Cross Country Rider Confidence

myheartinahoofbeat

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14 May 2019
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What's the best thing for helping with anxiety when riding? I want to event but am really struggling with nerves cross country. I have tried Kalms, Rescue Remedy. Confidence boosting mind games don't seem to help or I'm not disciplined enough at them. I am fine sj but when I have lessons xc I just go to pot and make any excuse to get out of it or find it so stressful I never relax enough to enjoy it. I feel like I am at a crossroads, I don't want to give up on being confident cross country but is it just never going to work. If I could just push through it I know I would have so much fun cross country, I just need to unlock my brain and stop over thinking but how......thats the million dollar question?
 

Red-1

I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
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I would go 1-1 with confidence coach. I used to do that sort of thing, and we would not rush it at all.

That way you could first of all simply ride on the flat in a field, then have a few SJs in a field, then simple rustics, then simple logs. Just going slow with what you feel comfortable with. On the first lesson you may well simply be riding on the flat, but not in a flat field so you will be concentrating on control and balance up and down hill. That is a skill in itself.

Just make it so there is no huge step up at any time, one exercise is just a tiny bit different to the last.
 

blitznbobs

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Start tiny with a helper on handput a working hunter fence next to the cross country fence at the same height and jump that a few times... and then do the cross country fence... and once you feel confident over that one fence move to another don’t leave that fence til it feels ‘safe ‘and once 3 or 4 fences feel safe try and join a couple up. There is no rush to do a course so take your time - at some point you’ll probably start thinking this is really boring - that’s the moment you know you are succeeding ...
 
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