Nervous Nellie Thread

I am just loving my pony to death at the moment, he is such a star.. we are going from strength to strength, never thought I would feel this way again:D

We went out with my oh tonight, and the three dogs, new route:eek: LOTS Oof open fields and on the woodland edges.. for about 45 mins as was getting dark.. no problems..at all:D I didnt panic or get scared.. i loved it..:)

I LOVE SAM:D

How is everyone else doing at the moment? Good to hear you had a good lesson Rach1980, :)

Lizzy, even being nervous you are doing better than I do, have not cantered out in the field yet on Sam ( had him 2 months:o).. dont knock yourself so much:)
 
had Duke a year now and not many canters, been riding 3 years and had a 6 month rest due to back injury. Total nervous nelly.

Cantered him behind a youngster last Friday on the bridlepath. Saturday had 5 canters, yay!! Horses4eva888 did a lovely thread with the vid bless her and encouraged me so much over the last few months. Was on such a high we rode bareback when got back! Unbelievable for me.

Cantered him again in a huge open field, had 6 on Monday.

Confidance has been terrible since started to ride again in March. Found a new RS in August with the most amazing arab school mistress, she just flies but is so push button I have total faith in her. cantered her in the field for first time last week for 30 min lesson. Had 3.5 hours of lessons to get further than have in the last 18 months of riding!

Today was our next lesson. I cannot believe this amazing RI and horse. She taught me walk to canter, extended trot, extended canter, forward seat, collected canter and we finished trying figure of 8s and changing canter leads! I never thought I'd feel so confidant in my life. I am amazed as 3 weeks ago I couldn't canter without holding on!!

Just posting this as truly a change of horse and RS can do wonders!! :D
 
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Ruth151 said:
I can relate to all of this. I started riding last year at the age of 50. My husband is a very good horseman and would ride anything. Having decided to buy my first horse I went to see a few and saw Minnie. She is a six year old tb ex racer. She behaved perfectly I got on and went round the school on her. My husband rode her and she was wonderful. Did the deal bought the horse - she arrived last Sunday was in for 36 horse having been wormed. She went into the paddock on Tuesday morning. Saddled her up on Tuesday afternoon and she stood as good as gold then the moment when my husband went to mount her, she dropped her back and sped off leaving him on the floor. After three/four further attempts we decided to just lunge her. This has really knocked my confidence with her - cried my eyes out and could have taken her back if they had said yes bring her. Well we are giving her time to settle now and just hope that with love from us she will come to trust us.
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How are things now ruth151?

It does take time to settle in for both parties and I can understand why you cried, seeing that must have made you feel that you had bought the wrong horse:) Things can change back quickly though...just wondering how you are doing with her, from another Minnie owner:)



I was going riding today but I cant get Sam out of the field as the bull and his family are camped out next to the gate... :rolleyes: Think Sam asked them to do it..:D:o
 
Oh I am so glad that I'm not the only NN out there then!!

Bought my first horse 3 months ago, a 6 year old sec D mare.

When I got her home I was so petrified of riding her! Little by little I rode her, got myself a good RI too which has helped me no end & I'm just loving her.

Don't get me wrong I still get nervous but nothing like I used too.

Last saturday I got her jumping & it was great, she loved every minute of it, never refused a single one, it was fab!

Today I plucked up the courage to go it alone as my hubby or someone always comes with me.

Only rode for about 15 mins in walk & trot but it was such an achievement to tack her up, mount her (which did take a few mins I have to say) & ride all by myself.

I never thought in 3 months I would of got this far :)
 
ME&MEG said:
Oh I am so glad that I'm not the only NN out there then!!

Bought my first horse 3 months ago, a 6 year old sec D mare.

When I got her home I was so petrified of riding her! Little by little I rode her, got myself a good RI too which has helped me no end & I'm just loving her.

Don't get me wrong I still get nervous but nothing like I used too.

Last saturday I got her jumping & it was great, she loved every minute of it, never refused a single one, it was fab!

Today I plucked up the courage to go it alone as my hubby or someone always comes with me.

Only rode for about 15 mins in walk & trot but it was such an achievement to tack her up, mount her (which did take a few mins I have to say) & ride all by myself.

I never thought in 3 months I would of got this far :)
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Its a great feeling isnt it? But bloody hard work to get back to that as we are all leanring. You have done so well to get there in three months, I hope that in another month I am too finding things less worrying, me and sam and perfect together and he really is a gem, looks like we both found great confidence restorers:D
 
Another nervous nellie having a good day!

