Fear of Horses / Confident Horseriding

Fear of Horses / Confident Horseriding

A Mind to Ride - for Stress-free Competitions

by Sue McIntyre

If taking your horse to competitions makes you stressed out , you're not alone. The most experienced of riders suffer competition nerves because confidence isn't a stable commodity (no pun intended!). These can vary from the odd butterfly to debilitating fear.

The Fight, Flight or Freeze Response

Your reaction to stress is generated by the 'Fight, Flight or Freeze' response which is an emergency primitive survival strategy - we are still using stone-age tactics in our the modern world!

What you/your body does	Fight, Flight or Freeze Response
Quick intake of breath, tense muscles	Fuel reserves are mobilised and sent to the brain and muscles. Extra oxygen is taken in to burn the fuel.
Heart pounds, headaches	Blood pressure and breathing rate increases making the heart beat faster
Sweaty palms and feet	Palms and feet get sweaty to give better grip (i.e. on spear or for climbing trees etc.)
Cold feet (can still be sweaty!)	Blood is shunted away from the extremities, where it is not needed - also reduces blood loss in event of injury.
'Butterflies' in stomach, loss of appetite, dry mouth.	Energy consuming digestive processes are closed down, including the production of saliva.
Loss of peripheral vision - becoming excessively focussed on object of 'fear'	Concentration improves. The pupils dilate to let in more light.
Feel sick Urgent need to go to the toilet	If the situation becomes really life threatening, we may even vomit or defecate to make the body lighter and less appetising.
Get 'goose' pimples and/or hair 'prickles' on back of neck	Muscles under the skin partially contract so that hair stands on end to make us look larger and more threatening to potential predators.

Chemical changes in the body bring about physical and mental adaptations. The cocktail of chemicals released and our emotional response is a result of our perception of the challenge or threat. Noradrenaline (not adrenaline) gives rise to those good feelings of excitement, drive and physical strength. This 'kick' hormone stimulates special areas in the brain that produce a feeling of pleasure. The contrasting feelings and sensations associated with high levels of adrenaline are not pleasant. These generate the need to flee, leaving us overwhelmed, inadequate and afraid.

The obvious starting point is the way we choose to look at the whole thing, with our perceptions.

Stress Management is a personal issue

In "The Sickening Mind", the book by Doctor Paul Martin, 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".

What stresses you may not have the same effect on someone else. My clients don't usually need me to tell them those sorts of things - they know already! Addressing individual issues are the most successful stress management strategies but it can also be useful to recognise that stress triggers can be personality specific.

'Equinimity' - Hypnotherapy can Help

Self-hypnosis must be a very personal experience, and the art of creating a self-hypnosis CD that has the same words on it for everyone, is to be what is known as 'artfully vague', meaning that the suggestions leave room for individual interpretation. As a horse rider myself, it's very much easier to do this when you can talk the talk!

The CD contains therapeutic metaphors, double binds, truisms, embedded commands, and other hypnotic language patterns within a powerful intervention. It is intended the help bring about deep and profound changes in your subconscious mind, which in turn can bring about the difference between you simply telling your horse what to do, or actually creating the most favourable environment in which to ask - skilfully, sensitively and successfully. The secret is to encourage the very best of what comes naturally and to respect your ability to work in the right way for you. The objective is to resolve conflicts, and enable you to realise your potential as a rider without compromising your integrity as a human being.

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