what advice could u give for some one who is a bit scared of boisterious horses, as id like to get over a bit of fear ive rode a horse [not properly ill admit] i prefer jus walkin or brushin a horse to ridin.... advice please?
People who are slightly scared of horses
- Thread starter MillTakSaff
- Start date
When i started riding late last year i was slighlty scared of horses and still am if i am honest if i come accross horses i don't know.. but i find that time is the only thing that works time spent with as many different horses as you can! I would never put myself at risk around a "naughty" horse until i felt confident enough to deal with anything it threw at me... but every min i spend around well mannered horses the more confidence i have and the less scared i get around not so well mannered horses
sorry for thw waffle hope that makes sense
sorry for thw waffle hope that makes sense
TBH I think that every person is to a degree; few, if any, are 100% confident and happy riding every type of horse. people doubt themselves, lack self confidence or the ability, the oppotunities ... which is more than ok! If you don't want to do something, then don't do it just because you think you ought to. 
Just do what you feel happy and comfortable with.
x
Just do what you feel happy and comfortable with.x
Welcome to New Rider and congrulations on your first post!
What I would give someone who is slightly scared of horses is more knowledge
That person would benefit from learning how to read what a horse is thinking and feeling and be better able to predict their next move.
They would also benefit from learning how their body language can be used with great effect too.
What I would give someone who is slightly scared of horses is more knowledge
That person would benefit from learning how to read what a horse is thinking and feeling and be better able to predict their next move.
They would also benefit from learning how their body language can be used with great effect too.
I have to agree I dont think anyone I know has absolutly no fear, even if they arent necessarily aware of it!!
I know lots of people who just have ponies as "pets". I dont think any less of them and thinks its great they get joy out of them. I also know a few who work as "yard grooms", dont ride and thouraghly enjoy themselves.
If you really want to ride, the best thing is to find an instructor your comfortable with, some are softly soflty others are pushy adn u need one that helps u the most.
If you do decide to go for it then good luck!!
I know lots of people who just have ponies as "pets". I dont think any less of them and thinks its great they get joy out of them. I also know a few who work as "yard grooms", dont ride and thouraghly enjoy themselves.
If you really want to ride, the best thing is to find an instructor your comfortable with, some are softly soflty others are pushy adn u need one that helps u the most.
If you do decide to go for it then good luck!!
It depends what you're afraid of: for example, if I were ever fearful, it would be because I think I am incapable/out of control due to a lack of self confidence. Give me a nappy, spooky or bucking horse any day; but put me in an open field in canter, on a horse I don't know that is like an unexploded bomb and I'll feel insecure. This is due to many, many bad experieences regarding being out of control, open spaces, and horses that don't listen to me. When you know what you fear and why, you can begin to work on treating it. Are you even afraid of being afraid?!
x
and I'll feel insecure. This is due to many, many bad experieences regarding being out of control, open spaces, and horses that don't listen to me. When you know what you fear and why, you can begin to work on treating it. Are you even afraid of being afraid?!x
S
StartingAgain
Guest
It depends what you're afraid of: for example, if I were ever fearful, it would be because I think I am incapable/out of control due to a lack of self confidence. Give me a nappy, spooky or bucking horse any day; but put me in an open field in canter, on a horse I don't know that is like an unexploded bomb
x
sounds like me!
i dunno wat it is am scared of to be exact i think its the danger they can cause even tho they dont gerenally i know this but still well too cautious, im scared of bein bitten hurt in any way... if that helps x
my boyfriend is scared of horses because they have big heads so he avoids them...
I think that just spending time with them will help, and even if you would rather brush a horse than ride, thats fine-any time spent with them will give you more knowledge and allow you to predict them better.
It might be worth trying to get consistent time with one particular horse, and then you can build up your trust in that one first, rather than jumping in at the deep-end and being around lots?
so he avoids them...I think that just spending time with them will help, and even if you would rather brush a horse than ride, thats fine-any time spent with them will give you more knowledge and allow you to predict them better.
It might be worth trying to get consistent time with one particular horse, and then you can build up your trust in that one first, rather than jumping in at the deep-end and being around lots?
I am terrified of their feet, not so much the front ones now, due to picking them up a lot, but the back, i cant bring myself to pick the back up, i get someone else to do the back feet.