Yesterday my very experienced friend came over to ride Thea for the first time, it was great because although she pointed out loads of things I should be doing with her and where I was going wrong (I did feel a bit crushed but it was all constructive:o). She gave me a different bit to use and worked Thea quite hard before taking her out on the lane, so far on our own I've got her about 200 yards but with alot of napping. She got her out of the gate with a lot less napping than I usually get and then seemed to just happily hack down the road....I was feeling a bit more crushed but happy for my horse, all good experience.
Anyway, they were gone some time so I thought by now she'd probably got her going lovely into the woods too but actually she wasn't all good because she had a dicky fit by a skip a bit further down the lane , ahh relief she doesn't just do it to me!!! :rolleyes: I was really grateful for the tips so today I tried her in the new bit and I could really feel a difference and she's went so much better - less nose poking! (looks like another purchase required). So after 20 mins in the school I thought I should bite the bullet and take her down the lane too. Well we had a bit of napping at the gate but so much better than before and I managed to encourage her to go just a little bit further than we'd done in the past together (not as far as the skip though!)te nice thing is even though she acts a bit scared/lazy going out when we turned for home she doesn't rush back just relaxes.
So I now feel better about pushing on with the solo hacking, have planned a little circular route for next weekend which will be great if we manage it, its probably only 10 mins on a horse who'll walk out with no probs but I don't want to push my own comfort zone just yet. Maybe increasing each time we go out by 5/10 mins we will gradually get there. :):)
So just to say that 2 months ago I was really struggling with my nerves and the thought of going out the gate made me feel ill, going back to basics on my own in my own time has been the right thing for me.
My friends keep asking me to hack out with them but I really want to get a bit further on my own first (I've hacked with them in the past) so I hope that if we progress on our own over the next few weeks I'll feel up to that too soon - OK I'll stop rabbiting on now, you can tell I'm happy with my hoss today!:p
 
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I havent read this for ages as I've been so busy with work etc and plus I've not been able to ride Tia for a couple of weeks. But, soo good to hear about everyone's progress!!! I have now ridden Tia out on road hacks (in company) in the past three days - further than we did before, on the busiest country roads ever and she is the safest out of all of the horses I've ridden with (mind you she hasnt led yet!). I too am loving my girly, she is coming to call now (most of the time!), whinnies at me occasionally, and her feet - well she even lifts her back ones up for me and most of the time, doesnt actually try to nip me when I do her front ones any more - I really feel we have started bonding, OK we've got a long way to go and I have yet to take her out by herself and canter her on a hack (down to back/feet issues), but I think all the groundwork we've done has paid off. I love going to see her now - and a few weeks ago I had a real crisis of confidence. Nat17, it sounds like you and me are at a similar stage in terms of bonding etc. YAY!

RRA sounds like you are coming along great too :):) Solo hacking is my next project
 
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Nicnac said:
I havent read this for ages as I've been so busy with work etc and plus I've not been able to ride Tia for a couple of weeks. But, soo good to hear about everyone's progress!!! I have now ridden Tia out on road hacks (in company) in the past three days - further than we did before, on the busiest country roads ever and she is the safest out of all of the horses I've ridden with (mind you she hasnt led yet!). I too am loving my girly, she is coming to call now (most of the time!), whinnies at me occasionally, and her feet - well she even lifts her back ones up for me and most of the time, doesnt actually try to nip me when I do her front ones any more - I really feel we have started bonding, OK we've got a long way to go and I have yet to take her out by herself and canter her on a hack (down to back/feet issues), but I think all the groundwork we've done has paid off. I love going to see her now - and a few weeks ago I had a real crisis of confidence. Nat17, it sounds like you and me are at a similar stage in terms of bonding etc. YAY!

RRA sounds like you are coming along great too :):) Solo hacking is my next project
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Its great that we all seem to be doing well, and progressing. I can only hack alone or with a person so its the only project I have to work on, so I am proud of myself that things are starting to click and are fun again.
I went out on a hack with the OH and dogs again early sunday morning, not a foot wrong, dogs flushed a few pheasants didnt worry him but made me flippin jump, very forward at some points but did not worry me at all, we walk and trot at the moment but we are also trying to build up his fitness, canter wont be far away. :D N

So good that Tia is coming to call and happy again Nicnac.. your progress is great and have noticed you have been missing a while :)

Keep up the good work everyone, I hope everyone feels that they are making progress, no matter how small:D
 
nat17 said:
Its great that we all seem to be doing well, and progressing. I can only hack alone or with a person so its the only project I have to work on, so I am proud of myself that things are starting to click and are fun again.
I went out on a hack with the OH and dogs again early sunday morning, not a foot wrong, dogs flushed a few pheasants didnt worry him but made me flippin jump, very forward at some points but did not worry me at all, we walk and trot at the moment but we are also trying to build up his fitness, canter wont be far away. :D N

So good that Tia is coming to call and happy again Nicnac.. your progress is great and have noticed you have been missing a while :)

