As per the norm with me when writing articles I struggled to write this one for fear of how it would be received will everyone get where I am coming from? Will anyone relate? Will it blow up in my face and I conclude that I must be the only person noticing these things and I should be quiet and sit in the corner?  

But I then had to realise very quickly how will things ever change if no one speaks up about it and no one looks to be a catalyst for change?  

Out in the industry from riding school to competition rider stress is apparent and real and very heavily influenced by social media and only showing good days and being ashamed of the ugly days. But guess what … we all have ugly days.

Riding horses at any level is promoted as relieving stress and exercising the brain and the  body in a positive way using the body created chemicals such as called oxytocin. 

But what happens when the stress hormone cortisol takes over? 

Cortisol is linked to adrenaline and causes the body to go into fight or flight mode just like horses so what happens when you add another flight animal to the flight human …. Utter chaos and no one learning anything… the opposite is oxytocin when you are relaxed and happy and this when horse and rider can think straight and if one end of partnership is having a bad day the other can help sort it out. 

Riding horses should be a time when our mind becomes still, and the focus is just on you and the horse and all outside worries left at the gate but we as humans are not good at that naturally and often bring it into the saddle.  

The goal should be for your body to become less reactive over time so that you can  handle stressful events more calmly and with more ease and same with the horse. Each rider will cope differently to stress and often the competition environment highlights these just as much as the riding school or livery environment we have seen all these riders. 

– The really nervous rider that’s contemplating getting sick and pulling their entry  – The over confident rider who secretly struggles with things but won’t tell anyone else  

– The withdrawn rider that is so quiet and won’t speak to anyone until their turn is  over  

– The over achiever who has to do the next class up to show how brilliant they are  – The Captain putter downer this person loves to tell everyone how bad someone is  doing and often talks about others behind their back  

– The Blingy rider with all the latest matchy matchy and gadget to make the horse  miraculously go better  

– The minder rider this rider doesn’t push past the comfort zone for the fear of  something going wrong 

– The rider who is doing everything in their power to belong and is finding everything they do a challenge and an uphill struggle  

All the above deal with stress in different ways and often it’s brushed off as a personality  issue with that rider but in fact it’s linked to their own worries and insecurities. 

As a coach, I’ve seen how stress and pressure can affect riders of all ages. When stress is high, it’s hard to stay focused and make decisions that are in the best interest of rider and horse and all we want as riders is to get going again. 

This creates a negative whirlwind which destroys riders and hang up their boots rather than dealing with what the root cause is. 

Where does this stress originate from?  

– Rider physical and mental fitness

– The comparison of riders from the way they look or the gear they have  

– Negative and unrealistic coaching experiences  

– Unrealistic horse and rider goals set and neither being ready from an ability or  strength perspective and falls occurring

– Over horsing – taking on a horse that isn’t suited to you both in ability and stature  – Breaks from riding due to injury of horse or rider or other factors  – Worrying about falls

– Pressure from other riders 

– Bullying within yards  

– Work commitments  

– Family commitments  

– Financial commitments  

– Spectator pressure from parents or partners who are supporting the rider and pushing them too far too fast before they are ready or buying blood type horses to “bring them on  or a young horse so they can get longer out of the horse when they really need an older school master to show them the ropes  

As you can see it’s a very long list of factors … 

We cope as riders in many ways:

– We go for sugary foods  

– Snap at our partners / parents  

– Withdraw  

– Over analyse rides  

– Get depressed  

– Get anxious  

– Fear others watching us ride  

– Buy every gadget in the hope it might work  

– Sell our beloved horse as we can’t cope with not succeeding  

– Hang our boots up

Another big list.. but very solvable.. and solution is there and waiting  

This is why it’s important to be mindful of your horse riding experience. Horse riding is not  just about controlling a horse but also controlling yourself while in control of a horse. You have to listen to your body and know when enough is enough. If you are feeling fatigued or stressed out, take a break or go for a walk before continuing your ride.

Today the focus is always what height the rider is jumping or what grade of dressage or xc and there is a lack of emphasis on what makes a good rider in reality. 

When riders aren’t at a certain level they feel discarded or if they have a back step they feel useless as they aren’t as perfect as the person they aspire to be. Often those out competition are deemed the better riders and those not are put on the bottom level of importance which creates mental turmoil for those not at that level and they don’t get the same opportunities as a result.  

There is little focus on horse knowledge or creating horse people just on results and not  every rider has the opportunity to compete and, have nice gear or have their own horse or access the same opportunities 

But why should they feel pressured and inadequate? Why should they feel they don’t  belong? Why is it deemed that they cannot contribute to the industry based on  background? 

Then there is the other side of the coin those who compete and the pressure to stay at the  top and contestant comparison to others and when things go wrong, they feel they can’t show emotion about it as it’s not professional and can’t have ugly moments and at the end of it all we love our horses if we have a bad day regardless of level we should be able to have an off day and go for that hack . As they are in public light in can be difficult to have any sort of privacy as they know everyone at the show and one wrong move it seems to be the talk of the province. No one could imagine how this could feel and how much pressure there Is to do well and when things aren’t going right how devastating this can be. 

Riders are always under pressure to perform, even at the youngest ages. Whether it’s a parent pushing them to do better due to processors and other people of their age group achieving more, or simply the pressure to succeed and be the best they can be, it can take a toll on a rider’s mental state and cause them to lose sight of what they’re doing and with the influx of social media use and formats this is on the increase from younger and younger audiences. Scary when you think about it.  

It doesn’t have to be this way! You can be part of your own change here are some helpful ways to manage stress in the saddle.

– You must first identify what is the stressor before you can deal with it  – DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP OVER THE SMALLEST OF THINGS YOU ARE GREAT  AND DOING FANTASTIC  

– Set realistic goals that you and your chosen partner are able to achieve safely and  with enjoyment  

– Take an extra day off riding and just groom and be with the horse especially if you  are tired and stressed 

– Make sure you have the right coach that you gel with you should want to go to  your lessons not feel you have to  

– Drink some ice cold water it will reawaken your brain and help distress you  – Talk to others that are supportive  

– Take a breath and shake it off before you get on board  

– Recognise when the stress and pressure is starting and stop it in its tracks  – Remove negative people or influences from your life  

– If something isn’t working in the saddle take a walk break do a different exercise and come back to what was difficult  

Remember that the only one creating stress and pressure is YOU and YOU HAVE THE  POWER TO CHANGE IT.  

The industry is for everyone, and it’s about enjoying what we do. When the fun stops, we must analyze it and create the fun again, sure that’s why we all learned to ride in the first place. 

Horses work off the herd instinct and by managing our stress and creating a partnership we are on the positive track to success. We work and ride horses because we love them and the sport… keep that always in your mind.  

If you haven’t heard this today …… 

YOU ARE DOING GREAT, KEEP GOING I AM PROUD OF YOU.