Well for starters when you first fell well done for getting back on.
The last time i rode properly I feel but I injured my back so i was told not to move etc etc. It has knocked my confidence quite a bit.
Im not saying it isn't but I think a lot of people are looking at this from a very psychological point of view.
When I first learnt to ride I would ride a particular pony, but once I built my confidence I would get put on other ponies and eventually I was put on a 16.2 GIANT cob x (i was only 11!) so over time I learnt how to react to different horses, it would take a good 10 - 15 to learn how they respond.
I then ended up helping a women with her horse and I got used to riding it so much, when I went to a riding school again I struggled to get a decent trot out of the horse just because I was so used to riding this one particular horse.
So I would personally say, you may feel anxious and because you think its that your concentrating on it too much. It could just bee your riding capability.
Maybe ask if you can try riding a few horses, or if every month you could switch horses to give you a better idea.
I also hope Mindy gets better :( its sad when a horse gets ill but then you also dont want her to suffer x
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My first fall was scary, too. I was so anxious to get back on the horse, but I did it because I love horse back riding. I calmed my nerves by just spending some extra time before the lesson with the horse. I cleaned her, I gave her sugar cubes and I petted her quite a bit. It made me feel a lot more comfortable to get back on her. :)
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I think a big factor with confidence and falling off is how it happened. I've always been much more confident getting back on a horse that I've fallen off completely by accident (or more likely my own fault) than a horse which has intentionally put me on the floor!!
^ I know what you mean. I'd be completely okay getting back on Mindy. But she's ill.
They keep putting me on the really big horses. Fyn, Alfie, Shavon. I'd be okay on them if they didn't keep cantering off with me. They wanted to put me on Bambi.. and I said hell no! She's smaller than Mindy but is very VERY energetic. Her canter is amazingly fast, and I know someone who got thrown off Bambi. The only other horse that's the same size as Mindy is Rosy. I'd be okay riding her, as she's old and very calm. But there's a girl in my lesson who always rides her. And the owner said Ive gotta get used to riding other horses. With my anxiety thats not so easy. I prefer riding one horse all the time. It makes me less anxious.
Keep giving others a go though - even if it's just swapping horses with someone else for half the lesson.....you might find another one that you get on with. Sometimes we have to take risks to progress - when I started looking for a horse I said I didn't care what it looked like, as long as it was a safe schoolmaster!! Somehow though, in the middle of things I ended up buying an absolutely stunning but just broken (and rather sharp) 4 yr old - I do wonder if I've gone completely mad, but I know that once we overcome the initial issues he really will be my horse of a lifetime and hopefully will take me a long way.
Keep giving others a go though - even if it's just swapping horses with someone else for half the lesson.....you might find another one that you get on with. Sometimes we have to take risks to progress - when I started looking for a horse I said I didn't care what it looked like, as long as it was a safe schoolmaster!! Somehow though, in the middle of things I ended up buying an absolutely stunning but just broken (and rather sharp) 4 yr old - I do wonder if I've gone completely mad, but I know that once we overcome the initial issues he really will be my horse of a lifetime and hopefully will take me a long way.
Great advice. It's best to ride different horses, as that way you learn more. Even if it's hard, it will make you more capable of handling spookers, fast horses, buckers, slow horses, etc.. and thus you are less likely to get hurt in the long run.
Oftentimes, now this is not always the case, but a lot of the bigger school horses seem to be easier rides in general. While my preference in horses is a 14-15.3hh horse, I'll ride bigger school horses.
In fact, I've noticed I'm more determined to stick on them, lol. When I was riding a young, green 17.2hh elephant of a Dutch Warmblood (or Swedish? Either way, registered KWPN.. and he's grown into himself now and looks rather handsome and not like an elephant anymore), I cued him to canter from a walk, which is something I am a big proponent of training for, and he threw a few MASSIVE bucks, and pretty much all I was thinking was how I was NOT going to come off that horse.. and I didn't. Not sure I would've been able to ride it out on a normal sized horse, wouldn't have gotten that insane rush of adrenaline and willpower, haha.
I actually learned to ride in a double bridle on a 16.2hh Morgan.. when I was less than 5ft tall.. see?
I was riding saddleseat at the time, so don't think I was riding hunt seat really really horribly xD
My little feet weren't past the saddle flap, hah.
