Fear of Horses / Confident Horseriding

Fear of Horses / Confident Horseriding

A Mind to Ride - Resourceful Riding

by Sue McIntyre

I began riding horses eighteen years ago at the time I was training to be a hypnotherapist. It occurred to me that it since I would be spending my working life sitting inside, I should find a hobby that gets me outside. I didn't expect to end up specialising in using my hypnotherapy, counseling and personal development training to help some horse riders with their challenges. A Mind to Ride is the result.

Horses are not motorbikes

Horses have a mind of their won - they are not motorbikes! Horses designed for 'flight' because they are browser/grazers, adapted to live on an open plain or mountain rather than fight. They don't hunt or eat meat. Psychologically, this means that they must be constantly alert to danger and will run away first and think about it later. They are mostly generous and responsive creatures when it comes to having a rider on their back. However, their natural survival instincts sometimes lead them to ignore your wishes altogether.

Relationships

Riding a horse involves a relationship and a partnership between horse and rider. This relationship involves trust, commitment, compromise, communication, tact, respect and goodwill. Difficulties with these issues by the rider, will carry over into their equestrian relationships too. If a rider is prone to abdicating responsibilities in his/her other relationships, s/he may well blame all her problems on her horse.

When winning is a problem

This abdication of responsibility can happen with successes as well as difficulties because the idea of winning may be somehow vulgar and 'not nice' and can only be achieved at the expense of popularity. The tendency is to blame the horse or anything else other than the rider's skill and competency. Some riders may even sabotage their chances of success rather than struggle with the conflicts of winning. In my experience, transactional analysis can help to work through a client's 'script', exploring 'permissions', 'injunctions' and 'drivers'. This can facilitate sufficient insight to allow a change to take place. There may also be a kind of 'game' being played out with the horse being projected into a role depending on the neurotic needs of his rider/owner.

The Horse as a Therapist

In many ways animals are ideally suited to listen non-judgementally to the problems of their owners, give open and honest feedback, provide a vehicle for transference, and give a safe place in which to explore emotions and experiment with changes. I find it difficult to say 'no', even to my horse! (Sad - I know:). This caused me all sorts of problems in all areas of my life. Practicing saying "No" to my horse, for both our sakes, and working through all the emotions that generated (fear of loss of affection, difficulties with self belief etc.), whilst experiencing the improvements in the relationship created by a greater respect, has given me the confidence to be more assertive.

Horses are herd animals sensitive to the complicated use of body language, which means that they get immediate feedback in response to our own, often unconscious, messages. Tensions and anxiety in a rider/owner will soon manifest as tension and anxiety in their horse, and this 'mirroring' can be used to good therapeutic effect. Our improvements, resolution of conflicts, and increased confidence accompanied by calm relaxation will be reflected and magnified in the equestrian mirror.

Warriors, Settlers & Nomads

The work of Terence Watts has greatly influenced 'A Mind to Ride'. I came across his work via his 'LifeMapper' training which uses the concept of ancestral memory to redefine the conventional 'pre-genital anal', 'pre-genital oral' and 'genital' personality types. The concept of ancestral memory seems logical to equestrians because of their experience of how horses, despite hundreds of years of domestication, have retained their ancestral memories.

Our own ancestral memories dictate that practically everything we want to do reflexly on a horse is unhelpful. In the book 'Ride with your Mind', Mary Wanless describes how "The rider who doubts her ability (quite justifiably, as she has no right brain information to tell her how to respond effectively to horses) is left at the mercy of survival mechanisms as old as man himself, and which are housed in the lower brain centres. As an involuntary reflex, she adopts at least some aspects of the 'foetal crouch': she curls up her body to protect her chest and belly, which, as her ape-ancestors knew, are her most vulnerable parts"

LifeMapping and 'A Mind to Ride'

Terence's LifeMapper concept is partly based around a computer programme, so it's possible to work with clients via email, fax and telephone. 'A Mind to Ride' combines an adapted version of 'LifeMapper' (relevant for riders), with an audio CD called 'Equinimity'. The least dedicated of riders spends an hour a day looking after her horse and maybe five hours a week riding it. This is why the flexibility this approach offers is particularly attractive.To therapist's, the archetypes provide a wonderful opportunity for interventions using parts work, metaphors and anchoring techniques.Also, the Life Map generated by the programme is a very accessible treatment plan created and mutually agreed with the client.

Horses for Courses

Personality profiling can be useful to understand for example, when working with a predominantly 'Nomad type' equestrian that it is more important for him/her to look good than to get results. On the other hand, results are likely to be highly prized by the predominantly 'Warrior type' rider. They are driven by the challenge of pursuing perfection and measuring her/himself competitively against others. Riding is a very social occupation, so the predominantly 'Nomad type' rider will like to be seen in the 'right places' and gain prestige through their riding, whilst the predominantly 'Settler type' rider will prefer not stand out in any way. The 'Settler type' equestrian is most likely to suffer from the 'problem' of winning described earlier and with a surfeit of negative projections.

Most clients welcome the opportunity to learn more about themselves and appreciate the wisdom of using their personality to its best advantage - this is congruity at its best.

The archetypal 'Warrior' equestrian

These riders have a preference for large, powerful horses - like the old 'destrier' warhorses. They tend to be competitive, with a good appreciation of 'rules' and 'territory' (boundaries), and ride with determination and courage. Problems could arise with any lack of control - i.e. the horse bolts. This personality type really comes into its own with the hard work involved in this sport - problems are met with true 'fighting spirit'.

The archetypal 'Settler' equestrian

These are 'natural' horse persons who prefer to work with the horse than to 'break' it. They are gentle, intuitive and good with animals in general. They are 'rescuers' who would look after a horse even if nobody else wanted it! This could incur some conflict because these are generally practical people but the heart is ruling the head and their adaptability will enable them to make the best of a bad job. The 'Settler type' equestrian, can form real partnerships with his/her horsey friend. They are rarely confident riders (full of self-doubt). Problems arise with 'what if' projections (like 'what if he bucks', 'what if I fall' etc.). They can 'freeze' when they get into difficulties which is debilitating and dangerous.

The archetypal 'Nomad' equestrian

These are most likely to be the owners of the 'showy' Arabs and Thoroughbreds and are far more likely to pay someone else to do all the hard and 'boring' stuff. This is the rider perched on the prancing stallion enjoying all the attention, not noticing the havoc created by his/her exhibitionism. The other extreme is the archetypal gypsy horse dealer - scruffy, probably unreliable but also dramatic in his claims for his animal's prowess. They are often gifted riders who can get on and ride with ease. These 'Nomadic types' are inclined to flee when problems arise - just give up, get bored with it and move on to something more exciting. The 'Nomad type' thrives on danger and the adrenaline rush.

Riders are not like other clients

Yes they are! Standard hypnotherapeutic interventions and traditional sports psychology approaches will work just as well with equestrians as with anyone else. However, what I have sought to do differently here is outline some unique things about 'Mind to Ride which may give you some ideas for developing your own practice.

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