Hey,
I would like your opinion - last year , about april/may , I started to horseride a new forest pony in the forest, so sort of on loan. Before I had never had a loan, and only ridden in the saftey of a riding school menage.

However, she was very headstrong, fairly unresponsive to the bit, and I couldn't get along with her. This totally knocked my confidence, but I've started riding again at my riding stables, and am riding another headstrong horse, but in the menage, and am getting on well, according to my instructors. I'm still not confident on the forest though, and when riding in a group, I get worried, and as a result loose all control.
Has anyone got any tips on how I can regain my confidence, and get back onto the forest, riding any horse, not just the good ones?

Also, this easter/summer, I have the opportunity to help a friend break a 3 year old. She is also a new forest pony, and is lovely when being lead, and is the bottom of the herd. I've never ridden out of a riding school (other than the horse mentioned above) and have never even handled young ponies. Should I try and ride her, or not? I'm scared she might knock my confidence again, and I will be back to square one.

Any help or thoughts on this would be very much appreciated.
Thankyou very much.

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There is no such thing as a problem, the solutions just haven't been figured out yet !

Everyday is a fashion show, and the world is your runway !

anyone have any ideas ? all read & welcomed ! thankyou.

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There is no such thing as a problem, the solutions just haven't been figured out yet !

Everyday is a fashion show, and the world is your runway !

Ok I don't have -any- horse eperience so this probably won't be helpful, but I think you should take any chance life offers you, cause god knows when you'll get another one =]
I know you took a knock back with the other horse and yeah, you might have another one with this horse, but you don't want to be stuck wondering 'what if' and hey! It might go brilliantly and give you all your confidence back. Even if it doesn't at least you tried.
Sorry I can't offer any practical horse experience/knowledge, but hope I helped a bit =]
x

I didnt loose my confidence riding but I lost it jumping, I got thrown over the front when attmeping a 5ft fence and got knocked unconcious. I think interacting with the horse is the best thing you can do now, you have lost the confidence with the horse, aswell as the riding, you describe how you get 'worried' when out a ride, but when you are worried - the horse senses this and also gets worried at wondering what your worrying about! Do you ride the same horse at the stables, or do you have a different one each time? Try and bond with the horse you ride, give her a brush and give her the confidence to trust you. Is she headstrong as in, doesnt like to be told were to go by you or headstrong as in wants to go all the time, regardless of you?

Also you may find this intresting Equine World UK

Regaining confidence in any horse requires you to trust the horse, bond with the horse and slowy regain the confidence and the horse regains it with you.

I have re-trained a few horses that have had people ride them, who havent any confidence and are worriers. It takes time because they pick up the bad signal of 'worry' and they dont want to go out because they think they are entering danger, they need you, as the rider and the person in charge to point them in the right direction.

Good Luck

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Okay thanks Stephny691 ,
and to RachyBobs, I understand where you are coming from , and by headstrong I mean she takes no notice of where I want to go , and how fast I want to go, so everything really !
At the riding school, I ride a different horse every week, but recently I have been put on the same one, as the others are all out on loan, which is good, and I seem to be getting on with her.
So with the 3year old, if I groom her now, and lead her now, when I *possibly* ride her, you think that might make a difference? With the pony I rode last year, I hadnt seen her before , and was expected to ride her just like that by her owner & my family. They understand now (i think) that it doesnt work like that, so maybe as the trust was missing, thats why it didnt work out.
Thankyou, it has been good to hear your thoughts, & the trust issue makes alot of sence now !

__________________
There is no such thing as a problem, the solutions just haven't been figured out yet !

Everyday is a fashion show, and the world is your runway !

So shes a typical riding school horse then they get bored sick of doing the same thing everyday and they just plod on and dont care what anyone else wants or thinks. Did you say you have a 3 year old, as in to back and ride later? Yes, with my youngsters they are groomed from been tiny and a bond is developed, and I have a 3 year old I am backing now and because of the bond we have he trusts me and he has been long-reined and lunged and leaned over with no problems at all, no kicking/flinging just doing as I ask because he doesnt fear what I am doing, because he trusts me and I have have no worry about it Next stage is to sit upright and walk away and I know there's gonna be no issue there for me. Trust me.. it works xx

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Backing a horse is a serious business, some can change very suddenly from a calm placid pony to a wild frenzied one just when a rider suddenly sits up, others take to it as if they have been ridden since birth. Be careful and leave the backing to an experienced person, not only could you ruin your confidence but also the pony's. At least wait till the initial stages are done

Laddie. A young newbie to horse riding who has had some riding lessons in a local school for a limited period does not have the experience or the knowledge to break to ride a new forest pony of any size.

I can understand your enthusiasm and I can see you have an opportunity
but the expression "the blind leading the blind" comes to mind. And a horse of any size is a powerful creature. You might well get hurt and so might the horse.

There is a lot of horse handling expertise in the New Forest area. Make contact with the wardens and ask for some help. If they themselves won't help then I would be surprised if they did not know someone who would.

B G

RachyBobs is right, build a bond between you and the horse first.

Try to feel ok with the horse you gonna ride before you get on it, then I suggest identifying some ground work to do with your horse, don't just go for random riding, say to yourself for example, today I will do this ground exercise with my horse, 2 circles of trot (left & right) then one canter (left & right), when you finish this, calm your horse down and walk with him for few minutes, relax and end your workout, i believe you will feel much better and confident after several times of successful planned workouts, then you and the horse will be fine together.

Fantastic that you want to get out there, but breaking and schooling horses needs an experienced horseman/woman. The horse needs to be taught the same way children are. They need gentle consistant tuitition and reasurance. Im sure you wouldnt send children to just any old school where they are taught wrongly where bad maners and discipline are not enforced. the same is with the horse.

Im not saying that you would knowingly instill any such behaviour but in inexperienced hands (even well meaning hands) bad habbits are so easy to form and so much more difficult to get rid of. My advice keep up with the riding lessons and let someone much more experienced do the breaking, then when both you and the horse are more experienced you can both reap the rewards together