I joined this “horsemanship challenge” back in February. The idea was to ride/work with your horse at least 60 times within a 4 month period. In the beginning it was really hard because I was really nervous and unsure, it was easier just to go out and love on Goose than it was to actually try to catch her and work with her.
However, a challenge does me a lot of good and having this goal in front of me has really made me step up my game. I can now catch her with ease, and we’ve been riding regularly. Yesterday was our 42nd session. We’ve been riding just about daily now. We have worked on things in the arena and I feel confident in her and myself enough to start taking her out of the arena and working on heading out on the trail.
We’ve done this a couple days now, but yesterday was really windy. In the past I would have just skipped it, but heck, I live in Kansas. If you’re not going to ride in the wind, you aren’t going to ride. 😉
We started out and she was a little rushier than she’s been, she felt a little tighter than she has recently felt, she was a little lookier than in recent rides. And then I took a look at myself. I was tighter than I have been, holding my breath, looking around, trying to find the next thing that might spook her. She was literally taking her cues from me. I was acting like there was something to be worried about so sure enough… she was worried.
Here are the tips I’ve got for you, I have used them all and they definitely helped me have a nice ride in the wind yesterday.
BREATHE
You’ve got to breathe. Notice your breath, are you breathing normally? Is your breath shallow? Are you holding your breath? Your breath is one of the biggest indicators to your horse. Take a big deep breath, and blow it out. When Goose hears me blow out a deep breath she almost always takes a deep breath herself. It resets her, and me! We took a lot of breaths yesterday because I kept realizing I was holding mine.
Relax your muscles.
Do a quick body scan. Where are you holding tension. Check your but, your legs, your back, your shoulders, your arms/hands. Relax. Let go of your tension. I notice I hold tension in my but and legs. Take a second to let go of the tension. Move around in the saddle a little bit if you need to. Reposition yourself a little. They can feel that tension. When you are tense they feel there’s a good reason for them to be tense as well.
Use positive self talk
Get yourself a mantra. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. “I can do this” is perfectly fine. Repeat it. Over and over again, until you begin to relax a little bit. If you have trouble coming up with something, here are 60 affirmations for equestrians.
Stay Present
It is so easy to go back in the past and think of things that have happened on previous rides, or jump to the future and wonder what will happen further into this ride. You just can’t. You have to stay present. This moment. The one you are in right now. Right now… she’s good. I’m good. Right now… she’s good. I’m good. The more present you can stay the better your ride will be. Also the quicker you will be able to reacte if you need to because you will be right there in the moment.
I have honestly found riding my horse to be one of the BEST mindfulness practices available to me. It’s quickly becoming my favorite part of riding. <3 It’s just like any other meditation practice, notice your thoughts, and if you find them somewhere beside the moment you’re in, just bring them back. Notice something concrete about the moment. The way your feet feel in the stirrups. The butterfly on the dandelion. The way the reins feel in your hands. All of these will help ground you in the present moment. Don’t be hard on yourself if you find your mind wandering, just keep bringing yourself back to the moment. Your horse will notice.
Trust your horse.
If your horse is safe enough for you to be riding, then it’s safe enough for you to trust it. I have to say, I’m really bad about this sometimes. Goose is a good horse, but I’m a new rider. I don’t always trust myself, which bleeds over into not trusting her. My daughter is always saying to me… “You gotta give Goose some credit. She’s a good girl.” And when I do, I feel more confident and capable. Before I ride, I think about our last ride, which was good. The ride before that was good. She’s never done anything to get me killed, and even the things she used to do that I found scary she doesn’t really do anymore. I’m also a better rider now. Trust yourself and your horse. You’ve got this.
I’m going to throw in one more extra.
Sing.
It’s silly, but it’s fun and it’s a great way to calm your nerves while you’re riding, and it will force you to breathe as well. Pick a song you know well, and sing. Sing out loud. Your horse loves your voice. 🙂
I hope these tips will help you when you get a bit nervous riding your horse. I know they help me. They are all really simple things, almost too simple, but they work. The hardest part about it is remembering to use them.
If you’ve got tools you use to help overcome nerves when riding, I’d love to hear them, leave a comment and let me know!
