If you’ve ridden horses for any length of time, you know that falling is part of the process. Some riders have the tendency to land on their feet like a cat and make it look like an effortless, involuntary dismount.

I land like a turtle—on my back. While I am clumsy by nature, I strongly feel it is my lack of physical fitness that results in my lack of finesse and potential for injury. When we as riders have control of our bodies and are more physically fit, we have more confidence in both our riding and in handling a situation gone sideways—sometimes literally.

We can say the same of our mental fitness. We must build our mental muscles because not every ride will be good, and we need to learn to build our confidence.

“After a fall, the critical voice in our head typically tells us we are terrible riders, that we should have reacted differently, and that we are now failing,” says sports and exercise psychology coach Annika McGivern. “None of this is true, but this voice can keep us in a place of internal misery long after the events of the fall are behind us.”

We second-guess ourselves, our horses, and most of all, our skills in the saddle. However, there are a few things we can do to regain confidence after a fall.

Take a Moment

Horses snap out of their fight-or-flight state quickly, and move on as if nothing happened. Humans have a tougher time letting go. McGivern suggests focusing on your breathing.

“It’s OK and normal to feel scared in the saddle when you first get back on after a fall,” she says. “Any time you feel scared, commit to focusing on deep belly breaths. As you breathe, release any tension in your body and try to smile. This will help tell your brain that you’re safe and undo the fear response that was created from the fall.”

Deep breathing will also help reduce your heart rate and bring it back down to a manageable level that won’t alarm your horse into thinking a threat is still out there.

Don’t Get Emotional

As an overthinker, I replay a tough ride over in my mind to question how I could have done things differently. Every “bad ride” has a lesson to learn. Understand what happened, then let it go.

“It’s easier to be kind to yourself when you realize that taking responsibility and beating yourself up are very different things,” says McGivern. “Taking responsibility means accepting the opportunity to learn something important and become a better rider because of that tough experience. Beating yourself up only makes you feel more unsure of yourself and can destroy confidence in the long term.”

I was riding my pony in the woods when we both heard a strange sound. Before I could point him toward the sound, he dropped his shoulder, wheeled around, and I shot to the ground like a missile. Rather than get angry at him or myself, I focused on improving my balance in the saddle so that I could have a stickier seat rather than an ejector button.

Lesson Learned

Not every ride is a catastrophe waiting to happen. With each positive experience, your confidence as a rider will grow, and you realize that the days you fall are actually quite few.

“Every fall holds a huge lesson,” says McGivern. “Did you fall off because you couldn’t see the distance and threw your upper body at a long spot? OK, time to become an expert at finding your distance.” Learn from the experience and let it help you grow as a rider.

Trainers are wonderful examples of this mindset. I recently watched a trainer with a young horse at his first competition. When he refused a scary jump, she was caught off balance at the wrong time, landing on her feet and catching the reins. Years of experience had taught her how to fall and respond quickly with muscle memory to catch her horse. Now she can improve her horse’s confidence in those situations during training.

Acknowledge Intrusive Thoughts & Face the Disappointment

“After a fall, the critical voice in your head typically has a field day,” says McGivern. “It tells you you’re a terrible rider and you should have reacted differently. This self-doubting voice can keep you in a place of internal misery. The first step toward regaining confidence is to acknowledge it’s not truth, but a reflection of your inner doubts and fears.”

Training your mindset is just as important as training your horse.

In this video from Ridely, expert mind coach Annette Paterakis gives us some great tools that should help us understand and feel our disappointment and then channel it into something that we can learn from to improve in the future.

Horses have a unique way of challenging us. Falls occur periodically as part of the learning process. It can be scary getting back on, especially if you’ve been hurt. Rather than focusing on the fear and getting mad at yourself or your horse, focus on breathing and how you can change your mindset so that you move forward together as a partnership. Build your mental skills and soon you will find your confidence improves in the saddle.

This article about regaining confidence as a rider appeared in the October 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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I had grown up riding. I was the stereotypical no-fear, horse-crazy girl. And in a flash, that love had been taken over by heart-seizing fear. Just talking about horses would cause my heart to race and my breathing to get shallow. It was a fear that couldn’t really be reasoned with; it overpowered my body and made me want to run in the other direction.

Goal of Overcoming Fear after a Riding Accident

But deep down, I wanted to get back on again. Finally, my husband said I should try. My first step was to go to an expo, just to be around some horses. We watched a mounted archery demonstration, and it sparked a passion in me. I wanted to do that. For the first time in eight years, something was battling with the fear. It gave me a goal—something to focus on.

For the next two years, I would slowly push my fear down, thanks to a dutiful older Norwegian Fjord mare. She not only helped me get over those essential first steps, but I learned mounted archery with her.

The first revelation that helped me was to set small goals. One was just to get on. Then, to walk around. Next, to try and trot. I didn’t canter for at least a year.

The second thing I discovered was to listen to myself. If the voice inside me told me not to do something, I listened. I needed to take it slow, and if all of me wasn’t ready, then I didn’t do it.

Third, I needed a dream—something to stay focused on that made me want to ride so badly that I could fight the fear. And that’s where a Gypsy mare came in. Ever since I saw my first Gypsy horse when I was in high school, I was smitten. As a little girl who had dreamed of owning a Clydesdale, they seemed perfect.

