Advice please!

[xocharxo]

Hi guys! I was referred here, to this site, by LoveChick over at Petshub. She said this was a really strong forum with a lot of people with good advice.

Hey guys! My dad has a couple polo horses that hes been riding. Now, heres my past (it'll help relate to what I'm about to say). My dad was a polo player, so I always grew up around horses, riding, all that kind of stuff. Then, when we moved, I sort of took a break. I got back into riding at a little charity place and volunteered there. Unfortunatley, I quit, due to some issues. My dad wants to get me back into riding. I love riding, I honestly do! But the second I get on the horse, I freak! I lose control, I panic! One of the reasons that I'm scared is because I'm riding an ex polo horse (he hurt right hind leg, and they told us that his polo career is over), and he spooks sometimes. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to calm myself down? I'm a wreck out there! Thanks for all the advice! In case it helps, I ride English (although I do love Western, mostly for one reason, the horn on the saddle serves as a security guard for me to hold onto).

(This was the same thread that I posted up at Petshub, and only got one response, hopefully I'll get more here. :) )

[Equisgurl]

Hi, this is lovechick, or Equisgurl here!:) Glad to hear you joined this forum, I dont think this is the best place for your question, try asking this same question in either "Training of the rider" or "Cafe Area".
Best of luck and Enjoy~:)

[LindaAd]

Hi, and welcome to NR. Equisgurl's right, there are lots of helpful and knowledgeable people here.

There has been lots of discussion and advice about getting confidence back; have a look in the Mature Rider or the General forums. Or try a search on confidence, fear, nervous.....

Have you always been panicky, or is it something that's come on since you had a break from riding? Maybe polo ponies are a bit scary - they react so fast. I remember riding a couple as a child (I had a polo-playing uncle), and cantering across a polo field and the pony skidded suddenly to a halt when we came to the edge. ... Although maybe if you're used to them that's not a problem?

Good luck with your search.

[entreat]

Welcome to NR!! It's a great & addictive place!

I would suggest finding a quieter horse to get your confidence back on. Most polo ponies are too fizzy to regain confidence on.

[QuarterHorseMac]

Welcome to NR! Hope you find lots of info. here, unfortunatly Im not as smart as some people here :( I dont have a horse....Im a horseaholic! well bye bye

[maya-m]

Well you've already got more than ONE reply!!:)

Agree with Entreat: you get your confidence by riding lots of different horses, not just one, and finding out what YOU can do, on everything from the plod, to the forward and willing ones, to the real go-getters. Then you transfer that experience to the more tricky ones.

I don't think you should ever force yourself to ride horses that undermine your confidence. It's been best for me to work within, and only just beyond, my limits.

Don't give up, cos you'll get lots of moral support here... UNLESS the real reason you are nervous is that you are not doing it for yourself, and you are doing it for your dad, or someone else;)

Good luck.

[xocharxo]

Thanks so much guys! Hmm, I'll have to post back up the reply I put on petshub. Heres the reply::

Aha! Miracles do come true! Well we went to this farm today and my little sister took a riding class. The barn was so nice! There were two litters of Jack Russell Terrier puppies, a goat, parakeets, tons of horses (of course-LOL). My mom signed me up to go for Friday in the morning. There were at least 3 girls my age that knew how to ride, and were really really nice to me. I've always loved the barn & farm type setting, so I'm really looking forward to riding there. My mom said that maybe, if I'm eager enough, we'll either lease a horse or buy one for me to board and ride out there! Yay! My dad was really happy about me going out to the barn. "Miracles do come true!"- I said that because I've been looking for a barn to join for ages, and finally, I found one, one thats only like 10 minutes away from my house. I feel a little more comfortable riding there because they have Quarter horses that are all tame. Anyways, just wanted to say how happy I am! Thanks for all the help!

Another great thing I forgot to mention is that you can get community service hours for school done there. I pretty much know how to muck stalls, muck paddocks, bathe horses and all that stuff, but as they say, you can never know too much!

[flowergirl]

Hi

I would suggest that you take rescue remedy to help keep you calm!

If you have other issues you would also need other remedies such as larch for confidence.

They are totally harmless and natural.

To find out more look at www.bachflowerremedies.net

Good luck
Nic

[LittleD]

Flowergirl, is the Ainsworth remedy Recovery Remedy the same as Rescue Remedy the bottle has original Dr Bach formulation on the front? Or is the Rescue Remedy better - my friend gave Rescue Remedy to her grumpy gelding, just squirted 8 drops into his mouth and he went like a dream, is one better than the other please?

