# fearless?



## MissH (Apr 10, 2010)

I think a healthy respect is necessary and comes with time and experience (perhaps a few broken bones as well). There is a big difference between confidence and cockiness. Being confident with a young horse is one thing; being cocky is a completely different story.


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## sophielou10 (Apr 13, 2010)

i don't consider myself cockie because i have never got on a horse when i thought i was in danger. for instance one of thease such horses is a bit spookiebut that doesn't stop me riding him, if i knew he threw people off, i wouldnt ride him


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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

I dont really _fear_ horses or getting on a horse that i have no clue about. But i do respect them and understand what they are capable of doing to me. If im at an auction and someone asks me to jump on a horse, im going to play with it a bit to evaluate it then make my decision to jump on. If its wild and crazy, ect ect then no i know my limits and im no miracle worker.


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## sophielou10 (Apr 13, 2010)

obviously i always respect that a horse is a animal and can be unpredictable.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

I don't know where you live but here in the rural west if you made a brag like that you would be expected to back it up. The horses you would be expected to ride would not be just spooky either. I think you have limited experience and when you get more years behind you the sillyness of your statement will make you laugh. There are few horses that I would not ride but it may take me a week or two to get them safe enough for me to ride. If I didn't have that time I wouldn't ride them. Just jumping on anything with hair is a good way to end up confined to a wheelchair with someone wiping your butt for you. Poor judgement is not to be confused with good horsemanship.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

When I was young and dumb I was fearless(stupid). 

Fortunately I've lived to become smarter and a better rider/trainer. I'm hoping to continue that trend, so no I don't "jump on" anything. I know my limits and my goal isn't to prove that I'm "crazy/fearless/stupid" it's to improve myself and the horses I ride or work with.


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## MissH (Apr 10, 2010)

kevinshorses said:


> Just jumping on anything with hair is a good way to end up confined to a wheelchair with someone wiping your butt for you. Poor judgement is not to be confused with good horsemanship.


Agree. :wink:


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## romargrey (Apr 11, 2010)

knowing your limitations is a part of growth when you are dealing with , training and riding horses. it is an intelligent person who asks for help and tries to formulate a satisfactory outcome rather than live life by default and hope all works out in your favor. 
you need to consider your strengths both mentally and physically and though I would applaud your bravery , I do wonder how much ground work you are getting these horses to do before you get on them... No one wants to see you or hear about you getting hurt but horses can be unpredictable and you need to introduce yourself to the animal first and build a trust and friendship and gain their respect as a leader/trainer .


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## Appy Luvr (Mar 16, 2009)

kevinshorses said:


> I don't know where you live but here in the rural west if you made a brag like that you would be expected to back it up. The horses you would be expected to ride would not be just spooky either. I think you have limited experience and when you get more years behind you the sillyness of your statement will make you laugh. There are few horses that I would not ride but it may take me a week or two to get them safe enough for me to ride. If I didn't have that time I wouldn't ride them. Just jumping on anything with hair is a good way to end up confined to a wheelchair with someone wiping your butt for you. Poor judgement is not to be confused with good horsemanship.


Couldn't have said it better. You apparently haven't been around enough horses to realize that there are some you just don't get on unless you want to get hurt.


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## sophielou10 (Apr 13, 2010)

im saying that i can ride anything just all the horses i have come across have been safe other wise i wouldn't have be allowed to ride them, im just wondering if my friends fears are rational?


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

sophielou10 said:


> im saying that i can ride anything just all the horses i have come across have been safe other wise i wouldn't have be allowed to ride them, im just wondering if my friends fears are rational?


We can't tell you if your friends fears are or are not rational. We don't know them. It's not our place - OR yours to tell them if their fears are rational or not.

Everyone is different. Some people are *stupid* and will get on any horse. Some people won't get on the calmest of horses for whatever reason.

That said, I'm not 'fearless' when it comes to horses. Fearless with horses = stupid. I won't just hop up on any random horse. I like to handle a horse on the ground to get a feel for it before riding. 

There is a difference between spooky and crazy. I'll ride a spooky horse without much worry, but a truly crazy horse needs some more thinking on my part.


