Riding Confidently Takes Time

Over the past couple of weeks I've had the opportunity to ride Flint quite a few times in the bush and continue to develop my bond with him as well as rebuild my confidence. Last weekend I rode with a friend I hadn't seen in more than 20 years and we didn't know we had 'horses' in common until recently.

As Flint and I walked towards the tie-up post, he was unusually alert and jumpy and Annie asked me if he was normally like this. Once he was saddled up, he was more settled and Annie walked in front on her horse with me calling out the directions. Flint usually follows a lead horse and this worked for our ride. We walked down into the bush and it was a pleasant ride. Suddenly Flint shied off the track and I pulled him up just in time to see a couple of kangaroos bounding through the bush. Annie's horse had seen them but had only reacted in response to Flint's reaction. Apart from that it was an uneventful and pleasant ride.

I have read on Facebook about women who had lost their confidence in riding and they look for suggestions and ideas about how to regain it.  I had a bad fall just over 8 years ago. My husband had seen a rider-less horse going back and he stopped playing with our dog and ran to where I was - unconscious. Our dog apparently licked me and an ambulance was called and I was awake and talking. I don't recall any of that until about 4 or 5 hours later when I woke up fuzzily and became more aware of what was going on around me. I had a bad concussion and the doctors said that when the pain medication wore off, I would feel like a Mac truck had run over me. We don't know what caused me to fall and I sometimes thought that was a good thing although, other times I think that if I knew, I might be able to learn from it.

When I think about regaining confidence, I think it is a lot like the process of grief. It takes time and the process is different for everyone. I had riding lessons on Boston, I rode quite a lot with friends, and I even went on 'tourist' trail rides. It wasn't until I had ridden Shorty for a few months and learned trust is a 2-way relationship, that my riding confidence began to grow. The turning point for me was understanding that I had to show Shorty I was worthy of his trust. 

So, back to the present. Having a 'new' horse means having to build trust and confidence again and quite frankly, Flint is earning my trust. I am also aware that when I am riding him, I need to convey my trust worthy-ness to him. I know that when he is 'distracted', I need to reach down and pat his neck, speak gently to him and sit confidently on him. I have learned that those things reassure him.

Today when we went riding with 2 friends, the other horses were a bit 'jumpy' so I made sure I was listening to Flint and responding appropriately. As the other 2 urged their horses down the driveway, we waited, calmly. We all crossed the road and went down into the bush. Each of us took turns at being the front rider and when it was Flint's turn, he confidently took the lead. He walks fast so I would pull him up and wait for the others to catch up. When kangaroos were spotted, he didn't even flinch. He rode in the middle and he rode behind the other 2 usually maintaining a good length. At one stage, we even rode beside another horse.

It was the longest ride Flint and I had been on so far and once again, I am very proud of how he is doing. He is a good, dependable horse.