After facing my fear, I wanted to share 10 valuable things I learned:
- "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood." - Marie Curie. How not to bridle a horse. Watch here.
- Horses have blind spots, learn where they are and don't stand in them. The irony of horse rider fear is that the more nervous you are the more likely that your horse will be nervous. They feed off of our body language and are very sensitive to our state of mind. The safest spot to stand around a horse, is at the side of the horse near and close to the horse's shoulder area.
- Horses are like people, they need to be warned, if someone walks up behind you and pats you on the behind, it is very likely that you will spook.
- Where your eyes go, so follows your body. So if you look down at the ground, eventually that's where you're going to land. Bottom line: LOOK UP.
- Remember to breathe.
- Peppermints = horse bribery. So grab a few extra after your next meal out.
- A tip to help you remember to ride on the correct diagonal: "Rise and fall with the leg on the wall".
- If you don't tighten the girth, your saddle can end up on the side of the horse (WITH YOU IN IT!).
- You're never too old to learn how to ride or get over your fears.
- Always remember your helmet. :)