But yes. Point is, give the big horses a chance! I know it can be scary, but they can teach you a lot. Their gaits are different, and it's something you should learn to be able to ride!
I actually feel safer on a bigger horse - more to sit on and less likely to dump you if something does go wrong. And also the little ponies can often be a lot quicker and sharper whereas you get more warning from a horse (plus they don't tend to have the cheeky "pony brain"!). I also learnt to ride on a 16.2hh at the age of 9. Out of the horses I used to ride at work I felt far safer on a 17hh stallion than I did on a 13hh welsh pony - purely because the pony could be so nippy and there was nothing to sit on!
What aeternal mentioned about thinking "I am not going to fall off" is also very true - as I've mentioned before, my horse tends to bolt - the first few times I just panicked, froze and let the situation get out of control before bailing out (when he was about to jump off a bank over a fence and a ditch I practically threw myself off!), but now when he does it I just think "I am not coming off you again" and sit up, push my heels down (for security), and get him back under control.
I've sang while i rode , it was our first time crossing a main road where the cars go 60mph - to get to the woods and i was singing ' take me home country roads'
I actually feel safer on a bigger horse - more to sit on and less likely to dump you if something does go wrong. And also the little ponies can often be a lot quicker and sharper whereas you get more warning from a horse (plus they don't tend to have the cheeky "pony brain"!). I also learnt to ride on a 16.2hh at the age of 9. Out of the horses I used to ride at work I felt far safer on a 17hh stallion than I did on a 13hh welsh pony - purely because the pony could be so nippy and there was nothing to sit on!
What aeternal mentioned about thinking "I am not going to fall off" is also very true - as I've mentioned before, my horse tends to bolt - the first few times I just panicked, froze and let the situation get out of control before bailing out (when he was about to jump off a bank over a fence and a ditch I practically threw myself off!), but now when he does it I just think "I am not coming off you again" and sit up, push my heels down (for security), and get him back under control.
As to the bolded, so true. They are so mischievous! I was riding a small bay pony of totally unknown breeding, but about 13ish hh, and while cantering, she kept breaking or refusing to canter. I finally got her to canter properly, and she decided at the last minute to change course, and I just slid right off the side. Nothing to hold on to!
Also, I find that large ponies (14-14.2) and horses have gaits that are easier to ride. A lot of ponies have short, choppier strides, that for me at least, are harder to get my bearings on!
Give me a horse with a wide barrel and good gaits, I'll ride it.. even if it is taller than my preference, lol.
Riding different horses would be the best way to fix the anxiety about it :) Also it may be that they're more sensitive than mindy so you're using to much pressure when asking them to canter. Maybe as if you can have a private lesson to work with your instructor about getting the right pressure. The horse I learnt to canter on was a clydesdale cross and you had to boot him sooooo hard to make him move on and it took me ages to get use to other horses where you only had to squeeze a little to make them actually move forward lol!
Confidence is something that will come with more experience too. If you're riding the same horse, you get use to their behaviours and signals and then every other horse seems terrible and scary. but if you keep riding other horses you're experience will build up. Bigger horses tend to be much steadier as well and if you think about it i'm guessing your confidence will increase with them :)
You got back on after you fell and you kept riding! That is the most important thing.
Oh... and i've found bigger horses are reeeeeeeeeeally smoochy too. I always take a treat when I ride for my horse and some are so snuggly they'll just stand there with their head in my chest for a cuddle. Or rest their head on my shoulder. It's really sweet :)
You'll be okay :)
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
Also it may be that they're more sensitive than mindy so you're using to much pressure when asking them to canter. Maybe as if you can have a private lesson to work with your instructor about getting the right pressure. The horse I learnt to canter on was a clydesdale cross and you had to boot him sooooo hard to make him move on and it took me ages to get use to other horses where you only had to squeeze a little to make them actually move forward lol!
