Pills for calm?

A squirt of Rescue Remedy normally works for me. Or you can get special ones made up by a Bach Flower therapist for specific fears.
 
I'd agreed with the safety angle. I know using every safety gadget out there has really helped me to improve my confidence. My theory is that no horse is bombproof and there may be a time with any horse no matter how good or confident a rider you are that you may end up on a bolting out of control horse. What you can do though is to use a body protector, safety stirrups and anything else you have available. Then if you do come off you have a much better chance that it will just be bruises you need to worry about.

Also, a great tip I picked up on here is to have some practised escape routes should it all go wrong. Be prepared to get off quickly if you need to e.g. before the bolting stage if possible. Think about how to coax your horse through scary situations. There have been several times when I admitted defeat and got off when my boy was getting himself into a complete tizz and it was always the best decision.

I have tried Rescue Remedy and I think it does work to an extent...agree that straight alcohol is probably better though!
 
If your horse has none of the other issues it wont tank off, however, all horses are capable of doing it so why worry. You are obviously a good rider so if the event happens i am absolutely sure you will cope. I am also pretty confident you know what to do in the eventuality of a bolt but stop worrying about something that may never happen, if you are relaxed neddy will be relaxed. As for taking herbal remedies i would not go there as you are never sure what is in the bloody things and in my humble opinion they just go in one end and out the other, its a con if you ask me. Best thing to help you relax deep breaths sit deep or big glass of port prior to hack.
 
I would try visualising the perfect hack. With the odd spook thrown in, and yourself dealing with it brilliantly and confidently. Make a mantra and stick with it, chant it as often as you need (just make sure they're are not walkers nearby like I did!) and off you go. Kit yourself out in your bp, hat (obviously) and take a lead rope in case you need to get off, I used to tie one around my waist. In fact, I must be nuts, cos I used to go through all this just to go once around the block - and nowhere near any main roads (all private land at home!lol) but hey, if it makes you feel safe then why not?!
I am going to try hacking again at some point, I seem to have completely lost the plot so far - didn't have the best end to 2011 with Joe being ill and then not being able to join Storm and I. Anyway, I digress.......
I did try Bach's flower remedy on Storm before hacking out once or twice, not sure if it worked?! Placebo effect me thinks.........
 
and dont forget, there are lots of resources to supprt you in this:

right here there are people who HAVE made it back to confidence, so they can imnspire and share

there are confidence courses out there that work for many

and there are confidence coaches who can help

there are also some great books and CDs out there --

just like the physical side of riding, lessons and support HELPS -- so use it for the mental side too!

good luck

xxx

Cathy
 
I sometimes take Kalms. I've just downloaded this to my Kindle:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/EFT-Manual-Emotional-Freedom-Techniques/dp/1604150300

I'm not the world's bravest rider, and I'm soon to have 8 weeks off for a foot operation, so I know my confidence will be pretty much non-existant when I finally get back on. I'm going to try the EFT while I'm recuperating, and if it doesn't help I have the number of a local hypnotherapist who I won't hesitate to contact if I need to - I want to get back to where I am now and enjoy the summer with my horse :smile:

I do find the more I do the more confident I get, so a break just makes it worse.
 
For me, it's actually the knowledge that I have come off a couple of times and no harm done :happy:

I think about all the times I have sat to something I never thought I would be able to, and take confidence from that. I think about how I never thought I would be able to have stayed on going over a jump, but am now doing it with ease, and take confidence from that.

I'm a nervous rider, but time in the saddle and getting to know the horse does it for me. Once I trust them not to be a complete nutter, and have experienced most things they will throw at me I start enjoying hacks more and more. I ride a whizzy pony who I was pretty nervous of at first (he has a rep for being cheeky and pulling a few 'party tricks' when excited), but now I have experienced all his party tricks (in the first hack thank you very much!) and a complete lack of brakes, and have lived to tell the tale I am pretty happy with everything he is going to throw at me! He tanked off with me (downhill too! My biggest fear!!!) at the weekend, and instead of being utterly petrified I just went with him and enjoyed it! When he pulled up I thanked him for forcing me to have my first canter downhill. :giggle: Sometimes pony knows best :wink:

Oh, I also do quite a lot of work without stirrups which gives me confidence that should something go wrong and I lose my stirrups I can still ride perfectly well without them.
 
I'd agree with the no stirrups work. I had an operation last March on my knee and afterwards rising trot was difficult so I was resigned to sitting only for 3 months. It hugely improved my position and seat and when my boy spooks now I feel much more secure in the saddle. It used to be that the slightest spook, bunny hop or excited moment would leave me in tatters whereas now after a lot of work and time bouncing about in the saddle I feel so much better able to handle things if they were to go wrong. Agreed on repetition too, its hard to force yourself to go out when you are so worried about all that may happen. In the past I made the mistake of having a good ride, feeling good about it initially but then deciding it was probably just a one off/lucky that nothing happened and I had better not try it again for a few weeks/months. This had the opposite effect on my confidence, I thought everything was down to the luck of the draw on that day and not at all about my skill, my horses behaviour etc etc. It seems ridiculous now looking back but I guess that is your brains way of protecting you.

If your horse is well behaved and responsive to you and does not have a history of these problems you should come right with some focus and a planned approach. Build on the good experiences, try not to dwell on the bad ones and make yourself as safe as possible. Start small with only things you are 100% confident doing and slowly stretch yourself when you feel you can. You can do it!!
 
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