Do you ever got on a "downer"?

orbvalley

Well-Known Member
Jan 15, 2008
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In the title
Just wondering if I'm normal in the sense that I feel on a it of a downer with my riding this last fortnight or so:(
I can't keep my mare in an outline, she pops in & out of it willy nilly & now I can't jump either! Jumping lesson the other day was supposed to be fun for us having been through a fair few lessons of keeping her on the bit. Extraordinarily my mare kept refusing. Usually I can point her at anything from any old rubbish angle and she jumps it lovely but not this week.
Unfortunately (at the moment ) I have a gopro that my ri wears on her hat so I can see just how rubbish I am afterwards! As they say the camera never lies and I can vouch that it sure doesnt.

Does anyone else go through these phases or is it just me?
 
I doubt there is anyone who will say they don't feel like this from time to time. Has your RI offered any suggestion as to why your mare might have refused today? Just wondering whether she might have a bit of a sore back or something, if she's struggling to maintain an outline and not wanting to jump. I know you've made a lot of progress recently with getting her to work in a nice shape and so maybe she's using muscles she hasn't felt before? On the other hand, I also know she's quite an opinionated madam when she wants to be, so maybe it's just that! I'm sure you must be due for the "two steps forward" soon anyway and then you'll feel much better :)
 
Of course I do, I think everyone does. I was within a hairs breadth of giving up when I lost Jim, if Little Un was suitable to sell or loan I would have done but he wasn't and I had to give him a chance. Bringing him back into work was done out of duty, as he got better hacking was ok because at least he was enjoying it. Then I wanted him to go in the school - the ground was too hard for him to do more than walk - and I started to think I couldn't even ride a rocking horse any more. And the more I thought that the worse things got & he got sour & stressed too. What it took was a completely fresh pair of eyes, a friend who knew I could ride, knew how I was feeling but had the guts to tell me what she was seeing - a rider who was asking far too much & a pony that was trying but on the point of a meltdown because he just couldn't see how.

Maybe you need to take a step back & look at what you can do together? Stuff how it looks, get it to feel right before you worry about tidying it all up. I wonder if you've been focusing so much on the outline that you were still asking for it a bit when you were jumping, or even if not an outline you were controlling everything too much? Or it might be that the people saying she could be sore are onto something, it's certainly a possibility.

Try to focus on the positives rather than fixing on what's going wrong, I know it sounds trite but a more positive mindset can make a difference. That you can get her in an outline is a positive, if you can get it then sooner or later you will learn to maintain it but you can't maintain what you can't get - one step at a time & don't get obsessed!
 
I've been on a downer since my crushing accident. With not being able to ride and the excruciating pain I keep blaming myself for what happened. Its cost me lots in pain relief, time off work and a visit to the chiropractor. I'm back riding regularly now but still with pain. Riding makes me feel happy. Tuesday to try to make myself feel a bit better I decided to get some poles out for some pole work. Then decided to put up for a jump. Thankfully he didn't knock it down once. I did the jump a dozen times. So its perked me up as I haven't jumped for 10 weeks. I was frightened I would loose my nerve if I didn't get back jumping soon. If he hadn't have cleared the jumps rest assured it would have got to me.
But I still feel deflated as the horses are stood in a muddy field and have no fresh grazing. YO is being totally stupid and rather than letting move horses onto a field with grass which is not being grazed they would rather have my horses stood in mud. Ridiculous but my hands are tied and it is mega depressing me.
My other lads back is playing up again at the moment. I'm told to not retire him but how can I keep him exercised if every time I ride I give him a sore back. I've driven him instead but I still feel like its cruel.
So yes I'm on a downer big time. But little glimmers of perkyness when things like the jumping goes right.
 
Yes the last few weeks and then discovered I have a virus. Explains it then.

Outline. It's not about just being on the bit, it's the whole frame of the animal, way of going balance etc. My cob doesn't know about being asked to flex at the poll but she understands self carriage, it's her job to carry herself not mine to put her there. If she happens to drop she does.
 
@Bodshi
I wondered also if she was feeling a bit sore and so consequently I didn't really have my heart into pushing her forwards and over the jump. The lesson deteriorated from there of course! 2 falls from me straight over the top, one face flat out in the sand the other included a somersault and me landing with her bridle!! I'm too much of a softie as I rode her the next day and she was full of beans and firing on all six cylinders:rolleyes:

You're right @carthorse I do need to take a step back and do something easy for us both. I'll also focus on the positives - for one she's turned into a very nice friend.....mostly:D

Its good to know at least that you've all been through the same feelings at some point even though you're all top riders. Thankyou for sharing:)
 
Yes for sure we've all been there. One very wise lady once said to me when I was having a particular downer 'Don't look how far you have to go, look instead how far you have come' I love that as it does make you take stock and look for all the positives, another thing I've found works well for me, try and have a ride on a really well schooled horse if you can, both times I've done that I've managed to feel as though I actually can ride quite well (I always think Im a rubbish rider) and it's a great way to lift you out of the doldrums.
 
