Fear of riding

It’s one of the most frustrating and helpless feelings: you love your horse, yet your knees quake and you can feel your heart in your throat at the thought of getting in the saddle and, heaven forbid, ride your horse ... in a canter!

If you’re committed to make riding your horse a mutually enjoyable experience, you must first come to terms with your fear, and acknowledge that it exists. This is a very difficult first step so don’t trivialize it, and don’t let anyone else do so either. Fear is real, even though its cause may only be perceptible to you.

Unless your horse is a rabid, proven man-eater, or otherwise unsafe (i.e. the most seasoned professional is unwilling to ride it), the solution lies in the relationship you have with your horse.

We tend to fear (or at best be suspicious of) strangers; human or animal. Why? Because no relationship yet exists with a stranger, and you cannot know a stranger’s intent. For one thing, you may not share a common language. Just like in the relationships you have with people, a common language is crucial for communication and, eventually, trust.

Would you still be as fearful if you could ask your horse to slow down and relax, and it actually does? How about if you could explain to your horse that the plastic bag being blown by the wind is not an evil ghoul about to attack? Wouldn't it be great if your horse then responds by relaxing its ears and sighing?

Once you and your horse have a way to communicate with each other, you can both focus more on learning and enjoying each other, rather than on surviving a heart-stopping experience with an unfamiliar beast.

How do I know ? I’ve been there.