All barns and farms provide different atmospheres for dealing with your fears. Here's how to pick the best place for you.
Laura Daley
Answer the following yes-no questions to help determine if you or one of your students is a fearful rider: Avoidance and/or Anxiety ♦ Do you schedule rides with friends and then cancel? ♦ Do you feel guilty for not spending more time with your horse? ♦ Do you worry if your […]
Spring is here, and we all want to enjoy our horses. As the weather changes, we start planning barn outings. After the first spring ride, we start to dream about our weekly lessons and bigger events, such as shows, trail rides, expos, and clinics. Fearful riders need to be prepared […]
If you’re a fearful rider planning to attend a clinic, training session, or another equestrian learning opportunity, there are a few steps you can take to help you ride in the clinic the fear-free way. It’s easy to let the confidence of the instructor or the energy of the group […]
You were fortunate enough to attend a riding clinic. You worked hard the entire time and made huge progress, maybe surpassing many of your fears. Then you got home. As you headed out to the barn—maybe right after you got home or a few weeks later—you found yourself right back […]
Fearless: Where You May Have Started Were you a fearless rider as a child? Photo by Laura Daley ♦ Are you the type of person who rode hell-bent for leather as a youngster? ♦ Were you the first one to the barn and last to leave at night? ♦ Were […]
My horse and I are a real team on the ground, but I still get fearful when thinking about getting on. How can I go from groundwork to riding fear free?
Sometimes you can’t just drop everything and ride your horse, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still rewrite your fear memories at home. You can work your three areas–physical, mental, and emotional–every day even when you can’t get to the barn. Rewrite Your Fear Memories with Art Color. Grab a […]
March is traditionally the month when people start dusting off the cobwebs and prepare to jump full swing into their riding or horsemanship goals. Snow is melting. Days are slowly getting longer, and the desire to get out and ride starts a steady drumbeat in your heart. But how do you […]