Middle-aged re-rider having an issue with teeny tiny jump courses

[EllenMCM]

After many years of feeling that riding was probably not financially responsible, I quit not-riding about a year and a half ago. I can’t ride as often as I want to, but I’ve been much happier with the progress I have been making riding sometimes than with the lack of progress I experienced while not riding at all. In my last few lessons, I’ve run into the same problem a few times; I’m jumping a little course at the canter (cavaletti, a couple lines and a diagonal), and the pony feels fast, so I wind up circling to get a rhythm I like better. But I don’t really need to - the pony isn’t off balance. I’m just freaking out a little at a longer stride and a faster pace. I think, and my trainer agrees, that I’m just being neurotic.

What’s a good strategy for getting over this? Grab mane and pray? Sit up and wait? Half-halt? More bending? Xanax?

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

This is probably of no help but if it makes you feel any better, I have the same issue I’m not really a re-rider (I only started riding seriously as an adult). But my problem is that I get very tense and stiff if I feel out of control. It’s worse if there is a lot of turning or if the jumps come up very fast (for me). Then I spend the rest of the day beating up myself for getting tense, which makes me more tense the next ride and the cycle continues.

[sunhawk]

beer … seriously tho, you will just have to become accustomed to the pace. I would recommend getting out of the arena, going on some trail rides with someone you trust, and get in some good gallops. Real gallops. Get used to speed. Change venues and go barrel race a bit. Get used to a horse that can turn it on, and dial it back. Breathe, and have fun

[EllenMCM]

Barrel racing looks terrifying.

[541hunter]

Singing helps me! I do the classic “row your boat” under my breath, especially at horse shows when I’m nervous. Keeps me on a good rhythm, makes me breathe, and takes up just enough of my neurotic brainpower to make me stop overthinking.

I’ve also found sports psychology books really helpful—Tonya Johnston’s “Inside Your Ride” and Janet Sasson Edgette both gave me some good techniques.

At the end of the day, it’s just doing the same damn thing until it starts to get boring. You’ll get it!

[EllenMCM]

I think you’re right about just doing it a lot! I will try singing too. That’s a great idea. I would also love to get out and gallop, but in warmer weather.

[SolarFlare]

Not a rerider, but every winter riding indoors I get sucked back into the “crawling canter” feeling comfortable. I suggest:

• practicing your canter at a more forward pace without any jumps to start. Practice lengthening the stride, then coming back and shortening the stride, then lengthening, etc. Don’t just ride forward, forward, forward without the horse pushing from behind. One of my problems is that my gelding is quite long. If I just push forward, he’s quite happy to start pulling along with his front end, which in turn makes me feel totally out of control as he’s on the forehand. I’ve been taking dressage lessons this winter and we’re learning how to get that nice forward canter from behind. BIG difference.

• then, practice your canter over poles on the ground. Canter over at your comfortable pace and count how many strides between two poles spread a distance apart. After the second pole, begin to lengthen your canter stride as you continue around the ring, then canter over the poles again and see if you can leave out a stride from the time before. If you really, really like to crawl, then try to lengthen even more and take out one more stride the next time through.

If you’re like me, it’s a bit of a control issue, and you need to force yourself to get used to a bit more pace. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will be, and then you won’t feel the need to constantly slow down.

[luckymaverick]

i agree with sunhawk. I’m a re-rider too, and cantering jumps makes me nervous. Riding at speed, or at jumping pace without the jumps helps. Perhaps lower them to ground poles to get comfortable with the strides- forward is better than slow. For me it’s a trust issue with the horse. On a good day, I can jump baby crossrails. A grab strap is also an option, to keep you from getting in the horse’s mouth.

[soloudinhere]

Of all the options presented I think you should try the sit up and wait method. You will find if you sit up and don’t throw yourself at the distance then it will not come up so fast.

[equisusan]

I’ll give you one of my trainers favorite statements: “practice going faster” which means practice going faster than you need to do the steps when you’re flatting all the time so that when you’re cantering the jumps on the step it does not feel fast.

[Fancy_That]

Can you just go trailer out or hack out and gallop down the trail? Or gallop on a race track or gallop track or out on XC? Or down the beach? It’s really fun! Then you can feel more comfortable going fast…and then arena work will seem easy and boring?

[Training_Cupid]

I struggle with the same problem, and I strongly disagree with the theory to go more extreme and then it won’t seem scary in comparison!! SolarFlare had good suggestions. I like to approach my first jump in a trot; land canter then if I’m feeling okay continue in the canter or if I’m having a bad day I may drop into a trot again before the next jump. I hope eventually it will feel easy and I’ll be comfortable moving up.
Working on my recovery on landing also helped me; making sure I’m not jumping ahead or just standing straight up in the stirrups. This helps both so the horse doesn’t get quick or jump long, and also so I can sit up and get organized quicker.

[Wonders12]

I agree with going for a nice gallop iwhen the weather improves. I think that helps a lot with the “this isn’t scary!”

Then follow the above about “fast cantering” over poles and slowly moving up.

