How do I overcome my fear that my horse might hurt me again?

I have had my mare since she was 1 1/2, she is now 5. I trust her with my 6 year old. I think that different horses have different temperaments just as people do. My horse has never kicked, bit or really tried to buck me off (one time she did a little jig LOL it was like being on a carousel for half a second) but she is real kind. Horses are animals and they can be unpredictable. Are you confident enough in her that she will not hurt you again? You have already mentioned that she does not have a good temperament. Were you able to discipline her immediately when she kicked you and did she still get her bath or did she win. Unless she respects you on the ground (not your trainer) you will have issues. You know your horse better then anyone on here does, if you are really questioning whether you can ever trust her again then maybe that is your answer. Perhaps a kinder horse (who still has pep of course) would be a better way to go. Anyway good luck and God Bless

tammy

Hey there. I've been riding since I was 3 or 4 and I fell off my first pony when I was 4. I was scared out of my mind, but you need to make sure you have supporters in your life that encourage you and help you up when you fall in life, including off a horse. I am still riding to this day showing and everything. All it takes, is encouragement from friends and family, and the passion and love for the sport. Anything can be dangerous, you can't single out horse riding as just one. Hockey, soccer, horseriding, even walking down the street are all the same risks, you can break a bone doing anything, you just have to decide whether you love the sport enough in order to take the steps neccessary to move forward. I'm not sure where you're from exactly, but I know of many amazing multi-level school barns that would love to accept new clients. Find a nice school barn near you that has a nice environment, nice coaches, and a variety of horses and ponies and start by taking a lesson per week. As you get more comfortable you move up to maybe another lesson per week. Coaches love to teach, as long as your willing to learn they will never do anything you are uncomfortable doing, especially when dealing with gorgeous animals like horses. Truth is, yes you can get hurt riding a horse, but you can get hurt doing anything. But if you choose the right barn to learn at, I guarentee you 100% that if you were to fall, it only gets better and better because everytime you fall and get back up you always take something positive out of the experience. Trust me, under the right supervision and with a horse you are comfortable with, your fear can be gone in no time. Just believe you can conquer it. Good luck!

Dear Valerie, I have ridden and trained horses (and people) for 18 years. The best advice I can give you is to find a good trainer for yourself. Tell her about your fears and concerns, but also your sincere desire to overcome this. Believe me, I have been where you are. When I got my first pony at age 11, I had read books on how to ride, and thought it would be easy. It wasn't! I was too scared to even try. After my Mom got me signed up for lessons, though, I was riding in horse shows within 3 months. It can be the most incredibly rewarding experience to feel like you and your horse and preforming as one!

Books are a good reference, but it sometimes takes being guided by a trainer to really progress. Most trainers don't charge very much per lesson. A good one will have at least one "dead quiet" horse that wouldn't buck if a bomb went off under it. These school horses have a lot of experience with beginning riders and usually will do what they can to help you. It is really important that you get a professional to help you with this.

If you get on a horse that has not been well trained for beginners, and you are scared, the horse can feel it. An inexperienced horse will think that if you are scared, something must be coming to eat you both, and he will be scared too. When I was competing in hunter/jumper, my mare would do great at home, but out at a show she got nervous upset and I would have great difficulty controlling her in the ring. My trainer quickly figured out that it was me, not the mare. I was getting scared before I went in the ring, and was communicating that to my horse. She taught me some relaxation techniques and we went on to win a lot of ribbons. Don't give up! Let me know how it goes.

Tiffany

hi terra. i can understand why you feel spooked. i had a similar situation occur while i was herding bulls. i was also spooked and i had to keep working that day. the difference is that your horse knows and loves you. he probably didn't mean to kick you and i'm sure he felt badly about hurting you. maybe he didn't feel like doing anything because he did not feel well. horses, as you know, can have stomach aches or other problems and since they can't speak english, they communicate with body language. it's good that your'e being more careful, but you can still give your horse a lot of hugs and kisses. he needs them as much as you do. i know you understand that animals need love, too. don't forget that your horse loves you and he needs you to keep him happy with your affection. you are so lucky to have your own horse. they are so beautiful and riding is fun for both of you. reading about horses behavior and/or behavioral problems would help you understand more. try not to let your mishap get in the way of a beautiful friendship. work on it one day at a time and you will be looking back one day and remembering about the days when you were spooked and you will realize that you haven't had any nightmares for a long time. don't worry terra, if you work on this, it will work for you. good luck and be happy, marianne

I myself don't know a whole lot about horses...but my sister went to Equestrian college and has been involved w/horses all her life. She has been severley hurt many times throughout her life. She has has several surgeries in her leg because her horse fell on her. She has pins, plates, nuts and bolts holding her leg together. I am sure it just takes some time to get over the initial shock. Ask your trainer how you can best get over the fear.

Its a horse, every horse gets spooked, it probably didn't mean to hurt you or kick at that, if you've raise it since she was little, she would never want to hurt you, it wasn't her fault. Get back on her, face your fear, and be connected like a person and their horse should be.