At 16:03:58 on 11.09.11, FarmGirl1 wrote:
Hey, I've had my horse Billy for a few months now and i'm still finding it very hard to trust him. He is excellent on hacks and is completly bomb proof on the road so im unsure why im so nervous. Its really annoying as im having to have somebody walking with me everytime i want to ride which isnt very often now. I think it may have something to do with my posture or even just the way im thinking. Anyway it would be brilliant to get some advice from you, thanks :)

At 23:34:35 on 11.09.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Well a few months is hardly a long time, i have had my horse over 3 years and have only really trusted him for a couple of those years, i had 0 trust in him for the first year and this was because i wasn't used to riding off my own initiative, i was at a riding school for 11 years and when i bought my own horse and had no one there to give instructions my confidence ebbed away but lessons motivated me and got my confidence up and the more i rode the more confident i got, it takes a long time for people and horses to adjust to each other completely but if ou feel really nervous riding the horse maybe have a lunge lesson if possible and give yourself the time you need to see he is good and will look after you, don't know if this helps any haha

At 09:41:13 on 12.09.11, Dazzle wrote:
Funnily enough I had the 'how long does it take before you know your horse' conversation this weekend. A friend has a new horse and four of us sat in her kitchen discussing this. Between the four of us we are British Dressage trainers, judges and two compete at advanced level and two at Grand Prix. The answer, between 18months and 2 years. So, a few months really is not that long. I think we need to find ways to boost your confidence. If you are worried that it might be your position, can you post a picture of you riding Billy as its impossible to help unless we see your posture. Another way to help is by starting slowly. The next time you ride, ask the person who is walking with you to stop at say the gate and then you and Billy walk on for say 10 steps by yourself. The time after that increase it to say 15 steps and build up from there. You should also keep a diary and write down how you managed it and how you felt. Then read this back after several rides and you'll be surprised how far your confidence has increased. I know this is all very difficult but confidence comes slowly and by taking small steps you'll get there. It would be interesting to know how long you've been riding and if you are able to find an instructor who could come to you or if it is not possible to have lessons. A little more information and I'm sure we can all help you.

At 16:45:33 on 12.09.11, FarmGirl1 wrote:
Thank you so much! It's such a relief to know that its not abnormal to not trust your horse after a few months. Ive been riding for around 3 years so not that long if you really think about it, I'll get a pic of my position next time I go out on him. I have a friend who's a riding instructor so i will definitely ask her to either come with me on a ride or just to give me some tips. Thank you both for the great advice and a bit more confidence :)

At 23:12:09 on 14.09.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Yep 3 years is nothing in riding years if you were a horse you'de still be green to riding ;) lol if you don't push yourself and as dazzle says give yourself the time you need and don't rush, you should find the road to confidence a smooth one :) just think of all your years riding ahead and don't worry too much about when you get there, some people sit on a horse the first time and are confident from the word go others take time and like to figure out the horse as an individual first and it doesn't matter which you are because if you try to make yourself more confident thats often when you lose confidence, if that makes any sense what so ever! Good luck with you new horse :)

At 21:30:19 on 15.09.11, FarmGirl1 wrote:
Thank you!!!

At 14:39:00 on 07.10.11, WannaHorse wrote:
Do you spend some time with him besides riding? Lunge him, do some Parelli (by that I mean only basics that will help you to get to know your horse)or something? I think it's very important to make a good relationship with your horse from the ground in order for both of you to feel good while riding. And, trust me, one day, when you 'll be dusting him or something, you'll just look at his back and feel the need to get on. When you feel that, don't hesitate! :)

At 22:11:16 on 08.10.11, benjy blue wrote:
my pony is bombproof and his last owner won a huge amount of jumping competitions with him and he's brilliant but whenever i jump with him he jumps them a lot bigger then they are. ive completely lossed my confidence with him and in fun run , drag hunt ext,ext he takes off to the front and i cant stop him even with a strong bit and chain he is always as good as gold other then his jumping and events with other horses

At 22:29:18 on 08.10.11, Rahara wrote:
You say your pony is BP and won huge JC with his last owners ..hate to say it but just maybe he'd be better off with his last owner's ..maybe you should go back to basics and forget about BITS ..

At 21:17:55 on 11.10.11, benjy blue wrote:
thaks but weve done that and ive had loads of private lessons the last owner is gone off to college hes good part from jumping but the taking off still happened with his last owner . i dont under stand wat you mean by forget about bits