Finally, watch jumper riders. It might look scary, and I don’t recommend doing that for the faint of heart, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from big jumper barns, it’s that speed is good. Those gung-ho horses ARE going over the jump, you just need to hang out in a 2-point and let them do their job. (Yes, it gets a lot more technical and complicated than that, but as a massive generalization.) So when your speedy pony is expertly navigating that course, enjoy it! Use it to your advantage. Focus on maintaining a strong base position and directing the pony best you can, but let your horse take care of the rest.

It’s a challenge for us micro-managers, but it will make you a better rider.

Finally, have someone film you. You might be shocked at how not fast you’re going once you see if from that perspective.

[Engage]

SolarFlare’s advice is spot on. My friend who only started riding as an adult, had a mental block about poles and cantering. It took lots of work and encouragement from our instructor, and many hours of cantering forward and over poles. Just building confidence in herself. And now she’s taking our instructor’s feisty Open jumper around 80cm courses. I’m sure you understand what a huge thing that is!

[Ashtastically]

Have someone film you!! I had the same psychological fear of the fast feeling when I moved up horses as a teenager. But once a friend’s mom filmed me going around a course it helped so much to see myself - in reality I wasn’t going that fast and it really helped me find some perspective and be braver the next time I rode.

[Natalie]

Everyone’s already given good advice. I’m an adult re-rider, and this is really a problem that’s always plagued me. I do think practicing over ground poles is hugely good advice, both to get you comfortable with just the physical feeling of the pace AND help improve your eye. I find that for me, it’s a split–learning to again feel comfortable with a bit of “go,” and also improving my eye to where I can see a spot the majority of the time, because cantering up to a jump blind is what really makes me start the picking and slowing down in hopes that a) something will materialize if I give myself more time or b) I’m less likely to die if I have a big miss at a slower pace.

In other words, practice practice practice until your confidence starts to click.

[elizan]

You sound just like me! I am also an adult rerider and I get nervous with jumping at a faster pace. I agree with what others have said, more practice and practice over poles. It helps me when I get nervous to just go up in my half seat. This way I feel like since I’m just jumping over very low fences I won’t get left behind or ahead if I just stay in my half seat and hang on!

[Raine]

Your post grabbed me immediately! You are SO NOT ALONE LOL! Just last night, my trainer sent me a picture of me on her old saint of a schoolie from exactly 4 years ago. Now my mare and I are cruising around 1m-1.10m jumpers…and I am 57yo this year. Like you, I was caught up in a fearful place for years and years after becoming a re-rider…convinced that slow and over-controlling was going to keep me safe. What it really did was stress my mare out because she knew we were under-paced and that made her tense about jumping. So she developed a habit of rushing the last 3 strides, which in turn made me pick and pull back even more…just a vicious cycle. We’d get sort of OK at 2’6" and then something would happen and…bam…back to Xs. For years. Ironically, switching to jumpers was our path forward. Once I adapted my mindset and ride, my mare stopped rushing and we’ve been able to steadily move up.

You’ve gotten some great advice already. My suggestions:

• Rather than thinking of it as “slow” or “fast”, think of it as shortening or lengthening your stride length. Lengthening doesn’t need to feel fast/rushed if you have a balanced canter.
• Practice with poles set at an easy 5 stride distance and get a feel for what pace gets you 5. Once you have that, start trying to shorten stride and get 6 and lengthen stride to get 4. Work on making it smooth and relaxed. Knowing you have that adjustability should help with confidence.
• Work on position…I have to remind myself all the time to SIT UP. If you have a solid position and good base, you can handle all sorts of things - bad distances, trips, slips, etc. And just sitting up can help make a spot that is tight or long work out just dandy!
• Resist the urge to make big changes as you approach the jump. Ride the canter you have and wait for a distance to be there. It may not always be perfect, but something will always be there. Don’t worry so much about seeing a spot, especially with low jumps. Focus on a rhythmical canter.
• Embrace the suck! Last weekend I missed and chipped in a 1.05m classic…lovely sight I’m sure! But, my mare managed to jump clean and we made the jump-off. I told my trainer that moments like that actually give me more confidence. A horse who is even moderately athletic can easily jump a pretty good size fence from a standstill. So I know I don’t have to be perfect, I just have to let my horse have the pace she needs to do her job with confidence…and be a good sport about a few rider errors here and there.

Good luck!!!

[ParadoxFarm]

Question. Are you truly on a pony? Sometimes I get the sense that they FEEL much faster because they move so differently. Have you tried another horse to see how you feel compared to the pony?

All that being said, I’m a terrible judge of my own speed. I tend to feel like I’m going much faster than I am. I do video. A LOT. I’ve watched videos from shows where I thought I was racing, and really, I was going embarassingly slow. Sigh. Just takes lots and lots of miles!

[costco_muffins]

This is something that even one session with a sports psychologist would help with! I get anxious and worried in the jumper ring, despite loving the hunters. Through talking with a sports psych or mental skills coach I was able to quit freaking out and start focusing on the rhythm of the ride instead of the panic of the ride. Visualizing didn’t help me at all but realizing why I do this sport did.

A really easy place to start, if you like reading or will try some things on your own, is to get a workbook for mental skills. It sounds dorky, but it totally helps!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1500542679/ref=cm_sw_su_dp