I just moved to Sacramento and will be teaching 20 minutes south. I started riding English at age 45 after riding Western as a child. Not knowing better, spent a lot of time with instructors on phones or being ignored. Moved to Atlanta and discovered eventing and fell in love with the sport.
However, the barn did not focus on fundamentals and I kept falling. Never got seriously hurt but would fall a lot. They also went through instructors so I would have to get used to a lot of different people.
Moved to NJ and found a barn 50 minutes to an hour away who worked on fundamentals. By then I had developed anxiety/fear so we did a lot a work on my position and I stopped falling. The anxiety was still there and got really bad when my mom died but I worked through it and by the time I left was starting to canter again.
I’ve started to look at barns now and here’s where I need advice.
There are a lot of backyard barns that I visited and they seem to be not kept up.
There is a lovely facility south of my job which I tried a lease horse at but they’re h/j. I texted the trainer because I do want to try a lesson with her.
There is a stable that says they do body mechanics but trying to set up time to visit is difficult and on website says they only give lessons by semesters.
There is a nice stable 40 minutes to an hour north of my job but 25 minutes from my house in Davis who does body mechanics who I liked watching.
My goals at this point is to gain back confidence, lease a good horse and start jumping crossrails.
For those of you who have anxiety or have been through it , what would you do?
Right now I’ve gone feral after my trainer moved to FL. He was just SJ so I’d hit some XC schooling days or clinics. And get a dressage lesson when someone was available. Before he moved I’d take a SJ lesson weekly.
This year I’ve done a couple clinics in order to jump and have enough entries my dressage trainer can come in for a clinic I host.
So, it’s hard finding a program. I’m not moving up being feral but I’m holding my own.
So you are working in South Sac, and living in Davis? Jenny McFall at Dragonfire used to have a nice group of am intermediates on school horses. She is in Wilton and might be worth contacting. You could ride after work and avoid that hell hole causeway until the traffic wears down. Davis has Pine Trails which is extremely rustic (to put it mildly) and run over with kids but they do offer absolutely safe horses and low pressure lessons.
Working in Elk Grove and living near Sac State. Pine trail was where I was thinking of riding twice a month due to commute. Wasn’t sure if Dragonfire would be good with my anxiety.
I can definitely empathize with so much of your post, having also re-started in my 30s, and bounced around (from ignorance) in some not-great programs.
What barn were you at in NJ, if you don’t mind my asking? If you were still getting confidence on the flat, I’d find the easiest program you could find to get your sea legs back. I honestly think dressage would be ideal, but a safe lesson barn would be fine to start, preferably with private lessons. You can always find an eventing barn or lease options once you get your footing. If you don’t have a horse, it’s fine to first look for a program for the rider you are now, not the rider you want to be. Then once you get bored, start looking again.
I was at Irish Manor in Stockton. Small eventing barn.
In that case I would start small. Michelle at PT is a very honest, decent person and does a lot of horse rescue. Horses get bodywork, good shoeing, feed and vet care. She has also sold some very expensive homebreds to Julie Winkel.
ETA: I see you’re living near CSUS. I thought you were living in Davis. That is a stretch to drive.
If you have the opportunity to volunteer at some local events, you will get a chance to meet people and see who looks like their riders are safe, well-mounted, and enjoying themselves. And the people running the event may also know which non-showing locals are around that would be a good fit. Could be a nontraditional route is the way to go. I know someone who got back into riding after volunteering at a rescue for a long time because there were opportunities there for people they knew well.
Wow, that looks like a really wonderful program! (Unfortunately it’s 1.5 hours away from me, too far even when I get back to things.) I hadn’t heard of it before!
That’s why I’m having issues. I’m looking at backyard barns going nope. Before Irish manor, I would be going OK.
I think that the greatest problem you will have is accomplishing your goals on a leased horse. I started riding and eventing as an adult on leased horses, but two years later, when I finally had my own horse and truck and trailer I was able to travel for lessons and things took off (skills, and unfortunately expenses as well).
I was lucky to fall in with a fox hunting crowd early on as well. There is nothing quite like the experience of riding for hours with the hunt field to gain saddle time, experience and confidence that will translate into eventing cross country comfort.
Find somewhere where you can take lessons on a reliable, confidence builder horse. It may be school horses, it may be a lease horse. I would worry less about the discipline and more about finding the right horse and sympathetic instructor.
I would watch lessons and schedule trial lessons, maybe even several, and be very clear that you are looking for the right fit before you commit to their program.
I second the idea of watching several lessons and maybe having a trial one before making any committment. Adults learn differently from children and a good teacher for kids may not work at all for an adult. But then, any good teacher should be able to adapt to meet your needs. As adults we have learned self-preservation and developed critical thinking skills. I find, when teaching, that adults require explanations and multiple analogies to help them learn. Children respond really well to a more immediate physical style such as drill rides and gymnastics. Find the person who suits you and worry about a horse after that.
I think dressage tends to be more adult-centric as opposed to H/J so don’t rule out dressage lessons as a way to dip your toes back into riding. Focusing on dressage will be a great way to get back into shape and build confidence.
