red, Lego, Merlin, Pem & Jack which is quite a good range. I thought it was hard riding horses like Horace and Lego who are just slow-slow-slow constantly but that seems like a bargain now. Jack is very trying! I used to ride Merlin regularly and he was the most responsive I've had at this riding school, but I fell off him twice and I feel like I've been "demoted" to Jack. Once I fell off Merlin totally my fault when he jumped very big, and second when he felt like joining the horses in the field and tanked off across the arena... oh the shame...
I did enjoy riding Merl though.. I guess I just have to get used to riding Jack. I think I'm really unfit, though I'm not overweight or anything.

I think the biggest issue I have is that I want to be good at horse-riding but I'm not, really, at least not in my opinion and probably my instructor's! As for changing riding schools, In less than 4 years I've been to 6 different riding schools in my area and I'm sick of changing because it sets me way back in my progress. Whenever I think I want to go to a 'hacking only' school, I miss jumping, dressage etc. And vice versa.

I'm going to keep exercising til my next lesson in a fortnight. Press-ups and those horrible painful stomach muscle stretches.. Lol. I think it's more stamina, cardio vascular stuff I'm bad at. I don't have control over who I ride at my school, either, I don't choose. I wouldn't like to ask really

But most of all these days I cannot rest being so incredibly stressed about work experience
I'm no good at stable stuff, don't know why I chose it (well I do - easy to organise) and they're probably going to kick me out and/or I will make a fool of myself and/or become traumatised and/or get trampled by a herd of angry horses. Okay, drama queen moment. But I am honestly terrified

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

I fell off of our pony at a young age and was terrified of horses until I was about 11. I then started riding, at a stable even though we had horses at home, and despite my almost never-ending fear, I managed to learn to jump within 6 months. Schooling horses are known to have "harder" mouths. Why are you going every 2 weeks instead of every week? Even at that, riding just once a week makes it very difficult to maintain and learn. Do you like riding? What do you like about it? Do you want to do show jumping, or eventing, or dressage, or hunting? Do you enjoy being around the horses in the stable?

I ask all these questions as we had horses all my life and there was a time when I would not even go in the stable for fear one would poke its head out and bite me. I overcame my fear, not sure why or how, and had a wonderful mare for many years but I digress. I loved riding her but I did not necessarily have a love of all horses and horse activities. Figure out which aspects of riding you enjoy the most and don't be hard on yourself because Jack is ill behaved

Riding is a wonderful sport for many reasons. When one finds the right horse, a tremendous bond can be formed. There is often an active social life that accompanies most horse related events. I forgot to ask if you like Polo. I'd love to hear more about why you want to ride and what you wish to accomplish in the equestrian arena. Again, don't be so hard on yourself. I sometimes would be moved to tears as a youngster out of sheer fear and for some reason (I was not pressured) I stuck at it. I still don't know why but I'm glad I did.

Deborah

[kian]

Yes, I agree don't be so hard on yourself! Some horses are easier to ride that others. A lot of your stable horses become "hard in the mouth" that's prob why pulling the reins do not work. Try pulsing your reins to stop, I use that on every horse even young ones to keep them from becoming "hard". Don't use a heavy hand!
You know you can ride, it's sounds like your very tense. Loki's mum gave great advice to stretch and try to loosen up, also try some relaxing breathing before mounting up. Trotting for a hour is taxing and I assume it's the "post trot"? I can understand getting tired, should be mixing up the routine I would think. Hang in there, anything worth getting never comes easy!!!

[caramel]

I'm not much of a rider, but once the farm I was working on needed an extra horse at muster time so they put me on a 25 year old horse, with the instructions not to play with the reins the horse knows what he's doing. All I had to do was hang on, the horse knew exactly what he was doing and made it easy for me, but I sure was sore all over for a week after. And I won't tell you I fell off more than once. So Snoopygirl if you can ride ( not just hang on like I did) then I think you're wonderful.

[snoopygirl]

Thank-you everyone for your advice and information. I have a tendancy to beat myself up about everything.

Oliver's Mummy, I do enjoy horse-riding, or I probably wouldn't have stuck it out all this time! I don't really know what it is I enjoy. I like being around horses, and I like to have a bond with them and I love to love them! I like how they're all different, and I don't doubt them, I only doubt and get frustrated at myself. I am not a particularly equestrian person, sport-wise. I haven't ever actually competed, I just ride in my lessons. I enjoy jumping - I have only done a little cross country but I like show-jumping if the horse is into it. I really don't like jumping a horse who doesn't like to jump, because I can't properly enjoy it. I also enjoy hacking out, but I love to learn things. I don't want to make myself a career from horses, as I lack the riding talent, but I would like to own horses or ponies of my own some day, that I can ride, hack, etc. I am not interested in competing professionally. I wouldn't even mind owning miniature ponies. I just think horses are wonderful creatures and I wish I was more confident around them.