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## sophielou10 (Apr 13, 2010)

i agree with you i have never had the oppitunity to ride a crazy horse, and i never plan too.

i like to handle horses on the ground first but some times that isn't possible for instance at one riding school i ride at the first time u meet a horse is as you get on it's back.

i didn't think whether it was my place or not to question my friends judgements, but thinking about it the choice is theirs.

x


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

If it's a responsible riding school they won't let you get on a horse that's way beyond your abilities to handle. If your instructor is sane and experienced then it's not too much to ask of your friends to ride the horses they're told to. Still it is their choice to refuse; it just means they won't reach the level of experience other riders might.

Outside of a lesson situation... No, I personally wouldn't get on just any horse.


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## sophielou10 (Apr 13, 2010)

sorry if i didn't make that clear i was talking about in a lesson situation.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

That makes a big difference.


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

I used to think I could ride anything when I was 17. Oh, he rears? Let me at him!! Lol. Thankfully I was never injured. 
I got Spike when I was 21, and was a very bold rider, loved to race. Took all kinds of risks I won't even mention here!
Things changed when I had my daughter at age 29. Had to take care of myself for her sake. Now I will not get on a horse that is known to rear or buck. Used to ride without a helmet, now I never mount without it.
So I Used to be fearless. I was probably a better rider then too. But my priorities had to change, and I've no regrets. Still got Spike who is generally quite steady. When my kids are grown and don't need me as much anymore, who knows? Maybe I'll get myself a fiery 3 yr old, lol!


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## romargrey (Apr 11, 2010)

let me tell you that you will never go back to being care free around young inexperienced horses no matter your age.... you have now matured into better decision making horsemanship... congrats... 

btw if not worried about your kids anymore, you get grandchildren then !! always trust your new matured judgement  ride safe and kuddo's to you for helmet gear... you did hear about courtney king a young talented dressage rider who suffered head injury this past mo? no helmet!!!! hmmmm
it is a long serious recovery after head injury... and sometimes with limited return to normal life , like eating , drinking, bathing and getting dressed.


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## FlitterBug (May 28, 2009)

You gain a healthy respect for what you are doing with the knowledge of what you are doing. I used to get on rank horses when I was younger. Now, I can look at a horse and know why he is rank within a few minutes of being around him. I can fix the problem before getting on his back, so why would I risk my neck jumping up and hanging on.

Now, I work with horses and people for a living, if I get hurt, I either have to work through it or take a pay cut. Its not worth it to be fearless anymore. 

As far as riding "tricky" horses, sure, no problem. If done correctly, that is how you become a better rider. My goal with every horse is to be able to have that horse give me the best that it has at the time that I'm asking it. Overtime, we raise the bar.


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## PechosGoldenChance (Aug 23, 2009)

I would never get on just any horse. Like others' have said, if I know nothing about a horse, I'll work with it on the ground for a while before I do any type of riding with it. You should never fear a horse, itself that will only cause dangerous situations to arise. You need to be smart about them, and know what to do. The most important thing is to recognize potential issues that could cause a dangerous situation, and catch it before it causes a dangerous situation. Also, along those lines, you should be able to read a horses' body language and recognize when they could, at any time, make a calm situation extremely dangerous. 

Aside from that, the only stupid thing that I do, is I don't wear a helmet. I know I should but I don't. One of these days something going to snap in my head and I'll start wearing one...hopefully whatever snaps is mental and not physical though. lol


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## Cougar (Jun 11, 2009)

I was a working student for quite some time and got to ride some real wing nuts. The six horses I got to ride daily were usually the ones coming in with severe behavioral issues. Rearers, buckers, wall slammers, let's take off at full speed and slam on the breakers... I really came to realize while I could ride it out, it can be down right stupid to get on horses like that. Was I afraid? On some of them yes I was. 

Some horses you will need to ride out but if you don't have to why would you put yourself at that risk? There are so many things that can be taught on the ground that you don't need to get on and teach them. I don't like getting on and going to battle. I'd rather take a bit more time and do it right then foolishly get on and get hurt.

I am lucky though. No broken bones in my adventures. I started riding with knee pads though because I got slammed into a wall, skinned my knee but my breeches were still intact, and continued to ride. My knee fused to my pants and I had to go into the bathroom after and rip it off. Yeeeouch.


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