If we want to be a successful rider, trust is a must have between horse and rider. Unfortunately I most often only hear about trust these days in regards to a horse trusting their rider. Well, that's all well and good and YES, important. But that isn't enough. Do YOU trust your mount?
When asking if you trust your mount, I want to know at the most basic level. Are you or are you not frightened of the horse you are sitting on. When you put your foot in the stirrup, does your fight or flight response begin to peek? Whether it is a mild amount or so intense that you need a pepp talk just to mount up this will affect your riding and continue to affect it until you develop trust in your mount.
The lack of trust may be from several different factors:
1. You are over horsed. Feeling as though you lack the skill and ability to communicate with your mount, and thus be the one in control.
2. You have had a fall or accident with this horse. Anytime we lose the ability to keep the horse between us and the ground it shakes our confidence and our trust in the animal that didn't stay there. Be it from taking a bad step or tripping over a fence or on the trail.
3. You have had a fall and bad experience from a different horse than you are currently riding, but tend to expect a similar experience from any horse you ride.
4.You want to ride, you love horses, but you are still uncertain how you are going to control an animal so much larger than you with such small bits of equipment...
5. Your mount has a dangerous habit (bucking, rearing, bolting, shying) that you are unable to fix. You are always on your guard waiting for the other hoof to drop.
These factors are just some broad strokes of what COULD be causing a rift in you trusting your mount. We are going to cover how to work on fixing that rift on 2 through 4.
Items 1 and 5 are two situations in which a rider needs to make hard choices. Such as, 'Should I continue owning/leasing this animal or should I find someone who can better handle it' 'Should I spend the money to have a professional trainer with the proper tools and knowledge address these issues'. Situations 1 and 5 are the most common situations in which a rider becomes injured, frightened, and many leave the sport.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, do NOT be ashamed to say "This is not the horse for me." Not every horse and rider combination is a safe one. It is better to be honest with yourself than to become injured because of your pride. Don't look on it as giving up if you have to move on from a horse that is too much horse, or dangerous. Realize you are giving the horse an opportunity to learn and grow from someone better equipped to deal with the issues.
Now, on to items 2,3,4. These are all normal situations that have happened to every one of us who have put our foot in the stirrup. (Remember, there are two kinds of riders, those who have fallen off, and those who haven't fallen off...yet) At some point we all have an issue keeping the horse between ourselves and the ground. But this becomes even more difficult if we don't trust the horse we are on. When we lack in trust, our fight or flight response kicks in, at any level. Our body is preparing to defend it's self, and part of that is by tensing muscles so they are ready to run or strike. This equals stiff riding, whether you realize it or not.
Now, TRUSTING your mount by no means equates to being complacent. A complacent rider is in just as much danger as a tense, stiff rider. Even the most trustworthy mount can take a bad step, a trusting rider will be able to remain balanced and allow their horse to correct it's self while a complacent and untrusting rider will often panic or stiffen and create a tougher situation for the horse to come back from resulting in a fall.
So HOW do we develop this trust with our horse? Well, like many things with our horses, we begin from the ground. Developing basic ground manners, asking our horse to work over obstacles from the ground and as we do these exercises, work towards lessening the amount of cue you need to give your mount. Not only does this increase your line of communication, but you will begin to become comfortable with the idea that you DO NOT need to micro manage your horse. The first moment you have of your horse politely leading alongside sans lead line, moving in sync with your halts, backs, and turns, you will feel a flutter in your chest as you realize the potential you two have as a pair when you can communicate clearly and allow one another to work.
Now, the ground work is really the easy part. But when you sit in the saddle, instinct is going to take over, and we must override that part of ourselves. Breath deeply and know that regardless of how much ground work and how many "trust exercises" you've done on the ground, when you mount up your horse can and will feel that anxiety. While each horse reacts differently to it, some will babysit and others may become anxious themselves, we need to know we are never going to ride our best or get the most out of our horse with that anxiety. We will be stiff, heavy in our hands, and often our seat. But if we develop the trust, we can soften and JUST RIDE!
So
1. TAKE YOUR TIME! The horse industry has become so rushed these days. Horses and people are in the show ring faster and faster, 60 days training (which is really a drop in the bucket) has become a standard. Many riders are brought along too quickly by instructors and miss out on the opportunity to develop the skills to trust their mount.
Walk, Walk, Walk. There is an old adage, if you can't do it at the walk, you can't do it at the trot, and so forth. Spend the time working on the walk. Walk circles, leg yields at the walk, post the walk, two point over ground poles at the walk.
I know, I know, this sounds boring. But, honestly, if you don't trust your horse yet, do you really want any extra excitement? The more you do this "boring" work the less intimidating it becomes and you will hone your skills and be able to find what mistakes you may be making at this slower pace. This may take days, or even a few weeks. Who cares? This is about YOU and your horse being successful together.
2. Realize that little victories are actually important ones
As riders we are bombarded with images of eventers flying over obstacles at Rolex, stadium jumpers clearing 5ft+ oxars, endurance riders clinging to their mounts' ears going up mountains on the Tevas. It is easy to get the feeling that what I did today isn't good enough. But point in fact, no matter what a rider's level, they all started in the same place, all faced the same issues in the saddle.
So, you know those silly obstacles your did your ground work over? Well, now take your time and ride them. Walk over those logs or poles, walk across that plywood, walk down in to that ditch. Do it over and over until, again, you can relax and allow your horse to do the work with out being micro managed. As you feel more confident and trust your mount, go ahead, pick up the pace. But remember, you are doing this for YOU, there is no set time frame or number of times to do the exercises before you move on.
3. Just let go.
This last bit requires a helper. Have your horse on a lunge line, tie those reins up under the throat latch, and ride on the line. Keep those hands on your hips and go through your gaits and realize, "I am in control because of how I communicate with my entire body. My horse isn't just listening to my hands. We are a team" I can't stress enough how much working on the line without reins reinforces this in a rider. And again, pick your pace and take your time.
As you work these exercises, as you become more confident in yourself, as you realize you can trust your horse, your body will naturally soften, your reaction times will become quicker if needed because you are more open and aware of your surroundings. But most of all, your horse will work better for you. If you are sitting on a baby sitter, as you show trust and confidence in them, you will begin seeing a whole new horse! You may find out you are sitting on more of an athlete than you realized, only they were holding back for your sake. If you are sitting on an anxious mount, you will notice they begin to relax and their trust in you will grow as well (it is one of those annoying catch 22's). All in all, you will grow as a team and a true partnership will begin to form. After all, isn't that what we are really in this for??
Jessica
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| Jessica and Aya Ab Rodger (2009 arabian stallion) |
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