Manage Horseback Riding Fear By Staying In The Moment by Jane Savoie
Fear is a very real issue for many horseback riders. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, it would be surprising if you never felt afraid when riding. After all, you're dealing with an animal that greatly outweighs you.
In addition to their size, horses are not always predictable. After all, they've survived all this time because of their flight instinct. The fact that they're reactive creatures rather than logical ones can be scary.
Don't get me wrong. Fear is a valuable emotion. It helps keep you safe and makes you take responsibility for your actions. Fear can become a problem, however, when it becomes so overwhelming that it paralyzes you and prevents you from doing what you want or enjoying your horse fully.
What can you do about the fear that stops you from totally enjoying your riding and your horse? There are so many tools that you can use to help you manage your horseback riding fears.
Here's just one quick tip to help you cope with your fear when horseback riding. Use it not only when you ride, but also for any other area in your life when you're immobilized by fear.
First, understand that when you're afraid, your mind isn't in the present. It's on what might happen in the future.
Then consider the fact that 99% of what you fear, never happens. Why use up so much energy and emotion worrying about things that might happen but usually never do?
You can learn how to manage your fear by staying in the moment.
When you find yourself dwelling in future, fear-based thinking, bring yourself back to the present moment by involving as many of your five senses as you can.
Hear the rhythm of your horse's footfalls. Look at the trees outside your ring. Feel the texture of the reins. Smell the fly spray. And taste your salty sweat dripping down from underneath your helmet!
Stay in the moment by adding emotion too. Remember a time when you felt calm, relaxed and connected to your horse. Recreate that feeling when you start to get nervous.
If you have a hard time conjuring up that feeling, borrow the emotion from another time in your life.
Remember a time when you were totally relaxed at the beach. Or conjure up the sense of peace you have when you're patting your dog or cat. Or maybe you can experience the calmness you feel as you rhythmically curry your horse during grooming.
So manage your horseback riding fears by staying in the moment by using your five senses and including positive emotion. Doing so will get you out of future thinking which is where fear lives and bring you back to the present.
Jane Savoie was the reserve rider for the US Olympic Dressage Team in 1992. She has coached at 3 Olympics in Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens. Jane has written 6 books on training and sports psychology. Click here for more info onrider fear
Article Source: ArticleSnatch Free Article Directory
Fear is a very real issue for many horseback riders. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, it would be surprising if you never felt afraid when riding. After all, you're dealing with an animal that greatly outweighs you.
In addition to their size, horses are not always predictable. After all, they've survived all this time because of their flight instinct. The fact that they're reactive creatures rather than logical ones can be scary.
Don't get me wrong. Fear is a valuable emotion. It helps keep you safe and makes you take responsibility for your actions. Fear can become a problem, however, when it becomes so overwhelming that it paralyzes you and prevents you from doing what you want or enjoying your horse fully.
What can you do about the fear that stops you from totally enjoying your riding and your horse? There are so many tools that you can use to help you manage your horseback riding fears.
Here's just one quick tip to help you cope with your fear when horseback riding. Use it not only when you ride, but also for any other area in your life when you're immobilized by fear.
First, understand that when you're afraid, your mind isn't in the present. It's on what might happen in the future.
Then consider the fact that 99% of what you fear, never happens. Why use up so much energy and emotion worrying about things that might happen but usually never do?
You can learn how to manage your fear by staying in the moment.
When you find yourself dwelling in future, fear-based thinking, bring yourself back to the present moment by involving as many of your five senses as you can.
Hear the rhythm of your horse's footfalls. Look at the trees outside your ring. Feel the texture of the reins. Smell the fly spray. And taste your salty sweat dripping down from underneath your helmet!
Stay in the moment by adding emotion too. Remember a time when you felt calm, relaxed and connected to your horse. Recreate that feeling when you start to get nervous.
If you have a hard time conjuring up that feeling, borrow the emotion from another time in your life.
Remember a time when you were totally relaxed at the beach. Or conjure up the sense of peace you have when you're patting your dog or cat. Or maybe you can experience the calmness you feel as you rhythmically curry your horse during grooming.
So manage your horseback riding fears by staying in the moment by using your five senses and including positive emotion. Doing so will get you out of future thinking which is where fear lives and bring you back to the present.
Jane Savoie was the reserve rider for the US Olympic Dressage Team in 1992. She has coached at 3 Olympics in Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens. Jane has written 6 books on training and sports psychology. Click here for more info onrider fear
Article Source: ArticleSnatch Free Article Directory