Riding In Open Spaces - Help!

ElphabaFae

ElphabaFae

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Hello, I know I've posted about this before, but I really need some help. I am absolutely terrified of riding in open spaces in particular fields. I've had numerous bad experiences none of them really the fault of the horses or my RI's. My first ever cross-country aged 8, ended up with me coming off from gallop on concrete at the gate after the pony got scared and spooked. The lesson after that I watched as one of the girls in my lesson got taken off with and fall off, she dislocated her elbow and broke her arm. By that point I was pretty nervous of riding out in the open, anyway whenever I would ride out in the open even on the most quiet kick-on cob who I trust I tense up completely and forget how to ride through sheer fear.

It is so frustrating because I got some much better last year when I was volunteering at my RS and I was going out on loads of walk + trot hacks to build my confidence. I even had a private XC lesson on the quiet cob, even though I was really tense, I still did a little combination of 5 jumps, which for me is a miracle. I'm ok walking on the edge of a field most of the time if I am on my own but trotting and cantering is so scary, whether on a hack or a XC lesson. My RI is brilliant and is very understanding, I had a XC lesson earlier in the year in my normal riding group and I was ok as long as I went first to get it other with, even though I still felt like I was going to pass out, I jumped some of the little fences which are about 1'9" and 2ft.

Yet on saturday at a place I am studying for my NVQ, I was offered the chance to ride in a dressage test, I was fine warming up in the school, but we then had to wait outside, I said I couldn't go into the field because I would panic. So I waited outside the school, but the pony I was riding tried to follow the other horses to the field, and I had a complete meltdown. I couldn't breathe, think kind of like a panic attack reaction. One of the liverys stood with the whole time and held the pony, so I could relaxed more and not worry about her taking off.

I just don't know what to do anymore! I've tried rescue remedy, focusing on my breathing and remaining relaxed to get the horse to relax, but I just can't. I go straight into panic mode. There is some much stuff I want to do, I want to go out and enjoy XC but I just can't. I have a lesson at my RS tonight and I'm having a complete panic will have to go out on a hack and the thought is terrifying for me :( Half the problem is that I tense up so the horse does too :(

I should just say, I'm so much better riding on my own in open spaces and I'm ok riding down roads because they are enclosed on either side of me, fields are the biggest issue.

Sorry that is so very long, but has anyone got any suggestions?
 
I can't really offer any help in what to do but just to let you know I feel the same! I have my first horse who is a 4 year old Irish cob. I am a nervous rider and I'm having lessons with a private instructor. I am fine in the schooling area but she took me out into the open field after my lesson and asked me to do some circles etc in trot. I panicked as I was out of my comfort zone and when I trotted a circle, Bridie decided to canter towards the gate which freaked me out! My instructor made me keep doing it and my nerves were in tatters by the end of the lesson!
 
Part of the problem with riding school horses is that they get very used to repetition, and that they often live fairly boring lives........

This can mean that they start to think that cantering/jumping outdoors is "exciting" and they associate going outside with doing "exciting" things. So they get all het up and strong.

If you had this problem with your own horse I would suggest schooling in the field lots and just walking in open spaces too so that he didn't associate getting his feet on grass with excitement but it is difficult to do this within the confines of a riding school.

All you can really do is talk to your instructor so that she can make sure she doesn't over face you or make matters worse and take things steady. It might be worth trying to ride at a trekking centre where they go into open spaces a lot but don't go fast so that you can ride a horse that is totally chilled and happy to walk in a wide open space.

The only other thing would be to examine what actually frightens you, is it fear of falling off or the horse bolting or what? And try to minimise that fear, for example by learning strategies to deal with a horse running away with you such as bridging your reins, turning decreasing circles etc or by wearing a body protector or having a balance strap.
 
Following on from what krismas katt just said about body protector etc, what about one of those inflatable body protectors a lot of xc riders now wear. is it called the 'point 2' or something?
 
I know exactly how you feel, I am also terrified of open spaces due to a very bad bolting accident in 2009 (not on my Horse).

