Help Lost Confidence

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sammi.r

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Can anyone offer advice in how to regain your confidence?i have a lovely 4yr old Appolosa and although havent fallen off yet,im suffering from terrible nerves :( I returned to riding after 20yr break in July and since then all i seem to do is worry about falling off(yes i know its daft)or my horse bolting etc??Can anyone offer any advice on how to overcome this??
 
Ooh this sounds familiar! Except I have fallen off :) and my lad is 5.

I worry about falling off because I don't bounce like I used to. The answer for me has been lessons on the lunge, which has been fab. He can't really go anywhere then. My lad was so good yesterday that I felt very happy to go by ourselves! Also a neckstrap is good for building confidence. Finally, if you get the impression that it's not a good day to ride, do groundwork instead. I have hopefully years to enjoy with my lad so if I don't ride today, it's no biggie!

Good luck, we'll be competing and everything in a few months :)
 
Sammi, remember riding is supposed to be fun. If you don't feel confident doing something one day, don't do it! You will gradually get to trust your horse and your riding. Lunge lessons are good until you get your seat back, but if you don't canter, so what? Just enjoy. x
 
You are painting a picture before it has even happened, my sister fell of recently and was put in hospital we found baby steps are fantastic first time she sat on the horse for 10 minutes and was lead on a lead rope :-) take it slowly and smile ! X
 
Not sure if this helps but I am very nervous now due to a very spooky pony. I feel anxious at the thought of even sitting on a horse. He has gone to a wonderful, more experienced home and I have bought a lovely safe boy. Because I am so nervous I have decided that he should spend a couple of months with a professional and I will only ride him a couple of times a week, under her supervision, until I have built up my confidence again. I have been riding (without a break) for 25 years and I have found it important to be honest about how I am feeling, both to myself and to others. There are lots of people to help : )
 
Two thoughts which may help.

Firstly, clearly you have trust issues with your horse - and possibly your horse with you, so why not try build that relationship up from the ground. I use clicker training, purely because it really helps build a bond, trains you how your specific horse learns and is a purposeful way of spending time together (I do things such as next flexions, dropping head when I pick reins up, standing still even when there are distrations, backing up, all things which help with ridden work).

Secondly, if you head is really running away with you, maybe try some hypnotherepy. You need a way to run happier more positive scenarios in your head and it can be a time effective/cost effective way to go with the right person. (PS the lady I use has severel point to pointers/showjumpers on her books who just use her pracmatically after a bad fall if it disturbs them, so not at all fluffy bunny!).
 
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