terrified trekking

[Caroline Wilde]

does anyone know how to tell a good trekking centre or was I just stupid to do it at all?? I went trekking in mid Wales recently (had been riding for a few months) and really looked forward to it but ended up terrified and lost a lot of confidence. loads of horses in the group, very wet , slippy and stony track with deep drops either side. My horse was very uncomfortable to ride - probably my bad riding - kept shaking his head, then his whole body. Nearly the whole time I just imagined myself needing airlifting out of there.

[ajhainey]

You just got a bad one I think, I always ring and try and get a feel for the place - recommendation is best though - so...

Cae Iago in wales is good - very steady horses, steady pace, good guiding, but they ARE large groups (depending on demand up to 14, but I've also been out as a 2 before) and lots of hills? Charlie and Lesley make you feel like you could manage anything though - they are very supportive! www.caeiago.co.uk. Been 3 times now and taking a group of 12 with me next time, never met anyone who has had a bad time there. My first trekking (after just under 12 months riding) was with them and was absolutely fine - great fun in fact!

Rempstone in Dorset are very good for confidence giving, Peter is a fabulous leader, his horses are impeccably behaved and the groups are no more than 6. Flat too so no hills to deal with! Fabolous views over studland bay. http://www.rempstonestables.fsnet.co.uk/rempstone.html

Northfield farm is very hilly and quite large groups (up to 10) but very, very steady, well behaved horses and good ride leaders. http://www.northfieldfarm.co.uk/

I have thorougly enjoyed trips to all three of these and I'm not a confident rider by any means!

Hope that helps, don't give up!

aj xx

[neen]

Oh Caroline, it's a shame you had a bad experience. I've had some really fun times trekking, and I think if you get the right sort of place it can really build your confidence.

My favourite trekking experience ever was with the **** Vet Exmoor ponies when I was a student in Edinburgh -- about 16 years ago! It was so much fun pulling the ponies out of the herd -- quite literally -- and then setting off across the countryside on them. They might have been little but they couldn't half move -- though not, I add, in any way that felt dangerous! I see the **** Vet ponies have their own website (http://ponytrek.eusu.ed.ac.uk/) now.

I love the feeling of setting off on an expedition.

Where are you based, Caroline? I've got my eye on this place (http://www.ydtc.net/) , because it looks fabulous and I love Dales ponies, but it's a bit far away from me. Though I've been planning to go riding with a Yorkshire-based friend so I might make it there yet!

I've been getting pony withdrawal symptoms lately, so I'm hoping lots of people are going to post recommendations on this thread. I'd love to find somewhere within easy reach of London where I could go for a whole or half day trek or trail ride, preferably on native ponies. Any ideas, anyone?

[neen]

**** Vet Exmoor ponies

Lol at the censoring! Can I just say that I'm not being rude here, the vet school in Edinburgh that owns the ponies is called the (short-form-of-Richard) Vet School!

[Caroline Wilde]

Hi, thanks for all the help that's coming in. I'm based in Warwickshire so can get to lots of places and would be quite happy to travel (I went to Wales with a couple of work friends and we stayed overnight.) It was so awful - a couple of younger riders cried the whole 3 hours. Apparently the scenery was great but not much consolation cos mostly I didn't take my eyes off the ground, which I know doesn't really make things better!

[Hannah.Horsie]

i went trail/treck riding twice in the new forest the first one i went to ascked me if i could walk and trot and i said yes and i can canter and i ended up on a leading reign for a whole hour;) with the girl who was leading me ascking me if i was sure i could trot every 3 seconds:mad:

but the second time i went i had this purfect horse there was loads of girls my age who lived all over england we all got to chat and messed around and the leader of the group keept telling us stories about previous people (like when a little girl said her horse was happy because it was wagging its tail:)) and we all had a great time and i saw a wild stag and the group leader spotted three wild ponies dancing:D :D :D :D

[Skib]

I'm in London - very happy to ride with anyone - even in Warwickshire though when we went to Rugby Warwickshire in 2004, I did not find a place. Thank you everyone. I love the suggestions. My gt gt grandfather trained as a vet in Edinburgh and his son was Principal of the unmentionable Royal D*** vet school there. I didnt know it was banned.

