How do you get over your fear of jumping a horse?

Answer 1

Many people find the idea of getting on a horse very frightening. It could be because the horse is bigger and stronger than you, or the thought of having the horse run away with you. For whatever reason you might be nervous, a few questions can help you: 1. How well do you know you can ride? If you are a novice rider who has never been on a horse, it is absolutely normal to be nervous, therefore it would be best (and safer) if you go riding at a riding school where there is trained people and horses for you. If you know that you can at least sit or post to the trot and can canter, you have nothing to be afraid of. 2. Do you know the horse you are about to ride? Most horses from schools and holiday resorts are bomb proof because of the many novice riders these horses deal with every day and therefore it is quite safe to get in the saddle. If the horse is a strange horse, ask the owner what type of horse he is. From his/her answer you will quickly realize if you are capable of riding the horse or not. If you are just plain nervous about riding a horse, try to spend a few moments with the horse on the ground, talking to it and patting it until you feel a bit calmed down. Get in the saddle and just sit there for a while and you will soon realize the horse will do nothing without your consent. Not all horses are wild creatures from a western movie!

Answer 2

I used to be nervous whenever I would go up for a jump. What I learned to do is to have faith. Don't rush into jumping right away. Wait until you trust your horse. Then you won't be worried about the horse doing something wrong. If you are calm then the horse can sense it and they're calm, if you're tense though, then the horse may take advantage of that and misbehave. RELAX!!!!!!!! Let your instructor know that you're not that comfortable about it

just relax then you will be okay trust me i fell of when i was nervous! xxxxxx

if you want to start jumping, just walk your horse over the jump to get you and your horse used to it. after you feel very comfortable with that, start slowly trotting to the jump, and you will feel more relaxed

i agree with the try and walk over the jump to get used to it but you cant always do that. if i tried to walk over a jump my horse would like rear so it may be like impossible

a couple of years ago i fell off got trampled and crushed half of my right hand side when i was jumping the new baby horse at my yard. It took me a while to want to jump again as it put me off.

• i had a few private lessons with my instructor to get back into jumping, we stayed to low heights about 3 ft or so as this helped my confidence jumping smaller again. so go back to jumping to a tiny height at first even if it is 1ft off of the ground.
• i jumped on my own for a while so that i didnt have to jump 4 and a half foot fences wiht a width of 4 meters or so lol with my friends. cause then you can adjust the height to how you want it
• SING!!! i know how stupid it sounds trust me but every time i jump big or go for a massive gallop i sing or humm it doesnt have to be loud but it calms me and my horse down. i always sing when i compete . and i also use it when my horse wont go past something like building works as then he knows im there.
• :) x

Answer 3

To overcome your fear, have a go at a very fast trot.Then, when you feel ready, at a corner, lift your inside leg back and kick with your outside one. If you are really scared even then, sit in the half saddle To me, there is only 1 way: JUST DO IT! You will love it instantly and never fear it again. Its much more fun, smooth, and relaxing than a trot. Trust me and good luck

Answer 4

It's great that you want to conquer your fears. I think it's important that you ride a horse that you know and trust. It is also important that the horse has a nice slow, soft lope or canter, one that's easy to sit. Until you have your fear under control the best place to work on this is in a small arena or round pen. If you are feeling out of control, it's best to at least be contained in a small area. If it would make you feel safer, have a friend or helper attach a longe line and work on the longe line to build your confidence.

Once you have warmed up at the walk and trot take a deep breath and ask the horse to for the correct lead with your outside leg. This is where a well trained horse pays off. If the horse won't take his leads correctly or trots very fast before the canter, it will be much harder to feel secure.

Try three or four strides at the canter. If you are anxious come back to the walk. Then ask for the canter again. As your confidence increases, add another stride or two, building the time in the canter stride by stride. Before you know it you will cantering several times around the round pen with much less stress.

Answer 5

they will look at the jump every time when you go to take them over

they will also not jump properly.

Answer 6

The best way to get a horse over a fear is by exposing it to the things that they fear. This way it will get used to it.