The last few years I lost my confidence riding my horse. She isn’t a bad horse and she never did anything to cause this to happen. I’ve always been a good rider and not come off too many times. Never off of her anyway and she’ never has even’s never been naughty. A little spooky at times but even then its a quick turn or a few steps the opposite direction. She’s never bolted or done anything to cause me to be scared of her.
However, the lack of confidence kept me from being able to develop her abilities and improve my own riding. I watched countless videos, got lessons from multiple trainers and rode daily. Yet nothing was helping me ride better or feel better in the saddle.
It wasn’t until I started to get lessons with a great trainer in our area that I started to figure out what might be wrong. You see, every time I would take a lesson with him, he would constantly remind me I’m a good rider, despite not feeling like it at the time. I would say I don’t feel like I can sit the canter, or I felt like I was crooked in the saddle. I kept telling him what I was “feeling” and he would say, “ok, but you look fine”. My horse dramatically improved during our time taking lessons with him; however, I continued to feel stuck. I felt physically incapable of being able to ride longer or sit more than a few strides at the canter.
Time for An Adjustment
I knew I had to try something, so I started going to the chiro. I had to figure out if it was a physical problem or all mental. The Chiro did find issues with my back, hips and neck so I’d get an adjustment. However, after being sore for a few days, I would go see her a week later and the same problems would still exist. This went on for a few months. It was frustrating! Now I will say, in that time I saw some improvements in riding. I didn’t feel as crooked in the saddle but I still couldn’t do much more than I could before I started going to her.
Eventually, I got to a point where I felt I wasn’t seeing the improvement I wanted and was telling all this to a friend when she said to me, “I think you need physical therapy.” At first, I was like no way, I don’t have any injuries to fix. I thought my problem was lack of sore butt time in the saddle and maybe after more time it would get better. Then she kindly reminded me I ride every day and have given it over a year with no improvement. That hit hard and sank in. She was right. I needed help from someone else who might have a better idea of what was going on with my body.
PT aka Physical Torcher
That day, I made an appointment and went to see a physical therapist. To my complete shock, in the evaluation, the therapist found that my entire right side (or maybe it was my left) was weak. I mean shockingly weak for someone that can lift 50 lb feed bags or fill a wheelbarrow full of manure and dump it. I never had issues doing any of my normal farm chores. The ONLY issue I continued to have for YEARS, was pain in my hip when I would sit or stand too long. Unbearable pain that would cause me to be bent over and slowly stand up after sitting for long periods. Picture an old lady in her 90s trying to stand up. That was what I looked like.
I was desperate to feel better though, so PT it was and let me tell you, PT was no walk in the park. I questioned how it could even be working when I would be in so much pain for days after a session. For the first couple of months, I’d walk in and she would say, “how are you doing?” and my answer was always the same….”this isn’t working, I’m in so much pain, something has to give.” Every week she would tell me the same thing, you will feel better with time and as you gain more strength.
She was RIGHT.
6 months of PT and I was finally feeling stronger. Not only was my body physically improving but so was my confidence in the saddle. Looking back now, I realize my fear in the saddle wasn’t because I was scared my horse would hurt me. I was scared I couldn’t take care of myself if something happened. Subconsciously, I think I knew I was physically weak but I didn’t know the problem it was causing mentally.
Some of the “Signs” something was wrong
- very sore if I rode more than 2-3 hours
- pain in my hip when cantering to one side
- pain in my hip when standing or sitting to long
- feeling crooked in the saddle
- could not mount from the ground
- very sore after getting in and out my truck multiple times a day (or on and off the tractor)
What I did to “Fix” my Confidence
- PT – #1 thing I believe helped to correct my issue and give me the MOST improvement.
- Light weight training – lack of strength was my biggest issue so I started with body weight exercises, then went to light weights, then onto heavier weights, then weight machines.
- Massage therapy – when I say I was sore for months, I mean it! I hurt. I cried. I wanted to give up and stop but I knew I couldn’t. Getting massages helped!
- Lessons with a Professional Horse Trainer – someone to keep me in check mentally when I was riding.
Now I know what you’re thinking, this has nothing to do with rider confidence, but I promise you it does! It’s my belief (and maybe there is science behind this) that when our body is weak, our mind is too! I wasn’t scared to ride. That much I can say confidently. I was scared I was going to get hurt! I was in enough pain that I didn’t want to create anymore pain.
It’s my belief, I was so weak that I couldn’t ride correctly or balanced and that is why I had no confidence in the saddle. It wasn’t because I lacked mental confidence riding. I lacked the physical ability to ride well and this led to a lack of confidence mentally.
Another thing I noticed after months of PT, my stirrups were very uneven and no longer felt good. My right stirrup was two holes shorter than my left. This was likely why I felt crooked in the saddle. I actually was sitting uneven! After lowering that stirrup and I couldn’t believe the difference it made.
A Stronger, Better Me
Now, I 1000% believe that sometimes rider confidence doesn’t lack because something happened but instead lacks because of physical limitations you are not fully aware of. Sure, you can lose your confidence if you have a horse accident but I don’t think that’s the only reason it happens anymore. However, if that is the case for you or someone you know, there are tons of videos and articles out there to help trusting your horse again. I would highly recommend watching videos by Ryan Rose or Nate Eicher.
For me though, I reclaimed my riding confidence when I regained body strength. As the saying goes, a strong body = a strong mind!
So if you’re like me and you lack rider confidence and have tried different methods to fix it with no improvement, try working on yourself. Go see a Physical therapist or start doing body weight exercises. If you’re capable, start lifting weights. You’ll never know how much it can help unless you give it a try! I should also mention, Freya is a saint for dealing with me and my unbalanced self for the past couple of years of riding!
So Tell Me..
Have you experienced anything like this? If so, what did you do to reclaim your confidence in the saddle?
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