Caroline - I am sorry you had an unsettling first taste of trecking -
Harry Hobbes on this list has said that a the key to safety hacking is a safe horse which means one that is well trained to do its job.
Visiting the place in person before you book is the best idea - even if you drop in in the morning and fix to ride later that same day. Find out, Are they safe, and do they cater for people like you? The two do not always go together.

Many riding centres make their intention clear - though it is coded. Are they high class equestrian establishments with their minds on tuition but where the owner might be happy to find someone to ride out with you at a slack time? Or are they geared to the tourist trade - will take non riders out on horses that go out every day and are throughly used to the work that they do?
And then you have to decide for yourself whether you think the weather conditions and the ground are safe. It looked muddy to you, but I dare say the people knew it was OK for their horses? But in the end, the decision is ours.

I did go a ride in the USA just a bit like you describe. Uncomfortable - but not really dangerous? I hate heights. Though I walk in mountains. A person needs a narrower path than one might think, and I believe the same goes for a horse?
If you are a beginner and not entirely straight across a wide horse, you may feel he might drift off the narrow path and towards the precipice. The answer is to talk to your teacher about sitting straight and riding straight lines sometimes in the school without the edge of the school to guide you. Some elderly, crooked people like me, will never be entirely straight (and not on a horse that is too wide) but we can learn to compensate and ride the horse straight even so.

Then it is more unstable going up and down steep hills - another thing to learn to do. In the USA one day I kept slipping backwards as we climbed steeply. The solution was to change horses - I had a saddle several sizes too big for me, it seems. But one can also learn in one's lessons (use ramps) how to sit on a horse on steep slopes, spreading the weight into one's feet and making it easier for the horse to move. Do you hack? We have some steep hills on which to learn. In Lesley Desmond's tapes teaching children how to ride, she teaches how to ride up and down hills and how to steer the horse safely to keep it balanced- but in the UK this is often left out.

I cant tell you why your horse shook its head, may be you were holding the reins too tight because you were scared. But it is very common for horses to shake their heads on a trail as the horses feel midges on their skin and the twitching is to keep away the flies.

So (my view) learning to do anything does not mean doing it perfectly first time, but seeing where there are gaps in what one knows and working out how to solve the problems. Although your trail ride was scarry at the time, it sounds to me as if you did well.
You were right to look forward to riding out in the countryside.
But it was the first time for you. New skills needed, and new sensations - with no one at your side to talk about them. Think of it as you think of your first time trotting or your first canter? May be a little scary the first time, but just another part of learning to ride?

[Ginger Thing]

I know how you feel - I went trekking in Wales, and while the horses were great, I really didn't like the sheer drop down the side of the mountain!

Have you ever tried www.warwickriding.co.uk as it's near you? I've never been but like the look of the place (the son does polo and jousting - the Knights of Middle England) although it offers hacks rather than trekking.

Somewhere I've been many times and can recommend is Cannock Chase Trekking Centre in Staffordshire - very safe horses, lovely scenery and no steep drops!

http://www.netcentral.co.uk/~geoffana/horses/cctc/

They cater for anyone, from absolute beginners up to experienced riders who can go on some very fast rides on weekdays.

[bexj]

Where are you based, Caroline? I've got my eye on this place (http://www.ydtc.net/) , because it looks fabulous and I love Dales ponies, but it's a bit far away from me.

I can wholeheartedly reccommend this place for beginners and experienced riders alike - I've ridden there a number of times now. They are friendly, professional, very safety concious and the scenery is totally stunning.

If you want someone to go with, I will volunteer! I love the fast rides there, but have also done slower rides with beginners and more nervous people too.

