I'm an equestrian with extremely severe anxiety and panic disorder. recently, riding has become so stressful that I feel like I'm going to throw up every time I get on. I know that in my heart I still love riding but it's become so hard to have even an ounce of the bravery I used to have
What is happening that we’re experiencing these symptoms and it’s interfering in what we want to enjoy? I want to believe my anxiety is hormonal, it may also be my instructor. I don’t like smacking a horse.
I have a tendency to overthink things and then my nerves kick in and everything goes sideways because of me, not the horse. When I start getting this way, I sing, loud (my poor horse :)). It clears my brain and makes me focus.
Im starting talk with horse. Discuss the riding, my mistackes and what we will do next. That helps fill horse not like scary objects but like the living creature
This is so helpful. My riding was progressing so well until I fell and got a concussion. After that, *every* little thing made me nervous. It really helps me to focus on one thing at a time, and trust my abilities as a rider. My hands have a tendency to float around sometimes, so when I spend time focusing on just keeping them where they're supposed to be, I'm suddenly not worried about my balance, or my legs, or my heels, or my eyes, or anything else. I think it also really helps to sometimes take a break and ride an old super broke school horse now and again to remind you how you learned everything lol
@Ava Skurkis I am the same way!! Doing new things makes me nervous. I have been riding a really cute paint pony but he moved to now I have to ride a 4 year old. I have a lesson in an hour and I haven't ridden him before so I'm really nervous. I hope it goes well!
@Ava Skurkis same! Recently my trainer has been taking me and the other people in my lesson down to the gallops and I am always very nervous about the log jump down there. The horse I ride *hates* it so he refuses almost everytime. Yesterday I fell off and hurt my back, and I was so scared. I used to ride about a 13.3-14.1 hh connemara and I knew I could trust him, but I got too tall for him so now i ride about a 15 hh warmblood/sport horse (I dont know his exact breeding, its just a guess) and he is a lot more spooky and likes to run out at jumps. I feel very comfortable in the arena, but as soon as we go to the gallops I get super nervous. Im so sad that I cant really ride ponies anymore as I feel a lot safer on them 😥 its kind of stupid tho, because nothing bad has ever happened to me but I just over think it and get super nervous, even if I do it 100 times
My instructor is setting up a dressage and jumping show but I was going to ride a bigger pony for both but I fell of and did a flip while jumping so I’m asking to ride him in a dressage test and a old school pony I love and have good balance on for jumping
All my friends and family reproach me to think too much so I 'm like you. We must try to enjoy the moments on horses. Callie' s advices are so important, so helpful ! 😊
I’m a total beginner and for me reminding myself to look up and not down at the horse immediately calms me and helps connect me with the rhythm of the horse.
This was definitely aimed at me today, I sometimes need to put on my brave knickers because of my irrational thoughts and today I used rhythm to concentrate, I spoke the walk, trot and canter footfalls and it really helped me to relax, consequently we did some great work today 😀😘
Extremely nervous rider here after years of being put on green horses or horses straight off the track and having a few bad experiences... This video is such good advice. I'm not one for happy thoughts "just breathe and be confident" type of advice - because how can I breathe and be confident when this horse could throw me off at any second! But giving these very specific and easy to do tips will definitely help me a lot. Thank you so much!
Very helpful. I find counting to be the best way to get me out of my head and puts me in the moment with my horse. Also, I tend to fidget with my hands too much so a great coach told me to hold a small pebble in the palm of my hand while I was riding and not to drop it. Turns out, with my brain busy trying to hold the pebble, I didn't fidget at all AND I wasn't overthinking everything. I relaxed, did my job quietly which let my horse do his. Now, sometimes I hold the pebble and sometimes I don't - all depends on where I am at. It was a eureka moment for sure and it made the world of difference for me and my horse!
Another awesome video! A few weeks back I recently started jumping again (I took a 17yr riding break, back for 3months now), and I felt myself starting to get up in my head. I took a moment, halted my horse, took a deep breath and reminded myself I know what to do, trust my partner and ride
Thank you thank you thank you - I overthink almost all the time in getting back to riding and my confidence plummets more and more each time I ride. I am going to try your suggestions and see if it can bring me back to enjoying riding and learning again
Hello from Maryland Therapeutic Riding! These are fantastic tips, Callie- you’re my favorite teacher!!! So gentle and confident- you rock girlfriend! I wish I lived up there to take lessons in person!
I enjoy the videos. I came across the video about being boss of the horse and it stirred some thoughts and feelings that I wanted to share. My mentor rode with Tom Dorrance. Unfortunately my mentor and friend passed away a little over a year ago. There was never any punishment with the horses just direction and discipline. He would say try not to scare your horse, he may get scared but try not to scare him. A lot of people use fear to get their horse to do what they want. My mentor understood that the horse needs to be his partner. That he needed to make his idea the horses idea. He once said when response and respect are welded together the bond is unbreakable. When he applied pressure to a horse, he arranged it so the horse thought it was putting pressure on itself. It was unbelievable to watch him start colts and how fast the horse was ready to move on to the next thing. Now that my mentor is gone the one thing I must remember that my mentor said. It is the horse that is my teacher. They never lie. Thank you for the video.
