how do you become a more confident when you ride?

Question

please help me I'm lost with things 2 do

Answer 1

The more you ride, the more confident you become. I feel you also need to have a horse you can trust. If you had a horse that was out of control and badly educated, then you definatley wont become confident in your riding ability. You would be too scared to ride again.
As my Father said never expect to be an experienced rider as you are only as good as you allow yourself to be. He also said most good riders fall off their horse, but they always get back on.
I guess the best thing to do is to not have or show fear, a horse can sense that, and to take your time on the horse, get to know the horse. Also your horse needs to be confident in you, if your a nervous wreck, your horse will be also.

Answer 2

I spent about half an hour preparing myself mentally for the ride, Meditate and get yourself mentally centered. Practicing yoga helps balance your body and mind, which I find makes me more confident. Before mounting the horse, try connecting with the horse. I talk to my horse, look him in the eyes, give him a small treat, massage his neck and shoulders, look at his hooves, and make sure he has no bodily irritations. That seems to make him more receptive and calm with me. When riding, don't forget to breathe. If you are nervous, practice deep breathing. The more your muscles develop in your legs, the more confident you will become about sta;ying in the saddle. Don't trot or canter until you are mentally prepared, no matter what an instructor orders you to do. Take your time, relax, and develop an ongoing relationship with the horse you are riding. After time, you and the horse will be more comfortable with one another, and you will both relax more. Keep trying.

Answer 3

as always practice will be the most help. some other things I have found to help young or less experienced riders is to ride bare back to strengthen your seat and improve balance as well as coordination. also riding a different horse every so often will help you become more confident with any horse you are riding. Good Luck

Answer 4

I was an mentor for people at my riding club, and I found apart from them riding ALL the time to build up confidence, playing games on horseback helps heaps too, get a few riding buddies together and have mock barrell races, flag races etc, you will soon forget about been scared and want to push your horse faster to win.

I founf this very helpful with nervous riders, especially ones afriad of cantering etc, because after losing they wanted to prove they could do it and their competive streak came out.
Just be careful.

Answer 5

The more time you spend on a horse the more confident you will become. A good trainer may also help you to gain confidence by tell you when you do right not just what you do wrong.

Answer 6

When I first started riding, I just made sure that I knew the horse I was riding. (to know it's safe) Another thing that helped me is riding different horses. Even if you don't have time to ride, it also should help even if you just walk the horse around or groom it for a bit. It all comes with time, patience, and practice.

Answer 7

I think it's true that you have to practice, but your instructor can help, too. About five years ago when I was looking for a horse to buy, I was at my wit's end because none of the horses I was looking at were as calm as the school horses. My instructor, in her wisdom, started putting me on more and more challenging horses. I went from a horse who was dead broke, to a horse that was too forward, to a horse who liked to take off with you, to a greenie, and by the end of it, I was a more confident rider. See if your instructor can just push you a little bit in terms of the horses you ride - never pushing you too hard or too fast, but just taking you a little bit outside your comfort zone.

Good luck! I sympathize with your problem!

Answer 8

To become more confident being around horses and riding them you have to just act tough. It sounds like it wouldn't work, but it does. Horses can feel when you're afraid and they feed off that energy, but if you are being tough and in control, then your horse will listen to you. Because with all animals, it's all about dominance. If you aren't acting in charge, your horse is going to take that position. Once you horse is listening to you then you will have more confidence, now knowing you are in charge.

Answer 9

You need to be comfortable with your horse and trust him/her. You also should have a good sense of balance to feel comfortable in the saddle and in turn boost your confidence. I would ride bareback frequently to develop your balance. Try to take things slow and move up to a trot or canter when you are ready. Don't push yourself... you'll only make your confidence worse. Best of luck, feel free to email me with any other questions!

Answer 10

I sometimes take someone up to the barn with me that doesn't know a lot about riding. That way you feel really good that you can do something not everyone can. You can also teach them while they're there like how to tack up and stuff. That gives you that warm fuzzy feeling too.