nerves

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loopylou2u

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i have had my horse a while now but still get very nervous when i hack out on her as i have had some really quite nasty experiences in the past, she has not done anything horrendous yet but she is quite spooky a carrier bag is a monster waiting to get her. any ideas how i can overcome my nerves
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I dont think there is any quick fix tbh the only thing i can suggest is maybe go out with other horses you know are safe and maybe try some kalms tablets just to help you relax a little bit.

It is a shame when people are nervous of hacking as it can really take the pleasure out of having a horse if your confined to a school all the time.
 
Nerves are very difficult to control aren't they? My heart is always in my mouth when I hack out and I don't know why? You could try a dab of lavender oil on your temples and maybe on your horse's bridle. Lavender is very calming you could also try rescue remedy.

Maybe she is a bit nervous so what about letting someone really confident hack her out for a while to give her more confidence?

When you so ride out, I would always ride out with at least 1 other person who understands you are nervouse and who's horse is calm.
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as said above, can you go out with someone else on a reliable horse, to begin with. are you wearing hi-viz? it definitely helps to slow riders down. do you avoid rush hour? there are certain things you can do to make things safer, and if you do these, you should be able to feel more confident. also, concentrating on how good your mare has been might help!
if i see something up ahead that might spook a nervy horse (e.g. a plastic bag, men at work sign, etc) i make sure i won't meet it when a car's coming past... very obvious i know, but some people seem to think that it's a 'failure' to have to wait for a safe gap. (i've had this said to me, believe it or not.) i just think it's common sense to minimise the danger, if pos!
 
i do generally try to ride with someone else but this is not always poss. i do always wear a hi viz bib with slow down on it.
and yes i also will wait 4 what i call a safe gap, even if it does mean waiting 5 mins lol.
but even with the bib on i have encountered some real idiots, my friends horse was clipped by a taxi one day and he ran into the back of my horse sending her off into a canter on the road she was really easy to pull back up, but that didn't help me.
and i will try the lavender oil thanx.
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There are some CD's that might help they are the Confident Rider series, the lady Sharon that does them has doen them for all disciplines incuding hacking and schooling.

http://www.confident-rider.co.uk/

They are helping one of my liveries who is absolutely terrified of riding her pony.
 
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