26/ FEBRUARY 2023 THE RIDER Confident Horsemanship: Mindset Reset After A Fall


got back in the saddle and tried again. You can feel the adrenaline in your body, but you push down the fear and carry on. And the next time you go to ride,


you feel that uncomfortable feeling of fear again. Only this time, you can’t push it away or ignore it. You wonder what’s going on. You’ve suffered a trauma. A fall -


or nervous when you’re grooming your horse. You might feel tense as you ride near the area where that unpleasant in- cident happened. Notice if you are fully present in


Anne Gage for The Rider - December 2022


By Anne Gage You’ve had a tumble from your


horse and you’ve dusted yourself off,


even without an injury - or a frightening experience while riding can be trau- matic. A trauma reaction is the over- whelming emotional, behavioral, and physical state following a traumatic event. Pay attention to your emotions,


the moment with your horse. Are you worrying about might happen? Or are you reliving the memory of what hap- pened in the past? Whether or not you kept riding


thoughts and physical sensations after a fall or scare. You might feel sad, frus- trated, angry, not good enough, irritable, or anxious. You might withdraw from your horse, barn friends, or people in general. You might even lose interest in riding all together. You might feel jumpy


after that traumatic event, it can stick with you because your brain has been rewired. Once triggered (consciously or unconsciously), the fear part of your brain (the amygdala) takes over while the logical part (the frontal lobe) goes offline. Rational thinking no longer works and it feels like you are out of control.


Focus On Your Breath - Rein in the fear response by inhaling through your nose


for 4 seconds, holding for 4 seconds, and exhaling through your nose for 6 sec- onds. This gives you time to ground yourself and focus on the present mo- ment.


Be Self-Aware - Notice the thoughts, emotions, and physical feelings you have when you feel anxious. What is your posture like? Where are you hold- ing tension in your body? What thoughts, beliefs, and emotion is con- nected with that physical feeling?


Here are 3 steps you can take to get your mind back under control.


Question Negative Thoughts and Beliefs - As you become aware of the thoughts and beliefs you’ve identified in step 2, ask “is it true?” For example, if the thought is “I’m not a good rider.” Look for evidence that proves that to be false. If you honestly believe it to be true, then ask yourself what you need to do to change it. This gives your brain a prob- lem to solve and stops the unhelpful


cycle of ruminating. If you find it too difficult to work


out the trauma on your own, reach out for help. Talking with another rider who understands what you’re going through might be all you need. Or you can work with someone experienced in helping anxious riders who can help you process the traumatic memories so you can feel safe again.


Author Bio: Anne Gage, The Horse Riding Confidence Coach, shares advice and tips for horse riding women of a certain age. From managing riding nerves and anxiety, understanding your horse's behaviour, building a deeper partnership with your horse, and more. Whether you're a lifelong horse rider, just coming back to riding after time off, or just starting out, learn more at www.rideconfident.com


Grey Bruce Farmers Week Horse Day


By Emily McKague Grey Bruce Farmers Week was


back for its 57th year on Sunday January 8th 2023. There was good attendance both in-person at the Elmwood Community Centre, and


lish and Western Saddles. They highlighted saddle construction, pointers for fitting, and areas where assessing saddle fit differs between the two disciplines. Brittany brought with her a number of demonstration saddles which were cut to show the various layers, including the tree,


Jeff Gilkinson chair for the day, and from Bayshore Feeds in Owen Sound


insurance providers, tack retailers, feed companies, massage therapy specialists and even a professional equine photographer attended. Altogether the event was an ex-


Dr. Wendy Pearson


online through the livestream. The day’s agenda kicked off


with Dr. Wendy Pearson from the University of Guelph speaking about Equine Leaky Gut Syndrome, a condition which has had little re- search to date, and which saw great engagement from the audience. Following Dr. Pearson, Joyce


Cameron and Brittany Blakely gave a joint presentation on fitting Eng-


John McKnight


making up a western saddle. In the afternoon a panel discus-


sion included Dr. John McKnight, Dahna Lachance, and Jason Irwin. Together they outlined aspects of their operations which make horse management easier. They covered everything from group housing to feed room organization. Having re- spective backgrounds in breeding, boarding and training facilities, they brought a vast array of experience to the panel. Unfortunately, Terry Jenkins


was unable to present on behalf of the Canadian Cowgirls, but Jason and Bronwyn Irwin stepped in and spoke about The Horsemanship Journey – Creating Your Dream Horse. They brought video footage of their own horses and shared sto-


Brittany Blakely


cellent venue for information gath- ering, networking, and enjoying a day out with other equine enthusi- asts. Organizers look forward to next year’s Horse Day which will be held on Sunday January 7th, 2024, and hope to see you there.


Jason Irwin


Brittany Blakely and Karen Dalimore


beef lunch were two aspects of the in-person event to make a well an- ticipated come-back, after two years of virtual programming. Sponsors and tradeshow exhibitors ringed the presentation hall and mingled with attendees through lunch and the breaks. A good variety of businesses were represented in the tradeshow –


Bronwyn Hart-Irwin


ries and advice stemming from their experiences as professional horse trainers. Ellie Ross finished out the day


Joyce Cameron Ellie Ross


with a presentation outlining the use of positive reinforcement in training to overcome fear with a horse. She shared a portion of a BBC documen- tary which she had done on the topic, and entertained the audience with comparisons between training horses, tigers, and elephants – all of which she has experience with! The tradeshow and the hot roast


Dahna Lachance who spoke on the panel – My Must Haves for Horse Management.


Ride More, Worry Less And Enjoy Every Ride! Let’s get you feeling more confident today!


519-940-6050 • anne@confidenthorsemanship.com www.rideconfident.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48