[flowergirl]

Hi

I had never heard of the Ainsworth remedy but i have just looked it up and it contains the same five remedies as rescue remedy.

the important thing about the remedies is how they are made, the bach centre is very stringent in it's standards and ensure the remedies are produced in exactly the same way as there were orginally.

However that said I often use the remedies made by healing herbs and they are very effective. Thiers is called five flower essance.

I'm sure the Ainwsorth one would be fine, but from my own personal experiance I can only recommend the bach one or the healing herbs one as those are the two I use. (I think healing herbs is cheaper - the website is www.healingherbs.co.uk)

Any other questions get back to me

Nic

:)

[WittleHorseGrl]

How is spooking so bad? I mean the horse just moves quickly! LOL. If you had some true horsemanship, you would just hop on the horse's back and ride! LOL. Good Luck!!!
-Wittle Horse Grl

[LindaAd]

Originally posted by WittleHorseGrl
How is spooking so bad? I mean the horse just moves quickly! LOL. If you had some true horsemanship, you would just hop on the horse's back and ride!
-Wittle Horse Grl

Wittle, that sort of remark isn't really very helpful to someone who is nervous about spooking,. I expect you meant to be funny, not rude, but it came across rather differently.

[jUmPingIsLifE]

Wittle-- spooking can be bad. Last year when tahoe spooked it wasn't just a 'flinch' or a 'little jump' his spooking would consist of BIG jump, a buck or a rear and an attempt to take off with the rider.

[cvb]

I guess one question is why does the spooking worry you ? Is it the spook itself - or the possible result ? You've taken the first step by recognising your reaction, but now you need to think a bit more and see how you can influence that reaction.

There is a vicious circle for beginners that their seat is not very good, so they feel insecure and worry, so they tense up and their position gets worse, so they feel more insecure, get more tense, and so on. Sadly this "tense" position makes falling off more likely, so it becomes a self-fulfillinh prophecy.

So - if you could change just one thing, to make you feel more confident - what would it be ? Is it something physical (the horse, the saddle, the place you are riding in) ? or something about attitude ? Sometimes people are happier when riding outside on a trail cos they feel more relaxed, but others prefer riding in a controlled environment like an arena.

For example, my horse spooks - and I am cautious about doing certain things with her (eg bareback canter !) - but on another pony I canter happily away. Could you ride a different horse to improve your riding (and confidence) and then go back to the other one ?

[Ruffiane]

What does anyone else do when your horse spooks? It's my instinct, (and it's worked pretty well so far - only got thrown once lately when i wasn't paying attention!) to turn the horse's head right away so that if she would be thinking about taking off, she could only go in a circle.

I guess maybe spooking is like driving on ice. You don't really want to "practice" it, but only after your horse spooks a few times do you learn how to handle it and stay calm.

I find the stronger I get, the less nervous I am about spooking, although I pretty much try to be prepared for the possibility that my horse could spook at any time.

[cvb]

most spooks (that are sittable) are only a stride or so, so don't really need much other than a confident and secure seat. A lot of the 'riding' is actually before the spook in giving your horse calm, confident leadership.

but my mare has a good line in 180 degree spin and depart at a speed that is tough to keep up with. when she does this, she's normally in blind-panic.

Its a natural reaction to do a 'limpet' impression - but this can just make things worse :eek: as you effectively cue to the horse that they have a good reason to be scared and in panic, cos you are too !

Its a tough line to walk, as you need to maintain safety and 'control' the spook without making things worse.

[LindaAd]

There isn't an easy answer to this one, is there? It's partly knowing your horse; if all he's going to do is a sidestep, then maybe that's not a problem. Spin round and tank off, that's harder to sit, my first pony did those, and Ginny does occasionally - I mostly manage to stick with it, although I couldn't say how. I think maybe my balance isn't too bad...

Sideways leap followed by spin is hard - Ginny's got me off by one of those; buck followed by spin is the worst....

There are two tricks I've found helpful:
1. Don't look at scarey things - it's amazing how often we stare at things wondering if they're spooky, and the horse feels this and gets worried.
2. Don't let the horse know you're scared - I know people say you can't fool a horse, but as long as you stay relaxed and keep breathing, talking or singing helps, you can.