This message is from: Sarah Clarke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Kate, I don't drive (except for ground driving) but I can recall about 4 cases where I got shook up pretty badly and I had to re-build my confidence. I've been riding about 45 years and have only broken 1 finger, cracked 1 rib and separated 1 shoulder in all that time, so I guess I count myself lucky. Here's how it usually works: 1. The old saw about getting back on the horse right away is correct. The worst cases of having to re-build confidence have been when an injury occurred and it would just have been crazy to get back on. I guess some folk would climb back on with a cracked rib and seeing double, but not me. 2. analyze analyze analyze. Usually when a wreck occurs, there's a reason. What did you do wrong. Forget about what the horse did wrong - it was probably my fault that he did it. What was the "root cause" (over facing the horse, taking him to an environment he wasn't ready for, rider over-tired with head not on the job, too much in a hurry to lunge the horse, etc. etc.) Once you figure out what went wrong, don't do it again. See what you can change to prevent it. This step not only will keep you safer, it will also make you feel safer. In one case I put a bucking strap on my saddle. Sometimes the change is a big one - a new horse or a new trainer. (The cracked rib incident made me face up to a training situation that I hadn't really been happy with, but hadn't quite got around to changing.) 3. Baby steps back. If you crashed over a 4'6" oxer, maybe all you face up to is trot poles for the next month. If the horse ran away with you at the trot, maybe all you can do is walk around a round pen for a while. Keep pushing the envelope just a little. One step at a time you will find your path. 4. Remember why you do this horse thing. If you love these beasties, it will all be worth it. spend some extra time with your horse friend just hanging out. You will feel better in tune with them. kate charboneau <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: This message is from: "kate charboneau"
A recent post about a driving wreck has me thinking about confidence. Is anyone out there willing to share about a big loss of confidence with horses, and their path back to comfortable horse using? It's the path back that I'm most hoping to hear about... when one has lost confidence it's easy to see the event/s that contributed; but the path back is not so clear. Anyone out there found a path back? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Like puzzles? Play free games & earn great prizes. Play Clink now. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw --------------------------------- The fish are biting. Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
