5 Ways to Beat Fear in the Saddle (And a Bonus Exercise for Every Day)

Photo Shoot: FEI Eventing

As riders, we often feel that we must be strong, resilient, and pain resistant. We all experience fear, and we all simply need this fear! Without this instinct, we would have done a bunch of stupid things like doing the 140cm route without any preparation…

We all need fear, but what about the day-to-day fear that hits you the moment you jump or the fear that your horse gets scared of something. Can we handle it? YES. These 5 simple tips will help you let go of fear and feel more confident in the saddle.

Tips from Annette Paterakis, sports psychologist and contributor noellefloyd.com. Annette helps coaches and athletes to understand and understand their thoughts and achieve the best sports form.

Embrace the fear

One day my client asked me how he could get rid of this fear, I told him that there was no need. Fear helps us live, but don’t let fear take control of your life.

In his latest book, Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert (American writer, author of Eat, Pray, Love) describes how she struggles with fear. “Whenever I feel fear, I start talking to it. I tell fear that since he is part of the family, he can come with us. But he’s only allowed to sit in the back seat, he’s not allowed to look at the map and guess where we’re going, and of course, he is not allowed to drive! In other words, the more you try to get rid of fear, the more it will control you.”

Understand the fear

The first step in overcoming fear is to understand how your fear manifests itself. For example, what will be your reaction to the fact that your horse is suddenly frightened? What about obstacles and your reaction to not seeing the distance? Do you feel tension in your upper body? Do you freeze or start crying? These are our instincts, the brain begins to control the body. The problem is that we lose control of ourselves at such moments, but it is possible to “reprogram” our body and mind so that they react a little differently.

Start with brain training 😉

First you need to relax your nervous system, it is responsible for how we react to fear. Instead of completely getting rid of fear, we will learn to quickly relax and focus. First you need to try to work out at home. Practice breathing exercises. But remember, if your fear is caused by a previous accident or injury, you may need support from a mental health professional to let those memories go first.

Create a strategy

Now that you are working daily to relax your mind and body, we can develop a rational strategy in case fear does show up. First of all, find out what provokes it. When does fear show up the most? When you go out on a route, do you go to the first obstacle, or when your horse suddenly gets scared? Record these moments for yourself. Now think of a few things you can do to prevent the fear from resurfacing, as well as things you can do when the fear does get the better of you.

For example, when I drive to the first obstacle, I often get scared and stop. To prevent this, I will use a breathing exercise every day, and before going out on the route, I plan another 2 minutes so that I have time to concentrate. In this way, you will do everything possible to prevent the appearance of fear, but in case it does manifest itself, you will know what to do and what to focus on.

Visualization

Try to visualize your approach to the first hurdle, but deal with the fear using your breath. Repeat this as often as possible, so you can replace fear with positive emotions. Practice breathing exercises every day, and you will notice that you will not only get rid of fear, but also qualitatively change your behavior.

And here is the bonus, those very breathing exercises

1. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position with your right hand on your lower abdomen.

2. Begin by inhaling deeply and exhaling twice.

3. Follow your hand with your breath (when you inhale, your hand “falls” lower, as if into the stomach, the exit – the hand rises).

4. Whenever you are distracted by thoughts or noises, simply return to your breathing.

5. Imagine that your thoughts are clouds. Watch your thoughts like clouds passing by.

6. Count to 10 each inhale and exhale (if you lose count, start again).

7. Exercise for at least 5 minutes a day and make it a part of your daily routine.

Source: noellefloyd.com