I used to be really confident in the saddle. I have only fallen off twice in my 4 years of riding, both at this riding school I'm at now, on the same horse. This made me slightly more nervous in the saddle, but not much. If my instructor tells me that my horse and I can do something, I'll try it. If I fall off, that's fine, I don't really mind. It's on the ground I have the trouble. I have had my feet stood and leaned on quite a few times which is very, very painful and there isn't much you can do until the horse gets its foot off. This hasn't happened for ages, but I am still very nervous when I lead a horse, and quite nervous in the stable, untacking, etc. They are so big and powerful and I know how heavy they are!

The reason I go once a fortnight rather than once a week is because of money. I can't afford to go every week, even though the price is reasonable. I have never tried polo, Oliver's Mummy.

I am going to keep riding, and I'll tell you how things go next time. I have ups and downs. Thanks again everyone for your support

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Snoopygirl...you remind me so much of me. There were aspects I liked and some that I didn't. I had fears as well. You said that you didn't really like competing. Neither did I! I didn't like the idea of everyone watching me. It's ok to ride every other week if that's in your budget.

Obviously you love horses, so I want you to start believing in yourself. It doesn't matter whether you hack or jump or show. Cross country is fun as you have an oppotunity to jump and not have everyone watch, usually You are braver than I insofar as doing what the instructor asks of you because the instructor tells you the horse is capable. Be good to yourself. Enjoy the horses. You'll meet the "one" someday...a horse with whom you bond and together you'll be able to do anything!

Dogs and horses are a natural fit

[snoopygirl]

Thanks Oliver's Mummy and everyone else, that's helpful advice That reminds me, I must do exercises tonight..

[elmer23]

Hi snoopy girl, sorry to hear about your horse riding issues, you should come visit me where I work! Well be nice to you! If your riding Jack again you could try pushing all your weight into your seat and pulling the reins. Horses respond to the weight of your seat as well. The lighter your seat the faster the horse will move. Lean back a little and push all your weight down your spine like a sack of spuds. You could also try circling Jack so he doesnt get too close to the horse in front. I hate to see kids riding nose to tail and not doing the work themselves. If he tries to run out of the poles to the right for example pull your left rein and squeeze with your right leg. If you shift your weight to the left side as well it can help. You could also carry a whip and tap him on the shoulder of whatever side he is running out on. If you constantly pull Jack back he is just going to fight against you. Maybe you could ask to be the leader of the line? Also use your voice to slow him down. Low tone of voice to say whoa,when he slows tell him hes a good boy. To get him to go a bit faster you could try giving him an extra bit of reins. A pony in my yard wont canter unless you put your hands up his neck and give him the reins. A solid 45mins of trotting is not fair on you or the pony! It can be sore on your back. Maybe you could ask your teacher to ride Merlin again. The worst she can say is no! Oh and your muscles will be sore if you dont ride frequently. Hope this helps, let us know how your next lesson goes.

[jake's mom]

Hey snoopy girl, I used to ride alot, started when I was about 3 years old on a Hunter (huge horse-about 18 hands!) named Mamma Cass Then I had my own horse for about 8 years(she was part Quarter Horse and part Arabian) then I led trail rides for about 3 years on a crazy Arabian named Shadow-he was nuts . I can't ride anymore because of my leg and I really miss it. It was the only way that I truly felt relaxed, even when they felt the need to be crazy . Anyway, the muscles that you use when riding are totally different from muscles that you use on a day to day basis. The areas that hurt are the areas that need stretching and toning, all the time, especially if you intend to keep doing this. You're only riding a few times a month and that's harder. If you were riding every other day, it'd be alot different, trust me on that It sounds like the horse or pony you're riding has a hard mouth because of where he is. Maybe suggest to the trainer that he needs a different type of bridle, like a hacamore or something similar. The Arabian that I was riding was really, really hard mouthed and used to grab the bit all the time-as soon as we put the hacamore on, he was an angel-until there was water or mud or twigs stuck between his toes, etc.-he was an Arabian after all Alot of people think hacamores are mean-they can be, depending on how you use them-very light handed, that's all you need to do(you are almost cutting off the horse's breathing-remember that) Horseback riding is a wonderful experience and should be enjoyed. I envy you because you can. Trotting is hard but put your weight into the stirrups (press down) and go with the flow. Its not that bad, once you get used to it You're very lucky to be able to do this, I wish I could