Loss of Motivation - HELP!

salsa81

Hi

I've lost motivation with my riding. I went down to the yard at the weekend but didn't ride.

I've got a 24 year old Welsh mare on loan and there's no menage where she's kept so I can't do any schooling. There's only about 3 or 4 hacking routes and most of them are on roads.

I don't have a box, so I can't have a change of scene. Shy's quite headstrong and let's you know what she does and doesn't want to do.

Has anyone got any ideas of what I can do whilst out hacking to make things a bit more interesting and to get me back motivated?

ruralgirl

Hmm doesnt sound great hacking where you are. I find the biggest motivation for me is to ride with someone so if I have arranged to ride then I tend to do it come raine or shine wheras if I have no set plans I'll sometimes not bother - altho I have 3 horses to excersise so what makes me do it currently is feeling sorry for them being bored stuck in over winter! I think you do go up and down due to incidents and what happens - sometimes Im a lot braver than others and my husband is going through a bad patch currently where he has lost his nerve a bit due to my horse rearing with him:-( I am determined to do more this summer so I have joined the riding club (another idea - you can send an email around asking if anyone can give you lifts places in return for petrol contribution) and doing some of the training they are organising, Im also going to try and do a lesson every week with my horse cause shes behind the others, Im also practising stuff like leg yields in the lanes - people would think Im mad if they saw us zigzagging our way along the road lol, also transitions and simple stuff really. Anyway a bit rambling but I recon connecting with other people through, lessons, hacking or RC is the best for motivation! Good luck:-) ps an afterthought - maybe sounds like you need to work on telling her what you do and dont want her to do! I had the same thing with my new one who had been left to do what she wanted with an inexperienced rider for the last 3 years or so and once we got past the initial battle of wills she is enjoying doing different stuff and proving to be a fast learner - working with others might improve your confidence to deal with her assertiveness? dont mean to sound patronising there!!