Struggling with anxiety that is damaging your horse riding confidence? Read on for 2 strategies that will help you be more confident in the saddle.

Have you noticed how often you remember and talk about a negative experience?  You'll replay that experience over and over. But, what about those 100's of positive experiences you've had?

Why is it so hard to focus on the positive and so easy to see the negative? Because that's how our brains are programmed to work ... and keep us safe.

When we do something that gives us a negative experience – an event that results in either physical or emotional pain – our brain quickly stores that experience to prevent us from repeating it.

And our fear response gets triggered whenever our brain thinks we're going be heading down a similar path.

Focusing on What You've Done Wrong Hurts Your Horse Riding Confidence

Because of how our brains work, we naturally and unconsciously remember and focus more on what has gone wrong than on what has gone well.

What's the first thing you notice when you see a photo or video of yourself riding?  

Horse riders who lack confidence in the saddle tend to see the things that they're doing wrong. Or that they tell themselves they're not doing well enough.

Isn't it true that you'll easily recall memories of situations or experiences that didn't go so well? They replay in your mind as mind movies or pictures - sometimes in a continuous loop.

The good news is that you can retrain your brain. You can over-ride your brain’s innate programming for negative thinking. And that's an important step in increasing horse riding confidence.

Here are 2 ways to get your brain to focus on the positive so you can feel more confident in the saddle.

#1 – Using Your Peripheral Vision Helps Increase Horse Riding Confidence

This is what Sally Swift of Centered Riding calls “soft eyes”. When we’re anxious, our vision automatically narrows.

When you ride with “soft eyes”, you open up your vision so you can see more on the periphery.

Your brain can't hold onto a negative feeling or thought and hold that peripheral vision at the same time.

So, practicing using your peripheral vision when riding is one really quick strategy to stop feeling anxious or negative, and quickly boost your horse riding confidence.

#2 - Change Your Inner Voice To Boost Horse Riding Confidence

Everyone has this continuously running train of thoughts - an inner dialogue going on in our heads. It tells us about the "what if's" and creates stories with unhappy endings.

Now imagine that unhelpful voice sounding like a cartoon character – Minnie Mouse, Miss Piggy or Donald Duck.

How seriously would you take what that voice was telling you?

You're more likely to start laughing at that ridiculous voice than to take what it's telling you seriously, aren't you. Give that strategy a try and see how quickly it stops you feeling anxious about riding. And boosts your horse riding confidence!

If you’re like my clients, by using these 2 quick strategies when horse riding, you’ll stop feeling anxious and improve your horse riding confidence.

What would happen if you had effective strategies like these that helped you to feel calm and confident when horse riding? Share in the comments.