[notpoodle]

do the exmoor vet ponies with the rude word that wont display :D i havent been myself but met people from there at Olympia last year - seemed very nice!! AND ! you can't get much safer than an exmoor when the going gets tough :D also, there is always the opportunity to jump off - theyre not very big :D

julia
x

[FRED]

Cannock Chase I can highly recommend too,I have ridden regular here for the past 6 years and I have done the Lichfield Sheriff's ride with them, these past two years.
The staff will understand your fears and have a horse to suit all size and ability.
You can also get your 1st treeless saddle experience here too.
Riding out in the great outdoors is fun, your horse having a shake or two will happen anywhere depending on flies and the weather, its so easy to say 'just relax and breath', the two things that don't happen when we become nervous,so try to remember,relax, enjoy and trust.
Another thing that can happen, as we become nervous, there is a tendency to shorten the reins and raise our hands, agitating the horse and also unbalancing the rider.
I recon a working horse susses out their new rider in about 3 minutes of sitting on their back{that's the rider sitting on the horses back:p } ,so remember to keep still and calm, just take up a balanced light rein contact once mounted,the horses {usually:D} respect this approach.
Anyway good luck,I have just taken a 4 week break from riding and can't wait to get back,to be honest I will be a little nervous when I return even though I know the horses there so well and do the quick stuff. I think its only normal to have these nerves at times.The afternoon rides are mixed ability,so if you don't feel like cantering,you don't.
There's nothing wrong about that,we all started from somewhere,that's their motto.

[Caroline Wilde]

the suggestions are really helpful and the support very much appreciated. Yes, I think you're right, and I did have the reins too short, specially when he started to trot and I lost my stirrups. The trek organiser said he (horse I mean!) can't bear any contact from the rein at all. but forgot to mention this till the following morning! I'm not sure how I should have tried to control him better. I know I should relax but it's so hard once I get the "what ifs" !
On a slightly different point, having read other people's comments, I actually felt confident enough to phone my riding school and ask to go back to riding a horse I used to ride and felt happy with (even tho he's a little bit ploddy) as I don't feel as confident in the ""more sensitive" and speedy one I've had for the last 3 weeks. MaybeI'll want to go back to him once I've consolidated some things.
thanks again

C

[sidesaddlelady1]

does anyone know how to tell a good trekking centre or was I just stupid to do it at all?? I went trekking in mid Wales recently (had been riding for a few months) and really looked forward to it but ended up terrified and lost a lot of confidence. loads of horses in the group, very wet , slippy and stony track with deep drops either side. My horse was very uncomfortable to ride - probably my bad riding - kept shaking his head, then his whole body. Nearly the whole time I just imagined myself needing airlifting out of there.

It is always wise to take care not to over-describe your abilities when filling in the booking form. If the management thinks you are less competant than you are they can always give you a better horse the next day when they know better but once you've come off the yard rodeo pony and broken something it's too late!

[Lora]

Yes, I think you're right, and I did have the reins too short, specially when he started to trot and I lost my stirrups. The trek organiser said he (horse I mean!) can't bear any contact from the rein at all. but forgot to mention this till the following morning!
C

:) Contrary to popular belief of non-riders, too tight a rein can have the opposite affect. On my leased arab, if he's speedy and I pull back it gets worse. Trainer said that causes the rear end to engage and become collected.

concentric circles with him works great in no time. Though on a trek this may not be possible as you were saying the footing was slippery. (eek)

Riding without stirrups shouldn't be too much of a problem if that is part of your lessons. (we had to do alot of that) Were you able to get them sorted out?

[Esther.D]

My favourite trekking experience ever was with the **** Vet Exmoor ponies when I was a student in Edinburgh -- about 16 years ago! It was so much fun pulling the ponies out of the herd -- quite literally -- and then setting off across the countryside on them. They might have been little but they couldn't half move -- though not, I add, in any way that felt dangerous! I see the **** Vet ponies have their own website (http://ponytrek.eusu.ed.ac.uk/) now.

I love the feeling of setting off on an expedition.




ditto - I went when I was about 12...which umm scarily is about 16 years ago!! Had a fantastic time, best time I have ever had trekking. You don't remember two small blonde curly haired sisters that summer do you - I was about 12, my sister must have been 10 if my dates are right? That would be spooky!

[neen]

Esther -- sounds like we just missed each other! My trekking expedition was in the autumn, once the ponies were back on duty in the Pentlands. On my trip there were just other people from the Uni riding club, plus a trek leader... and, of course, a herd of small ponies! I have memories of cantering across bleak hills as a group under a big, heavy autumn sky; there was something so wild about the whole experience.

