Nervous Riders - What Incident Sparked your Riding Nerves

[NWalker]

There's been a couple of posts about nervous riders and I was wondering if you are a nervous was there a particular incident that initially sparked your nerves and have you managed to overcome your nervousness. I know that mine started about four years ago when I was hacking on a busy road, just coming up to a narrow, low railway bridge when a huge juggernaut came up behind me. I thought I hope he doesn't come to near but as I went over the bridge he tried to overtake me, came so near he hit my foot. I then went onto the pavement and at the same time a high speed (yellow!) train came under the bridge hooting its horn. My horse then reared up and I was left hanging over the bridge by the toe of my boot. Managed to right myself and got away with my horse uninjured and a broken finger! Since then, I have managed to control my nerves but if I am in a situation where I feel nervous I feel the same unbelievable panic and fear as I felt on that bridge. Haven't hacked out for a little while but went out on Sunday and even walking back I had overwhelming feelings of panic. I know it will get better and the reason I feel so nervous is I haven't hacked out for a couple of months. By the end of last summer I was cantering in open fields but I know its going to be a long journey to get back to that. I managed to control my nerves by having a lovely, sympathetic friend to ride out with and taking things very very slowly. How have you managed to overcome your nerves?

 

[Spudlet]

Falling off twice in one lesson off two different horses

I then didn't ride for ages due to exams, leaving home etc, and when I got back on found to my horror that I was a back of nerves, leading to the horse doing just what had made me fall off before - namely bombing off

All better now though

 

[hackedoff]

being hit by a van whilst hacking, ended my endurance riding and badly dented my nerves for any riding. I used to feel very sick when leaving the yard and couldnt cope if the pony spooked in the slgihtest. I did regain my nerves for everything but riding in anything but light traffic.It took ten years though and I am much better having moved to a very rural riding area.

 

[BigRed]

I bought a 5 1/2 year old horse described as a young horse who had been there and got the T-shirt. Someone who was not going to leave me dead in a ditch. From someone recommended by my (ex) BHSI friend. The truth was, he was recently re-broken having spent the previous 18 months in a field after being broken at 4yrs. He bolted several times then bronc'd me off leaving me with cracked ribs. After that I could not look at him, let along ride him. I got some of my money back but it took a year of riding a safe horse in a school before I recovered my nerve.

 

[Boater]

I think I would have given up if that had happened to me!! You sound to be doing well getting over your nerves and it makes my incident seem minor in comparison! Horse bucked and threw me off... only suffered whiplash but nerves kicked in. I'm a lot better than I was really by making myself ride and singing!

 

[Sarah1]

My horse spooked, took off with me and we collided with a very slippery, very hard concrete road! We lived to tell the tale but were both very, very lucky!
I'm not a nervous rider as such but I do get a bit worried when I feel myself becoming just a passenger!
Bolting is my worst fear.

 

[Kenzo]

The only thing that nearves me is when horses run backwards, no respect for whats behind them, specially on roads where traffic is concerned or very large dykes or fencing etc.

I can deal with been thrown off, but being landed on by half a tone of horse in a ditch, doesnt sound like fun, thats when my jitters come in.

 

[Bowen4Horses]

i'm one of the peeps who wrote a post recently about completely losing my nerve. i don't know what caused mine really. i used to be very brave.

-i think being a mum made a big difference.
-having time off riding.
-having a mare that was very unpredictable -one minute would plod, the next rearing vertical. it wasn't her bad behaviour that scared me. it was the fact she was unpredictable. and i think it really hammered home that 1)horses are animals 2)they can seriously damage me

and now, i think the reason i'm petrified is because i'm putting too much pressure on myself and i don't want to let my husband/raff down. and i know that my confidence is SO fragile that one incident would knock me so far back i'd never get on him again.

but, there is light at the end of the tunnel, other people seem to get over their fears. i'm a determined kinda gal...

