”I had a bad fall a year ago last October, I have ridden that horse and other horses this year and can't seem to get over that gut wrenching fear when the horse I am riding startles, or lightly resists. I even have someone else ride first to make sure the horse is acting okay and still freeze up at times. I am 59-years-old and have been riding for years but this is getting out of hand. Sue.”

H&C blogger and equestrian sports psychologist Charlie Unwin replies: “I am sorry to hear of your incident and would very much like to help you get back onto the road to enjoyment with your riding, Sue. You are probably well aware that the fear you are experiencing is disproportionate to the actual level of danger presented by riding your horse; that said, I understand entirely that knowing this does not help! This is because the cause of these feelings originates from a specific incident which, unlike general nerves, has made an association in your mind that is difficult to undo by reasoning alone. I should imagine this is frustrating for you Sue, as you sound like a rider who is used to a fairly hands-on and practical approach?

How many times do you have to touch a hot iron in order to be very wary of them? Even when an iron is clearly unplugged we tend to be extremely cautious! This is precisely the same type of association you have unwillingly made between the feeling of a horse resisting and feeling threatened. We can permanently “collapse” this unhelpful association by replacing it with another more helpful one (i.e. feeling resourceful and confident rather than fearful). I would recommend incorporating mental imagery with a progressive programme of goal-directed riding sessions. This is easier than it sounds – simply follow these steps for every session:

1. Decide upon what type of riding makes you feel most in-control (i.e flatwork schooling in an enclosed arena). Think of something relatively challenging that you fancy achieving with your horse over a three week period (i.e. a combination of challenging dressage movements) and develop a progressive plan that builds up to this on a day-to-day basis.

2. Keep sessions to 30 minutes max whether you want to ride for longer or not. This will offer you at least 20 minutes before each ride. Use this time to sit down in a quiet comfortable place and spend at least five minutes doing the breathing exercises at the link below. After this, close your eyes and imagine a time when you felt supremely confident and happy riding. Imagine being there and living it in every detail in your mind’s eye. In particular focus on how great you felt and immerse yourself in that feeling.

3. Now imagine that when you had this experience you were doing exactly the same session that you are about to do and keep the good feeling going as you do it. If you notice anything negative, rewind it a bit and do it again in slow motion.

4. Take as long as you need to do this well and then go straight out to ride. If at any point you feel jittery, ride a 10m circle and focus as hard as you possibly can on doing three quality deep breaths according to the breathing technique above, noticing how you legs, shoulders and face muscles relax every time you breathe out. Then carry on as normal. You may do this 20 times in a session – it doesn’t matter!

Finally...
5. Be aware of specific points in time whilst mounted or preparing to ride when you notice nervous feelings (if there are any). Write down exactly what you were doing at the time (i.e. collecting your tack) and make a note to do the relaxation exercise next time you are doing the same thing.
Try to do this diligently Sue and you will notice the difference after a few sessions. Keep doing it for the full three weeks and then you can start to challenge yourself with more varied sessions.

If you are interested in using psychology to perform at your best in competition, come along to my evening presentation at Hartpury on 4th Feb. Visit my weblink below for details.

I would love to know how you get on,
Charlie.”