What a beautiful statement. I could never hit a horse. Ever. I watched my instructor slap hers all the time. I hope I’ll be able to have an older companion style and maybe do some Liberty work. For me, I thrive more with ground work more than riding.
well said. I also have tendency to overthink everything. I t gets worse with time. For me is helpfull to have affirmative thoughts on the beginning of ride and clear goals of each training
You are such a good teacher: I wish I could take courses in person with you...When nervous, I think of breathing and long breaths...And I also stay in my confort zone for a while until I calm down.
thank you! I am a beginner barrel racer but I've been riding for 3 years now. I just bought this horse from my best friend and she's a thoroughbred. I've been struggling to have confidence while riding her. I often overthink about doing stuff with her. Even if it's as simple as loping a circle.
I sing a mellow song out loud.Or I talk to my horse and say out loud that I can figure this out or we can do this or we got this..positive montras! Somehow it reconnects me to my horse and our rhythm.
Omg. I’m the analytical pain in the butt too! When I find myself “There” I take a deep, exaggerated breath, roll my shoulders, and tell my brain to shut the hell up. Haha
Whenever im riding, im surrounded by people with their own horses and they have been riding since they were born. Same here, but I always feel like that everytime i mess up they are always judging me. It just makes me feel horrible even though they know that im still training and i know that they arent judging me but i cant get that out of my head
trail rides relax me. if trails still make you scared, don’t think about your fears, look at the trees or find spider webs and try and see a spider in them. it gets your mind off your fears
Breathing has always helped me stay grounded with my riding and in my life. I love the exercise that you have given by starting a ride by "picking apples". It takes a very short time for my boy and I to come together with a relaxed and calm ride. Totally wonderful, it amazes me how fast this happens. Thank you so much!
This video was so helpful! I am not quiet so new to riding but I am a first time horse owner looking to trail ride more with my 12 year old quarter horse gelding. The horse I rode in the past was a pony mix that was so laid back and had more whoa then go that I loved. Sadly, he was up there in age and was sold about 6 years ago. With the horse I have now, I have this anxiety when I get on him and this fear that he is going to hurt me. This horse has never shown signs of aggression, has never bucked anyone off (including me), and has always been so responsive to anything you do with him. All of what I have been told by my lesson teacher is its all in my head which she is right. I tend to over analyze and think the absolute worse which ruins my confidence to handle any situation. The tips in this video have given me a little bit more confidence to help quiet my brain and learn to trust myself that if something happens, I can handle it!
This is perfect for me. There are so many videos explaining different horse/riding issues which may actually cause us to question ourselves and abilities far more which in turn can lead to over thinking. When I was younger I was cautious of new horses but familiarity and "just getting on with it" was often the best way to gain confidence. However I now have ME and was bedbound for a few years so the only riding I could do was inside my head (despite having a few horses outside that my husband had to manage in all that time... He's the best!) but thankfully I have had a significant improvement in my health and with pacing I am able to go outside and do more with my horses. Obviously the fatigue and lack of balance I had were very real but I am having to learn that neither of those symptoms are anywhere near as bad as they were just a couple of years ago and I'm now able to push my personal boundaries more each day. Thank you for this video :)
I love using essential oils, Thieves on the left wrist for Courage, and Stress Away on the right wrist for when I need to be the Calm in the storm. The Thieves helps my horse build trust in me and the Stress Away helps me to relax and trust my horse....It is exactly what you were talking about being in that Zone area and this helps me stay in that place of pushing myself but not panicing! Thank you for sharing this, it was so good!
This is really helpful, I’m a very confident rider and I get my fav horse Tom the stables everyday and she’s amazing and gentle but recently outta nowhere she started bucking and bolting…I know it’s normal for horses but I was so used to her being gentle that now I started fearing her… but it’ll take a few days and I’m sure we’ll be great together as competitions are coming up too 😅
I haven't had a bad fall or anything, but when I have a ride in the near future, I get irrationally nervous and edgy. I struggle with the sitting trot and no-stirrups because I get tense and worried 😂 I need to stop worrying about everything and just concentrate
Thank you so much for this video! I've lately been a bit nervous as iv'e moved up a group and everyone is so good and have been riding for much longer than me so i'vd been nervous as I don't want to be known as the girl that can't ride. Because lately they've all kinda been avoiding me as they don't think I can control the horse i'm riding.
im fairly new to riding, and two weeks ago i was cantering, and i got bucked off after the horse spooked, i was fine but the next lesson i had on him i was so nervous, especially since this is more of a challenge horse for me to help me learn better, and that there were three other horses in the arena... but i felt so dumb because all of them were calmer horses, who arent very reactive or spooky, and dont really mind the other horses, but the one i was on has a tendency to try and kick other horses, and im always cautious about that, but never scared or anything, but after i fell off him, i was so scared, and i knew that this also affects the horse, because if im scared, hes gonna be scared, and its al gonna go downhill, but my rider thankfully understood and explained that its normal to feel this way after a fall, and that is good to take a step back if im anxious, so instead we did some trotting work on the lunge line, where i was just practicing keeping my hands down and looking up, so that helped a lot, but this video also helped so much, and i dont feel as anxious for the next lesson on him, thank you so much!
