ZEN YOUR WAY TO CALM RIDING: Five Tips for Overcoming the Jitters

Today I talked to a woman who was perfectly comfortable on her horse until it was time to canter.  Just thinking about it made her fear rise and her muscles tighten.  Letting your nerves get the best of you around horses, especially while riding, is never a good thing. Part of a rider’s job is learning to remain calm no matter what. The following techniques work wonders in helping you reach that goal.

Tell a success story.  Thoughts and words are energy, so use yours to send yourself in the direction you want to go. “I’m afraid to canter,” leaves you stuck in the here and now, focusing on the negative.   “I’m in training for the canter. Like all great riders, I’m learning to remain calm and focused at all times.”  Both statements are true, but try saying them out loud and see which one makes you feel as if you are already in a better situation.  Which one sparks some excitement and gets you looking forward to the journey ahead?

Learn to breathe from your belly. Deep belly breathing oxygenates the muscles, clears the mind to help you focus, and is one of the easiest ways to relax anytime. To learn how to do it, lie on the floor and put a book on your stomach.  As you breathe in, try to make the book rise. If your chest rises instead of the book, you are not breathing deeply enough. Once you get it down, make it a habit in the saddle. Check frequently to make sure you are deep belly breathing by placing your hand on your stomach. 

Develop better body awareness. To stay calm, you must train yourself out of unconsciously tightening your muscles. Develop better body awareness by consciously tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups.  Hold the tension as tight as possible for five seconds. Be aware of your breathing as you do this. You will notice that the tighter you tense your muscles, the shallower your breathing becomes.  As you release the tension, use your deep belly breathing to allow for total relaxation.

Visualize the new you.  Visualization is priceless because your subconscious retains memories of events whether you imagine them or if they happen in real life.  If cantering is your challenge, visualize yourself making canter transitions remaining perfectly calm and everything going right.  Think about how you will ask for the canter. Are you in two-point or sitting position? Are you asking for a clear balanced transition, or allowing your horse to dribble into the canter?  Try to feel yourself riding ten or twelve strides, then easing back into trot. Cantering for longer periods, speeding up, slowing down...a marching band popping up out of nowhere, and although you wonder what the heck, you remain calm and focused...breathing deeply from your belly...feeling the pure joy of following your horse’s movement in perfect harmony. Do you see yourself smiling?

Practice, practice, practice.  Remaining calm and focused is a learned behavior so plan to practice. Each day before entering the barn, take a moment to remind yourself that you are in training to become a bastion of serenity. Do some deep belly breathing until you actually feel yourself relax...then go greet your horse. 

Challenging yourself to step outside your comfort zone allows you to reach greater levels of calm confidence. Let yourself have fun and enjoy the process by taking one small step at a time.