At 13:50:26 on 02.02.10, CarolineP wrote:
BlkHrsRdr, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. I think you are so insightful in your approach to your particular situation. You're right: nervous riders don't trust their horses and time and time again, a happy client will say to me that at last they feel they can trust their horse again. Think how it makes the horse feel to know it's not trusted. Horses are horses and trusting your horse is not the same thing as it never acting on its instincts and behaving like the flight animal it is. To give a personal (painful at the time!) example, my horse bucked me off in a major way a couple of months ago. She had got tense, I wasn't helping her, something rustled in the bushes and she bucked (capital "B"!). Because I can control my thinking, I have been able to understand how it happened to make it less likely to happen again, and then concentrate on the 2.5 years of happy riding I've had on her. On that occasion, my horse and I both made mistakes - that's life. Your trainer is right: riding is in the mind. Kind regards, Caroline
http://www.enjoyriding.com

At 13:59:51 on 02.02.10, CarolineP wrote:
Hi Zoelovesanimals. You've had some great advice from members here. I would just say I personally wouldn't advise getting on a horse that's tied up. By all means have someone to hold the horse loosely. Think about what Blkhrsrdr says: do your horse the honour of trusting her. As I said above, I don't think we can expect horses not to be horses - that's like expecting us not to be humans - but there are many circumstances where our horses are aware of our problems and do their best to help us. As well as the other suggestions you've had here, you might like to make yourself a list of up to seven things you love and get out of riding. Write it in a nice pen and on fancy paper - not on the back of an envelope! - and look at it often. It will remind you of what you really want from riding and help you to change your mind. It really is all in the mind! Hope you're making progress soon. Kind regards, Caroline.
http://www.enjoyriding.com

At 16:24:02 on 02.02.10, zoelovesanimals wrote:
Thankyou everyone for all the advice is helping me A lot! atm i am feeling alot better about the situation because Polly has been put into a different field and shes coming in calmer which is making me feel better about the situation. Also because of the weather i haven't been able to get on, but fingers crossed im going to try this weekend! I have just been spending a lot of time with polly to help me with my trust in her ( i already have it on the flat but its riding) But again thankyou very much im going to try most of what has been said :) and I take Bach rescue remedy Alot because i suffer panic attacks anyway so i have some of that before i ride :) Xx Xx

At 19:40:03 on 14.02.10, zoelovesanimals wrote:
Hello I thought that i would let everyone know that i got on today for the first time since this posting and i rode for about 20mins :) Before hand i looked her directly in the eye and spoke to her about my fears and she didnt take her eye off of mine the whole time i spoke. when i rode she had one ear on me the whole time and whenever my legs would tense she would slow down and take careful steps and as soon as i relaxed she would do as she asked. I think i underestimate my pony as she is a one in a billion!

At 15:55:23 on 15.02.10, Em28 wrote:
Zoe, that sounds wonderful! Welldone. Polly certainly does sound like a very special pony and the bond you have sounds amazing, Im so glad you are back riding againx

At 13:32:36 on 18.02.10, CarolineP wrote:
How lovely, Zoe. I'm quite convinced that Polly understands and she's there to help you. She might stretch you a little at times but that's helping you, too :)
http://www.enjoyriding.com

At 00:54:59 on 05.10.10, luvtoride12 wrote:
a horse i have been riding has been bucking, and taking off. i am losing my confidence with him. help.