When I'm on the horse, I feel super safe and comfortable. When my instructor tells me to try a canter I get insecure if not anxious because I KNOW I don't sit back enough, so today I cantered for the second time after 5 years. I feel proud because I improved but I feel insecure because I cantered on the lunge line. When I am in canter there's no fear but when the horse falls back to a fast trot I automatically move too forward with my upper body.
This helped me so much 100% recommend this video and would love to see more of these type of videos something that helped me to overcome my fear is to just to snap out of it and thinking to myself that I am in control of my Horse and myself 😃🐴
We pressure ourselves a lot with aims and goals. They should be seen as rough guidelines and not rods for our backs. For me getting back into the saddle means tiny baby steps by building my focus with breathing. I say to myself you only have 5 steps to ride... Maybe another 5 and so on.
I fell off a horse I don’t normally ride going over 85cm for the first time and now I can’t even canter on my own loan horse without tensing up I’m convinced I’m going to fall. I need to get over the fact I fell so I can enjoy riding and relax.
Almost a year ago, the horse I was leasing at the time fell all the way over and I broke my collarbone, so Ive had a lot of anxiety during my lessons since then
This is very helpful. I'm 56, in HRT for menopause. I started taking riding lessons about 3 months ago and I was so excited. Suddenly, while riding, my mind becomes so overwhelmed that I can't hear my instructor. She in turn, becomes frustrated. When i need to transition to a trot, she'll have me bump the horse on the shoulder with a whip. I tap the horse and again, my instructor becomes frustrated. I may take a breather for a few months, but I'm afraid if I stop, I've let the anxiety win.
If your instructor becomes frustrated that will immediately affect any chance of success. I am restarting at 64 and am so relieved my instructor is so encouraging although my body has to rebuild forgotten muscles. The horse immediately feels our tension mental or physical and the right instructor is so important.
I had an incident today, I was riding this one horse for the first time and she was fast and when I asked for a trot it was always a very fast trot and exited trot! Every time she started trotting I would pull my reins, the reason for this is, I was scared, I told myself I could not do it, my trainer asked why I was scared and all I could say was, I. can’t. Do. It., I have cantered and done everything but for some reason I just was scared! Now that it’s later in the day I wish I could go back in time and be confident and ride! But everytime I think of changing the past and being more confident I remember that exited trot and I immediately say I can’t do it...... 😫💔 (edit) before my confidence lvl dropped I had a bad fall, I broke my arm and I think maybe I’m just scared that will happen again...)
Recommendations? I take lessons and I have a project horse that I help my trainer train he’s a 15.3-16.0 hands were not sure what he is we’re positive he has fresian and I’m only 5’0 so he’s very big for me and we’ve come a long way but the past 2 weeks there was a mare in the other field In heat and he was going crazy( he’s gelded)so I had to go get him from his field and I led him to his stall because we had a little one group lesson that I was helping with and the little ones were freaking out and so he started rearing while I was leading him but once I put him in the stall and calmed him down he was fine but then the week after we had a small Halloween get together after my group lesson for the “older kids” there was about 5-6 of us and I was brushing him getting some bonding time and he started trying to buck and stuff so I gave him cool off time and calmed him down and then took everything easy and was going to lunge him but he started freaking out again. Any recommendations to help with my confidence with handling him cause ever since I’ve been really nervous around him
The explanation of vision was helpful. Both the field of vision and color. My mare would shy at a big yellow object every day and I thought it was the color now maybe the object itself or just the brightness of bright yellow??
I have a question... If I am riding should I push upwards with my legs with the rythm of the horse or what should I do to "bounce" correctly? Please help I am only starting. And how do I get over my fear to gallop again after I was thrown
I don’t know if this is correct but I try to stop horse and stand for a couple of minutes and regroup. For both our sakes. Then, we walk stop stand for a while.
Most of my anxiety is from feeling like when the other random ppl at the barn are watching me that they’re judging me. Not trying to sound petty but it makes me soooo nervous when they watch me. Like if they say something like relax your arms are something like that I’m fine but when they just sit and watch I have no clue what they’re thinking and that gives me anxiety. My therapist says to remember that I can’t read minds but I know their thinking abt how I’m doing something wrong bc they’re human too.
Been riding long time but went to New riding school and one has spooked she is dressage trained but now I'm a bit scared if a horse does something like goes a bit quicker etc:...need help x
My horse is very green, shes almost gone rouge. She gallops away whenever i get near, and when i do ride her she bolts constantly. She was never like this. One day she just was. Niw i dont ride much because of school, and because i can hardly catch her.
