December Talking Meme

[midnightsjane]

a2zmomwants to know the most difficult aspect of learning to ride a horse.

Without a doubt for me it was the fear factor. I started riding as an adult, so all those nagging voices started with me: what if I fall off? what if I hurt myself? what if I look really dumb and unco-ordinated? When you start as a kid, that fear isn't really there, from what I've heard from friends who learned to ride as a child. But as an adult beginner I was very aware of how dangerous riding could be, and the couple of accidents I had didn't help reduce the nervousness. But the love for the horses and the wonderful freedom I felt when I had a really great ride helped keep that fear in perspective. Horses are very good at reading body language, so one thing I had to learn was to control my nervousness and project confidence. As one of my teachers said, if you're afraid, you have to pretend that you're not so the horse won't pick up on that fear and react. Fake it til you make it. It actually works, I found. I've never really lost that little bit of nervousness, but in a way it's a good thing. It makes me respect the power and unpredictability of the horse, and keeps me from doing too many stupid things around them!

The other hardest thing about learning to ride? Keeping my balance, and not falling off. :p