 

[Hoppa]

When i was 16 my parents under the "advice" of a friend, bought me a ridiculously strong, naughty horse, late gelded with a huge neck... after 6 months of him putting his head down and tanking off and several incidents involving minor hospital trips... he ran off one day and smashed through the racecourse barrier at epsom! left me semi-concious and made his way home bleeding everywhere.. I gave up for 10 years. Then met a friend who had a lovely safe cob and started riding again... only to be thrown off in woodland when he spooked at a dog.
In hind sight, upon my return to riding I should have had some lessons, got my confidence up and a good seat etc.
Which is now what I have finally done! I've learnt as I've got older, nothing stops a horse from tanking off, like having a good seat and staying calm, no amount of bits and gadgets will work as well.
I've had a couple of incidents on the ground when handling horses... and sometimes that gets my pulse racing and knees shaking. Just done a lot of ground work with my lad, so that if he does misbehave I can predict what he will do, thats about the only solution. Try not to handle other peoples horses too much then I feel ok.

 

[NWalker]

Oh dear maybe I shouldn't have started this. Feeling even more nervous after reading all these posts! It's funny I am not too nervous about traffic its more a fear of being in a situation where I have no control so my main fear is that my horse will take off with me. Very silly when I have a hairy cob! I try singing when I feel very nervous. Unfortunately the only song I know all the way through is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer which I sing whatever time of year. I do feel very frustrated with myself, I have a lovely horse, friend to ride with and places to ride and I spoil if for myself, my horse (and my poor friend!) with irrational nerves.

 

[timefort]

Greetings to a fellow railway line/bridge dangler! I'm glad to hear you were relatively unscathed - your accident sounded much worse than mine.

I was riding a youngster for a friend in the company of his mum when we heard music at a local pub - cue bolt up road dodging cars and two other horses/riders... Managed to stop and warn the other riders who both said "don't worry, we'll be fine" but could not convince my boy to return to pub and his mum. A second blast of music sent the other two riders and mum bolting up the road to join me. This was all the excitement we needed and rodeo antics started up the road and on to a low railway bridge and after a particularly nasty spin & shoulder there I was dangling over the bridge. The only things stopping me falling onto the tracks at this point were the reins which I'd fortunately hung on to...!! And the helpful comment I received from the two other riders who bolted back to us?? "Let go of his reins, you'll hurt his mouth" Thanks for helping me up guys!

It took a while to be confident on anything bigger than a pony again and I avoid bridges wherever possible(!) but your confidence will improve - good luck

 

[HollyWoozle]

I feel a little bit nervous before every ride, though I don't have any particular incident which has made me feel that way. I find that once I'm going I'm usually a lot braver than I thought and that I just get on with it... though I'm sure that this would change if I had a bad accident or horse took off with me. I'm rather anxious to try cantering Belle out on a hack (not cantered her at all yet, except when I tried her out, but I am not nervous about trying it in a school environment).

I also feel more nervous if someone nervy is with me. When I hack Belle at the moment I get someone to walk with me and if it's my mum, she makes me more worried because she worries!

 

[MontyandZoom]

I never learned to jump as a child and only started jumping when I got Monty 5 years ago. His owner pushed me to do a show when I wasn't ready, entered me in the 2'9 class. Monty was an arse!!!!

I stayed on but he galloped towards every fence and took strides out everywhere. He was 17hh so I almost pinged off a million times.

I was terrified after that but tried to continue. I then came off jumping a log in the woods. I landed on my face in a ditch and Monty was found down the road on a dual carriage way!

I never jumped him again

When I got Zoom she had never jumped and I had only jumped a few times all ending in disaster. She is a one-eyed expolo pony. But she's awesome

We went from this (first time jumping):

To this in the space of a year:

HOWEVER - I went over to my friend's yard yesterday and pooed myself at a 2 foot show jump

If I don't jump for a couple of weeks I feel like I'm back to square one. Also, I am brave on sponsored rides when my blood is up, but in an arena or at home I'm useless.

