Faith over Fear

I recently experienced a bad elbow sprain from falling from my horse. We where visiting a local indoor arena when she attempted to roll while I was riding her. I quickly jumped to the ground and landed on my elbow, causing a very painful muscle pull! After four years of horses, I had only fallen off once before this. I didn't ride for a week except for when my trainer was spotting me. I was so nervous and felt so tense every ride. The best thing I did to get back at it, was groundwork. To me, feeling confident on the ground is so important if you want to be confident in the saddle. Another thing I did to help, was riding bareback. Most of my fear came from the thought of my feet getting tangled in the stirrups and getting caught under her if she rolled again. Riding bareback helped me with balance and building my confidence as a rider. If your struggling with getting confident in the saddle again, I would recommend taking a week to ride someone else's horse and take a few lessons with an encouraging trainer. No matter how long it takes you to get over your fear, remember, there is no rush, build your confidence from the ground, and take things slowly!

“true courage is what it takes to make yourself do something you’re afraid to do.” -Sonora Webster Carver/The horse diver

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." -Martin Luther King Jr.