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The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

I cantered circles!

17 replies

Pleasedontdothat · 04/02/2022 10:43

I know it’s a very small achievement really but it’s a bit of a milestone for me. I’m in my late 50s and I started having riding lessons again last summer and decided that this time I was going to crack it - I’d had a few lessons at a different school the year before but didn’t feel I was making any progress despite spending a fortune.

I had 8 weeks of lunge lessons over the summer which helped enormously and started cantering in the autumn. It took a while to get the hang of it but it suddenly clicked and since then I’ve been able to go on hacks with the school horses. I had a lesson today and cantered circles for the first time - they weren’t perfect but they were definitely circular and we didn’t break canter at all so I could do a circles then go large then do another circle. There was horizontal rain all the way through my lesson but I finished beaming!

We’re going to try to bring my daughter’s old boy (who I’ve sort of inherited ) back into light work this summer as long as the vet’s happy with him and at this rate I’ll feel confident enough to take him hacking.

Not much point to this post but wanted to share with people who’d understand!

OP posts:
maxelly · 04/02/2022 10:53

cheers and applauds very well done you, not a small achievement at all, that's amazing. (re)Learning to ride as an adult is not easy at all. Onwards and upwards! How is your old boy doing, I remember your struggles with his health? Sounds great that he (touch wood) might be able to come back into light work?

HappyGirlNow · 04/02/2022 14:27

Brilliant! 😁🙌🏼

Pleasedontdothat · 04/02/2022 15:15

Thank you 😊 I rode (badly) as a child but in some ways that made it harder to start again as I could sort of remember what it should feel like but my body wasn’t cooperating 😬. It is obviously very much a work in progress but I’m finally starting to feel like I’m getting there.

Old boy is actually doing really well . We had a nightmare summer - field injury, then sweet itch, then his asthma came back then he wasn’t 100% on his right hind - and we were all very worried. Our vet, who’s known him for years, called me one day to say “we’re not there yet but need to start thinking at what point do we stop trying to get him to come right”. I think old boy must have realised something was up as he suddenly turned a corner! The asthma only needed two weeks on the nebuliser before it calmed down, the sweet itch cleared up and he had a short course of danilon and he was sound again. He’s been very cheerful all winter 😊. We did some in hand agility with him a few days ago which he loved and starting walk poles with him in a couple of weeks as it starts getting a bit lighter. We’ve decided to try the sweet itch vaccine this year which our vet has had very good results with. Fingers crossed he keeps going like this. I’m not expecting he’ll ever get back to competing but I think he’d really enjoy a bit of light hacking and maybe some fun trips out. He’s rising 13 so not old at all although we call him the old boy!

OP posts:
horseymum · 04/02/2022 16:10

Well done, circles are tricky as no fence to support you. Definitely an achievement

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 05/02/2022 10:25

Well done! Definitely a great achievement Grin

VariableVera · 05/02/2022 10:29

Congratulations! Brilliant! That's a real achievement (from a fellow older rider!). Hope you have fun this spring/summer with your not so old boy!

ThePlumVan · 05/02/2022 13:05

Excellent ! Well done you must have worked really hard Grin

JayAlfredPrufrock · 05/02/2022 13:08

Brilliant.

I wish I wasn’t such a fat old cripple and could still ride.

TropicPlunder · 05/02/2022 21:42

Well done! It's so important with horses to celebrate all your victories and milestones, however small they seem Smile . Get somebody to video you!

Leftbutcameback · 05/02/2022 22:04

Brilliant work! Not easy at all to keep the canter. I have lessons and celebrate all my little victories (including staying on some weeks!).

MrsWinters · 06/02/2022 12:15

Boom! Well done.

Pleasedontdothat · 20/02/2022 18:04

Well today’s win was going on a hack at the riding school and my daughter came with me. We had a lovely, exhilarating canter dodging branches and steering round large sticks left by the storm. It was great to be able share the experience with my daughter- and to feel confident and happy all the way through. Afterwards, the instructor said how nice it was to have a group of people who could all ride and she could just crack on, confident that we’d all be ok. It was a huge confidence boost that the instructors see me as a rider rather than just a passenger. This time a year ago, I didn’t think I’d be able to improve so much 😊

OP posts:
Tupperwarelid · 20/02/2022 19:40

That’s brilliant well done! I’m due to have my first hack on Thursday weather permitting. I’m so looking forward to it x

Leftbutcameback · 21/02/2022 09:36

Well done on your back during the wind - I was so nervous riding on Saturday and I was in the school! It’s the highest wind I’ve ever ridden in and a gust even caused my horse to trip in canter (so I stopped after that!)

Leftbutcameback · 21/02/2022 09:37

hack

Pleasedontdothat · 21/02/2022 10:04

Enjoy your hack @Tupperwarelid 😊

And it was definitely the wildest ride I’ve ever been on @Leftbutcameback but I’m still smiling!

OP posts:
Mollyplop999 · 03/03/2022 19:20

I really hope you can bring your chap back into work. As you say he's not old at all. We'll done for mastering the canter!

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