Sorry - it ended up being long and pointless but I don't think I will ever be overly confident jumping. I just have to keep slapping myself in the face and making myself do it since the feeling you get when you've done it is immense

 

[cobface]

Had a few! mainly after a long brake from riding i loaned out an ex racer, he was 16.3 and a big stocky sort of TB not a weedy one! rode him round the field a few times and he was very good. Took him on quiet roads with my mum walking with us and we got to a hill and he just flipped out, reared up and toppled over/flipped backward and almost crushed me! he bolted back to the field and i ended up with a cracked riding hat and very sore.

My current mare - led her over a ditch/bog and she ran through it and right over me knocking me flying and ripped off my riding hat with her hoof, again very bruised, broke 2 toes and had the biggest burn mark from my hat strap under my chin

Also i tried a horse at a dealers yard and it bolted on the main road with me, it was the type of horse that if you tried to pull it up it would get the bit between its teeth and go faster!!

I havent ridden for 10 days now and my mare is hyped up, bit nervous about getting on her TBH. Last time she was hyped she reared full height on the lounge and when she has a seson she changes into a monster and has a habit of mini rearing when she gets nappy............fortunitly these episodes are few and far between and NORMALLY shes lovely and i have gained my confidence on her. Just loose it a bit when shes silly

 

[NWalker]

Thank you everybody. It wasn't a pointless post MontyandZoom. I am so sorry to hear about Monty. I think you are a very brave rider. I read your story about Monty and I think he was so lucky to have find you.

 

[PurplePickle]

Age! nothing that happened as a teen put me off, it was just as I got older that I got more nervous. I would ride anything within reason. Even now ill get on and go but im far more 'woahhh' about everything

 

[Gorgeous George]

My nervousness was caused about 6 months after getting George (my first horse despite having ridden for 30 odd yrs on RS horses), we were out hacking in walk and to this day I don't know what scared him, but he suddenly span round and I was left sitting in front of the saddle as he galloped across a ploughed field. I eventually came off, landed flat on my back and winded myself as I staggered up I saw George run into the main road and heard a screeching of tyres. I was beside myself as I ran to the road, but the car had missed him and a kind person had caught him. It shook me up something rotten and I turned into a quivering wreck.

But 2 years on with a lot of help from understanding, friends, a great instructor and an OH willing to walk or cycle beside me, I am happy to hack out on my own! Ok if I see something I think might scare George I have to force myself to be calming and singing is my greatest tool.

Good luck.

 

[The_snoopster]

I lost my nerve big time over tripping I had a horse who stumbled so badly he did a rolly pollie with me still on, both of us got off with just bruising but it really knocked me back.
It turned out this horse had developed arthritic knees and tripped a few more times with me before he was diagnosed, I could not ride down a hill for years.
I have never been a brave rider and always chose dobbins who get lazy and can often stumble, so when I looked at my next horse I was incouraged to buy a more forward going horse who uses it's self more.
I got lucky when I found my mare as she is safe but forward thinking so my fear of tripping as eased, but every now and again the thought runs through my head. This is when I take a deep breath and squeeze my mare into trot and think positive thoughts.

 

[soulfull]

Mine was a combination of badly breaking my ankle then due to horses injury I had to get another one. There was something about him that you just could not trust. One day he bolted at a show while bucking constantly...saddle slipped and I came off. Several other things he did showed he had serious problems he was evil so I just lost my trust in horses.

Now I have Micah and building my confidence back again

he is ace

enough to keep me on my toes but not untrustworthy and evil like the other one

 

[fjordhorsefan]

I had a 17hh horse on loan, who seemed great. No one told me that he wouldn't hack out alone, and I didn't find out until we were coming back from a hack out and he galloped the 2 miles back on the wrong side of the road. He only stopped because I pointed him at a parked van.

