Rider anxiety: how to get past it and enjoy your horse again

a certain movement or task.
Top tip!
If you really struggle to ask for peoples opinions of you start with a trusted friend and ask them what they think you do well as a rider. Share your achievements with friends including on social media if you are happy to but dont spend too much time dwelling on and comparing yourself to others.
Symptoms
When someone experiences a traumatic event they can relive the experience over and over again. Anyone who has a responsibility at home such as children or being selfemployed is often more predisposed to reliving traumas of a fall compared with someone who doesnt have those life responsibilities.
Solution
Often riders can bounce back from a fall better if they are not reliving the experience but with those who do relive it you have to get professional help. Were only talking one halfhour session to resolve the reliving of the experience. Trying to fix that yourself is very difficult.
The next consideration is how long you wait to get back in the saddle. There is an ageold philosophy that you should get straight back on and although I agree its not good to delay unnecessarily there is much to be said for waiting until you are physically able. When were not in great physical health we are far more predisposed to anxiety which could exacerbate the issue.
Relaxation
Next examine what is going on in your mind and take note of any thoughts that you might have what if thinking addressing the memory of the fall and negative thoughts that go with it. You can then challenge them as explained before. When it comes to dealing with the physical symptoms of anxiety I get riders to work on relaxation doing a guided meditation or breathing technique to bring stress levels down. It tells your brain that when youre in that situation you dont need to worry.
Top tip!
If you are reliving a bad experience imagine you are watching that experience on a TV. This automatically disassociates you from it and starts to take some of the realness out of it. If you practice this often enough you can disassociate yourself from the experience and help with your anxiety.
Horse rider anxiety issue Thinking Im not good enough
What it means
When a rider doesnt think they are good enough it fundamentally comes down to a lack of selfconfidence.
Symptoms
Often riders question what they are doing which can lead them to not be decisive