Have you ever questioned your horseback riding ability?

[Rhiannon]

Have you ever questioned your horseback riding ability?
This girl is going on a rant on Twitter about what she sees wrong in what people are doing in the horseback riding world. It just kind of makes me question myself. I don't own a horse but I take lessons. I feel like I'm not living up to the standards of the horseback riding world because I have to stop in the winter. She does not have an indoor arena. I have been looking for a place to ride in the winter but can't find one. I don't know. I guess I just feel like I suck at horseback riding. I mean, I can't be THAT bad. I have the ribbons on my wall to prove it. Has anyone else ever felt this way?

[Arrogantcelery948]

I do question myself mostly when I come off or have a near fall.I do question myself occasionally only because I want to improve myself as a rider and my questioning myself I can figure out what I need to fix.

[rodeo queen]

o.m.g you don't even know i think my parent what to strangle me sometime.
im extremely competitive and hard on myself.
lets just say when i don't win i fuss.
i start blaming everything i did and just play my barrel runs in my head over and over again and see what i did wrong. then i cry to my parents about how bad i am and that im never gonna win anymore. (i won before lots)
my mom always yell at me and tell me to find another sport to do. shes mean.
and then the day after my run is when i get crazy... i work out like crazy and won't eat. i watch like a thousand videos on youtube. and get on different horse and barrel race at a walk to re build my muscle memory. i am never hard on my horses i never blame them. just myself.

[Leia Pluemer]

Not really. Don't it bother you. Just because someone has more money they think that everyone else needs to be perfect like them. Bullshit! Ha...Everybody has their own style of riding and nobody should judge that.

[Ang]

Well, lots of really poor horsemen have ribbons hanging on the wall, so I don't think that proves much. The fact that you are willing to admit your faults, question your ability, and seek to improve yourself tells me a lot more about your horsemanship than those ribbons.

Yes, I believe that 95% of riders interfere with the horse's natural movement and cause some discomfort. Notice how graceful horses are when playing in the field? How many look so free and graceful under saddle? Some of us are harsh and cruel about it, blaming the horse. They resort to harsh bits and lots of whipping and kicking. Some are oblivious, happily going around banging on the horse's back and flopping around, without realizing how much of a burden such a rider is to the poor horse that carries him. Some try really hard, but just don't have that natural athletic ability that expert riders are graced with.

I believe that only about 5% of riders don't impede the horse's movement, and actually can enhance the movement. Have you ever had a good yoga session followed by a massage? These riders make the horse feel like that. They gently stretch and flex the horse's muscles and joints while supporting the horse's body the entire time. The more I ride, the more I realize that riding is just physics. Set the physics up correctly and the horse's body just flows into the shape of the movement we want. Set the physics up wrong, and dysfunction and compensation results. Movement becomes hindered. Grace and power turns into stiffness, resistance, a dull plodding gait, or tension and fear. Horses love to work for good riders because the rider supports the horse in such a way that doing the right thing becomes almost effortless.

So yes, you probably are doing lots of things wrong when you ride. I like to hold my right thigh too tight and let my left calf be too loose and floppy. Sometimes I collapse my left ribcage when trying to turn left. My back likes to arch and my shoulders carry tension. I'm certainly not perfect, but I try to become better and I don't blame my horse for my failings. When the horse doesn't do what I want, I don't just use the same old aids but harsher. I check my body, try to find where I'm going wrong, blocking the movement, confusing the horse, and fix it. We all suck at horseback riding when we start out. Eventually we suck less. Horses are wonderfully forgiving. They put up with a lot of our mistakes as long as we treat them fairly. Maybe eventually you'll join that elite group of riders who don't suck at all, but until then, keep learning and trying. It's what we all have to do in order to improve.

[Julie]

All the time! Especially when something goes wrong during my ride. I think it's a pretty natural reaction. When someone is questioning you or something unexpected happens, it's easy to start doubting yourself. And this girl: Who died her and put her in charge of the horse world?! Don't let her dictate ahow you feel about yourself and riding. If you're really having doubts, ask your instructor. But, I'm sure you're doing just fine. And I have only been riding 2 years, and the first year I started riding, my education in horses was really hit and miss because of barns screwing us over and places abusing their horses, it was mess for a while. But now I'm leasing a crazy thoroughbred who I love more then anything! Just be patient, and in time things will start lining up! Good Luck!

[Fluffy]

I defiantly do. I'm kinda in the same place as you except right now I can still ride once a month. Anyways I've questioned myself so much that I'm switching my dicipline.

[melissa]

I don't question my ability, but I never look at myself as perfect. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. Too many horse people are close minded know it all's. Just be open to constructive criticism and be humble. (:

[Boxer]

i used to sometimes,but had that confidence that i could ride any horse in this world,not been on a horse for a frigging long time almost 4 yrs

[Snezzy]

I never question my ability. I know I'm a terrible rider!

My balance is poor, I don't sit properly, my legs and hands are all over the place, and the horse is hard pressed just to try to ignore me and get on with walking.

Fortunately I can sometimes see faults in other riders and possibly help them improve without insulting them.