We all have those times, you're not alone.

Can I make an observation, the pics you posted of her in an outline maybe a week ago, to me she was over bent, I don't say this to be mean, but to suggest that perhaps taking a step back and looking at it all from another perspective might help you feel like your not failing. Personally I would much rather see a horse in front of the vertical, moving freely forwards and engaged, that to me is a novice outline and you build on that as the muscle memory develops, the outline develops up from there, given she's relatively green (from memory, sorry if that's wrong) are you expecting an appropriate outline? I have a tendency to want to run before I can walk sometimes, so I say all this having made these types of mistakes myself many times so please don't feel I'm being judgemental.
 
I agree @Jessey ;) I do need to take a step back and rethink, or rather stop thinking perhaps! I think a while of down time with no big goals would do us good. I'd love to take her hacking for some relaxation but she hates hacking out:rolleyes:
 
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Its tough when you have a tricky horse add young in there as well and you will come across problems at some point.

I agree with the others that she may be sore I have not seen the photo's so will go hunt for them in minute. The problem may be as had been suggested is when you have been doing a lot of flat work trying to get them to work correctly you can transfer that to jumping and find yourself not allowing that forwardness that is required and you may have been taking a check before the jump with out realising which can he just enough on a sensitive horse for the to stop as check in dressage means 'wait, listen i'm about the ask you for something'

But back to your question OMG yes. Ginger hates the outdoor school in the winter and when I say hates I mean hates. The last five times out there he has thrown his toys and when he throws them it is pant wettingly scary and that boy has some serious unwanted moves, Monday I have no idea how I stay on!!! I know there is nothing wrong with him at all as we moved in to the indoor and he back to amazing pony again.

This combined with the jumping and cracked rib has made me doubt my ability as a rider. So today I got on and wen in the outdoor. I walked him round in hand once then got on and no messing straight to work, He bum flicked a few times tried to spook in one corner for no reason but this time I got after him and made him work. I only rode for about 25 minutes as I didn't want to push my luck and I am still in a bit of pain my back felt solid which is not fair on him. I left the school and walked round the track to cool him off and couldn't stop smiling.

Next I have to tackle jumping again. But on reflection jumping is not something I really enjoy so I am going to back right off and realised that although he is scopey and will do 1m tracks i'm just not into it and it and don't enjoy it so I am only going to jump for fun and stick to 80-90 and carry on doing what love the most Dressage.
 
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very good point @OwnedbyChanter - I could have been holding her back before the jump as she was losing impulsion right at "the bar de réglage" i don't know what you call that - its the floor pole before the jump.
I'm suprised to hear that you don't really like jumping as you're very good at it.
Hope your ribs settle down soon xx
 
OMG yes! If my horses are going well life is great... if my horses are not going well I am utterly miserable. Far, far too much of my peace of mind and confidence is tied up with how the horses are going on any particular day. It's ridiculous really!
Hope you feel happier soon. Sure you will xx
 
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Far, far too much of my peace of mind and confidence is tied up with how the horses are going on any particular day. It's ridiculous really!
Not necessarily, it's what us humans tend to do. If we have a rubbish hack, a "bad" schooling session or crap competiton round our world falls apart. If you fall off even more so. We are bleep riders and my horse hates me.
Of course we forget how well things have been going up until that point or even the day before.
My favourite quote is " tomorrow is another day" and from the horse's point of you it means it's different.
 
Yes we all do it to a degree. I am trying to be more relaxed around off days and set backs. I am telling myself you earn the amazing days by slogging through the cr@p ones without losing faith or patience!
 
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If my off days are more than my good ones, I am doing something wrong. It's about enjoyment for me and yes I get blips, yes I learn things the hard way- but it's not the end of my world if the weather is so foul I can barely stand up let up alone ride. I don't compete so a show being cancelled doesn't matter, but my friend can be totally deflated. If the horse doesn't do well in the ring, the same.
Me I can't be arsed to get out of bed to even go, so we are all different. :)
 
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I don't normally get on a downer, like @newforest I don't compete, my times my own so I'm not restricted by that either. If its foul weather today I can ride tomorrow. Its just recently that its hit me like a brick wall. But I'm crashing through it as hard as I can:)
 
When Dom and I were on the debt management plan and financially struggling, I learned to look at and appreciate what we have rather than what we don't. I've said this before on here that I say to people " we may not be rich in the bank, but we are rich in life and love".

I try to find pleasure in small things, a frosty cobweb, beautiful clouds, a whicker from my girl. The small things keep me smiling.
 
I can really empathise. I'm having one at the moment - I am just making excuse after excuse not to ride - and I know it's because my RI is working hard on reschooling Zi ggy and I have to work hard too, so I can't just jump on and go out for a pootle as I used to. I find that "shoulds" and "ought tos" spoil my enjoyment.
 
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