I am still a little nervous, but as long as I feel in control I am ok now. I still don't like hacking out alone though. I have a lovely pony who is a real confidence giver, and I have even jumped him (never thought I would see the day!)

 

[MrsMozartletoe]

Came off the Dizzy dingbat. She wasn't doing anything wrong, we were bombing along nicely and she went slightly left and I didn't. It was a silly fall, nothing interesting, other than I bashed my head. A bleed on the brain. No riding for nearly three months. Coming close to popping off this mortal coil has apparently dented my confidence. Working on getting it back

.

 

[cariadssogreat]

Mine was out hacking alone and being hit by a car! :-(

 

[Chavhorse]

Certainly wasn’t in the least bit nervous before my crash as I call it. I had over 35 years of riding experience, including hunting in my youth, qualified as an instructor and had a reputation as being a strong and gutsy rider .

I took on a bolshy TB with known issues of Rearing, spinning and “stoppable” bolting because I had'nt had a bad experience I couldn’t ride through on a horse in years and no fear whatsoever or so I thought!

Then one day said horse bolted and I had the horrible realization (which so many people have told me was also their OMG moment) that this time he not only didn't care about what happened to me but actually he had lost all thought for his own self preservation and it didn’t matter what skill I used it was all to nothing and I was powerless and the only way out was off.

I do not have much recollection of that day but the person who was riding with me says that at one point I leaned out of the saddle and took his bit ring in my hand in an attempt to pull him round or at least slow him up. Then as he gathered to jump a wide Dyke leading to a main road I bailed out and gave a good impression of a Barnes Wallace Bouncing bomb! Ending up in the Dyke under the Horse (Kenzo I have no idea just how frightening this was as luckily I was unconscious).

I woke up in an Air Ambulance with a broken shoulder, fractured hip, my Patella had slipped halfway round my leg, a broken ankle , blind in one eye (due thank god to a head injury and I got over it in a month) and puking due to ingesting god knows how many liters of dirty Dyke water.

It is now 18months since the accident and I have well and truly discovered fear, every time I go to get on top I feel sick, every new thing be it trotting, hacking out is a major hurdle. And here is an admission I still have not cantered off the lunge line!

I think it is only my sheer bloody mindedness that actually keeps me riding and the desire to one day ride my saint of a youngster without any fear or forethought or the need for Rescue Remedy!

 

[diamonddogs]

I don't know what my problem is!

I've not had a really bad fall ever, I've been clipped by a car out hacking, as a teenager I was the one to ride all the nutters, strange horses never fazed me (the YO was a bit of a dealer and we used to wait for him on Thursdays to get back from the sales so we could test drive the newbies), and my last pony before my break was a youngster who was bought as a five year old but was actually three - his favourite trick was to cart me off at a flat out gallop, then stop dead so I flew over the handlebars. Then he'd run backwards in the hope I'd let go, then he'd canter off. This was the pony that broke my nose in another incident.

I had a fairly long break, had my son, yet still managed to ride confidently when we began lessons when he was about eight.

My latest break lasted about ten years. Now I make any excuse in the world not to ride Kels. I've only ridden her about four times in the thirteen months I've had her (she'd been off sick for about eight months before I got her and needed bringing back into work). She's an absolute sweetheart under saddle, so there's no reason for me to be worried I'm 98% confident handling and working her from the ground, yet everyone tells me it's safer on them than with them if you know what I mean!

Luckily I'm happy just to be with her, and I'm on a new yard now with lots of others after keeping her on a couple of small farms where nobody else rode their horses either, and I'm beginning to feel left out when they all go off hacking together, so it won't be long now!!!

Let's just get rid of this snow...

 

[maxapple]

I'm nervous jumping my pony - as he has such a dirt stop trick on him! In Dec I fell off head 1st twice ... 1st time I landed on my face and was lucky not to break my cheek / eye socket (got sent straight to XRay in A&E as they thought it was broken) ... 2 weeks later I did another head first exit but managed to flip upside down and land on my legs again.