Ah.. i had a bad fall 2 weeks ago now. A horse bolted and i came off and he stood on my head.. the week before a different horse bolted with me and kicked my leg and I've developed an awful fear of being bolted with to a point where i feel safer at a canter because the horse feels more in control and can't suddenly speed up... riding makes me feel sick but I'm forcing myself to get lessons but the whole time I'm wanting the lesson to be over, I'm so scared like today the horse i rode kicked out and scared me again.. i don't know if the way I'm feeling is temporary or if the fear is permanent and i dont know what to do 😭😭😭
@maddy b wow, reading that comment now reminds me of just how scared i was, for the most part my confidence came back and I'm over my fear and have started enjoing riding again and might be looking at getting my own! Its funny how feelings change over time like that. Thanks for the comment :)
Do you by any chance have any “half-seat” tips? I feel like when I’m in a half seat I’m super unbalanced/wobbly. I’m scared I’m holding the horses mane too tight 😂
I try to remember to sink my heels down as far as possible. When my heels are grounded it balances everything else out. But don't put so much pressure on putting your heels down that your lower legs swing forward.
Caitlyn Synan my trainer would tell me to either drop my stirrups or go into 2-pt, as it would push my leg back into place. Then hold the alignment as you sit back down from 2-pt. Hope this helps!
i don't take riding lessons anymore i hated being there i dropped out of that crap its the worst decision i made was to ride a horse in lessons too dangerous for me i didn't like it anymore i was unhappy i wasnt having fun riding i start losing interest
It depends on the trainer, level, discipline, etc. I would say $30-50. (USD) Sometimes more, probably not too much less. A better trainer is most likely to charge more, but you will probably get a better ride and understanding.
@@cassieyoung461 That is pretty spot on... I pay $40 if I ride with another person, $50 if it is just me... My instructor was a Gran Prix level dressage rider, don't know if that makes any difference price wise, it is the same price with the other instructor there, though, and she has completely different qualifications - I like taking a lesson with her every so often because she gives completely different and more specific feedback, which has it's pros and cons- I always walk away from a lesson with her with something new to focus on, and then I can work on that issue in conjunction with the bigger picture focus of my regular instructor, I got really lucky when I found my barn! Sorry for the rambles, haha!
You probably won't see this, but I wanted to help. So, little background, I have anxiety and I get super nervous a lot and think about the what ifs. Currently trying to overcome my fears and become a more confident rider myself. If your just starting out jumping, it not like you'll be jumping huge jumps, your probably start with small ones and work your way up, get confident in your riding (if that makes sense). If you absolutely don't want to jump, then definitely talk to your instructor and I'm sure she'll understand. Jumping isnt for everyone, and it totally okay if you don't want to, there is no pressure to do something that makes you scared or uncomfortable. Hope this helped , have a great day! 😁♥️
My is a fair of fall off my horse I did fall off my horse that's is way I don't have confidence but I want to have confidence win ride my horse can you tell me want to do to have confidence win I ride my horse
I'm an equestrian with extremely severe anxiety and panic disorder. recently, riding has become so stressful that I feel like I'm going to throw up every time I get on. I know that in my heart I still love riding but it's become so hard to have even an ounce of the bravery I used to have
I'm exactly the same. I hate it because I want to ride so badly but it's such a strugglw
I have the same issue @@abbyguy9193
This just began happening to me
same
What is happening that we’re experiencing these symptoms and it’s interfering in what we want to enjoy? I want to believe my anxiety is hormonal, it may also be my instructor. I don’t like smacking a horse.
The stages of learning
Unconscious incompetence
Conscious incompetence
Conscious competence
Unconscious competence
Love that
I have a tendency to overthink things and then my nerves kick in and everything goes sideways because of me, not the horse. When I start getting this way, I sing, loud (my poor horse :)). It clears my brain and makes me focus.
I am The exact same I thought I was the only one though😃
Same!
Im starting talk with horse. Discuss the riding, my mistackes and what we will do next. That helps fill horse not like scary objects but like the living creature
I sing too,...especially on the trail. It really helps take my mind off of whatever is worrying me---I have to remember the words to the songs.
Same
This is so helpful. My riding was progressing so well until I fell and got a concussion. After that, *every* little thing made me nervous. It really helps me to focus on one thing at a time, and trust my abilities as a rider. My hands have a tendency to float around sometimes, so when I spend time focusing on just keeping them where they're supposed to be, I'm suddenly not worried about my balance, or my legs, or my heels, or my eyes, or anything else. I think it also really helps to sometimes take a break and ride an old super broke school horse now and again to remind you how you learned everything lol
@Ava Skurkis I am the same way!! Doing new things makes me nervous. I have been riding a really cute paint pony but he moved to now I have to ride a 4 year old. I have a lesson in an hour and I haven't ridden him before so I'm really nervous. I hope it goes well!