In June of 2018, I found her. She was not too far away and was named Merida, after the bow-wielding Disney princess from the movie Brave. Could it be more perfect? One look into her eyes the day I went to see her and I knew she had to be mine.

Go Bitless?

She and I bonded quickly, thanks in part to my use of positive reinforcement training. But I could tell she wasn’t happy in a bit. My trainer suggested bitless. So did a friend at archery. But that scared me, which was odd, since I had grown up riding in hackamores.

I knew I didn’t have more control with a bit then I did bitless, but again, my fear used the excuse of the unknown to rear its ugly head. But I wanted my mare to be happy. So, I got a sidepull.

The fourth important revelation I had for conquering fear is to breathe. Music helps psychologically, but also you have to breathe to sing. I sang a lot that first day as I swung my leg over my now bitless mare. She was so much happier! We have been bitless ever since, even for competitions.

Which brings me to my fifth discovery. Competition. It gives you goals, something to focus on. It gets you out of your bubble with other horse people. I really found my confidence at shows.

Since 2018, Merida and I have competed at local open shows, breed shows and International Mountain Trail Challenge Association (IMTCA) mountain trail events, all bitless. She was the 2019 and 2020 Ambassador Mare for the Gypsy Horse Registry of America and the 2020 Halter and Performance Mare Champion.

We’ve won high-point awards at the open shows, and a Reserve Champion Trail title at a breed show. She was the 2020 worldwide high-point winner for the IMTCA pony division. And we were the 2019 International Registry of Bitless Equestrians’ Horse and Handler of the Year. But her most important win was helping me gain my confidence.

Remnants of Fear After a Horseback Accident

I still get a little fearful now and then. Unknowns are what really drive my fear, I think because it was an unknown horse that bucked me off. Now I actually push myself to do unknowns. In March 2021, we competed in IMTCA mountain trail bridleless and came in 4th place. That was a huge deal for me, not because of the placing, but because I had the courage to take my girl bridleless outside of our own arena.

I am not sure the fear will ever leave me completely, but I’ve learned how to stop listening to it—to respond to it with: “I can do this. You are wrong. You don’t have power over me,” instead of letting it control me. If you are struggling with the same fears, just know you are not alone. You can do it. Just take it one step at a time at your own pace.

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The post Overcoming Fear After a Riding Accident appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Riding can be one of the most exciting and thrilling activities there is. There’s not much that can top galloping through the field on your horse’s back, soaring over a big jump, racing around a barrel, or gliding across the long side of the arena at a big, bouncy trot. But as most riders know, these thrills don’t come without a few spills. The time will come that you do hit the dirt, and this can really take a toll on your riding confidence. How do you regain confidence after falling off a horse? These five tips will help you to tackle your fear after falling off and get you back in the saddle with a smile in no time.

1) If you’re not hurt (and your trainer gives you the OK), get right back on.

Many people wonder what to do after falling off a horse. After you fall off, the top of your pony’s back can feel taller than the Empire State Building, and the anticipation of swinging your leg back over the saddle can seem like the scariest thing in the world. As long as you aren’t hurt and your trainer gives you the all clear to get back in the saddle, do it right away. This will help guarantee that you don’t have any lingering anticipation about mounting up. You don’t have to go right back to the activity that you were doing when you took your spill, but a few laps around the ring at the trot after a fall can go a long way toward kick-starting your confidence.

2) Go back and do something you’ve already mastered.

If you took a tumble while working on a new skill, take a step back and do something you already feel great at. If you had a hiccup while working on perfecting your flying change, take some time and go back to the trot-to-canter transition. If you lost your balance galloping on the trails, take a few outings at a relaxing trot through the woods. Practicing something you already know how to do well will help boost your confidence and keep nerves at bay.

3) Talk with your trainer.

Losing your confidence and feeling afraid after a fall is completely natural. While it may feel embarrassing to admit your fear to your trainer, talking with him or her about it can actually help keep your nerves from getting even worse.

Having an open communication going between you and your trainer will help him or her assess what you need to work on to get your riding and confidence back on track. This helps you to refocus and keeps you from getting sucked deeper into your post-fall worries. It is your trainer’s job to make sure you and your pony stay safe and to help you to achieve your riding goals, so keep anyone you work with in the loop on how you are feeling in the saddle.

4) Challenge yourself in other ways.

After a fall it can be tempting to start obsessing over exactly what, how, and why you fell off the horse. However, concentrating so heavily on the fall can start to take a toll on other physical and mental aspects of your riding.

In your rides following your spill, try to keep your mind busy and challenge yourself in different ways. Make a goal to try to do the first 10 minutes of your ride without stirrups, or ask your trainer for a longe line lesson where you ride the whole time without your reins.

Setting attainable goals that challenge your mind and body will help keep your focus centered on the ride you’re currently having, instead of the fall that happened last weekend.

5) Remember, falls happen to all riders.

Falling off a horse is just one step along the way in your journey to becoming the best rider you can be. Every great rider has fallen off—lots and lots of times. Riding is a fun and challenging sport that will definitely come with a few bobbles along the way. Don’t beat yourself up and don’t give up, and you’ll be back to feeling like a superstar in the irons before you know it.

Falling off can be scary and can definitely take your confidence down a few pegs. While it’s a normal part of riding, it’s also normal to feel some fear after you hit the ground. These five tips will help ease your worries and help improve your riding confidence until it’s better than ever!

This article about getting over fear of falling off a horse appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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