Horse....scared....?

Question

I've been riding horses since i was a baby....Nothing has ever happened to me on a horse that was traumatic, so why am i afraid of them now???

Answer 1

Your best bet is to see a professional psychologist specializing in panic attack....many people are successfully treated for panic attack when they access this kind of help.

Answer 2

As you age you become aware of your mortality and the fact that what you're doing is dangerous! I suddenly developed a fear of flying in early adulthood after watching a bunch of disaster movies. I got over it.

Also, when we're older we expect to be more in control.

I HIGHLY recommend Clinton Anderson's DVDs on ground work and roundpen work. Once you gain the horse's complete attention and respect on the ground, it's easier to get it under saddle. The horse will be more responsive as well. Plus, you will build massive confidence in your ability.

Also, don't be afraid to take a step backward in training. Go back to something truly basic. Stay in your comfort zone for a while.

Answer 3

how can u be scared of them??? if nothing has EVER happened then you have nothing to be afraid of!!! you have probably just heard stories etc.

Answer 4

just try riding again in small areas and on a trusty old school horse. no better way to get confidence back then that. also the smaller horses seem less scary, altough many big draft horses are gentle giants.

Answer 5

When I was a kid, I was totally fearless on a horse.  I knew I might fall off or have an accident, but I was totally OK with that.  By the time I hit age 19 or so, though, that fearlessness vanished.  Nothing happened to cause it, it just disappeared one day!  It happens to us all, I think...just give a person enough time and the whole"Geez, I might actually hurt myself on this enormous creature!" ligh bulb will go off.

I'd suggest taking lessons with a super-quiet, maybe half-dead horse.  Do lunge lessons if you want.  Make sure the horse you use in lessons is one you like and trust (you know how some horses, you just "click" with and others you don't?  Find a "click" horse.  Spend time on the ground with the lesson horse getting to know them.  Let your instructor know that you want to work on rebuilding your confidence, as opposed to wanting to train for the next show season.  ALL riders go through this at least once in their lives (trust me!) so the instructor will understand.

It sometimes helps (helpED) me to imagine my anxiety as a light switch.  When I started to feel it coming on, I'd turn it off and focus my energy on something else.  Good luck!

Answer 6

As we get older we begin to realize that we are not immortal and that things like horses are dangerous.  This fear may keep you from ever being comfortable on horses again.

I will suggest this.  Work through it enough that you can sit on and ride a horse again.  This I suggest for your own health and peace of mind.  I would hate to see you let your fears interfere with something you enjoy.  

After you work through it enough to ride again without a panic attack or anything like that then it comes time to ask yourself....Is horse riding something you truly enjoy?  If the answer to the first question is yes then keep riding.  Then ask yourself ...Would you enjoy it (or enjoy it more) if you were riding under different circumstances?  If the answer to that is yes then work to make those circumstances come about.

For example, I hate riding in an arena.  It is boring to me.  No matter what we are doing, there just is no appeal.  If that were the only type of riding there was, I would never ride.  I love trail riding.  I enjoy rough trails but my wife doesn't so I stick to easy ones mostly.  I also like gaiting down gravel roads.  My neighbors wife is scared to death of gravel roads but enjoys logging roads.

Answer 7

well, it may be that when you were smaller, you had no fear because you had no idea what things a horse could do. now that you are more aware of it, you probably are thinking somewhere in the back of your mind that something bad may happen. maybe try riding an older, or slower, less spooky, or well trained horse, that wont do anything. then after you get your confidence back you can go on to riding the harder ones again.

Answer 8

sometimes when you ride a horse you get scared of them when your grown up

Answer 9

It is possible that since growing up, you've become more aware of the stories of horse accidents, and the threat that they can be.

I'd suggest just spending time with horses, on a yard or with a trusted friends. To help gain your confidence back.

Horses are nothing to be scared of, as long as you treat them with the utmost respect and confidence.

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