@Ava Skurkis same! Recently my trainer has been taking me and the other people in my lesson down to the gallops and I am always very nervous about the log jump down there. The horse I ride *hates* it so he refuses almost everytime. Yesterday I fell off and hurt my back, and I was so scared. I used to ride about a 13.3-14.1 hh connemara and I knew I could trust him, but I got too tall for him so now i ride about a 15 hh warmblood/sport horse (I dont know his exact breeding, its just a guess) and he is a lot more spooky and likes to run out at jumps. I feel very comfortable in the arena, but as soon as we go to the gallops I get super nervous. Im so sad that I cant really ride ponies anymore as I feel a lot safer on them 😥 its kind of stupid tho, because nothing bad has ever happened to me but I just over think it and get super nervous, even if I do it 100 times
@pizza Time! And patience! Working on my balance really helped too. You'll get there, just go slow. ☺️
My instructor is setting up a dressage and jumping show but I was going to ride a bigger pony for both but I fell of and did a flip while jumping so I’m asking to ride him in a dressage test and a old school pony I love and have good balance on for jumping
All my friends and family reproach me to think too much so I 'm like you. We must try to enjoy the moments on horses. Callie' s advices are so important, so helpful ! 😊
I’m a total beginner and for me reminding myself to look up and not down at the horse immediately calms me and helps connect me with the rhythm of the horse.
This was definitely aimed at me today, I sometimes need to put on my brave knickers because of my irrational thoughts and today I used rhythm to concentrate, I spoke the walk, trot and canter footfalls and it really helped me to relax, consequently we did some great work today 😀😘
i need to learn this so bad, i overthink so much when im riding and it messes me up
Extremely nervous rider here after years of being put on green horses or horses straight off the track and having a few bad experiences... This video is such good advice. I'm not one for happy thoughts "just breathe and be confident" type of advice - because how can I breathe and be confident when this horse could throw me off at any second! But giving these very specific and easy to do tips will definitely help me a lot. Thank you so much!
Very helpful. I find counting to be the best way to get me out of my head and puts me in the moment with my horse. Also, I tend to fidget with my hands too much so a great coach told me to hold a small pebble in the palm of my hand while I was riding and not to drop it. Turns out, with my brain busy trying to hold the pebble, I didn't fidget at all AND I wasn't overthinking everything. I relaxed, did my job quietly which let my horse do his. Now, sometimes I hold the pebble and sometimes I don't - all depends on where I am at. It was a eureka moment for sure and it made the world of difference for me and my horse!
Another awesome video! A few weeks back I recently started jumping again (I took a 17yr riding break, back for 3months now), and I felt myself starting to get up in my head. I took a moment, halted my horse, took a deep breath and reminded myself I know what to do, trust my partner and ride
Thank you thank you thank you - I overthink almost all the time in getting back to riding and my confidence plummets more and more each time I ride. I am going to try your suggestions and see if it can bring me back to enjoying riding and learning again
Hello from Maryland Therapeutic Riding! These are fantastic tips, Callie- you’re my favorite teacher!!! So gentle and confident- you rock girlfriend! I wish I lived up there to take lessons in person!
thank you for the tips. easier to practice
Very helpful especially when I start to stiffen up learning the posting trot
I enjoy the videos. I came across the video about being boss of the horse and it stirred some thoughts and feelings that I wanted to share. My mentor rode with Tom Dorrance. Unfortunately my mentor and friend passed away a little over a year ago. There was never any punishment with the horses just direction and discipline. He would say try not to scare your horse, he may get scared but try not to scare him. A lot of people use fear to get their horse to do what they want. My mentor understood that the horse needs to be his partner. That he needed to make his idea the horses idea. He once said when response and respect are welded together the bond is unbreakable. When he applied pressure to a horse, he arranged it so the horse thought it was putting pressure on itself. It was unbelievable to watch him start colts and how fast the horse was ready to move on to the next thing. Now that my mentor is gone the one thing I must remember that my mentor said. It is the horse that is my teacher. They never lie. Thank you for the video.
What a beautiful statement. I could never hit a horse. Ever. I watched my instructor slap hers all the time. I hope I’ll be able to have an older companion style and maybe do some Liberty work. For me, I thrive more with ground work more than riding.
well said. I also have tendency to overthink everything. I t gets worse with time. For me is helpfull to have affirmative thoughts on the beginning of ride and clear goals of each training
You are such a good teacher: I wish I could take courses in person with you...When nervous, I think of breathing and long breaths...And I also stay in my confort zone for a while until I calm down.
thank you! I am a beginner barrel racer but I've been riding for 3 years now. I just bought this horse from my best friend and she's a thoroughbred. I've been struggling to have confidence while riding her. I often overthink about doing stuff with her. Even if it's as simple as loping a circle.
I sing a mellow song out loud.Or I talk to my horse and say out loud that I can figure this out or we can do this or we got this..positive montras! Somehow it reconnects me to my horse and our rhythm.
