Retire your horse and take some time away. Maybe you’ll miss it, maybe you won’t. Either way, it’s a big world. If riding is no longer your passion, find another!
Wish I lived near you…same boat…
[QUOTE=Halfling;8795536]
I could have written this post. I am in the same boat only with a younger greener horse. I have my usdf silver medal and had an almost 10-year hiatus from riding. Horse is at home with me and I have no one to ride with. She has not been off the farm much so is really full of herself when we go anywhere. It is a chore to introduce her to new things and it’s hard to motivate to get her out. She also has a huge Canter that is very difficult for me to ride. I am older and in a quandary as to what to do. I totally feel your pain. I think it does help if you are somewhere where you have friends at the barn and it is also a social setting. Just riding with other people and getting out and doing things helps. Gives you something to look forward to.[/QUOTE]
My horse can be a real challenge, combine that with a trainer who I found did not have our best interests at heart and I was pretty burned out. We took the winter off - and I tooled around in a western saddle and had some fun. Changed barns and trainers in the spring, and voila - passion reborn. New trainer and I are on the same page - we had to re-start but are really starting to make some progress and it’s just been awesome.
This is me…and it goes in cycles. I rode all my life as a kid because that is just what I DID. (took dance lessons for 7 years and did play 2 seasons of community league soccer in 5th and 6th grade) I went to college in an equine program and rode on the IHSA teams. By my sophomore year of college, I was burned out from riding. I was used to only riding during the spring/summer season and was now thrust into it being an all-year thing (plus I was riding on both the Western and Hunt Seat teams that year). That summer, I barely rode and even considered selling my mare and buying a jet ski.
I didn’t take lessons for a few years even after graduation and then became interested in dressage. I found that I was more active in my lessons because I was riding because I WANTED to, not because I felt obligated to.
The cycle is starting to swing back around and while I am no where near wanting to sell my horse for a jet ski or quad again, I’m getting discouraged and find it harder and harder to get up the ambition to ride. My horses are kept at home on a family farm so I lack the community of a boarding or training barn. My “facilities” is a small grass arena so I am at the mercy of the weather (example…riding plans after work yesterday died when we got a heavy 20 min downpour around 3pm), and availability for my trainer to come to me is sporadic (though I love her to pieces). My ability to trailer out to someone is limited as I don’t own the truck and trailer so I have to have someone haul me if I want to go somewhere. I currently cannot afford to buy my own rig, nor board my horse somewhere so I am stuck with muddling through with what I have. I AM grateful as I know I am lucky to have even that, but it is still discouraging when other people are able to ride on “perfect” footing year round and can haul out to places at will when desired. I feel stuck at my current level and that lack of improvement leaves me discouraged and disinterested.
Drama pony, that was me two years ago! Horses at home, and while I had really good footing in my arena, I was in South Florida, and I swear half the year my arena was underwater. It was so frustrating, there were times when I would go weeks before the rain would let up enough to ride. no words of wisdom here, just sympathy 
This might come late to your question but got me thinking how it would feel not to kiss the nose pf my horse, put my arms around his neck and breathe in that wonderful horse smell. There always was that feeling of Freedom when I sat into the saddle. Not always training or working. But going out to where my eyes led me.
This sounds sort of strange, but in their heart I am sure are many riders who feel similar/
Now that I can’t get up there anymore, Those feelings are beautiful memories. Do think about them and not worry too much about what you don’t “have” right now. Remember how it felt and just go out there and let you heart give you advise.
This from an old Lady who can still dream.
This might come late to your question but got me thinking how it would feel not to kiss the nose pf my horse, put my arms around his neck and breathe in that wonderful horse smell. There always was that feeling of Freedom when I sat into the saddle. Not always training or working. But going out to where my eyes led me.
This sounds sort of strange, but in their heart, I am sure, are many riders who feel similar/
Now that I can’t get up there anymore, Those feelings are beautiful memories. Do think about them and not worry too much about what you don’t “have” right now. Remember how it felt and just go out there and let you heart give you advise.
This from an old Lady who can still dream.
Such good points! I had not considered that my trainer was so happy with my horse because she is just so much more skilled and experienced than m[QUOTE][/QUOTE]e???. She really wants me to enjoy riding him, but she has also admitted that he has a lot of gait and go. She has been riding and training for probably thirty years, and she is very well respected and talented. Thank you!
Hello, I’m a bit late to this conversation, and there have been some wise, sensitive replies here. I don’t have a lot to add, except maybe to point out that we can’t love anything with the same intensity 24-7. . .dressage, in particular, is a discipline and like any discipline, whether it is playing the piano, or being a dancer, or a writer. . . means that sometimes it will feel like work. There have been plenty of times I had to force myself to go to the barn. Once there, I’m usually happy to be there, but - once in a while, I just tell myself “I don’t feel like it” and I take a day off.
Taking time off is often necessary to stay refreshed and interested. Or maybe you do need a different horse, that will be a better match for you. Or ditch the dressage arena for a while and just trail ride for fun a couple of times a week.
You asked “what can I do to get my interest back”. . . it sounds like you really want to regain that love of riding. In the end only you can determine what you’ll need to get that back. But you got a lot of good suggestions:) Ask yourself “do I want to live without riding? Do I want to live without horses?” and see what answer bubbles up from deep within. As Rainer Maria Rilke (famous German poet) said to a young fan of his, who wrote to him asking if he should be a writer “As yourself, [I]must[I] I write?” Maybe ask yourself [I]“must I ride?”[I]warmest wishes and best of luck!