I only wish the herd was a bit closer to me, so I could go at weekends now. It would be just the thing after a week in the office. I've been trying and trying to find something similar near London, and coming to the conclusion there just isn't the landscape for it down south.

[Esther.D]

Must have just missed each other then - fantastic experience definately

[nutterinnewquay]

hi sorry to here about youre ride its a shame when u find a bad 1.i agree with word of mouth its always worked 4 me.ive worked at a local trekking yard 4 years and tend to find that people who ride in an indoor school a lot find it un nerving when they get out in to open spaces and also when there is a big group of horses.have u done a lot of trekking?at my yard in the height of season we take out about 20 people on 1 ride but all our horses are brill we ride accross a gannel estuary but they stay in line for the novices and when a rider gets on they do as asked.the yard u went to should have checked with u on how well u ride and wether uve riden in big groups b4, i think it was just bad luck there r lots of good yards out there so hope u find the right 1 next time and its not put u off trekking:)

[Emma_H]

This thread is really old but i'd thought i'd reply.

I went trekking in the Black Mountains a few years ago and there were 4 of us including the instructor, i had a fantastic time even though the pony i rode kept tossing her head, i had blisters between my fingers when she kept pulling, and i ended up holding the reins in the next fingers along if you know what i mean.

But the scenery was fantastic and well worth the money and the sore fingers ;)

[zoki]

Caroline,

people have different expectations, different abilities... There is always a risk when you chose to ride somewhere without somebody's recommendation. I was lucky enough to find a riding and trekking center where I am satisfied, and I always ride there.

http://www.jahanje-voloder.hr

I'm from Croatia. If you ever come in Croatia, visit the trekking center. It's very close to the Adriatic sea, so if you're not happy with riding, you can be on seaside for about half an hour...

Zoran

[Hanamoon]

It is always wise to take care not to over-describe your abilities when filling in the booking form. If the management thinks you are less competant than you are they can always give you a better horse the next day when they know better but once you've come off the yard rodeo pony and broken something it's too late!

Recently, one of the RI at our barn was talking with a fellow student who was planning to take a riding vacation. The RI said that if she were to take a trekking vacation she would tell the facility owner that she was a complete beginniner because if you tell them you are an intermediate or advanced rider they are likely to give you the craziest, most difficult horse in the herd!

[Peace]

The RI said that if she were to take a trekking vacation she would tell the facility owner that she was a complete beginniner because if you tell them you are an intermediate or advanced rider they are likely to give you the craziest, most difficult horse in the herd!

Absolutely. I always used to do that when I'd try out a new riding school. When asked my experience, I'd say something like "well, I've sat on a horse before" which wasn't a lie - I have.:)

Then, since staff at most places don't really like spending time in the emergency room (A&E) with forty-something yr old beginners, I'd get a very nice-mannered mount.

[Jinete789]

Hi Caroline - just seen your thread. I had a bit of a scary experience on a riding holiday in Spain a couple of years ago and was v. nervous about booking another riding holiday for sometime afterwards. However, someone on this forum recommend Cae Iago to me and I went along and loved it. In fact I have been 5 times since then, travelling from Scotland and now from Kent.

Some of the work is quite high in the hills, but Charlie is a star and will look after you, as will the horses, who all seem to really know thier job. You will get a bit of a canter but it's not harem scarem stuff and I always felt pretty safe.

I hope you find somewhere nice, and don't let one bad experience put you off.

Jin

[sophie33]

Caroline, I am going trekking in mid-Wales with some friends - most of whom are more inexperienced than me. Woudl you mind PMing me where you went. I have not been responsible for making the book but I would like to check its not the same place you went to!
Thanks

[jinglejoys]

Hi, thanks for all the help that's coming in. I'm based in Warwickshire so can get to lots of places and would be quite happy to travel (I went to Wales with a couple of work friends and we stayed overnight.) It was so awful - a couple of younger riders cried the whole 3 hours. Apparently the scenery was great but not much consolation cos mostly I didn't take my eyes off the ground, which I know doesn't really make things better!

Is this the one advertised in Henley Market ?(They do trips to Ireland and Appleby) It is possible the horses are western trained and certainly would object to tight contact on the reins.