Omg. I’m the analytical pain in the butt too! When I find myself “There” I take a deep, exaggerated breath, roll my shoulders, and tell my brain to shut the hell up. Haha
Telling myself that I will get better and that I trust myself has helped me
Whenever im riding, im surrounded by people with their own horses and they have been riding since they were born. Same here, but I always feel like that everytime i mess up they are always judging me. It just makes me feel horrible even though they know that im still training and i know that they arent judging me but i cant get that out of my head
I am get so scared in certain circumstances like on a trail ride.
Music
trail rides relax me. if trails still make you scared, don’t think about your fears, look at the trees or find spider webs and try and see a spider in them. it gets your mind off your fears
Me too
Breathing has always helped me stay grounded with my riding and in my life. I love the exercise that you have given by starting a ride by "picking apples". It takes a very short time for my boy and I to come together with a relaxed and calm ride. Totally wonderful, it amazes me how fast this happens. Thank you so much!
This video was so helpful! I am not quiet so new to riding but I am a first time horse owner looking to trail ride more with my 12 year old quarter horse gelding. The horse I rode in the past was a pony mix that was so laid back and had more whoa then go that I loved. Sadly, he was up there in age and was sold about 6 years ago. With the horse I have now, I have this anxiety when I get on him and this fear that he is going to hurt me. This horse has never shown signs of aggression, has never bucked anyone off (including me), and has always been so responsive to anything you do with him. All of what I have been told by my lesson teacher is its all in my head which she is right. I tend to over analyze and think the absolute worse which ruins my confidence to handle any situation. The tips in this video have given me a little bit more confidence to help quiet my brain and learn to trust myself that if something happens, I can handle it!
If I start looking around outside the arena it helps me relax and ride without my head super engaged
This is perfect for me. There are so many videos explaining different horse/riding issues which may actually cause us to question ourselves and abilities far more which in turn can lead to over thinking. When I was younger I was cautious of new horses but familiarity and "just getting on with it" was often the best way to gain confidence. However I now have ME and was bedbound for a few years so the only riding I could do was inside my head (despite having a few horses outside that my husband had to manage in all that time... He's the best!) but thankfully I have had a significant improvement in my health and with pacing I am able to go outside and do more with my horses. Obviously the fatigue and lack of balance I had were very real but I am having to learn that neither of those symptoms are anywhere near as bad as they were just a couple of years ago and I'm now able to push my personal boundaries more each day. Thank you for this video :)
Going to go ride now and apply the counting or music part to get out of my thoughts. Thank you
I love using essential oils, Thieves on the left wrist for Courage, and Stress Away on the right wrist for when I need to be the Calm in the storm. The Thieves helps my horse build trust in me and the Stress Away helps me to relax and trust my horse....It is exactly what you were talking about being in that Zone area and this helps me stay in that place of pushing myself but not panicing! Thank you for sharing this, it was so good!
This is really helpful,
I’m a very confident rider and I get my fav horse Tom the stables everyday and she’s amazing and gentle but recently outta nowhere she started bucking and bolting…I know it’s normal for horses but I was so used to her being gentle that now I started fearing her… but it’ll take a few days and I’m sure we’ll be great together as competitions are coming up too 😅
Great suggestions. Took a spill that set me back. Need to regain my confidence.
I haven't had a bad fall or anything, but when I have a ride in the near future, I get irrationally nervous and edgy. I struggle with the sitting trot and no-stirrups because I get tense and worried 😂 I need to stop worrying about everything and just concentrate
Headed out for my first ride of the year - on my lifelong bucker. This was perfect to help me relax, thanks!
Thank you so much for this video! I've lately been a bit nervous as iv'e moved up a group and everyone is so good and have been riding for much longer than me so i'vd been nervous as I don't want to be known as the girl that can't ride. Because lately they've all kinda been avoiding me as they don't think I can control the horse i'm riding.
Excellent! That's so me!! paralysis by analysis. Thank you. I will keep your points in mind!! No pun intended!
I have really enjoyed your videos. I did a search on how to sit the trot and found you. Thank You for your advice! You have helped me so much!
im fairly new to riding, and two weeks ago i was cantering, and i got bucked off after the horse spooked, i was fine but the next lesson i had on him i was so nervous, especially since this is more of a challenge horse for me to help me learn better, and that there were three other horses in the arena... but i felt so dumb because all of them were calmer horses, who arent very reactive or spooky, and dont really mind the other horses, but the one i was on has a tendency to try and kick other horses, and im always cautious about that, but never scared or anything, but after i fell off him, i was so scared, and i knew that this also affects the horse, because if im scared, hes gonna be scared, and its al gonna go downhill, but my rider thankfully understood and explained that its normal to feel this way after a fall, and that is good to take a step back if im anxious, so instead we did some trotting work on the lunge line, where i was just practicing keeping my hands down and looking up, so that helped a lot, but this video also helped so much, and i dont feel as anxious for the next lesson on him, thank you so much!
I had a bad bolting fall off a small pony, and this will probably help :) thank you!
Ditto, except she was 15hh. Ouch.