Lol, know what you mean, I think I'm just scared of being kicked, have had a pony on loan for the last three weeks from my RS, and although I've mastered his feet (lets face it he is well schooled, so I've probably got an easy number on that score, although he can be VERY stubborn), I can't bring myself to brush his tail, I'm scared he'll kick me, which is totally irrational!!! Although I have to say, I have finally gone to catch him by myself, taken him in the school and feel like I have overcome a million fears, still got a million to go mind!!!
As for boisterous horses, my partner's brother's girlfriend has a 16.3 warmblood x (I think
?) and I met him the first time the other day, and he kept trying to nip me! Apparently he is grumpy in the morning, but I'm sure he could tell I was scared, he was HUGE! I'm determined though, that next time, I will not let him do that. I think it's just about, as earlier posts have said, being around as many different horses as you can, and not letting them get one over on you! My RS loan pony has been very stubborn, but is finally starting to listen to me, probably because I've just got so more confident and I even gave him a big hug the other day, never thought I'd start falling in love with him
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S
StartingAgain
Guest
Pull his tail to the side and then brush it!
I never stand behind a horse if I can get around it. A daughter of a colleague of mine got kicked in the face by a horse because she was at that dangerous 2-3 foot distance. I'm actually more scared of horses on the ground than I am when riding them. I figure they can't kick or bite me when I'm on them. That's kinda silly too though come to think of it.
Pull his tail to the side and then brush it!
I'm actually more scared of horses on the ground than I am when riding them. I figure they can't kick or bite me when I'm on them. That's kinda silly too though come to think of it.
Thank you, I'm determined to try it tomorrow!!!
And yes, your latter comment makes perfect sense to me!
I'm the same...
J
Julz
Guest
Not one to rock the boat, but horses can cow kick too (sideways) and still produce a nasty bruise from that angle.
I lost my confidence when i was 10, had been riding for 3 years by then.. it took me another 2 years to want to get back on, and havent regretted it at all... however, after years of riding an elderly horse (who i met when he was 20, and far from elderly then) and riding my sisters cob, who is also predictable.. iw ent out the other day on a friends considerably younger horse.. to say I found myself in an large open space bricking it, is a big fat understatment of the year... nothing really bad happened, but I did feel like a beginner and a bit out of my depth, even though I've ridden him before... So, yes, my confidence on riding horses that need to be ridden properly has waned a fair bit.. now do i get back on a ride an "exciteable" horse a bit more often to "get back into it", or do i give up and stick with the safe plods?? dont even ask me to choose... I'm still recovering from that hack!
I lost my confidence when i was 10, had been riding for 3 years by then.. it took me another 2 years to want to get back on, and havent regretted it at all... however, after years of riding an elderly horse (who i met when he was 20, and far from elderly then) and riding my sisters cob, who is also predictable.. iw ent out the other day on a friends considerably younger horse.. to say I found myself in an large open space bricking it, is a big fat understatment of the year... nothing really bad happened, but I did feel like a beginner and a bit out of my depth, even though I've ridden him before... So, yes, my confidence on riding horses that need to be ridden properly has waned a fair bit.. now do i get back on a ride an "exciteable" horse a bit more often to "get back into it", or do i give up and stick with the safe plods??
dont even ask me to choose... I'm still recovering from that hack!Lol, know what you mean, I think I'm just scared of being kicked, have had a pony on loan for the last three weeks from my RS, and although I've mastered his feet (lets face it he is well schooled, so I've probably got an easy number on that score, although he can be VERY stubborn), I can't bring myself to brush his tail, I'm scared he'll kick me, which is totally irrational!!! Although I have to say, I have finally gone to catch him by myself, taken him in the school and feel like I have overcome a million fears, still got a million to go mind!!!
As for boisterous horses, my partner's brother's girlfriend has a 16.3 warmblood x (I think
I used to be terrified of tails aswell, i stand to the side, and brush, and watch his ears lol, but as Julz says they can cowkick, Ben has done this to me, when i went to try and be brave and lift his backfoot up, he kick out at the side to me, i let it go and have never touched since, but when brushing his tail i stand to the side and keep an eye onhis ears and be ready incase he cowkicks me againm he missed last time, but it is scary, also nipping, if he does not want to do something he trys to bite me, which 3 weeks ago it nearly put me off going back, but his owner who teaches me things was there the 2nd time and told me to ignore him, which now even today he tried, i ignore him and i feel confident about it now, if i lead him out the feel,i get a feelign if he is going to nip, his ears goes back and he is way ahead of me, so i circel him and keep my elbow out.
