Getting rid of my fear of jumping

Fear is completely natural. It is an important emotion for us, and many people who work with horses feel afraid from time to time. We handle and sit on large flight animals, and an accident can happen in a heartbeat. It would be stranger never to feel any fear at all. When fear starts to hold us back, we have usually become frightened of the fear itself. We feel as though we lose control when it comes knocking, and we then decide we need to get rid of it.

Try starting by changing how you relate to the fear. We can do everything we want to do DESPITE the fear, alongside it. Break what you want to do into smaller steps, such as riding over poles, riding in trot and starting with small fences. Think about how you ride when you feel safe, and be specific. Things like how you hold the reins and how you breathe into your stomach. Then try to do those same things even as you go into situations where, right now (!), you do not feel quite as safe.

Good luck! 💫