@@jennageuder1268 yes
When I'm on the horse, I feel super safe and comfortable. When my instructor tells me to try a canter I get insecure if not anxious because I KNOW I don't sit back enough, so today I cantered for the second time after 5 years. I feel proud because I improved but I feel insecure because I cantered on the lunge line. When I am in canter there's no fear but when the horse falls back to a fast trot I automatically move too forward with my upper body.
This helped me so much 100% recommend this video and would love to see more of these type of videos something that helped me to overcome my fear is to just to snap out of it and thinking to myself that I am in control of my Horse and myself 😃🐴
I am so grateful to you , as all these videos are amazing and quite useful in our path to learning.
We pressure ourselves a lot with aims and goals. They should be seen as rough guidelines and not rods for our backs. For me getting back into the saddle means tiny baby steps by building my focus with breathing. I say to myself you only have 5 steps to ride... Maybe another 5 and so on.
I fell off a horse I don’t normally ride going over 85cm for the first time and now I can’t even canter on my own loan horse without tensing up I’m convinced I’m going to fall. I need to get over the fact I fell so I can enjoy riding and relax.
Almost a year ago, the horse I was leasing at the time fell all the way over and I broke my collarbone, so Ive had a lot of anxiety during my lessons since then
This is very helpful. I'm 56, in HRT for menopause. I started taking riding lessons about 3 months ago and I was so excited. Suddenly, while riding, my mind becomes so overwhelmed that I can't hear my instructor. She in turn, becomes frustrated. When i need to transition to a trot, she'll have me bump the horse on the shoulder with a whip. I tap the horse and again, my instructor becomes frustrated. I may take a breather for a few months, but I'm afraid if I stop, I've let the anxiety win.
If your instructor becomes frustrated that will immediately affect any chance of success. I am restarting at 64 and am so relieved my instructor is so encouraging although my body has to rebuild forgotten muscles. The horse immediately feels our tension mental or physical and the right instructor is so important.
I had an incident today, I was riding this one horse for the first time and she was fast and when I asked for a trot it was always a very fast trot and exited trot! Every time she started trotting I would pull my reins, the reason for this is, I was scared, I told myself I could not do it, my trainer asked why I was scared and all I could say was, I. can’t. Do. It., I have cantered and done everything but for some reason I just was scared! Now that it’s later in the day I wish I could go back in time and be confident and ride! But everytime I think of changing the past and being more confident I remember that exited trot and I immediately say I can’t do it...... 😫💔 (edit) before my confidence lvl dropped I had a bad fall, I broke my arm and I think maybe I’m just scared that will happen again...)
I love love having my headphones in with my music
Thanks for the vedio, my problem is that I keep thinking on not to lose the stirrups and to be balanced
wonderful, thank you!
I’m scared of pain. And falling off even though I’ve fallen off millions of times 😭
when i ride i get so scard when i canter but ur videos help me pls make more and thank you
Recommendations?
I take lessons and I have a project horse that I help my trainer train he’s a 15.3-16.0 hands were not sure what he is we’re positive he has fresian and I’m only 5’0 so he’s very big for me and we’ve come a long way but the past 2 weeks there was a mare in the other field In heat and he was going crazy( he’s gelded)so I had to go get him from his field and I led him to his stall because we had a little one group lesson that I was helping with and the little ones were freaking out and so he started rearing while I was leading him but once I put him in the stall and calmed him down he was fine but then the week after we had a small Halloween get together after my group lesson for the “older kids” there was about 5-6 of us and I was brushing him getting some bonding time and he started trying to buck and stuff so I gave him cool off time and calmed him down and then took everything easy and was going to lunge him but he started freaking out again. Any recommendations to help with my confidence with handling him cause ever since I’ve been really nervous around him
Thank you for the video, unfortunately the website no longer works. Do you have the information anywhere else?
The explanation of vision was helpful. Both the field of vision and color. My mare would shy at a big yellow object every day and I thought it was the color now maybe the object itself or just the brightness of bright yellow??
i take riding lessons i love it
Really helpful
How can i warm up before i jump
a coarse?
Do need a horse training to help me to have confidence win I ride my horse thank you
I have a question...
If I am riding should I push upwards with my legs with the rythm of the horse or what should I do to "bounce" correctly? Please help I am only starting. And how do I get over my fear to gallop again after I was thrown
None of the enrollment links nor support message work, Callie. Could you get it checked please?
Does this all apply also if your anxiety is caused by your horse being spooky
Riding with music really works for me.
Prayer, singing
I don’t know if this is correct but I try to stop horse and stand for a couple of minutes and regroup. For both our sakes. Then, we walk stop stand for a while.
Most of my anxiety is from feeling like when the other random ppl at the barn are watching me that they’re judging me. Not trying to sound petty but it makes me soooo nervous when they watch me. Like if they say something like relax your arms are something like that I’m fine but when they just sit and watch I have no clue what they’re thinking and that gives me anxiety. My therapist says to remember that I can’t read minds but I know their thinking abt how I’m doing something wrong bc they’re human too.
