by Anne Gage of Confident Horsemanship

Most of us don’t like uncertainty. Uncertainty makes us uncomfortable – even frightened. When you work with horses there is often uncertainty involved. That uncertainty may be because you don’t know how something will turn out. It may be about not knowing how your horse is going to behave in certain situations. Will he let you catch him today? Will he spook in that corner of the arena? Will he spook ‘at nothing’? Will he be calm on the trail today? What will he do when we go to the show?

Uncertainty is uncomfortable because it triggers the fight or flight centre of your brain causing fear, anxiety and even temporary mental or physical paralysis. These reactions worked well for our prehistoric ancestors who had to be wary of dangers that threatened their lives every day. I can only imagine what it would be like to come face to face with a sabre tooth tiger or a meat eating dinosaur. But these reactions aren’t so great when they interfere with the pleasure of the activities you want to share with your horse. You miss out on so many possibilities and amazing experiences. You lose the magic of true connection and partnership.

You may have looked at other riders who never seem to be afraid and wondered if some people are born with a genetic predisposition that allows their brains to not go to that place. There may be a very small number of people who do seem to have these genes. They don’t seem to be triggered into fear as easily as the rest of us. But that is a tiny, tiny part of the population. For most of part, people are not born that way.

What most of us (including me) have to do is develop techniques that help us to take positive action in the face of uncertainty – despite the fear and anxiety that we feel. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have fear. We simply learn to manage it. People who are able to move through their uncertainty are able to take forward action because they turn that uncertainty into curiousity and creative thinking.  By asking better questions they are able to solve problems rather than create them.

Horses don’t behave randomly. There is always a reason for what they do – even if we don’t understand what that is. It could be a learned response that needs to be “un-learned” or a natural reaction to a noise we don’t hear or a movement we don’t see. It could even be a response to a subtle shift in your energy, your position in the saddle or posture on the ground. When you become curious about your horse’s behaviour, you gain a better understanding of him and of his perception of the world. You begin to see with certainty what causes his behaviour and then you can take actions to change it. You can be pro-active instead of reactive.

So how do you become curious and ask better questions?

You stay in the moment. You stop creating stories about what might happen – that future thinking where you predict what is going to happen before it happens.

Stories like – “he’s going to spook in that corner and he’ll bolt and then I’ll fall off and break something and end up laid up for weeks. OMG – I won’t be able to work or look after the kids. …..!!”

STOP!

But, if you became curious and creative about the same situation your thinking would be more like this –

“I know he doesn’t like that corner. I wonder how I can help him deal with it better?

• I could hand walk him around the arena until we both feel calm.
• I need to remember to breathe and release the tension from my body.
• I could lunge him in that corner.
• I could ask my coach (or another competent rider) to ride him so I can see how they handle it and if he gets tense with them or maybe it’s my tension affecting him.
• Maybe we just have a pattern about getting tense in that corner and I need to do something different to help change it. ….”

When you give your brain a problem to solve that’s what it focuses on – coming up with a solution. Your brain can’t focus on 2 thoughts at the same time and it doesn’t know the difference between what is real and what you are making up. So, when you focus on asking better questions your brain focuses on finding better answers. As a result, your uncertainty decreases and you are able to take forward moving actions. The more you do that, the more your confidence increases.

Want more tips on Winning the Mental Game?  Click here to get your free instant access to the replay of the online video training “3 Actions You Can Take Now to Build Your Confidence with Horses & Riding”!

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There are lots more practical and in depth tips on improving your Confidence and your Partnership with your horse in my book “Confident Rider, Confident Horse: Build Your Confidence While Improving Your Partnership with Your Horse from the Ground to the Saddle”.   Click here to order  your copy today!  [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_separator color=”grey” style=”” el_width=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][/vc_row] Like this article?  Share it with a friend, send a Tweet or post it on Facebook. Interested in hosting a Confident Horsemanship Clinic at your location?  Click here for information. You’re welcome to use this article in your blog or newsletter as long as you notify me and give my credit information. ~ Written by Anne Gage of Confident Horsemanship (www.ConfidentHorsemanship.com) [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_separator color=”grey” style=”” el_width=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_tweetmeme type=”horizontal”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_facebook type=”button_count”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_pinterest type=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_googleplus type=”tall” annotation=”inline”][/vc_column][/vc_row] Anne Gage started Confident Horsemanship in 2002 after suffering the loss of her confidence for riding.  As she worked on regaining her confidence she discovered that many horse women were suffering in silence – thinking they were alone.  Anne works with horse women to regain their CONFIDENCE and PASSION for riding while building a PARTNERSHIP with their horses that they deserve.

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