You could say we now have trust issues! I'll happily jump my other horse tho bless him!

 

[happyhack]

I was out hacking a youngster as a favour to someone in 2008 and the person I was hacking with decided to go for a gallop without warning me. Pony I was on took off without warning and I lost my stirrup, which in turn spooked pony. I came flying out the side door, dislocated my knee, got whiplash, badly bruised my back, and pulled ligaments in my left hand. I couldnt drive for 2 weeks, let alone ride. It was nearly 3 months before I got back on and I was terrified. I rode my friends bombproof cob and was a quivering wreck. Ironically it was a 17hh 4YO sports horse that helped me get my confidence back!!

 

[Angua2]

My current bout is due to being propelled over the handle bars. it doesn't help that we have limited turn out and the weather is so rank that I haven't been able to do much with my girl and she is now turning into a raving loony that does nothing for the nerves.

As for the debilitating nerves jumping I have no idea, I was a kid on a riding holiday and lost it one day on the XC course and I have never been the same since...... I think now though I am older it is all about being out of control and falling off..... I have some good days and some bad

 

[Cadfael&Coffee]

My word- I've had a few near-misses, bit until reading this lot didnt realise quite how lucky I was!!

The main one for me was a TB who took off when the pony I was riding with galloped off. One crashed horsey- we ran through barbed wire and crashed onto concrete, horse ended up running off up the footpath and I was left trying to bundle this pony an the petrified rider up to the yard so I could find an adult (I was 13!!)

I'm now iffy about galloping, but thru sheer bloody mindedness make myself do things I'm worried about, which usually ends up with me and horsey enjoying ourselves!!!

Good luck everybody here, I'm amazed at how brave some of you are!!

 

[fine_and_dandy]

I haven't had a major incident per se.

I just happened to have a horse who without knowing at the time, knocked my confidence consistently and it was only when I had my next horse and went to get back on after having had 3 months out after an op that I realised I was a mess.

I have some absolutely brilliant days, likee on Tuesday night, and I can be buzzing after it, but then equally, I can have some awful days. I would find that I think too much of the "what if" and get myself so worked up about what might happen that I lose all common sense. It doesn't matter that the horse may never have done anything to me personally. It is ridiculous because my previous mare could have days where she would spook at nothing in the school and prat about for the first ten mins and would do a couple of strides of canter before stopping - I would deal with that perfectly; just acting on instinct and not thinking. But once I had realised what she had done, I would fall to pieces afterwards.

I have managed to get myself so far along, although actually feeling rather inadequate again at the moment. I have realised though that my problem lies in the way I think, and I am actually going to try hypnotherapy. All I want to be able to do is stay calm, deal with things as I used to do and enjoy my horse.

Yesterday for example, I was watching someone ride and their horse stopped, wouldn't move and then shot backwards so fast I though first of all he was going up and then on the second time he did it, that he was going over. She sat calmly, and once he finished pushed him on again. I was only watching and pretty much had a heart attack, which made me feel stupid.

I am a competent rider, I just think I'm not and suffer massively because of it. The other problem I have is that my rising 4 year old is due to be backed soon. I'm timing the hypnotherapy in with this and my YO will be giving me lessons on Bailey and schooling him as well, but I am so scared I won't be able to be the rider he needs me to be. I feel very useless.

I know a lot of people at the yard wonder why I have an unbroken youngster if I am like this but what they don't realise is that I haven't always been this way, and certainly wasn't this way when I bought him at 5 months old.

 

[ElliePinza]

I have always been a nervous rider. 4 years ago you wouldn't get me over a jump.

Since then I have realized that I can actually channel this into having fun. I have a pony who has really built up my confidence jumping, yet still has enough spirit to keep me on my toes.

I am still absolutely terrified but am now jumping 3ft courses on my pony and loving every second of it