Exactly what I’m struggling with causing me to make mistakes and question my abilities. Ruining my experience and I know my horse is picking up on it
Hi there, could you please give advices about ride a big horse which has 1.75-.180 cidago height. And compare to a medium heighted horse.
Been riding long time but went to New riding school and one has spooked she is dressage trained but now I'm a bit scared if a horse does something like goes a bit quicker etc:...need help x
Smile!
My horse is very green, shes almost gone rouge. She gallops away whenever i get near, and when i do ride her she bolts constantly. She was never like this. One day she just was. Niw i dont ride much because of school, and because i can hardly catch her.
Ah.. i had a bad fall 2 weeks ago now. A horse bolted and i came off and he stood on my head.. the week before a different horse bolted with me and kicked my leg and I've developed an awful fear of being bolted with to a point where i feel safer at a canter because the horse feels more in control and can't suddenly speed up... riding makes me feel sick but I'm forcing myself to get lessons but the whole time I'm wanting the lesson to be over, I'm so scared like today the horse i rode kicked out and scared me again.. i don't know if the way I'm feeling is temporary or if the fear is permanent and i dont know what to do 😭😭😭
@maddy b wow, reading that comment now reminds me of just how scared i was, for the most part my confidence came back and I'm over my fear and have started enjoing riding again and might be looking at getting my own! Its funny how feelings change over time like that. Thanks for the comment :)
@maddy b thank you so much!
@@hannahheal354 it’s amazing to see you better now!! I’m scared myself and seeing that you feel more confident gives me so much hope ❤️
Do you by any chance have any “half-seat” tips? I feel like when I’m in a half seat I’m super unbalanced/wobbly. I’m scared I’m holding the horses mane too tight 😂
I try to remember to sink my heels down as far as possible. When my heels are grounded it balances everything else out. But don't put so much pressure on putting your heels down that your lower legs swing forward.
I always get scared before I canter because I fell before and I get tense because I don’t want to fall again
because if I do I will never canter, I can canter I have before...But before I can do it again my trainer wants me to be comfortable mentally
My horses saddle doesn’t have knee rolls or thigh blocks and I find it hard to keep my hip and leg aligned. What should I do?
Caitlyn Synan my trainer would tell me to either drop my stirrups or go into 2-pt, as it would push my leg back into place. Then hold the alignment as you sit back down from 2-pt. Hope this helps!
Thanks!!!
I just try not to think of the worse always give yourself credit for little achievements
I fell off the horse and I lost ALL my confidence. I’m just a 13 year old that rides since 5 :/
I am a paralympic shooting coach as well as a new rider and 'thoughts, t
Hit screen...thoughts, rythum, zone are exactly the process we use with our shooting athletes. Good stuff...even outside of horsemanship
i don't take riding lessons anymore i hated being there i dropped out of that crap its the worst decision i made was to ride a horse in lessons too dangerous for me i didn't like it anymore i was unhappy i wasnt having fun riding i start losing interest
I saw someone fall off really badly and I’m scared to get back on🥺
How are you doing now? Are you still scared?
@@linasabrah3916
Hi, no I’m not scared amymore😊
i have a question how much in america for a half hour private lesson
It depends on the trainer, level, discipline, etc. I would say $30-50. (USD) Sometimes more, probably not too much less. A better trainer is most likely to charge more, but you will probably get a better ride and understanding.
@@cassieyoung461 That is pretty spot on... I pay $40 if I ride with another person, $50 if it is just me...
My instructor was a Gran Prix level dressage rider, don't know if that makes any difference price wise, it is the same price with the other instructor there, though, and she has completely different qualifications - I like taking a lesson with her every so often because she gives completely different and more specific feedback, which has it's pros and cons- I always walk away from a lesson with her with something new to focus on, and then I can work on that issue in conjunction with the bigger picture focus of my regular instructor, I got really lucky when I found my barn! Sorry for the rambles, haha!
I'm having nervous poops because I have to ride a 4 year old in an hour
I hope it went well!
I’m scared of jumping 😖 I don’t even want to jump and idk how to tell my instructor
You probably won't see this, but I wanted to help. So, little background, I have anxiety and I get super nervous a lot and think about the what ifs. Currently trying to overcome my fears and become a more confident rider myself. If your just starting out jumping, it not like you'll be jumping huge jumps, your probably start with small ones and work your way up, get confident in your riding (if that makes sense). If you absolutely don't want to jump, then definitely talk to your instructor and I'm sure she'll understand. Jumping isnt for everyone, and it totally okay if you don't want to, there is no pressure to do something that makes you scared or uncomfortable. Hope this helped , have a great day! 😁♥️
@@haleyraeee this really helped me I don't think you will see this but this really helped thank you
@@10karamel37 I saw it! Glad I could help a little! :)
i mean me as person
My is a fair of fall off my horse I did fall off my horse that's is way I don't have confidence but I want to have confidence win ride my horse can you tell me want to do to have confidence win I ride my horse
I like the video win help me win I ride my horse thank you