Feet issue i am not sure if i will ever overcome the back ones.
I think it is something you can only really get over with time.
I have never been worried by anything on the ground, since i got horses, be it rearing, kicking, biting...dealing with it comes naturally, if the ponies have fisticuffs when i lead one in from the field, i still hold on and break up the fight if they are kicking eachother- partially because i know if i let go, they will gallop off bucking and possibly trample me.
But anyway, I do get nervous ridden or, after the actual incident i get nervous, at the time, i get very calm and tihnk very logically- which doesnt mean i know how to control it!
I find that, with smaller ponies things seem so much easier to handle, and the problem with coming to riding as an adult is, you are immediatly around horses, who are so much bigger and while, when my section b was rearing because he didnt want to be wormed yesturday, i managed to find it quite cute(then told him off), with a 16HH horse, you would be a lot more worried about it
Confidence is the main thing, if they know you are confident, they tend to behave, i always forget how people can be scared of horses now, though it seems like a pretty natural thing to be! I just find it hard to remember what it was like when i first started riding
I have never been worried by anything on the ground, since i got horses, be it rearing, kicking, biting...dealing with it comes naturally, if the ponies have fisticuffs when i lead one in from the field, i still hold on and break up the fight if they are kicking eachother- partially because i know if i let go, they will gallop off bucking and possibly trample me.
But anyway, I do get nervous ridden or, after the actual incident i get nervous, at the time, i get very calm and tihnk very logically- which doesnt mean i know how to control it!
I find that, with smaller ponies things seem so much easier to handle, and the problem with coming to riding as an adult is, you are immediatly around horses, who are so much bigger and while, when my section b was rearing because he didnt want to be wormed yesturday, i managed to find it quite cute(then told him off), with a 16HH horse, you would be a lot more worried about it
Confidence is the main thing, if they know you are confident, they tend to behave, i always forget how people can be scared of horses now, though it seems like a pretty natural thing to be! I just find it hard to remember what it was like when i first started riding
I agree with the post below yours Storm35, I do think it's time, but it sounds like you are getting there with some of it though so well done for sticking with him. I still havent done his tail
but am determined to soon. Typically my confidence has been knocked today - I was out on a hack and we went over a tree, well the other ponies walked over, he decided to jump over it, totally unexpectedly, and i fell off over his head as I lost my balance and we were going downhill in a forest. Highly annoying, but I got back on and we still went for a canter, but I know I'm feeling nervous about it, two steps forward and four back!. Only thing is i have a rather sore head and neck...and some rather dented pride lol.I have been nervous around horses for a long time, although I cannot pinpoint exactly why but I think it stems from the older I get the more self preservation kicks in and the more I keep thinking of how I could get hurt.
I've been working with a brilliant lady called Helen Wingstedt who showed me how herd dynamics work, how each herd member views me and where I was in the herd hierarchy. It turned out I was viewed pretty low down in the pecking order, so we worked on changing that and its been amazing, I've been doing things that a few weeks ago I would have run a mile from
I've been working with a brilliant lady called Helen Wingstedt who showed me how herd dynamics work, how each herd member views me and where I was in the herd hierarchy. It turned out I was viewed pretty low down in the pecking order, so we worked on changing that and its been amazing, I've been doing things that a few weeks ago I would have run a mile from
I agree with the post below yours Storm35, I do think it's time, but it sounds like you are getting there with some of it though so well done for sticking with him. I still havent done his tail
Ouch sounds sore, hope you get better asap, but wow well done for getting on and then going for a canter, think i would have been too scared to hop back on, that is great. Today Ben would not do a thing right, he was bargy anmd decided he did not want to play games, so i did a few he was good at and then took him back to his field, other days he is super at the games, and we were moving on, as you say 2 steps forward and 20 back lol.
I have been nervous around horses for a long time, although I cannot pinpoint exactly why but I think it stems from the older I get the more self preservation kicks in and the more I keep thinking of how I could get hurt.
I've been working with a brilliant lady called Helen Wingstedt who showed me how herd dynamics work, how each herd member views me and where I was in the herd hierarchy. It turned out I was viewed pretty low down in the pecking order, so we worked on changing that and its been amazing, I've been doing things that a few weeks ago I would have run a mile from
Makes all the difference when you work with someone that knows what they are doiing eh? Builds your confidence way up, somtimes it goes way down, but then way back up again.
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