How do you deal with the bad days?

Question

Sometimes I have such bad rides that I feel like selling my horse and quitting riding. But then I'll have a great ride and be happy again :)

Do you have bad days too, and how do you deal with them?

Answer 1

i have bad days with my tbs all the tym, but you just have to think, your sitting on his back telling him exactly what to do, hes gunna get a bit grumpy now and then, and we all have bad day dont we? i just try to take the bad times with the good and remember what ime asking of them.

Answer 2

I just look at it in perspective

I'll be like, "Well, this sucks, but how much will it /actually/ effect my life? In  a year will it even matter?" That helps me

Answer 3

Take the good with the bad,makes a better day seem better to compare it with the bad. Try to go over the bad day and see what you can learn from it then if it has purpose and meaning you will find it wasn't as bad as all that or at least deal with it on your own terms.

Answer 4

Not bad enough to EVER want to sell my horse. I love him, a partner and a friend. He's much more than my mount. I don't show or anything, but just ride for fun. Maybe that's what you're lacking? Just take a day every week to go on a relaxing trail ride, or to simply hang out with your horse, whether that means riding him/her or not. Give them a bath, let them graze, hang out and groom them, feed them treats, etc., like you would your dog. I think you're lacking that special bond with your horse. You might have it, but it's cracked, and needs some repair. Perhaps your horse is uncomfortable, because you are uncomfortable? This can makes things mutually tough and cause relationship problems that lead into riding problems.

Just deal with things one step at a time. When your horse acts up, don't get mad at him, try to assess why. Is it something you did? Is he just being antsy that day? Could there be a physical problem? Does he have a fear of something that could be ailing him? Try to approach your problems calmly, and deal with them as though you were dealing with a good friend. If you must, go back to the basics and ground work. Establish a better connection so that you can both rely on eachother better, and feel more comfortable riding 9/10 rather than 5/10.

I have bad days on occassion, where my horse is just being an ***. He won't walk, he won't listen, he won't calm down, he won't do ANYTHING. I usually try to school him and myself. Assess why, how I might be causing it, or what might be affecting him enough to change his reactions. If I get too upset after my efforts, I simply call it a day (not if the horse throws you or something though...habbits like that should not be allowed to go unchecked). I give him a break, as well as myself, and simply come back to it later when we've both calmed down. I try to relax, and allow him the safe, whether that's with turnout and a good grooming, or a bath, or just back to stall time. It takes time and patience to work with yourself and your horse sometimes, and that can be difficult at times. But instead of shoving your problems out the window, try to deal with them one at a time.

Answer 5

I also think about it in perspective to the rest of the world.  Sometimes, I just say F it and go on.  I have bad days like Father's Day and you hear about all the gifts to get your dad and all that stuff.  Well it makes me sad and I deal with it by think of my father (passed away early) in the good light and it always helps.  Try take the positive side to whatever situation.

Answer 6

That happens to me a lot too. But horses have their bad days just like people do. You just have to accept it and think about all the good days that are sure to come. I don't know how you normally ride but try to do something different every time you ride. Set up an opstical course....go on a trail ride....try some jumping. Just trying to help.

God Bless and have fun!

Answer 7

YES! i get so mad. like today ( my horse has been very well trained ) and i couldn't get her to lope if my life depended on it.. just this fast un-comfy trot.. i later found out that she was loosing a horseshoe... probably wasnt that comfty for her either.. i was still made.. later i tried western pleasure and trail practice.. she wouldn't do a think so i took off the saddle and hopped on bare back.. this helps me to relax and every time i get off from bareback i feel like me and the horse get closer.. and then the rest of the nigth ( after bareback) my horse is so sweet and nickers and nuzels me.. lol

Answer 8

I think of it in prespective, much like the other people have said, I ask myself if it'll effect me in the next year or so, does it matter if my horse refused one jump? Or I got dumped once?

Like yesterday, I couldn't get my leads for a d**n, so my trainer kept yelling at me, I felt horrible, but I looked at hte 'big picture' and I told myself, this won't really matter.

Answer 9

i dont know a good rider who hasnt had multiple bad riding days. think of it as a learning experience, that when ur horse is being a punk u can learn how to deal with it and that will make u a stronger rider, wow, this all probably sounds  really lame but im serious,

when u come to a roadblack, try a different direction

Answer 10

I know the feeling...that's one reason riding is good preparation for life...we all have to get back on and try again over and over and over...but hope springs eternal and we keep on trying!

Answer 11

I have bad days pretty often.

Just got a tenn walker and hes pretty rough.

What we do is if the horse doesnt ride correctly,we tie him up for about 2 hours to make him remember what hes being punished for.

It works everytime!

And I also work with my horse EVERYDAY so he knows they way I like to ride.

Good Luck!

Answer 12

yes this happens im trying to train a horse right now and some days he does perfect every lead change, every leg command but some days it seems as if he is a completely different horse! Stubborn, wont listen, goes side ways...  it hard to go back and forth but it will get better, all I can say is patience.

Good luck

Answer 13

I have bad days when my horse is being stubborn.  Gahhh it sucks when your horse doesn't listen!!!  What I do is I figure out what is the matter with her, a great example was just yesterday my horse wouldn't want to stay in a canter.  Then I found out that she was heavy on her front feet so she would always want to stop or slow down and once we fixed that everything was good!

Answer 14

Just know in advance that there are ALWAYS going to be bad days...or days where things just don't go the way that you want them to...it doesn't necessarily mean that they are bad, because you are always learning...either how to correct something, teach something new, it doesn't matter, you are always learning...and just try to remember how satisfying it is when you use patience and consistency and are able to fix the issue and go on...If I am on top of a horse or driving a horse from a carriage, it just can't be a BAD day, it doesn't matter what little aggravations arise.   You just think about how fortunate that you are to be doing what you love.

Answer 15

I used to get frustrated SO easily when I was starting out. The main reason was because I didn't know how to get the results i wanted from my horse. I would get fed up and think it was my horses fault for not understanding me, when in reality it was me. I didn't know what to do and how to get the results from him I wanted. Now i know better, i think. I don't get as frustrated anymore and in turn I have a lot more "good days" then "bad days". When I find i don't know what to do next i stop, regroup and think through the situation instead of reacting. If i am completely stumped I go back to what I know me and my horse are good at and then end the session there. Then I'll research or ask someone for help and not attempt what I couldn't do right until I know for sure what to do.

BY the way to the girl who says she ties her horse up for two days what the h**l are you thinking?!

Answer 16

Don't worry! Every one has bad days, it's completely normal. I love riding and I love my horse,  but some days, I just want to give up. Where as other days I feel like I am on top of the world. When your having a bad day, just relax. Its very important for you to tell your horse, even if it is the horses fault, you love them. If your day is going completely down hill and you feel like you are about to murder someone, get off. The worst thing in the WORLD is to ride with a grudge or a bad temperment because your horse can feel it. When I have a bad day, I usually get off, untack my horse, and go for a short bareback ride. After the ride, my horse and I feel a lot more calm and I am no longer upset. So, happy riding to you and your horse!

Answer 17

I didn't deal with them very well until I heard something that made so much sense to me:

Frustration is the end of knowledge.

You get frustrated because your horse does things you don't want them to and you literally don't have the knowledge to fix it! As soon as you realize this and strive to find training techniques and ways to fix problems you will be a lot happier and more humble horseman. It's not a bad thing to ask for help! Hope that helps.