I feel totally discouraged with my riding?

First of all, you are not alone. There are thousands of riders who were great and fearles as kids, then stopped and now don't understand why we're not as great or as fearless. Don't give up!

There are good teachers and not-so-good teachers. The not-so-good ones are the ones who have ridden all their lives and never had a moment of fear. Or they had fear, but THEIR teacher told them they just weren't trying. Remember that not everyone who teaches riding is qualified to do so. It's more than just telling someone to post or that they are on the wrong lead. It's about LISENTING to the student and being able to tell when to push them a little further than they are comfortable and when to let them quit on a good note where they are right now.

I don't know of many instructors who teach by going on a hack - sounds like he was more interested in having a good time than in what you were doing.

Try taking lessons with another instructor and/or at another barn. Try to get a recommendation from someone else who rides if you can. Then, before you ride (or at at the start of your lesson), be honest with your instructor. Tell them that you rode before, but haven't for awhile. Tell them that you are worried about losing control and the horse running off. Tell them that you recently had a bad experience.

To be honest, I'm the same way. I need a steady, bombproof school horse that I know I can trust and then I'm comfortable jumping or riding without stirrups - whatever my trainer asks me to do.

I watched a training video recently by Julie Goodnight with a rider who had the same concerns. The first thing she did was to teach the student the "emergency stop". I'm sending you the link below so you can watch and (1) see you're not alone; and (2) what you can do to feel more confident.

Find a trainer that is RIGHT FOR YOU!

Everyone get's discouraged about there riding every now and again! We all have our good and bad days! On the good days you feel like you can conquer the world nut during the bad days you wonder why you are even trying because you feel so useless! When you have a bad and look around it seems as though every one else rides better than you and no one else ever seems to have problems!

But every one has those bad times and we need to learn from these experiences! I know it's hard at the time but keep believing in yourself and you will make it!!

I am 16, and got my first horse when I was ten. He and I were a wreck. All my other friends were riding down the road, showing, trail riding, while I was tuck in the pasture with no control or confidence. It took 6 years of riding every day to get to where I am now, I barrel race NBHA. It took frustration, hard work, blood and sweat. But I got it. Now im the person other people call when theyre having trouble... but for a while I wanted to throw the reins down and give up. If you have a true passion for horses, then dig your heels down and fight the tide. If not, then dont ride if its just a hobby.

Please get a new instructor! What happened to yu was 100% entirely HIS fault, not even a little bit yours, and you should be angry with him - he put you in serious danger! - and not frustrated with yourself.

"Everyone else" that maintains control more easily may have more experience, or they may have an easier horse, or they may have had better instruction at some point. It is absolutely not a personal failing on your part that you have less control. It just means you need to get some real lessons, from a real instructor, who knows what they are doing and who will listen to you when you have questions, or are confused, or are uncertain, and make you feel confident.

Here is a place to start: www.riding-instructor.com

Good luck!

it relatively is okay while you're discouraged. It occurs consistently. Horses are unpredicatble. no person could blame you from waht befell. it relatively is significant to maintain using, in spite of a few errors. there'll consistently be yet another coach. there'll consistently be yet another probability to teach your skills. relax and have exciting, do no longer situation approximately one undesirable coach, i've got had a lot additionally. some hassle-free errors that folk make while they have a undesirable day, is substitute all the supplementations (if any), and start up off blending up drugs, and deworming plans. a undesirable coach does not happen via drugs time table. Cheer up, I dont think of there is each and every guy or woman who hasn't had a undesirable coach. in basic terms practice, and you will have the skill to teach all people sooner or later.

Everyone has their good days and their bad days. It sounds like you just had a bad day, and if you continue with riding, you're going to have plenty more of those...

But do you love this sport? Do you love the horses? If you do, then get back on. Just don't expect to be perfect all the time. Nobody is perfect.

Strive to improve and eventually you will.

I must say, though, I don't really like how you're trainer handled it. It doesn't sound like he was helping you much at all, and just expected you to know what to do (which, of course, you could never know if you weren't taught what to do). If you like this trainer and feel you're improving, then stay with him. But IMO, I think you might want to find a trainer who will help you a little bit more...

Everyone has those days! The days when you're feeling just weird and you're out of it, you feel like you're a crappy rider and you're just not with it... Then there are days when you feel like you can take on the world.

Just shrug it off. If it's not your horse and not one you regularly ride, then it was just a bit challenging. Maybe you're used to riding easier horses and you rode his one and it just felt really hard. Once you work with him and you really get the hang of it you'll feel much better. When I was breaking my pony, I kept thinking that I hated the pony and we didn't click at all. But then we just kept having breakthrough moments, and we got better and better and I fell in love with her again. (:

So maybe you and the horse just didn't click today, or the horse was having on "off" day. Just ride again a few more times and you'll feel better, I promise. (: Horses have bad days just like us and they can be jerks about it like us!

There's always 2 types of days you can have when you're with a horse; a learning day, and an ego day.

You just got a great learning day! You might not have learned too much today, because you were kind of panicked. But, once you gain back your confidence, you will be able to control the horse better, and you'll be able to understand what you did wrong, cause trust me, I know where you're coming from!

I'll take you back to a couple years ago, when my coach decided to bring my class of 5 outside in the snow. My horse was galloping instead of trotting, and was hoping around, bucking and rearing. I was on the horse, holding on for my life, crying and screaming to my coach to get me off of that wild thing! My coach told me "Daphne, you are staying on Reba until you get control. I will not allow you to get off until you are happy with your lesson" Me, being in panic mode, I jumped off and walked back to the barn. I was ready to quit. My coach and my parents decided it was best for me to get back on that day, and they pretty much forced me to get her to canter, and stop her, and kept me on her until I was happy with the results.

I must say I pretty much thought Tina (my coach) was evil, but now because of that experience and lots of others, I am a tough rider, and never get off until I am happy with what I got.

So i know, and understand how discouraged you are now, but just take a deep breath and get your control back. Remember, YOU ARE THE BOSS, not him.

I've been in situations where I couldn't control certain horses. You instructor shouldn't be telling you that you're not trying. Honestly, some horses DO NOT like certain people. They are very sensitive animals.

your instructor sounds bad. but you shouldnt feel bad. everyone has bad days including horses!