How can I break free from the fear of falling?

Just put your trust in God!!! ;)

Once you've fallen off enough times you won't be scared anymore :) Just keep on riding, and if you do fall then get back on. Falling can be a daunting prospect, but just make sure that when you fall you laugh and get back on- then you'll associate falling with something good (laughter) and you can essentially train yourself not to be scared anymore.

Obviously don't go out looking to fall off, but I think horseball is great for making you comfortable about being on the floor. Unfortunately not many places teach it (N) the thing is, when you first try it it's IMPOSSIBLE to pick the ball off the floor without landing on your head about 50% of the time :L but you're in halt/walk so it doesn't matter. Just make sure you use safefy stirrups (Y) it's a lot of fun, your horse should enjoy it (probably not at first, but once she stops being scared of the ball she will love it) and it will make you a much better and more confident rider. If there's nowhere to learn then have a go yoursef, the equipment is really easy to make.

As for mental exercises to do, think of your last fall. Pretend it is a film, as though it happened to someone else. Play it in your head in fast motion with silly music- make it comical in your mind. In the film you can alter it very slightly- did it really hurt that bad? Or did you bounce straight back up and laugh? It's up to you. Then think of all the times you've cantared in that same spot. Think how great it felt, and how much fun you had. Imagine all the people watching you thinking 'wow what a beautiful horse, she is such a good rider!' once you've replaced the bad memory with a good one you won't be as scared any more. The brain is a very clever thing, but it can be tricked :)

Practice makes perfect! Fall off lots and lots, I did as a child and although my bones do not take it as well now I am old (and I swear the ground is harder) it holds little fear for me.

So, when you are in an enclosed area, practise jumping off your horse at a walk and when you are confident with that, do it at a trot and then a canter so you learn to twist your body in the air and land on your feet facing the same way as the horse and are running with her.

Get this mastered and 95% of the time you do fall you will land on your feet because it becomes automatic.

Of course, when you have mastered the jumping off, the great thing to do would be to remount without stirrups at the same pace you dismounted at!

It sounds like a cliche, but it really is a matter of mind over matter. Once you've come off a horse a few times and realized you lived through it, it won't be such a big deal in your head. The thought of coming off the horses occurs to each and every rider (who has ridden more than a handful of horses and has spent thousands of hours riding) - it's just always a possibility, even when riding the quietest of horses. That's why smart riders wear their helmets.

You just have to get to a point where it's a calculated risk you accept, and you have confidence in your skills, and you just do your best, use wisdom in what you're doing (don't gallop through a field full of gopher holes. . .for example) and put the thought in the back of your head.

Don't worry, all riders have that feeling at least once their riding life, including me! Everyone falls off, and the only thing i can say to you is, trust your horse and yourself. Your horse can take care of you, but she can't take care of you if she can feel that you're scared. Just relax and enjoy riding. Don't constantly think about falling. It just makes you all timid and tight, and you can't enjoy riding when you are like that. Trust me, it's happened to me. I hope i helped!

EDIT: When Kristen said "If you haven't fallen off, you haven't ridden enough." that isn't true. Every rider has their first fall. Some more than other, some more frequently than other, and some more hurtful than others. I know a rider who fell off countless amounts of times, and she isn't that good. And she's been riding since she was three, and now she like 19! So don't worry. Just because your scared to fall off, doesn't make you a bad rider. I'm still scared to fall. Like not with just landing on my bum, but something worse than that. A lot worse. And when people say "You're not a real rider until you've fallen off so and so times." Just ignore them. THEY'RE WRONG! Honestly, i haven't tried the purposely falling off part. To me, if you do it too much (i'm not saying that everyone that purposely falls off their is teaching it a bad habit) but to me, if you fall off even just by accident too much, you teach your horse that a lot of times, if you buck and rear, etc., that's how to get a rider you don't like off their back and on the ground. But it's up to you...

I have had the same experiences as you right now... When i first got my first horse i felt the same way and i knew that he would not hurt me but they are still very big animals. What i would suggest is that don't feel like you have to force your self to canter or jump or anything that you do not feel 100% comfortable doing because if you spend a ton of time just hanging out with your horse and doing very simple things like walking and trotting it will come a long way. do a ton of walking until you get board and feel like you want to trot and then do a lot of that. work your way up. b/c if you are nervous it will make her nervous so spend a lot of NON- demanding time with her and build your relationship until you trust each other 100%

Really, the only way to fix this is by looking at the positive sides of falling (as stupid as it sounds). Usually when i fall off i think about why i fell, like if i wasn't holding on to the mane when jumping. Or my heels weren't down. Then it would make me remember to hold on, or put my heels down the next time im riding, So it wont happen again.

Fall of on purpose it dosent hurt on a soft ground where ur horse cant escape im 12 and have a horse with amazing speed and stamina but shes also high strung and jumpy i had an Arabian 2 years ago also and he threw me every time i rode him i just got back on laughed ab out it then showed him whose boss...

you just gotta get over it. everyone falls thats part of riding. i really dont know what to tell you, i have never really had confidence issues, so its hard for me to empathize. the only time ive been afraid of falling is right before i hit the ground :) but i can tell you the more you think about it the more likely it is to happen as your concentration isnt fully on the task at hand. i dont plan on falling off so its not in my head i guess.

i have a green horse and im pregnant, so im not riding her until i have the baby because i am afraid something could happen and i could hurt the baby. so i guess stay off till you arent worried about it anymore???

I have that too, I've fallen off a few times too. It does shock you, and you've just got to get over it and get back on. Just trust your horse, and if you do fall off, most of the time you'll be fine with afew bruises at the most.

The best way to lose that fear is to ride bareback so you learn to trust your horse. If you feel like your slipping just purposly let yourself fall. remember to relax when you fall, making it not hurt.