Equestrian

You're not an experienced rider...??

Hey guys, well i'm new to the thread lol. Been riding for 12 years now, but only in a riding school doing flat lessons. I ride for an hour every 2 weeks on a gorgeous palamino called Finn with the worst temper imaginable. Only fallen off 3 times in my 12 years - once when I was a beginner, once when Finn went nuts and once when I went for a hack on holiday!

I wouldn't call myself a good rider, and I only have riding school experience and it costs too much for me to ride more than I do. Kinda sucks cos I'd love to be able to do jumping and the like. Ah well, gotta be grateful for what I gots.

I'm not sure if you have read any of my other posts but I did a similar thing to two of my vertabra. Did you have to stay in hospital? I did for a week and had to wear a back brace, I have not ridden for nearly a year now and still get quite a lot of discomfort from it.

Approx 312 flat lessons . . . I would have gone crazy by now. When I was learning to ride, I had the opposite experience. We never did schooling or flat work, although sometimes we did circle work without stirrups etc. Most of the time, we hacked around our instructor's land, cantered in the fields and jumped in her little avenue of mini x-country jumps. It only been in the last couple of years that I have done any schooling, as I now have my own horses and needed to start training them properly . . . considering that I have been riding for 11 years, it is proving a little difficult to teach this old dog new tricks, but we are getting there.

That's why learning to ride 'properly' through excessive schooling helps in the long run, despite inane boredom at the time!!

How are you in general now? I was discharged the same day despite concussion (no beds??), my doctor dislikes back braces and so no, I am currently without support. I should be able to ride in a few months apparently....whatever. In a lot of pain today, and the amount of medication appears to be upsetting my tummy too

Yeah, but I bet if a nasty one put his head between his legs and bronkoed you across a field, you would fly off Most people who have been taught the "schooling" way would.

Well, for me horse riding isn't about doing the half pass, or getting him on the bit, or jumping 4ft showjumps. It is about the freedom of being able to point him at a distant speck and just letting him run. It is that sense that you and the horse share a conciousness and that he will move and do whatever you ask, before you even ask him to. It can't be quantified by how many competitons you win or how high you can jump.

I once had to "herd" a frisky colt across the mountain. He was tiny, leaping about and trying to get away. I had no ropes and no way of leading the animal. Just me and my horse. And I didn't have to urge him on, rein him back or move him left or right, he just did it. I barely had to think and he was already cutting the colt off and pushing him back on track. It was an experience like no other, having your horse leaping and spinning beneith you and understanding your every subconcious request. I have had to catch loose horses at shows or on X-country courses so many times, not to mention actualy doing the courses themselves and the ability to get that complete trust and co-operation outweighs any number of schooling lessons.

Yeah, but I bet if a nasty one put his head between his legs and bronkoed you across a field, you would fly off Most people who have been taught the "schooling" way would. I don't ride safe, well schooled horses, and my two always seem to do crazy stuff, like rearing up, jumping backwards while bucking (I have no idea how he managed it!), spinning, shying etc. It does mean that I can't school them around a showjumping ring or do dressage with them, but get them on an open stretch of moor or a cross country course, and you won't see them for dust. Officialy the two fastest animals I have ever ridden, even managed to out race a 17hh TBX!

Well, for me horse riding isn't about doing the half pass, or getting him on the bit, or jumping 4ft showjumps. It is about the freedom of being able to point him at a distant speck and just letting him run. It is that sense that you and the horse share a conciousness and that he will move and do whatever you ask, before you even ask him to. It can't be quantified by how many competitons you win or how high you can jump.

I once had to "herd" a frisky colt across the mountain. He was tiny, leaping about and trying to get away. I had no ropes and no way of leading the animal. Just me and my horse. And I didn't have to urge him on, rein him back or move him left or right, he just did it. I barely had to think and he was already cutting the colt off and pushing him back on track. It was an experience like no other, having your horse leaping and spinning beneith you and understanding your every subconcious request. I have had to catch loose horses at shows or on X-country courses so many times, not to mention actualy doing the courses themselves and the ability to get that complete trust and co-operation outweighs any number of schooling lessons.

I am fine although I do get pain but I think I have got used to it now. There are certain positions when I am sitting down which I find very uncomfortable and my back aches from it and I am some times stiff when get up. It changes daily to be honest but I do think that damp weather effects it. I wore a back brace for 3 months and did find that it helped because it prevented me slouching. Which vertabrae is the compressed one? If I remember rightly mine was T5 and T9. What medication are you on also? I was on paracetamol and codine to start off with but I had really bad reactions to codine so changed to diclofenac. Also, something that I have found that helps is the gel that you can rub on the effected areas, the ones you can get from the shops are helpful. However, I did mine when I was doing my exams and the doctors prescribe me a very strong one that was really good aslong as you put the right amount on (too much and you were knocked out for the day) Hopefully seen as it was only one that you have done whereas I did two you won't be in as much pain.

I have already discovered that damp weather hurts more, it also affects my knees and shoulders badly (numerous dislocations!) My doctor said he was against back braces because they allowed muscle wastage which was harder to, and caused more pain to fix and bring 'back into work'! I did L1. I'm haveily allergic to codeine and so I'm on voltarol and paracetamol and ibruprofen, but very sore tummy as a result so I've tried not to take anything this afternoon- OW I'm also allergic to those rubs- the codeine knocks me out and the rub brings me out in a burning rash!! Usefu, eh?! How did you do yours? The doctor was really surprised as he said I was too fit and had too strong bones to break one from such a simple fall (everyone was more worried about my head!!)

It was such a rubbish fall to do such a serious injury!! Rosie tripped and fell over and I was clearly taking no notice of where I was going and fell landing flat on my back. I agree with the muscle wastage thing because I did have to go to physio after I had the brace off and she said that there was a lot of muscle wastage on one side which would have been causing a lot of discomfort.

Mine was even more pathetic! Just finished jumping through a grid, properly for the first time in about a year and both me and the mare were so excited we tanked off- she swerved a bit I lost my balance but regained it via pulling ymself up on the left rein, so she went more left and I went right at gallop and landed on my back before cannoning into the wall. Apparently I'm quite wonky if you look at ym back.....that's gonna hurt in physio..... Was sneezing the worst thing ever for you? I can barely move now after a particularly vigourous one this morning....

Yea think sneezing was bad, the hardest thing for me was starting to walk again but I guess you didn't have that if you weren't in hospital for long. That may have been because mine was closer to my neck. Physio wasn't too bad as she just gave me excercises mainly and I didn't go for long.

i have ridden since i was 2 and had a pont since i was three. my last horse charlie is a connemara x who was abused when he was a baby and is now a nervous wreck and totally dependent on my other little pony. he wont go anywhere with out her.

i used to have weekly lessons on him and go to local shows ( even though id never know how he would behave some days great otherdays a bucking bronco) no hes had time off cause i have been really busy and cant ride in the dark because we dont have lights in our school.

im bringing him back into work and hes a total head case. so i just been lunging him and he still bucks like mad pretty much until hes sweating. im taking him on a little hack tomorrow with another horse whos really well behaved so we will see how that goes.

does anyone else ride their horse barefoot... my boy hasnt had shoes on now for nearly a year and still i cant ride for more that about 40 mins on the road cause he gets a little sore and looks to walk on the grass... i think i have waited long enough for his feet to grow ect so im going to put his shoes back on in a little while i dont think is going to work.

also how are your fields at the moment ... can your horses still go out or are they in all the time. mine is still out in the day but the mud is up to his knees and im wondering whats the best to do cause i dont think any summer grass is going to grow .....

thanx