At 00:11:02 on 04.02.10, luvhorsey95 wrote:
i have my fair share of falls and now i'm really scared when it comes to big jumps or even doing them at a canter. I don't own my own horse so its not like i can just go to the barn and hop on whenever. What are some tips to help me get some confidence back.

At 18:36:27 on 05.09.10, HannahlovesIndy wrote:
Hi Luvhorsey95, i know how you feel about the falls. I took a fall off my 3yr old gelding two years ago. Since then i cant relax in the saddle. The best thing i can say is to remind yourself what you love and just how bad you want to do it. If you cant think of that right off the top of your head then dig deep and remember what it was like to jump before your accidents. My best friend did jumping and she tought me that jumping is a sport, your gonna take falls and your gonna knock rails down, but the one thing you have to remember is that if you quit or get scared your letting your fears take over, you have to ignore that voice in your head telling you to be afraid when you shouldnt be. Hope this helps some. :)

At 23:18:12 on 05.09.10, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Everyone falls and most the time a loss of confidence is that you blame yourself or your horse for the fall when it was just an accident. Horse riding is a risk sport, it is dangerous, but then again so is crossing the road. You can't live your life in fear of what might happen because anything could happen. I can see why you would be scared i got trampled by my horse when i was 14 on my eye, cheek, chest and arm but because i laughed it off i was back in the saddle a week later as soon as i had a new hat despite being in hostpital for 2 days and supposed to be house bound. It is all about your frame of mind. If you are scared of a horse you should ride a different horse for confident boosts, if it is simply riding any horse that makes you feel scared you need to work on your mind. It isn't about how well you ride or the horse you ride just the way you anticipate each ride to end in a fall. I fall lets say once a year but i ride every day, most rides are great only occasionally do we fall but everyone will have and always will have falls. Even top riders fall it is about learning to deal with them. I hope you can find a way to get over your fears but it is something i think you must figure out for yourself how to deal with as everyone deals with falls differently. Good luck in getting your confidence back x