Calling all nervous nellies! How do you cope??

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Scaty_Bird

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question in the title really.

I am a bit of a nervous nelly but am quite capable so end up annoying myself! lol

So how do you fellow nervous nellies cope with your nerves?? What do you do to keep calm??
 
You have just described me!!! Not on all horses, just the ones I ride for "pleasure" after a few bad experiences through no fault of my own I get sick and shaky before riding.

One thing that helped was going home to my trusted instructor to rise one of her sensible horses just to remind myself that I can in fact ride. I then returned to my usual riding much more confident.

Also, breathe! When nervous I hold my breath and tense up which make the whole thing worse as obviously this passes to the horse.
 
Remembering to breath is definitly good advice - I quite often sing quietly (I am tone deaf and don't want to inflict my warbling on others) as that means I have to keep breathing.

I used to get very nervous at competitions and took Bach's Rescue Remedy. Even if it actually didn't do any good I thought that it did and that helped.
 
My husband swears by Bach Rescue Remedy.

Singing is also good, especially if you can sing something that matches the rhythm of the horse. Nellie the elephant for canter and the ugly duckling for trot.

Try having some lessons on a really nice safe horse for a while too just to get yourself to realise that you can have a good experience. An instructor who knows your ability and how to deal with nervous types is important too, they need to know your ability and be good at picking up when to push and when to back off though.
 
Oh and sometimes actually experiencing what you are scared of helps.

Whether it be falling off and not actually hurting yourself or getting carted and being able to stop and get back into control again. Not something that I think you can set up but it often helps you turn a corner!
 
If a neck strap makes you feel more confident or safer put one on. They make me feel safer! I used to ride racehorses and they all have martingales on so i used to always put my finger in my neck strap when they never had a martingale on the horse felt naked with out it there!! Infact i once fell off a still had a hold of my neckstrap and had let go of my reins lol!! It always made me feel better knowing the strap was there if i needed it
 
i have lost my confidence, and struggled for the last few years with how to cope. it's got so bad now that today i realised i need to stop it.

i have started a new way of thinking, as of today... and that is that the thought of being a scaredy cat for the rest of my life is FAR more scary than the thought of riding my beloved horse.

so, as of today, everytime i feel scared of him. i'll remind myself of how scared i am of living like this forever... and hopefully i'll be brave.


gulp.
x
 
I'm a terrible nervous nelly myself but I find practice makes perfect - when things go right, it inspires its own confidence and things get better with time.

On Sunday at a comp, I saw the most bravest thing ever: 10 year old from a seriously competitive/famous family of riders competing a pony who was a stopper. All way around she was saying to herself: 'we can do it, we can do it'. Even when pony stopped horribly, she still got him around even though it was obvious, she was a bit scared herself. But fair play to her - if a little one like that can jump a stopper over 90cm+, then I'm more than capable of crosspoles :-)
 
clipcloppop said:
i have lost my confidence, and struggled for the last few years with how to cope. it's got so bad now that today i realised i need to stop it.

i have started a new way of thinking, as of today... and that is that the thought of being a scaredy cat for the rest of my life is FAR more scary than the thought of riding my beloved horse.

so, as of today, everytime i feel scared of him. i'll remind myself of how scared i am of living like this forever... and hopefully i'll be brave.


gulp.
x
Click to expand...

This is totally how I felt today - enough is enough! I need to get on and do it!!!!!!
 
iv had 3hypnotherapy sessions and think theyv worked. il get on near enough anything and tend to do the ponies that do little rears and bucks now but i still get nervous geting on my own horse but the fears mainly the wot if he goes again and i never hav the bottle to get bck on him:(
Iv tried singin,my fav doin the steptoe and son soundtrack which often helps, talkin to people and the hypno but nerves still there so working on small steps which means im on the leadrein till i feel comfortable on him again:rolleyes:
 
Singing! It really helps :)

I sung a very tone deaf variation of 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm' on a hack the other day, it went like:

Old MacDonald had a farm, eee-yi-eee-yi-oh
And on this farm he had a Toto, eee-yi-eee-yi-oh
With a neigh neigh here and a neigh neigh there
Here a neigh, there a neigh, everywhere a neigh neigh
Old MacDonald had a farm, eee-yi-eee-yi-oh

Haha :D
 
I always get butterfly-inducing nervous before my lesson! I find visualising myself doing the things I'm worried about (i.e. cantering on Evil Bonnie and any jumps over about 0cms :D ) really helps me! I also agree with clipcloppop, and feel that I'd rather just get on and not think on it too much, than risk losing my nerve due to nervous nelly-ness. xx
 
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