38/ MAY 2018 THE RIDER


5 Ways To Be A Confident Horse Rider


By Kathy Farrokhzad We all know that we


should be riding horses with confidence. We know that horses can


literally sense our state of mind - not through some hee- bie-jeebie magical mythical powers, but quite simply be- cause they feel us through the saddle. They feel our aids, our balance... and our hesitance. But we can do something


about that. It’s possible that some


riders have more intrinsic con- fidence than others. But con- fidence is the by-product of the skills we learn. Here are five ways you can learn to im- prove your confidence while in the saddle.


1. Let the horse move. It takes a certain amount


of courage to let the horse re- ally move underneath you. Many of us tend to hold back the horse and ourselves using the reins - to slow down, con- tain, “collect” (probably not really but that’s what we’re thinking we’re doing), and even hang on. Sometimes, we also hold back physically, get- ting behind in the horse’s movement. I don’t mean that the


horse should run off and we should do nothing. We should always strive for connection, balance and straightness. We should always be watching to maintain correct rhythm and a good tempo for our horse. But it’s more about let-


ting the horse find his balance, energize enough to be able to use his hind end, and flow in the gait. If you can allow the movement, you might be sur- prised at first about how much ground a horse can cover in relatively few strides. It might feel powerful and strong. Your body has to get used


to the movement. Sometimes, you might have to consciously work to stay with the horse, especially in the upper body.


2. Never mind the bobbles. A confident rider lets the


bobbles roll off her back. In other words, if the horse takes a misstep, or goes for a little romp, the confident rider has enough skill to roll with the


flow, as it were, and still be there at the end to ride on. She goes through all that with little stress and maybe a giggle. The horse feels her confidence and settles. Now I’m not saying


that the confident rider as- pires to be a bronc rider. But the bobbles will invariably happen, and the cooler you can be, the quicker you can get back to your rhythm and tempo, the better you and your horse will be in the long run. Which begs the ques-


tion: how can you learn to ride the bounce? Well, you do have to


earn the skill to stay on when a horse takes a step side- ways or upwards. It helps if you have a great horse (and instructor) to let you develop your seat early in your riding career. Lunging lessons are hard to find but indispensable and the quickest path to a great seat. Otherwise, there is no answer other than ride, ride and ride (many horses if pos- sible). It’s about practice, time and experience.


3. Ride with patience and in- fluence. I feel that riding with pa-


tience is a key component of confidence. Riders who can be patient about skill acquisi- tion, practice and self-devel- opment invariably become composed, confident riders. What does patience look


like? • the rider who looks to herself to improve the horse’s move- ment. • the willingness to wait a lit- tle longer for the horse’s re- sponse. • knowing that finishing on a good note is more than enough from a day’s ride - even if the desired movement was not perfectly achieved. When a rider has influ-


ence over the horse, she can be effective. Influence is evi- dent by the rider’s ability to get the horse’s calm, relaxed response. She makes immedi- ate corrections (or anticipates problems so that they don’t appear in the first place). She uses small aids that “go through.” She maintains her balance while she improves


her horse’s balance. She sets her horse up for success.


4. Stay open in your torso. You can probably spot a


defensive or fearful rider by their posture. And so it is the same with the confident rider. If you can maintain tone


and strength in your upper body, you can stay “open” in your torso. This means that your upper body is tall and stays tall through movement. Your shoulder blades are dropped down and together enough that your shoulders are even and square. Your hips are open enough to allow your core to move freely with the horse’s back. Your chin is par- allel to the ground and your eyes are looking between your horse’s ears. The opposite is the ever-


common fetal position (when the rider hunches over and falls toward the horse’s neck), rounded shoulders, looking down and carrying tension in the body. You can fake this till you


make it.


5. Breathe. Finally, a confident rider In every gait.


breathes.


Through all the figures. Because lack of breath


pretty much ensures tension, tightness, and being forced to have to stop before you’re done with the movement. If you have to collapse at


the end of a canter set (or sim- ilar), you know that you’re probably not breathing. If you find yourself huffing and puff- ing, see if you can make it a


point to breathe in and out in rhythm with your horse’s strides. If you want, you can try


counting out loud, or do what


I make my students do - sing along in tempo with your horse’s movement. The singing takes you out of your left brain and into your right,


makes you breathe and acts as a calming influence for you and your horse. Achieving all the above


skills will take time and con- siderable practice, but each little gain will help in how you project your confidence to your horse, and how you feel about yourself when you ride. Take it one step at a time!


Bio: Kathy Farrokhzad is an EC coach and author of the Horse Listening book collec- tion, and Goal Setting For The Equestrian: A Personal Workbook. If you liked what you read here, check out her blog at www.HorseListen-


ing.com for many more arti- cles about horses, riding and life in general.


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