How can I stop being scared on riding my horses?

Hi, I can really sympathise with you as I am exactly the same.

I fell off my 17.2hh T.B last year and it took ages before I got the guts to get back on him, I read books on positive thinking and made myself get on in an indoor arena as I was too scared to go out on the roads, now its easier but I still get a sick feeling before I ride.

All you can do is persevere until your confidence comes back, you are lucky in that you are young and so you will overcome this problem in time. GOOD LUCK

The Longer You Leave It, The More Scared Youll Get!..Every Gd Horse Rider Knows A Confident Rider Rides A Calm Horse, If A Horse Feels Your Fear It Will Do Whatever It Wants!.Which Could Cause More Accidents. I Know It Must Be Scary After Havin Such Serious Accidents But I Think A Group Lesson In A Small Arena (They Tend To Just Follow Each Other Lol ) Wher You Can Do Walking And Trotting With A Leader And Professionals Around, You WIll Be Able To Get Your Confidence Back, But Definatley Dont Give Up On Something You Love x

Kathleen, your answer lies in your own confidence. No one can force you into feeling confident again. The answer lies in why you fell off Candy. Did she buck or spook which caused you to fall or did you simply lose your balance and topple off?

The key to gaining confidence is knowledge. You must understand your relationship with your horse - riding the horse should be considered the end of the process of building a relationship with the horse - getting on a horse that doesn't trust you and that you don't trust is asking for disaster. They know when you are anxious or fearful.

A horse is an animal that needs a leader - a leader that they know will keep them safe from danger and discomfort. If you get on the horse's back and you are fearful, they will feel that fear and not trust you as their leader - if they don't trust you, you don't truly have control.

I would suggest that you and your Dad leave off the riding as a goal. Instead focus on getting to know Midnight - spend time with him NOT riding - but leading him around and being with him in his pasture. Understand by his actions whether he trusts you and learn how far you can trust him. You shouldn't be pressured into doing something like riding that you are uncomfortable with. When you feel like you and Midnight are friends enough - he follows you, he trusts you, he stands quietly while you groom him and pick his feet, the begin with getting on him and just sitting there until your fear goes away, then take him out and walk around in a controlled area like round pen or arena. Build your confidence in him and his in you in small steps and set small goals. Only by doing it at your speed will you succeed. when you are done working with him for the day, think back on what you did that was fun and what you learned and grew with that day. You must clebrate small successes, move at your own speed and realize that your success is your own, not someone else's. You Dad might push you because he thinks you can - but until you think so, you can't. But do try - don't just avoid the horse and don't think that unless you ride you're bad - because you're not. You've fallen from a very large horse and you can be very badly hurt with a simply wrong fall or mis-placed hoof.

Good luck!

well ive never owned my own horse but i grew up with them all around and riding them all the time and when i was about 8ish the horse i was riding decided to run off track down a hill then just stopped and i didnt i did a couple flips and hit the ground nothing majorly hurt but like you i was scared to get near a horse for the longest time! one day my mom literally forced me to cause she noticed how i wouldnt go near a horse but she always knew that i loved horses a lot so i think you should just have your dad force you as stupid as it sounds it could work and start out slow with them dont just jump right into running/galloping, or jumping with them just take it real slow

Just take it in small steps. You can go back to the lunge line, or even the lead line and just walk. Then when you feel fine with that you can walk on your own etc, Sometimes you just have to get out of your own head and stop psyching yourself out. Just do it and get the first ride back over with. It will make you feel loads better. Good Luck!

Well if you really want to ride again then you will get back on again. You have to accept the fact that there are going to be falls. FOREVER AND EVER. There is no magic button to get you over your fear. You just have to do it.

use your dads support ask him to lead you a bit and maybe try riding on something that is not as bold as a champion horse maybe ride a friends hacking pony if you are at a public yard.

it seems you really need to just start from stage one again and forget that you fell of

i've always been taught that to be a perfect rider, you need to fall of 99 times!

i've got 93 times left haha

Be confident and let the horse know your in charge not him. Also just do not think so much about what the horse is going to do next. Just ride

Mount your horse and have your dad lead it around for a while. When you start to feel more comfortable, have your dad ride beside you at a slow pace. Eventually increase the pace until you begin to feel more confident.

first get on the horse

if you still dont feel comfortable riding have your dad lead you around

second make sure that he leads you around till you feel comfortable

third have him stop leading you but make sure he is still there watching you

forth. have your dad leave and ride like you normally would do

you just have to get on. the confidence is the first step.

Just start out slow. walking with somebody walking next to you is perfect, because if the horse does something (which isnt really that likely) then you have extra support.