How to regain my horse-riding confidence?

Question

im 14 years old and have always had a soft spot for horses.i stared riding when i was around about 7. i was taught at a reliable riding school and loved it i learnt how to trot and canter and stable management. when i was 10 after riding for 2 years i had a nasty fall which left me not wanting to go backjagain so i didn't. Looking back i should have got straight back on but i didn't. But when i started high school i became very close friends with a girl who has 4 of her own so when i went over we started talking about riding and how ive always wanted to start up again, so she said she'd teach me the way she was taught as she's quite experianced. She put me on one of her less lively horses which although bucks has quite a quiet nature and all we did was walk which i am fine with but in the next lesson we started trotting and thats when my nerves kick in. even when the pony doesnt stop straight away when i ask, i tense up and i think this is the problem. Any ideas on how to get confident

Answer 1

go back to the riding school who taught you that way they are experienced with that kind of thing and can fully support you through it. when i had a nasty fall off a horse it took me a couple of months to get my confindence back but i went to my riding school and they helpped a lot

Answer 2

If you are comfortable with this girl and her horses, just keep going back. Spend some time around the horses as much as you can. If you have to just walk for a while, that is good. When you are comfortable more, then trot. Just do short trots and walks and build up confidence. I know how you feel. I get a little nervouse when I am trotting the horse. Then after a while I relax and it's ok. You just need to be careful and go slow for a while. If your friend is there with you she should be able to keep your confidence up. You will be ok. Just give it time.

Answer 3

I had a bad horse accident when i was 12. I started riding when i was 8. It was really hard for me to get back on, but i had to remember that it was not the horse's fault he did what his instinct told him to do. I am still wary around horses but i think just being around them will help you out. Walking is good not everything is about speed!

Answer 4

this may sound REALLY  weird, but try doing yoga right before you ride. it helps get your body and mind relaxed. what you also can try it right before you ask for a trot, canter, etc take a deep breath. it may also help to not think of what happened. but also think of what you got from it. like what you know what went wrong, and so that you know what to do if something like that happens again. so take your accident and learn from it. as they say, the best remedy for falling off your horse, is to get right back on. hope this helped a lot! best of luck to you.

Answer 5

The old adage about getting back on the ohrse is totally true.  The only way you will build your confidence is by riding again.

I'm not sure this horse is the best one for you to be riding if, as you say, he tends to buck.  You need a very quiet schoolmaster to help build your confidence again.

If there are no other horses suitable for you to ride, try taking a few lessons on a lunge line, that way someone else has responsibility for what the horse is doing and you can concentrate on yourself for a bit and learn to relax.

Everyone suffers a lack of confidence every now and then, so try not to stress too much.

Answer 6

same thing happened to me...believe in urself and the horse..when it doesnt stop say whoa...pull on the reins and  kinda get aggressive.thats what i was tought!!just dont be nervouse or the horse is going to sence it and bot ull be sorry!dont be nervous!!!just believe in urself!u sound like a experince rider!i am...but i just cant canter i have b4 but i cant stay in the center of the saddle anymore..if u remember plz e-mail me at [e-mail]...i know everything about horses i have one!butp plz message me i have a show coming up and i cant rememebr how to canter.....(i feel off one-day got messed up in the head a lil)IM STILL AFRAID BUT I GOT OVER IT BECAUSE horses are my life......never give up..i didnt!

Answer 7

well, whenever I speak with serious horse people, the question always comes to if you've ever been dumped and if it was serious and how do you feel about riding now. I rode horses since childhood and very high strung ones, I hit the dust many a time, and it is scary, don't let anybody kid you that they are not also a bit afraid. So with that in mind here are my suggestions;

you can hang with your friend or back to the riding school, that doesn't matter so much, but what does matter is this, in whichever you choose, find the quietest horse, which it seems you have done with your friend already, and don't just ride that horse, do everything with it, feed him, spend time pampering him, brushing him nicely, find out if he likes special treats like apples or things in that vein, one of my horses loved mango's, go figure.

Next; take your time, bond with that horse, have fun with that horse, through this you will learn, everything about this horse, likes and dislikes, what to do and what not to do. Also, when trail riding, don't always ride, get off and walk with your horse, horses bond like this, and will do the same with you, also will appreciate the break.

And don't forget grooming is a great way to mutual respect, if you can achieve this you are 90% there. After this it is just slowly gain your confidence under tack, walk if that is what it takes, your horse will watch out for you, when you are at the 90% mark.

LAST but not LEAST; Google Julie Krone, she was an amazing jockey and a very good horse person. She took a couple of bad spills, and struggled with the very same thing you are dealing with, and articulated it (this little thing we call fear) well in a book that was written about her. Also she has a web (last time I looked) where you could write to her and maybe she will have be able to help you better than any of us.

Just don't forget YOU are NOT ALONE with this, any rider worth their salt has had to deal with it at some point in their experience.

And if you do write to Julie, tell her that Lord Farkle's owner and trainer, that is the horse she won her first race with(it will get her attention and your foot in the door) says hello.

Answer 8

Hey I'm 17 and in the midst of struggling with this myself after I took a bad spill while attempting a corner.

I'm going to tell you what Jimmy Wofford told me when he saw my amazing acrobatics. work off the lunge line for a few lessons and even experiment with how to fall off safely. I know it seems kinda stupid throwing yourself off a moving horse but once you realize that falling isn't always that tramatic it's easier. It's really helped me, you may get a few bruises but the confidence is worth it. And the plus side is when you feel truely unsafe you will know how to do an emergency dismount without hurting yourself.