I had this conversation yesterday with a non-rider, but I have had versions of it many, many times-
She was asking me about my hobbies & pastimes, and I mentioned that I ride, have own horse & compete at RC level. Instead of saying, oh, really, or some similar, polite response, she launched into her one & only riding experience, many moons ago, which, of course ended in grief. (In this case, bareback & galloping were mentioned-on first outing
. And this is of course now her view/opinion/assessment of riding.
I am sure she wouldn't say, of tennis, for example, "Oh, I picked up a racquet & tried to play doubles & couldn't hit the ball over the net so tennis is not for me/something I am hopeless at."
But why this strange view of riding - bad first expirience/expectation that you should be able to get on a horse & ride with absolutely no training?
Anyone else encounter this?
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Your experiences with non-rider's understanding of equestrian sport
Moanranger · 30/05/2016 14:43
At work, puissance on tv
Male colleague "I'm not watching horses chasing foxes" 
15 mins in from same colleague "HOW high? Is that Britain? Yay Britain" < stands up> "can we boo the others?" 
He was fascinated. I get whined at when I ask for Olympia/badminton etc on and I always point out how many sodding football matches I sit through and they can suck it up once a year
Generally most people get into it especially the Shetland grand national or XC
My mum adores parelli or dressage on tv
It is irritating isn't it. There is one person in particular I know, who is convinced he could get on a horse, and do a round of showjumps, if I spent 5 minutes telling him how. I would love to let him try, but I suspect if I did he would probably break his neck, and I would feel bad.
That said, I can sort of see where it comes from. When it is done well, riding does look effortless. It is only when you try it you realise how much actual effort it does take.
When I was a teenager I used to compete to quite a high level but my sister had never been interested and hadn't ridden a horse since she was tiny on the lead rein. She went to a competition with me one weekend and when we got home, she announced that it looks easy so she will 'start competing' too.
So we tacked up my safest pony (he was practically bombproof) and she got on the horse in an enclosed but large-ish field. I go to clip a lead rein on the pony and DSis insists she doesn't need a lead rein as she will be competing soon. So she grabs (wrongly) hold of the reins, does a big PC kick and the pony starts to trot off along the fence of the field. Dsis immediatley starts to scream that the horse is out of control, despite doing a gentle trot, while she loses her stirrups, bouncing all over the place, and then lets go of the reins to hang on for her life to the saddle. The pony carries on slowly trotting, very confused, along the fence line all the way around the field despite all the screaming for mummy to catch the dangerous pony. DM, my friend and I were practically rolling on the floor with laughter by the time the pony had gently jogged the full lap of the field before trotting over to us and stopping, looking very confused. Dsis threw herself off of the horse as soon as he stopped and screamed at mummy to sell the dangerous animal. She then ran back to the yard and told everyone that the pony had bolted around the field with her and she had decided that she wouldn't be willing to risk her life on another crazy animal like that so she would now not be competing.
I think even if you can "ride" i.e. Know the basics and get the horse to broadly do as you ask, there's being able to ride and really riding. I always joke with my instructor when she adjusts my position or corrects me that I know if it hurts more it's probably correct
My DH can't even comprehend me lifting a large soaked haynet, let alone riding.
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