Confidence is a funny old thing, isn’t it? It is something that can take weeks, months or maybe years to rebuild and often just seconds to destroy completely. As an equestrian centre we specialise in building confidence and working with people who have had a complete confidence crisis.
Sometimes confidence has been lost purely because of a nasty fall or perhaps someone has ridden a horse elsewhere that has been too much for them.
Sometimes it is completely unrelated to horses, and something is happening within their personal life that has made them doubt themselves and believe that they can do nothing; including riding.
Sometimes they have had a coach that just wasn’t right for them, who has pushed them to hard or not hard enough. This kind of scenario often makes me sad as the rider has usually completely fallen out of love with the sport.
Sometimes it can be a mixture of the above, or perhaps something completely different.
How do you start building confidence when it's at an all time low?
First and foremost it is essential to find a coach that you click with, someone who understands you and understands the horse you are riding. Someone who knows to push you just enough, but not too much. Someone who knows when to listen and when to tell you to ‘stop talking and to get riding!’ Someone who isn’t afraid to be honest with you.
Sometimes some difficult and tough conversations need to be had. This person also ideally needs to have a knowledge of how the brain works and how to incorporate mindset work into the lesson. This can be so beneficial and a real game changer.
The importance of the right horse
Secondly are you on the correct horse? For example, sometimes people have lost all of their confidence because they are riding a horse that is just not suitable for them. Usually this is their own horse, but not always.
As a coach I think it is unfair to keep pushing and trying if this is glaringly obvious. It is not just unfair on the rider, but also on the horse too.
This is when difficult conversations need to be had around selling the unsuitable horse/pony and buying something more suitable. This is of course where riding schools and equestrian centres can help.
We cater for a lot of people who have lost confidence on their own horses/ponies and come along for some confidence rebuilding lessons on our unicorns.
Share your goals
It is so important that your coach knows what your goals are. These could be as simple as wanting to enjoy riding, having an hour out for yourself each week or wanting to be able to hack safely. Or it could be as huge as wanting to qualify for Badminton one day, become confident enough to go on a horseback safari in Africa, or be able to attend a riding camp next year. However if your coach doesn’t know any of this then they won’t know how to guide you during your lessons.
Find your support team
Last and by no means least, ensure you are in a supportive and friendly environment. You should feel supported, not just by your coach, but also by your yard, or the equestrian centre that you ride at. There is nothing worse than feeling uncomfortable during your lesson because people are watching and passing on their opinion. You need to find a few horsey people that you really trust and stick with their advice.
We have people here of all ages at Little Margate Equestrian who have suffered such a huge loss of confidence that they won’t even get on their horses. We have people who are physically shaking when they mount, to people who have gone from jumping 90cm courses to now only being able to walk on a 10 metre circle around us. These are the ones I enjoy helping the most.
There is nothing more rewarding than watching someone grow in confidence, little by little, until they are achieving more than they ever believed was possible. When you get to this point, I always feel so grateful that the rider allowed me to be a part of their journey.
This is most definitely the best job in the world!
Rachel x
Thank you to Little Margate Equestrian. If you live in Cornwall or are in the area on holiday you can find out more about them HERE.
EquiTeam is here for horse owners who want to improve their riding, build their confidence and encourage a greater bond with their horse.
Our simple bite sized training videos and downloads provide information, tips and exercises for all levels of rider that are achievable on their own yard. With motivation from blogs, podcasts and the online support group, we encourage riders to grow and inspire each other.
