Jumping Confidence Gone!!!!!Help

[Smurfie]

Have started to get back into jumping again (did a bit last year and we did well)all going well but had two falls last month(in the same day:p), one my fault wrong position and the second horse cat leaped and out the side window I came, luckily only winded and sore at the time:rolleyes: but got straight back on without a second thought and did another jump just to end on a good note and never gave what happened a second thought. Anyway friday was doing some obsticles at the yard with the other liveries which involved two jumps, one a small cross pole and the other a cross pole with a straight at the back of it. All I could think of was no way am I going to do the second jump, even although Iv jumped higher, I cant understand where my hesitation has come from:confused:, I felt silly as I had to say to all that were there that I wanted to miss that one out, obviously eveyone was saying don't worry about it. But I am (worried that I may come off again and worried what peeps will think for me not jumping) and when I came to jump the cross pole all I could think was "keep leg on and dont let him put in a stop" horse did a lovely jump and all was fine and now Im at home I feel very silly, but its compeletly different when your faced with the situation there and then. I hadn't even been anxious at all until I got into the field and thought thats too big Im not doing it. Sorry for the essay but had to get it off my chest.

[lolahutt]

I have felt like that after a fall or a near fall but the feeling tends to fade pretty quickly. Just stick to 'safe' jumps for a while and when you see that you are fine you will start to feel fine.

[coverblown]

Its been a long time since your two falls in one day from which you got straight back on, well done. Is this your first time jumping since? If so you have done really well.

Yep you have done better before but after two falls like that, as a mature rider, then waiting such a long time before jumping again, and then doing it, is fantastic.

It might be better to go back a step or two, you don't say what height you jump, get super confident at that lower level, do it frequently, and then build back up to where you were - and higher. Onwards.

[Smurfie]

Thanks for your comments guys, We were up to jumping 2ft 9" although not a full course at that level. I think what you both say is right I should start off lower again and more frequent as you say and build back up my confidence again, Its was just so weird how I hadn't even given it another thought and it just hit me when I saw the larger of the two jumps! Last month I was jumping logs out of water etc and now anything higher than a crosspoles makes me nervous, funny how confidence can just go when you least expect it,

[Trundlecat]

Don't be hard on yourself cos you're doing really well. We all have this feeling that we're indestructable & a fall (no matter what you're doing) shocks your system cos it brings reality home. You wouldn't be human if you didn't feel like this. It'll pass in time as your confidence grows again. Our minds do these things to us so we can learn from our mistakes, it's perfectly natural.

[simvin77]

You are doing realy well jumping nearly 3 ft. When I last fell off it took a good while before I really got my confidence back again, and that was just falling off from a very slow canter!

As Trundlecat says "Our minds do these things to us so we can learn from our mistakes, it's perfectly natural" .

You might find this article (http://www.horse-riding-world.com/improveyourriding.html) interesting

[Nik-n-Kia]

I know how you feel. My confidence with jumping since Kia started his carryon (which I have never gotten to the bottom of BTW :rolleyes:) has plummeted where as on other horses I am as bold as I used to be :confused:

I would just say to stick as small ones and try to jump when you have the school to yourself and start small and build it up :)

This is what I am doing with Kia and what I did is start a 1ft then do the different combos of jumps then move to 1.5ft then repeat the process and only move on when your comfy with it.

Its worked for me and Kia so far and we are up to 2ft with no real problems apart from his lordship droping in the occasional dirty stop lol!!!

Hope this helps you with ideas :)
Nikki xxxx