Relearning to Ride

 

It’s a misconception that I’m a fearless old bird, willing to climb on anything that strikes my fancy. Not so! Life has a way of taking the wind out of our sails and the reasons aren’t always what we might imagine.

 

Afraid to ride?

A fear of riding can stem from long periods of time away from the saddle… to becoming a mother… to watching a child or friend get hurt… to having survived serious illness… We don’t have to have been bucked off or run away with!

 

In my case, after an unremarkable lifetime in the saddle, coming through it more or less unscathed, I had a stroke in my early forties. I survived, which was good, but I was droolly, tottery and depressed… and I was left very, very shaken.

 

My counsellor eventually urged me to throw caution to the wind and get back to my horses. I was miserable without riding but I’d not set foot in a stirrup for close to three years and I was surprised to find that I was scared to do so. What if I had another bout, or had my brain ooze out my ear or… My imagination provided no shortage of gory endings.

 

And so, I started.

Riding a good and decent horse, paying a trusted professional to guide me, keeping the demands low by joining a basic horsemanship group.

 

My habit of holing up in hushed and darkened rooms left me unfit and dizzy, impaired hearing left me struggling to keep up to the rest of the class, fine motor skills and the ability to concentrate were pretty darned shaky. I hadn’t even been driving, let alone hauling my trailer down the highway.  But I got ‘er done.

 

Growing a little stronger week by week, gaining mere grains of confidence in my ability to remember certain things and forget others.  That was eleven years ago and nowadays, I can’t give thanks enough for how it’s turned out.

 

If you’ve lost confidence, but don’t really know why, take heart. You CAN build it up again! You might need a new teacher, a different riding environment, maybe even a safer horse…

 

But if you loved riding once upon a time, you can learn to love it all over again. I promise.

 

Do you have a story to share where you had to rebuild all you knew about your riding life?  I’d love to hear from you.

 

By the way, I may as well admit it. I’m trying to build my email list to offer books and get help with reading chapters and reviews in the future. You are my tribe! Rather than fill your face with pop-ups on the blog page, please, I’d be so grateful if you’d trust me with your email and subscribe. Thank you!