I fell of a horse, and now I am afraid of horses, what should I do??

Question

I was riding my horse and it bucked me I fell of it and only broke my arm. Now I am afraid of my horse what should I do to help me get back on??

Answer 1

first try to find out WHY it bucked you off to help you understand subconsciously that it was an accident. try taking baby steps. get lots of safety gear to make your self feel safer.
fear is your bodys way of keeping you safe so you need to learn the hourse is safe again.

1st .just hang out around the horse.

2nd . when your ok with that get closer and groom it.

3rd . when thats ok just put the saddle on it and walk it around.

4th . when you feel ready have some one hold it and you get on and you feel ok let them walk it around. keep doing this step until you can ride by yourself

you will be back riding around in no time.

Answer 2

If you really want to overcome the fear, find a stable that will help you with it. There are many stables that have wonderfull horses to start all over again. Try also to understand why you felt and who was to blame, was it that the horse spooked or is it a horse that has a temper? Or was it you that lost balance and just felt of in a silly way? If you are scared of the horse you may blame the horse, and consider it to happen with any horse, how true is that way of thinking? Accept that it is something that happens very rarely, that you had to be the one in 1000 that overcame this. The chance of happening again is small but not impossible.
I had a bad accident 3 years ago and started riding again last month. It took so long because I was recovering one year and then had no money to have ridinglessons. I wasnt feared after that accident because I usually go trail ride outside, and now it was in the arena (where I had the accident) and fear shows up again that I will be thrown off again to the wall and this time without a lucky angel, I told my instructor about it, and she gives me the easier horses that will do what is asked until I feel secure again. I only feel the fear when I am in an arena, it is just the moment I have to ride towards the wall and go either left or right that scares me.
You should never forget to tell someone about your fear if you meet a horse again. But do it fast, because it will only get tougher the longer you wait, believe me...

Answer 3

I started riding horses when I was 4, at 13 my family opened up an equestrian center. Believe me I know how you feel through personnal experience and dealing with our students and boarders. You did not say whether you have an instructor or not or how long you have been riding or what caused you to fall. These are all important questions to better help answer your question, however the best thing you can do is have someone there with you the next time you get on ,preferably as soon as possible, have that person put a lead line on the horse so they also can control him/her start by just walking around until you are comfortable with being on the horse gradually as you gain more confidence take the lead off. Take it slow. Accidents happen and riding is a great sport, eventually you will regain your confidence. If you would like to talk more about it I would be glad to help you can contact me at clz.1955 @yahoo.com.

Answer 4

I know how you feel. It's horrible, being afraid of your own horse. What I'd recommend is to take some lessons at a GOOD local schooling barn riding a different "Steady-Eddy," schoolmaster horse. In the meantime, have someone experienced school your horse for you -- preferably your riding instructor. While you regain confidence with a calm, safe horse, your own horse will be getting some training. Also,, try to sepnd a lot of time on the ground with your horse. Grooming and doing leadership exercises (try Parelli) both go a long way toward your relationship with your horse, and this confidence in turn will carry over to your riding.

Answer 5

I think you don't need to afraid of them, but you want to respect them. At the end of the day, you are sitting on their backs. My friend has been dealing with horses for the longest time. He said most people see the horse as a ride instead of a true friend. If the horse senses that(and being such a brilliant animal, they usually do), they won't be very happy since they usually have high self-esteem. I am not saying that you don't love your horse. I am saying try to love your horse as a friend instead of a pet, if you don't already. Don't get back to horse back riding unless you truly get over your fear. If you are scared when you are on the horse back, once again, they will be scared too and throw you off again.

Answer 6

Falling off a horse can be a very traumatic expierence, especially when there are injuries involved. My advice would be to start very small. Perhaps borrow a very well broken horse of a friend, and see if its easier to get on that horse and ride it around a bit. Sometimes its just hard to trust the horse again, but I assure you the horse did not mean to hurt you. If it bucked there was a reason, not malicous. Spend some time building your trust with each other back up, grooming, feeding, just walking the horse, gradually your cofidence and trust in your steed will return.

Answer 7

I've never fallen off a horse but I know that if you do you need to get back on because then you'll be scared of horses for the rest of your life.
Secondly I'v seen that people put on that a horse will not buck you on purpose and stuff, well FYI they do, if your scared or whatever a horse sences that(you'r on their back after all) and they think "hey if I buck this person they will get scared hop off and i'll eat and no more work" they are smart and they do this constantly, maybe he got spooked and it wasn't like that but what I mean is that with horse you always have to let them know that your in charge or else they will take advantage of you and do whatever they want.
Also dont be scared, falling off horses is common and you normaly dont get hurt just scared.

Answer 8

Remember when you were learning to ride a bike and had the training wheels on...you finally got the training wheels off and started trying to ride without I'm sure you fell several times....I sure
did but you get back on and try again. You shouldn't let this make you stop riding. If something is wrong with your horse then don't get back on...but I'm sure your horse misses you.

Rent the movie Dreamer and it will make you want to go riding.

Answer 9

I love horses and ride whenever I can. But I've had a few bad experiences. People will naturally tell you to get right back on or you'll lose your nerve. But for those of us with actual emotions, it can be a lot tougher. Take your time. If you truly love horses and riding, you'll get back in the saddle one day. But there's no need to rush it. Give yourself enough time to get over the shock of what happened (and to let any injuries heal). If you're still feeling anxious, take some time to relax and enjoy being with your horse. Just spend some time brushing him or petting him. Lead him around a bit. When you feel comfortable enough to actually get on, then do it. Just walk around a bit. Get back to simply enjoying riding. When you feel that joy again, you'll be ready to get back to your routine. If you rush and move too quickly while you're still nervous, he'll pick up on your anxiety and you might just wind up back on the ground again. Good luck.

Answer 10

what you should have done was get up and get back on immediately. i know that you said you broke your arm. Any time you fall you should get back on immediately. I know this sounds really rude but most older trainers would tell you the same thing. Had you broken your leg it would be a different story.

So now that you are ready to get back on, try working in a small enclosed area. Like a round pen or a small pasture. Lunge your horse first so that he is not as likely to act up and so that he can work off that extra energy. then just hop on. i know that your scaredand once you are back in the saddle, you will be fine. The first few times keep him to a walk and then gradually progress to a trott, and so on.

Answer 11

i used to take horse back riding and loved it, until i fell off. After that i dredded ever going on a horse again. But i did. My mom made me.
What i did to overcome it is always make the horse feel good. Make sure it knows u and trusts u, and then u will beable to trust the horse enough as well.