A large break from riding

[TBminx]

My hubby came into riding late in life and although disgrees I think he is great with more nerve than me sometimes being a man :tongue:

I rode as a kid and as a teen had my own beloved pony who was the perfect first pony then when sold I was heartbroken and did not ride for 17 years :cry:

I have been back at it 7 maybe 8 years and had my own for 5 years :biggrin: which has been a learning curve from ponies then riding school horses to hunters and now tb exracers :spin:

I am dying to ride the racers on the gallops with the other riders in the mornings but bit scared and just gonna have to take the plunge lol. I think its cos I am scared of
1. Making an eegit of myself in front of everyone :redface:
2. Have never ridden that speed before :yellowcarded:
3. Never been in a racing saddle and used to a dressage saddle :unsure:
4. Different horses not used and I am not the get on anything type I was when a young brave teen :redcarded:

Any help advice to get me on those gallops and to survive?? :giggle:

 

[Skib]

1. Making an eegit of myself in front of everyone
2. Have never ridden that speed before
3. Never been in a racing saddle and used to a dressage saddle
4. Different horses not used and I am not the get on anything type I was when a young brave teen

I and now OH learned to ride late in life. Our RI takes the view that one can learn anything - which I discovered last winter overcoming my fear of canter in the school, fear of school lessons and RIs and getting to ride a prelim dressage test with its canter.
Nos 2, 3 and 4 above are all new to you. Our RI's solution would be to tackle each new thing on its own. Take the pressure off - now I dont know racing yards but is it possible for you to sit on a race horse in a race saddle in a private lessons? May be walk only round the yard.
And if that is OK in the yard, leave and get used to the forward position in trot and canter - gradually increasing the speed, but still on your own. After reading Claire Baldwin I know the mounting and short stirrups can be a shock, but I also know people pull horses up on the gallops, so presumably you can break it all down (clever to have done that already) and tackle each bit - having any instruction you need and practising till you "get it" to your satisfaction.
In riding it isnt just your mind - your body gets accustomed to something and that can happen quite fast. Even in 15 minutes? Once one is in the saddle for a ride, one sometimes finds oneself going faster and further in canter than one had thought likely that day - and enjoying it too.
Doing it with another person helps here - not as a humiliation. But I go outwith an escort who always checks I am OK at speed -and I always am. She leads me on rides that astonish me. This is not like some people post on NR about having RIs that stretch or challenge them. Because if there is anything that concerns me, she doesnt dismiss it - It is just that riding with another person sometimes reveals to you that you enjoy things you sort of thought you were too old for.
And if you laid the foundations - exercising on the gallops might possibly be like that for you?
I hope it may be, as you write as if you would like to do it.
One further and more cautious thought is that the racing schools may have info on line or in booklets about safely teaching young women jockey apprentices to ride the gallops safely? There were a couple of deaths (probably classed as industrial accidents) and it is possible that the inquests have produced guide lines which would help you decide how to approach the problem and be more expert than anything I can type here.