I have been trying to force myself to ride on grass again. There is a track near me which is quite narrow and I have been cantering on that (only beheind another Horse though, I'm still to scared to go in front) We do have a smallish paddock at the yard that I am going to push myself to ride in. Do you have a field you could ride in? Ours was quite big so I made the area smaller using Leccy tape. My plan is too make the area bigger as my confidence grows.

Don't give up, I'm sure there are many more of us that hate open spaces! Good luck x
 
I always wear a BP for jumping, hacking, and flatting on the sharp TB because it makes me more relaxed, plus I already have a dodgy back and I don't want to make it worse. And normally have a neckstrap to hold onto as well when riding out in the open.

I'm always put on the quiet horses for riding out in the open because the RI is a family friends and she knows I have huge confidence issues. I only do what I feel comfortable doing. She doesn't push me into doing anything I don't think I can. it's not that I can't do it, it is that I'm scared which is what is so frustrating :rolleyes:

In my lesson tonight, I'm going to ask if I can have a couple of private lessons in the field on the quiet cob who I trust, so to build up on confidence without having to worry about the other people who are normally in my lesson.

My biggest fear is not being able to stop, the first time that pony took off with me, it was the realisation that I couldn't stop that was the problem. Not the fact I had lost both stirrups and was galloping up the field, but the fact I couldn't do anything about the galloping, despite trying to turn a circle and pull the reins.
 
LaurenBay said:
I know exactly how you feel, I am also terrified of open spaces due to a very bad bolting accident in 2009 (not on my Horse).

I have been trying to force myself to ride on grass again. There is a track near me which is quite narrow and I have been cantering on that (only beheind another Horse though, I'm still to scared to go in front) We do have a smallish paddock at the yard that I am going to push myself to ride in. Do you have a field you could ride in? Ours was quite big so I made the area smaller using Leccy tape. My plan is too make the area bigger as my confidence grows.

Don't give up, I'm sure there are many more of us that hate open spaces! Good luck x
Click to expand...

i think this is a brilliant idea - enlarging the field as you get more confident - wish i though of it myself!:)
 
I don't like cantering in open spaces either, after my horse took off with me in Feb of this year. I have cantered down a small lane with a natural stop at the end, and around an enclosed field, by for the time being thats the extent of it. Confidence is very fragile and when its broken its hard to rebuild, but it is possible. At the end of the day I always say to myself, riding should be fun and there is no rule that says I have to canter in open spaces. So I will just take my time. I will get there in the end I hope, and so will you, just take it slowly and try not to over analysis it. It sounds like you do what I do and just think about it until your stressed and worried before you even go out. Just think to yourself its ok if you only walk today, and then see how you feel.
 
You're not alone in this OP!! Some of us more "mature" riders would ***** themselves at the thought of being in an open field!!!

Having said that, I plucked up courage and have been out hacking on open ground on the local common on mine (we even had a little canter :)), BUT somehow that didn't feel like it was on "open" ground, probably because there's tracks up there among the bracken/gorse etc and it didn't feel at all like riding in an open field where there's no tracks just wide open space (aaaarrrrggghhhh).

But we went to a local show recently where there was this mega-huge open field just stretching into the distance, and he was a total fruit-cake; just exploded.

Perhaps the problem for horse & rider alike is that in a field there's no tracks or indication of where to go, so there's the uncertainty about that. Also perhaps as far as the horse is concerned its just sheer excitement and in the "natural", they'd be tanking off at the gallop to explore and make sure there's no predators around, then settle down to eat. Perhaps this is the real issue?

But OP I absolutely agree: open fields are just toooooo scarey at the mo.
 
Thank you for your replies, glad I'm not the only one!

Have spoken to RI tonight and I'm going to have some private lessons in the field, and just do my normal flat work in there. The irony was tonight I had a XC at the RS, was riding the super safe cob, I just had a bit of a melt-down going into the field, by RI led me across the field and talked with me until I stopped crying and could breathe. I did a couple of the small fences a couple of times over each and then came back into the school. I'm very very lucky that my RI is understanding and never pushes me into doing anything so that did my confidence some good and coupled with the private lessons I will have hopefully, I should be more confident soon :)
 
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