This is another very good point!! Well schooled horses will go into canter from the smallest leg aid. I used to ride a cobby pony called Murphy who you'd have to kick and kick and kick just to get a few strides of canter - when I got Humbug he felt very simular to Murphy to ride, except he was a lot more forward, and I soon learnt the lesson NOT to kick him!! And as for my current horse - If I kicked him I WOULD end up in next week. When riding new horses always apply the leg a tiny bit at a time, and keep adding it until you get a response. When I was looking for a horse to buy when trying new horses that I'd never met before I'd always walk for a bit, then down to halt to establish exactly how much leg and hand was needed to go and stop. Then the same with trot - gradually apply more leg until you get trot, trot a couple of strides, and then back to walk to test the brakes!! And then the same with canter - ask very lightly first (as I mentioned above, a well schooled horse will go off the slightest aid), if it doesnt work try a bit more leg. Once you've got a few strides of canter, back down to trot to make sure that you are in control.
The smaller the pony the cheekier it is! The horses, with me are no were near as cheeky lol. Yesterday I rode my own and a friends , my share is a arab/ welsh, built like an arab and my mates is a cob only 14.3 , my share is 14.1. My god my thighs were hurting! Also i arent used to having to have my leg on all the time as my share is very sensertive (sp?) were as my mates you have to keep your leg on to keep her going. I wasn't happy the my mates saddle had no air in it So i felt like i was on a 45 degree angle when trotting! Not great.
As far as falling off lol. I used to always cry from the shock of it, i dont now. Though my share, popz had me off yesterday! We was with another pony and all year round i canter her in open fields. Yesterday she was very excited, i think as its the first time going out with this pony. Anyhow the other owner, hannah, asked for canter as soon as her pony starts popz puts this huge buck in and next thing i knew I had gone onto her neck but as she was cantering and moving right i was losing my balance. I littrally had my arms around her neck on the left hand side my right leg just on the right hand side of the saddle .. it was not good i knew I wasn't going to be able to balance myself so i decided to let go , I landed with a thud. Poppet galloped off i thought thats find she will go to the yard, nope so went to the field to say hello to the other horses aswell as cantering up and down When i eventually got to the field i tried to get nearly her but she would just trot then canter this happened until she ran of of steam and stopped. There was alot of words said about that pony lol
Got straight back on and cantered her in the school on both reins- good as gold! . I dont blame her these things happen she didn't mean to get me off just was excited, she could have told me though So thursday were going back to the stop were i was bucked off and are having a canter then :)
I rode horses for ten years and the best advice I can give anyone is: heels down, toes forward, look straight ahead, sit and breathe deep! I miss it so much, had some really daft falls over the time. Practise will make perfect. Hope you'e enjoying it!
I rode Mindy and everything was back to normal. I cantered fine (And so did she tbh)
I will try riding other horses, but I just get along with Mindy well. Its not that she's easy. Shes not! When I first started riding her I'd have to kick like hell just to get her to trot or even a fast walk. She used to keep turning in when I didnt tell her to. But now we kinda get along better. I love her to pieces and am so glad she's better.
I am glad that you got along with Mindy after your fall.
I knew a pony that had Cushings - she lived for 8 years after the diagnosis. Unfortunately she kept on losing weight - despite being fed tons of the best quality hay (they didnt feed her hard food because of the laminitis issue) and enough for a 17hh horse (she was 10.1hh). Teeth wasnt an issue - more like old age (she was 33). She was ridden for years after her diagnosis too.
So it does not mean automatically you have to stop riding her - obviously they have to watch out for other things and keep an close eye on her.
Wannabe CPN : -)
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I rode Mindy and everything was back to normal. I cantered fine (And so did she tbh)
I will try riding other horses, but I just get along with Mindy well. Its not that she's easy. Shes not! When I first started riding her I'd have to kick like hell just to get her to trot or even a fast walk. She used to keep turning in when I didnt tell her to. But now we kinda get along better. I love her to pieces and am so glad she's better.
Aw, yay! I have a thought, what if you sort of alternate? Like 1 ride on another horse, 2 rides on Mindy, 1 ride on another horse, two rides on Mindy, etc. That way you still ride Mindy most of the time to keep you comfortable, but you expand your riding abilities to other horses as well.
So i felt like i was on a 45 degree angle when trotting! Not great.
When i eventually got to the field i tried to get nearly her but she would just trot then canter this happened until she ran of of steam and stopped. There was alot of words said about that pony 
lol
. I dont blame her these things happen she didn't mean to get me off just was excited, she could have told me though
So thursday were going back to the stop were i was bucked off and are having a canter then :)
