Fear of Horses / Confident Horseriding

A Mind to Ride - In Search of Magic

There is no single, magic solution to the myriad challenges that arise in the sport of horse riding. The good news is that you DO have the answers tucked away in the depths of your knowledge, creativity, experiences and understandings - you already the perfect solution to your particular (and often unique) problem. You also don't have to make big changes to generate big results, because a relatively small shift can manifest in huge differences.

The reason is that we're pre-programmed to look for evidence to support our beliefs. In a process called 'selective observation', if you start with a positive belief you will use the same process to verify that belief, consciously or subconsciously . You will already be familiar with the 'selective observation' process e.g. if you buy a particular make of new car you notice other cars the same, whereas you wouldn't have before.

The Positive Cycle

A self-fulfilling prophecy will be generated because a positive belief will build a more positive attitude that in turn leads to more positive expectations. You will start noticing when you behave more positively and so start to notice the little improvements in performance. The positive circle continues because more positive beliefs grow from noticing these improvements. Unfortunately it can work the opposite way too. This may be why if you fall off once you seem to fall off again soon afterwards - it's almost as if a part of you is looking for an opportunity or excuse to do it again.

The chemicals released into the body in the 'Fight, Flight or Freeze' response will determine to some extent which circle you are in . Our response will depend very much on our perception of the threat and in Doctor Paul Martin's book "The Sickening Mind", he defines psychological stress as "the state arising when the individual perceives the demands placed on them exceed (or threaten to exceed) their capacity to cope".

Psychological stress that gives rise to the 'Fight, Flight or Freeze' response. We can therefore reduce the demands, increase the capacity to cope and we can work on an individual basis to change our perception of the threat. It has to be on an individual basis because everyone perceives threats differently. This is because we all have a different store of emotional memories to match them against.

The 'Fight, Flight or Freeze' response can sometimes be enjoyable because of the challenge it presents for us. Liz Morrison writing about the NLP Approach to Confident Riding suggests that "Perhaps one of the gifts a horse offers is a chance to explore constructive ways to meet danger and manage our private fears. Horses can give us confidence in our own innate resourcefulness, reminding us that we have the ability, intuition and flexibility to pass through challenging events".

Our perception of the challenge determines the cocktail of chemicals released into the body. These chemicals determine our emotional response. Noradrenaline (not adrenaline) gives rise to those good feelings of excitement, drive and physical strength, whereas the feelings and sensations associated with high levels of adrenaline are not pleasant and can lead to the need to flee, leaving us overwhelmed, inadequate and afraid.

I think the secret has to be to intervene at the thin end of the wedge where we can get a handle on our thoughts and emotions before they run riot with us. A Mind to Ride offers you that opportunity to begin by exploring, re-evaluating and if necessary modifying your perceptions - but the magic is YOU!

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