Started riding again after skipping 6 years... Any advice?
Wanted to share my personal story and ask for any tips, advices or just overall listen to other's experiences.
I was born a horse lover girlie, but never got to learn horseriding as a kid due to my family's financial situation. I started volunteering at a small local ranch at 17 and got to learn everything from the basics.
I was working around animals for 3 years and did a lot of trail riding alongside with practicing in a smaller arena. By the end of that time I was confident to go on hours long trailrides and canter bareback.
But then university became priority, I moved to another town, 2020 chaos happened and I never found my way back - years passed and the ranch eventually closed.
I gained 30kgs (~66lbs?) and got myself a job where I basically sit all day.
I started working on myself in 2025, dropped the extra weight and started looking for a new place to get back in the saddle in early 2026! Found an amazing coach, I started helping out at their ranch and as we are quite close in age we also became friends.
But riding isn't going that well... I could describe it as "I have the muscle memory but not the muscles".
I remember a lot of things, but I feel that I loose my seat all the time. I totally lost my confidence and questioning myself if I even knew anything.
We went back to the basics, walking and trotting and lunging.
Have you ever experienced this after skipping years? Is there anything else I can do apart from my riding lessons? What worked for you or how did it affect you as an equestrian?
Thank you if you share your thoughts!
And sorry if I phrased anything in a weird way, English is not my native