At 20:44:22 on 09.05.11, Ellie_Bowness wrote:
I've had my horse for over 4 years now. She's just about to turn 8 years old. I had a bad fall over a year ago now, it was really windy and I was riding in a field at the yard she reared up and then went over and landed on top of me. After that I've never really been able to completly trust her again. I'm fine when I'm on the ground but when I'm on her and not in the school to be honest I'm a little bit scared and very apprehensive. She's very sharp and I know that she could really hurt me. How can I learn to trust her again, not be scared and really enjoy riding her?

At 22:39:17 on 17.05.11, Maria100 wrote:
Hi - that sounds scary alright! I had a bit of an incident with my newest horse & it really shook my confidence. I really wanted to get over what happened quickly, I was prepared to try anything so I tried rescue remedy, a herbal remedy & i think it really helped me stop reliving the incident in my head. Also I got some DVDs from a trainer called Jane Savoie - www.janesavoie.com that I found hugely helpful. She talks about riding in the present & not worrying about what might happen because this only encourages it to happen, positive riding & positive mental attitude etc There were lots of different techniques to choose from. Best of luck, hope you get your head around it & get back the enjoyment back soon.

At 08:29:27 on 18.05.11, NMH wrote:
That sounds like good advice; I'd also say, get some help from a trainer you trust, who can maybe ride your horse in front of you, give you feedback too. Good luck, it's finding that line between not taking risks, & being brave enough to build your confidence not to let the fear take over. Sometimes riding other horses might help too, to 'live what you feel' not the memories in your head.

At 17:04:26 on 18.05.11, Ellie_Bowness wrote:
Thank you sooo much :-D I will try everything that you suggest :-D

At 21:05:22 on 18.05.11, Maria100 wrote:
I totally agree with having soemone you trust ride you horse too, I do this any time I get stuck with a particular issue - def worth a try ;-)

At 22:24:29 on 18.05.11, Ellie_Bowness wrote:
Thank you :-)

At 22:51:40 on 20.05.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
My horse also trampled me when i first bought him after i fell of, he landed on my face, and it took me alot of time before i trusted him but then i realised it wasn't his fault and he didn't mean to, since then i have had more falls but it was the fall after the bad one that kicked me into gear, i realised i had feel off horses lots and lots of times and this was the only time i had been seriously hurt and that it wasn't worth riding if i was scared 24/7 so one day i just said to myself that i WAS going on a hack past 'the spot' and i was going to get over it whether i liked it or not, and it worked i went out and had a canter and realised that i had really missed it, now he doesn't scare me no more and we have lots of fun and i trust him with my life all i would say is give yourself the time you need to come to terms with it then have a few lessons inside and outside arenas (i had a few hacking lessons) to boost your confidence. good luck :)

At 22:55:38 on 20.05.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Oh and if you ever need to talk about it i know exactly how it feels so just give me a shout, it is easy friends saying 'everyone falls' but they don't understand what it is like often when i fall or grenville plays up i see the whole thing happen again, i can remember it so vividly and everyone told me it was because i wasn't a good enough rider for grenville and i needed to get over it but it isn't that simple so yeah i know how you feel lol

At 22:16:35 on 21.05.11, Ellie_Bowness wrote:
Thank you soooo much what you said really hit home with me I will try everything that you suggested :-) thank you

At 23:19:06 on 23.05.11, Ellie_Bowness wrote:
Just to keep you posted because of all of your fantastic advice I've set up to go on some hacks with one of the grooms at the yard (when the weather improves it so windy at the moment) I haven't had the confidence to go on a hack in AGES I've really missed it so I'm really looking forward to getting back out their. Cassie is a bit scared of lorries so has anyone got any more great advice on how to keep confident on the roads?