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You Got This Equestrian – Horse Rider, Equestrian Anxiety Tips

You got this equestrian episode 13

Anxiety is a huge part of us holding ourselves back when it comes to not only our riding but time with our horses in general.

What is anxiety?

Why do I feel like this?

It is generally wither conscious or subconscious anxiety.

Conscious anxiety stems from something that has either happened to you to someone you know or it is caused because there is a very real possibility of something happening.

Subconscious anxiety is something that you have formed in your mind either from a dread of what if of an association with something seen or perceived.

However the anxiety feels the same no matter where it comes from and it can start even before you get near your horse.

For some once they face what is causing it will subside, for others it will do the opposite.

When it comes to anxiety often your brain is in its fight, flight, freeze mode and that will be controlling and over ruling the rational side of your thought process. What it needs is to be reprogrammed and taught a new way of thinking which allows you to move forward.

I want to share 5 tips that you can try today to calm your anxiety when it comes to either riding or ground work as we have all been there.

  1. Concentrate ion your breathing. As simple as it sounds. When we start to feel anxious our breaths shorten, just by consciously breathing longer and deeper we can change how we feel about a situation.
  2. Everyday or as often as possible do something small (with support if needed) to take you one step closer, for example if your fear is riding in the school. Firstly ride near the school working closer to it or start with some in hand training or watching someone else ride your horse in the school, or riding on the lung. There are so many possibilities, it is choosing how smaller step you need to take.
  3. Think about your 5 senses. Every time you feel your anxiety building think about your senses and run through them, naming one thing you can see, hear, touch, smell, feel and taste. This does help to ground, centre and distract you.
  4. Use visualisation. How many times has this experience been positive? Think through the best case scenario and relive it in your mind as if it was happening now. Record that scenario like a story, filling it with emotion and positives onto your voice recorded on your phone and listen to it time and time again.
  5. think of a time when you didn’t feel like this, and think of something you remember from that situation. Was it a smell, a colour, an item of clothing, a ribbon on your horse? Then use that. Have that prompt while you are riding, or working your horse and when you start to feel anxious look at, touch or smell it then remember and focus on that positive experience.

Anxiety doesnt have to be the end of your good experiences or mean that you cannot do something, all it means is you have to re-look at how you see something.

I would love to hear some of your top groundwork tips too so head to our instagram page and drop me a message, I cannot wait to hear from you.

Hayley x

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Nadia from Tales of an Anxious Amateur talks with Hayley on You Got This Equestrian

Welcome to You Got This Equestrian Confidence Series by Hayley at Red Bear Equestrian.

This week we welcome Nadia from Tales of an Anxious Amateur.

Join us while we talk equestrian and rider confidence and our journeys.

Horse rider confidence and equestrian confidence needs to be spoken about more, I am excited to bring you, You Got This Equestrian where we discuss real topics and give real tips that work for real riders.

Join me every week for more inspirational stories, hints and tips to support your equestrian confidence journey.

Confident rider, confident horse.

Check out the You Got This Equestrian Clothing Range Here

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Positivity and Self Talk

One thing that has struck me through recording all of the You Got This Equestrian series so far, is how one technique appears to be used time and time again.

Affirmations. I Can Statements. Positive Statements. Capability Statements.

Whatever you want to call them, their power the power is obvious.

These statements work because our brain, our subconscious, believes what we tell it.

So when we are saying that we believe, that we are emotionally connected to our words, our subconscious has no choice but believe it.

They also work because when we speak out loud not only do we gain a deeper connection, as we are hearing the words in our own voice, but our breathing naturally regulates which takes us from panic and anxiety into a calmer more controlled state.

Couple all of this together and you can see why they work.

So what could you say?

  • -I am calm and in control.
    -I can do this.
    -I am having the most amazing the most amazing ride.
    -My horse is relaxing.
    -This is going to be awesome.
    -With every rider we get better.

However you can sometimes find that when you’re using these statements your brain automatically jumps in and undermines you.

This is our own self sabotaging at work, I will talk more about this at another time.

If you find this happening, one useful thing to try is to just use the main powerful statement.

For example: amazing, relaxing awesome, power, release, strength……

Using these words over and over again changes you’re mindset as its not a peesonalised statement its a power word.

Once you start to change the way you view your ride, you start to improve your belief within your own abilities.

You can do amazing things.

Sometimes all we need is self belief to to realise what we’re capable of.

I would love to hear some of the techniques you use, drop me a message on our Instagram or send me an email.

Hayley x

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Nikki Welch Clumsy_Eventer_Confessions talks with Hayley on You Got This Equestrian

Welcome to You Got This Equestrian Confidence Series by Hayley at Red Bear Equestrian.

This week we welcome Nikki Welch Clumsy_Eventer_Confessions

Join us while we talk equestrian and rider confidence and moving forwards..

Horse rider confidence and equestrian confidence needs to be spoken about more, I am excited to bring you, You Got This Equestrian where we discuss real topics and give real tips that work for real riders.

Join me every week for more inspirational stories, hints and tips to support your equestrian confidence journey.

Confident rider, confident horse.

Check out the You Got This Equestrian Clothing Range Here

Instagram

Website

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Laura from Ginger and Tonic Equestrian talks on You Got This Equestrian Confidence

You Got This Equestrian is back. Our equestrian confidence series.

Join me as I chat with Laura from Ginger and Tonic Equestrian.

Join us while we talk equestrian and rider confidence, what works for us and rider mental health..

We need to learn to train and work on ourselves the same as we do with our horses. Confident rider, confident horse.

Horse rider confidence and equestrian confidence needs to be spoken about more, I am excited to bring you, You Got This Equestrian where we discuss real topics and give real tips that work for real riders.

Join me as every week I share blogs and videos, hint and tips.

Plus chat with some inspirational people about their stories and make my way through an equestrian journey.

#equestrianconfidence #riderconfidence #horseridingconfidence

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Horses and Your Energy

lady in a blue hoodie on a horse

Horses are amazing, they pick up on every little change in energy. However that also means they pick up on every change in our energy and our emotions.

There is nothing wrong with deciding that today is not the day to ride and choosing to do groundwork, go for a walk in hand or groom instead.

Not only do horses pick up on emotions and energy they also mirror them.

They can show us what is going on within ourselves long before we realise.

Horses enable you to be able to see what is going on within yourself, however it can also prove to be an issue when we are nervous or unsure as we can easily show this to our horses who in turn mirror our uncertainty. This is a vicious circle and one that often only has one ending.

A ride which goes from bad to worse.

So what can you do?

  • Choose when to ride and when to not, without beating yourself up.
  • Learn to manage your emotions, yes your horse will still pick up on them, but if you can manage them the impact will be much less. There are so many mindsfulnesss and visualisation activities out there. I often use visualisation within my riding.
  • Use distractions, affirmations, singing…..whatever works for you to take your mind away from the negative you are focusing on and back to the here and now where everything is ok.
  • Look for your horses signs, for example during a ride if they start to get frustrated and you get cross and frustrated,they will start to associate that action with frustration. Rather than getting to that point, switch what you are doing, lower the energy levels then go back to it.
  • The more you can remain calm and in control the more your horse will see you as a safe space which shows what is safe and what is not. As soon as your horse starts to feel like this and relaxes, you will relax more. This is the emotional circle that you really want.

BUT most of all remember having a horse is meant to be fun! We forget that sometimes. Take time out to play, to groom, to just spend time with them. It doesn’t always have to be about the ride and often it is trough this time that we learn the most from each other and the biggest bonds are formed.

I would love to hear what you do to manage your emotions around your horses and within your riding.