You are out trail riding with a friend on a spring day when a bird flies out of a tree just ahead. Instantly your heart begins pounding as you tense up. “I wonder,” you say to your friend, “whether it’s time to head home?”
You are riding in an outdoor arena when a herd of deer appears in the distance. Your horse stops and freezes. Will she whirl and bolt? Not willing to take a chance, you hastily dismount. You lead her while you try to calm yourself. You'll get back on when you again feel safe. But will you?
During an early morning warm up, your horse stumbles and lurches sideways. For a split second, you’re afraid he might go down. Instead, he quickly recovers and continues. But you can’t stop feeling jittery and decide to scrap your lesson plan for the day.
The human nervous system can do funny things. And that means—for many of us—fear is a part of riding. Not the healthy trepidation that might help you and your horse avoid danger, but irrational fear that saps energy, narrows horizons and ultimately reduces the joy of being in the saddle.
For some riders, anxiety is a natural consequence of a serious accident or a near miss. For many, it’s just part of our makeup. Regardless, fear can keep you from developing a harmonious and productive relationship with your horse. And anxieties often intensify as we age. Concerns about strength, agility, response time, balance, bone density and a million other things can make you question the wisdom of continuing to pursue the sport you love. That means working to keep your anxiety in check can be a lifelong project.
I’ll start with a true confession: I’ve never been a super-confident rider. I was an endurance competitor for more than 30 years, yet I had butterflies at the beginning of every ride. I’d wait with my tacked-up mount at the trailer while other riders congregated for the start. Or I’d ride off in the other direction until the trail opened, letting the “hot shoes” clear out of camp before I got under way. I preferred to travel near the back of the pack of competitors and let my mare
