Is fear holding you back? 6Tips for overcoming fear

Our twins, Enoch and Eden just turned 3 years old and they are starting to learn about horses, at this point we're just leading them around on a small pony or letting them ride in front on really broke horses but it's fun watching them develop confidence at such a young age.

What a lot of people may not know about me is that I'm not a naturally overly confident person or adrenaline junky. My twin boy, Enoch reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger. He is cautious and has to think things through before he does something and will often need to see someone else do something before he tries it. Eden on the other and is always wanting to take things to the next level.

My confidence has changed a lot over the years. When I was young, one of my fears was horses bucking, over time I developed confidence to ride one that bucked pretty good even though I still don't enjoy it. Starting colts for well over 15 years, I've learned through experience not only how to deal with it but also how to avoid those situations.

Riding one that was bad to buck

#1 Knowledge

The key to confidence with horses is to have enough knowledge to be able to read situations, have a good understanding of things that can happen as well as being able to not only predict them intuitively. Having an arsenal of strategies for not only preventing bad situations but also knowing how to deal with it should you find yourself in a bad situation is paramount for confidence.

#2 Find a solid mount

Starting with an experienced, well trained and confident horse is HUGE! It may not be everything but it certainly helps. You will still need to spend time getting quality instruction But being mounted on a quiet, well educated horse that knows it's job will help your confidence soar!

One of our happy customers riding a horse purchased from us in Writing on Stone park AB

#3 Experienced help

Knowledge comes from experience so finding an experienced mentor or coach that you trust to not only give you good advice as well as talk you through things is a huge help. Just knowing that someone who is very experienced is there watching is a big confidence booster alone but having them talk you through things that make you nervous while you're learning will help you conquer your fears.

#4 Step to the edge of your comfort zone

Getting in over your head isn't a good idea but avoiding what scares you will not help you overcome your fears either. Having someone experienced that can evaluate your skill level and help you ease up to the edge of your comfort zone will help you face your fears head on and overcome them one step at a time.

Running fast bridleless at a horse show is something that is out on the edge of my comfort zone

#5 Practice

Practice builds muscle memory and the more you practice something, the less you have to think about it and the more confident you become. The more you work with horses, the better you will become at reading situations

#6 Breath

It's helpful to remind yourself to take deep breaths and try to relax your shoulders when you get nervous. This is not only beneficial for you as the rider but will also help your horse stay relaxed. I've seen it over and over where a nervous rider will transfer their fear to their horse, the horse will start to act nervous which doesn't help the cause for an already nervous rider.

I hope these tips help and till next time. God bless!