The only way to insure that you don’t fall off of a horse is to make sure you never get on one in the first place. By improving your balance and seat through lessons you will minimize the likelihood of this happening.
However, you should always take the proper precautions by using the appropriate equipment. The most important thing you can do is to WEAR A HELMET. An interesting read on equine related fatalities outlines just how not wearing a helmet increases the likelihood of death should a fall occur, http://www.mc.uky.edu/traumaservices/prevention/TFequestrian137.pdf.
When looking for a helmet, make sure that it is an ASTM, SEI helmet. A riding helmet is the best protection to minimize the chance of a life altering brain injury, or worse, death.
Never let someone talk you out of wearing one. Don’t worry what it looks like, or what anyone else thinks.
Fear of horse riding applies to experienced equestrians as well as rank beginners. The sad thing is, there seems to be a lot of shame and guilt around being afraid. Riders with this affliction are often suffering alone, embarrassed and afraid to speak out. They should be “tough” enough to just get on the horse and ride. They watch others with envy wondering how they do it. They ask themselves “Why can’t I just not be so fearful?”. Fear is nothing to be ashamed of. Do not be afraid to ask an instructor for help in this area. When you are so afraid you feel sick every time you think about riding, it’s time to reassess what your goals are and why you are afraid. Riding is for YOUR enjoyment, don’t let the holier than thou types ruin it for you. As in all aspects of life, the less you worry about what others think, the happier you are going to be. Don’t force yourself to ride or do something that absolutely terrifies you to impress or please someone else. This is a recipe for disaster. If all you want to do is meander around at a walk and you and your horse are happy with that, THEN THAT’S WHAT YOU SHOULD DO. If you find you do really want to do more, then take it in small steps, working with a qualified instructor who can push you beyond your comfort zone when you need it, but also recognizing what may be too much too soon.
The irony of horse rider fear is that the more nervous you are the more likely that your horse will be nervous. They feed off of our body language and are very sensitive to our state of mind. If you’re up on the horse’s back, ready to burst into tears, the horse is thinking, “Uh oh, what’s she upset about, is there something out there that might eat me?”. He then becomes nervous and is more likely to spook, which in turn makes us more afraid which in turn gets him more upset. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, re-affirming the rider’s fears. This is where an experienced, qualified instructor should be able to match you up with a horse suited to this type of nervous rider. When you are sitting on a seasoned pro, very little is going to upset him, allowing you to work through your fears slowly.
They key in overcoming fear of horse riding is honestly answering the question as to why you want to ride in the first place. If your desire is motivated by pleasing someone else, or to be part of the crowd, you’re not very likely to get beyond it because of the guilt and shame associated with the fear. If you are doing this because you have an honest passion for horses and riding, and want to get on with it, you’re much more likely to be successful. You can still have your passion for horses and never have to get on one if you don’t want to. You don’t have to ride to enjoy horses. If you’re happy with the company of other horse enthusiasts, and like being around horses, I’m sure there are many busy horse people who would love a volunteer to come brush, feed and just help out around the barn. Perhaps volunteering at a local rescue would be the answer?
At the end of the day, don’t let anyone pressure you through shame and “comments” to do something that you either don’t want to do, or that you’re physically incapable of doing. By being honest with yourself and starting out slowly, a year or two down the road, you’ll be surprised how much you progress.
The first horse you ride will have a lasting impression on you. You will either feel on top of the world or be completely terrified and never want to ride again. If you’ve suffered the later, this is a difficult thing to overcome, so I wanted to take an opportunity to talk about the beginner horse temperament. In other words, what should a horse suitable for beginners be like?
I know we have all had the perfect picture in our mind of what the perfect horse would be like. We’ve all seen “The Black Stallion” and “Black Beauty”. The truth of the matter is, color should have very little to do with what type of horse you ride. The type of horse that is suitable for beginners is a “been there done that” type of horse. Horses are prey animals, and by their very nature their sole goal in life is to not end up on someone else’s dinner plate. They are social herd animals who use the multiple eyes and ears of the herd to help them keep an eye out for danger. Have you ever you seen those wildlife shows on TV? Where there is a herd of zebras, one sees the lion and starts running and then the rest take off without stopping to ask questions? This aids in survival and the horse is no different. Horses are sometimes afraid of the silliest things which make no sense to us but makes perfect sense to them.
A horse that is suitable for beginners has seen all the scary things and they don’t bother him. These horses are usually older and have been around the block a few times. So when you are confronted by a purple trashcan, beach ball, car going by etc., this is a normal day at the office for one of these guys. In equine circles these horses are known as “Schoolmasters” or “schoolies”. They are very forgiving of your leg hitting them in the wrong spot, you bouncing up and down etc. Younger, or “hot” (nervous, athletic) horses are usually ridden by experienced riders who can sit out that buck or spook. Any poke, bump or unfamiliar thing they come across can cause them to get upset. It’s kind of like comparing an old solid chevy to a mazzerati. You have to really mash the gas on the chevy to get a response, the mazzerati if you barely touch the petal, you’re taking off.
When you’re first starting out, riding a “mazzerati” can really take the fun out of riding and undermine your confidence. Make sure you’re up on a good old chevy so riding can be fun like it’s supposed to be.
So you want to learn how to ride? Either you are returning to riding after a long hiatus, or you have always been a horse crazy little girl and it never went away. Now you have the means to make it happen. When you decide to take up riding, it doesn’t matter why, but you must first decide on where and look into horseback riding lessons for beginners Yes, even if you rode 30 years ago, you are a beginner. Trust me on this. I hadn’t ridden since I was 18 and boy did I get schooled. You will probably catch on more quickly than someone who has never ridden before, but you still aren’t going to have the timing and balance that you once had, hence you’re going to need to start over. The very first thing that should come to mind is what you want to do on horseback, or which “discipline” you want to participate in. It’s not going to do you any good to go to an upscale hunter show barn if all you want to do is trail ride. Some of the folks probably go out on the occasional trail ride, but it’s not the facility’s focus. They train for competition, you may not want that pressure. The choice of facility is going to be key in whether you enjoy riding or dread it. After you decide what you want to do, you have to be careful in the choice of facility, watch this brief video for an explanation of things you want to look at when choosing a facility for riding lessons:
