bad lesson:(

[snakes1989]

hi i had my second lesson 2day lets just say it didnt go to plan.
i was riding my usal horse mr shire lol it was ****in down with rain which i dunno if it makes it worst but i pre paid so i had to go and it was a desater
he wouldnt stop when i pulled on the reins and kept going faster than i wanted him to go it scared the day lights outta me and really nocked my confidence he also kept spooking at this puddle my RI was misrable as sin lol he kept chucking he head back (which has alwyas scared me since i started. soo in the end i got off 5 mins before the end of lesson and 2b honest im scared to ride again:(

[Gruntfuttock]

Aw, I'm sorry you had a bad lesson, this weather is really crummy, isn't it? But look at it this way. You shouldn't be scared to ride again, because you rode a silly spooky horse in dreadful weather, you stayed on board, you kept it all together (until the last five minutes !) - lots of people wouldn't even have made it that far. Everyone has rubbish days occasionally, be positive amd remind yourself that if this lesson was the absolute pits, your next lesson can only be better.

I know someone whose horse spooks at his own poo in the arena - now that really IS a stupid horse !

[Lora]

I've had so many lessons like that where I couldn't WAIT for the time to be up so I can slither to my car, frightened and tense.

But you know what? That spooky crap is probably the worst of it. The next time you ride that beast it'll be back to normal I bet. He was just having an off day unfortunately. But it does make us better riders and brave.

<big hug> I bet it won't be like this next time... did you go home and have a hot bath to soothe the nerves? That's what I do, it does help you relax.

[*katie*]

I know someone whose horse spooks at his own poo in the arena - now that really IS a stupid horse !

Lovely horse at my RS is practically bombproof but has a mental block with bags - little rustly plastic ones are OK (he thinks you've brought him food :)) but big sacks like feed/bedding bags freak him out (decied to to move very quickly sideways at one the other week - it was the best leg-yield we've ever done :p)

Winter really is a bit of a rubbish time for all things horsey: there's more to do and less time to do it in; the weather turns all of the horses into loonies; everybody (human and equine) is always feeling under the weather and miserable, but everything perks up in time. Gruntfuttock's right, your next lesson can only get better, and i would just say ' if the canter's going silly, trot, if the trot's getting mad - walk'. Even if you end up being led round it's not something to be ashamed of - it's helping you. When you next take a lesson, take as little, baby steps as you feel you need and it will reallypayoff as you can rebuild your confidence right from the beginning. Hope you start to feel better soon; I'm sure your next lesson is going to be much more fun - because after all, that's why we all do it :)

[Anvil83]

You're being too hard on yourself pet.

I've been absolutely pants lately, I was improving but I've just gone downhill. I seem to take 1 step forward, 2 steps back, or more like 10 steps back sometimes :o

I find what keeps me going is this feeling to keep trying, trying & trying. I'm a glutten for punishment, something just drives me. I remember being like it when learning to drive, I remember shouting "I'm never going to sit in the driving seat ever again!", a couple of weeks later I'd booked an intensive course & then passed my test, so I think going through these moments just makes us stronger just as long as your heart is in it & you really want it, although driving isn't quite the same as horse riding.

[snakes1989]

ive decided to.................keep going thanks for all your comments its really gd 2 kno that im not the only 1 who has abd days cheers every1:)

[Shire Monster]

Don't worry too much, bad weather does make them play up, to the point that my last lesson the yard were giving people the choice to cancel without penalty (usually have to pay something if you cancel last minute) because the indoor was making all sorts of scary noises and the horses were spooky. The lesson before me is 3 youngsters about age 5-7 who came off lead rein about 3 weeks ago, tueday they were back on for safety reasons cos the school anticipated what could happen.
I think you can safely say it was probably because of the weather that your horse was playing up, not you and not the horse
Next lesson will be fab I'd put money on it

[Kittycat]

Don't worry, bad lessons happen for all sorts of reasons. Don't let it worry you, horses have bad days too and the next time you go you'll be fine.

I frequently have days when I ride like poo and want to cry, then have days when I'm almost quite good (ish)!:p

[elaine@dow-evan]

Yes, the weather was foul yesterday wasn't it? I had a lesson (in the indoor school) and the rain was hammering so hard on the roof my RI was really shouting just to be heard and poor Murphy's ears didnt know which way to turn...he didn't much enjoy getting wet going from stable to school either...at least doing basic dressage movements (in walk!) gave him - and me - something else to think about.

Keep going - we all have days when we wish we'd never got on, but it is all a learing experience.

[stormy's mum]

aww sorry you had a bad lesson but don't let that put you off we all have bad days at least you didn't fall off. as for the head tossing just a little bit of extra movement right:)

[Belle Rider]

he wouldnt stop when i pulled on the reins and kept going faster than i wanted him to go it scared the day lights outta me and really nocked my confidence he also kept chucking he head back (which has alwyas scared me since i started. soo in the end i got off 5 mins before the end of lesson and 2b honest im scared to ride again:(

Poor you, I know just how you feel. My last 2 lessons started off like that - the horse pulling away and going faster than I wanted to go. But thankfully my RI could see the utter panic in my eyes and after I fell off with a thud she got on the horse, and rode her until she was a lot calmer and ready to behave herself, then gave her back to me. The time after that I didn't actually fall off but the horse was 'napping', throwing his head about - it also totally freaks me out!! - and making every attempt to avoid work and get back to the field to play with his friends. He started trotting off with me but I managed to stop him, get off and RI promptly jumped on and calmed him down.

After the RI had dealt with them the horses were much calmer and she kept us away from the top end of the school, where Freddie usually spooks so she was very kind to me. My usual reaction when the horse starts to go too fast is to shout loudly but now I've learnt to say 'whoa' in a low, soothing tone even though inside I want to scream "Stop!" That way I'm not frightening the horse even more!!! At the end of both lessons I felt so pleased with myself for not backing out of the lesson but sticking with it and being firm and only allowing the horse to go at a pace I was comfortable with - as soon as the trot started to get too fast I'd rein them back. It was hard work but a valuable lesson and I'm sure you'll see that for yourself later. Being on a spooky horse isn't nice but it's a good thing to learn in the long run. ;)

[Cobgirl]

Sorry your lesson was rubbish, I've had about 3 or 4 in a row! I hate this time of the year, wind and rain and the blasted mud! My part loan girl spooks at everything she comes across, paper bags, doors that bang in the wind. The horses are cranky because most of them are not being turned out because of the water logged field, oh we could go on and on!

But spring is around the corner and things can only get better (ooh I feel a song coming on!)

Keep positive and be assured that there are many of us who are feeling the same way:0))