Keep up the good work everyone, I hope everyone feels that they are making progress, no matter how small:D
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That's fab!!! Cantering by yourself - that's sooo brave, I have so far to go before I get there! I did actually take Tia out alone :eek: on Monday evening, just up the road and out of the farm, down the lane. There was a car behind us, and she didnt spook, she did whinny to her friends a lot, and was definitely a bit nervous initially, but still kept walking on. My friend then joined us, just in case, and even when some young lad popped a crisp packet, she and I jumped a bit, and then she carried on. I know plenty of horses who would have galloped back home at that, so basically she was very well-behaved. We have yet to go round the farm on grass by ourselves, but I am building up to that, and I think she will be fine after a few tries. She's only done the road hacking say 5 or 6 times even in company, and it was twilight when we went out, so I think she did really well. Bless her, she is a star (even if she was a bit grumpy with her feet again..sigh...I just get on with it as she seems to have good and bad days) even with the occasional grump, well she is a mare after all I guess.:D:)
 
I have been hacking alone everyday for a week now, really getting those nerves under control. I think the key is consistancy, and getting on everyday no matter what....will go away and think of something enlightening to say....but at the moment I am just so happy:D
 
I have now got a saddle for my boy Izzy so can join this thread. I'm not usually nervous on RS horses even if they are a bit spooky, or on horses when I have been on hacking holidays. But now I am ready to ride my own horse I am suddenly VERY nervous.

Izzy is a 15.1 HH cob and I have been doing loads of groundwork with him. I am very confident on the ground with him but he hasn't been ridden for a bit. I will be having two lessons a week on him but am nervous of riding him on my own. I'm sure I will be fine once I do it a few times in the school but am worried he will feel my nerves.

I am going to start this afternoon and just start with lots of walk-halt and walk- trot transitions.
 
tiga said:
I have now got a saddle for my boy Izzy so can join this thread. I'm not usually nervous on RS horses even if they are a bit spooky, or on horses when I have been on hacking holidays. But now I am ready to ride my own horse I am suddenly VERY nervous.

Izzy is a 15.1 HH cob and I have been doing loads of groundwork with him. I am very confident on the ground with him but he hasn't been ridden for a bit. I will be having two lessons a week on him but am nervous of riding him on my own. I'm sure I will be fine once I do it a few times in the school but am worried he will feel my nerves.

I am going to start this afternoon and just start with lots of walk-halt and walk- trot transitions.
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Sure you will be fine Tiga, like you say start slow, walk around till you relax a little, then start to build your confidence with the transitions, let us know how it goes , sure you will have a big smile on your face later on:D
 
Horse owner for 22 years and still a Nervous Nellie!!

Hi, I have had Adella for 22 years now and I probably shouldnt say this but she has never bolted with me, if she did then I know I would NEVER get on her again. But..... I am still a nervy person and each time I get back to the yard safe and sound I am relieved. I have had huge amounts of fun on her but there is always a part of me that's nervous. We can be riding on the road and my friend says "oh look at that!" and my reply is "cant, am concentrating , cant talk till I off the road" and Adella is 99% of the time good in traffic. I have bought a Easy Trek bitless bridle this weeks and have ridden out in it twice and so far I LOVE it but the old bottom is getting sweaty at the thought of going further this afternoon. Will let you know ...... x
 
I'm back!!! It went well. I took her out to what we call the gallops although I have never galloped her I am too much of a whimp for that. We did our usual thing. We had quite a long canter (well for me anyway) and she listened. She came backto trot and walk no problem, in fact, better than she does in a bit..... and I turned her round to go back the same way and she was really good. She seems to still do her little quirky things but at the moment she is not fighting me. I have to say tho her canter is not as collected, she has a longer outline but still steady. Still early days but yes, I MADE IT BACK!! xx
 
Well I went up to ride Izzy but he had got himself all worked up in the field as he was the last one in. They had to hose him down he was so sweaty. He was still wet and a bit hot and bothered so decided it was not the best way to ride - a bit of a cop out!

But I did walk him out in hand around the roads for the first time with one other horse. He was as good as gold and actually had to lead the other horse because she started spooking. I was so proud of him! He really listened to me and coped with cars, train, horses charging up and down the fence next to him, llamas, dustbins and a scary plastic bag in a tree.

Although it wasn't actually riding, it did give me confidence. I am definitely riding tomorrow.
 
Thanks Kimmy C. You are ride about the confidence thing - today he was much better and more responsive once I had chilled out and gave him a bit more rein.

He did test me but I had someone else in the school telling me to relax. I was very tense but after a bit relaxed and it was much better. I have three lessons on him next week and I think a few weeks of intensive lessons will give me more confidence.
 
Kimmy C said:
I'm back!!! It went well. I took her out to what we call the gallops although I have never galloped her I am too much of a whimp for that. We did our usual thing. We had quite a long canter (well for me anyway) and she listened. She came backto trot and walk no problem, in fact, better than she does in a bit..... and I turned her round to go back the same way and she was really good. She seems to still do her little quirky things but at the moment she is not fighting me. I have to say tho her canter is not as collected, she has a longer outline but still steady. Still early days but yes, I MADE IT BACK!! xx
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Well done, sounds like you had a great time, very brave:D
 
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