More from this issue
Getting back in the saddle after a fall
Posted 27th April 2020
Getting back in the saddle after a fall is a challenge every rider faces at some point. Performance coach Bonita Ackerman Du Preez explains what you can do to rebuild your confidence
We’ve all been there – a winter spent looking forward to the longer evenings and warmer climes of spring and summer is laid to waste by a confidence-knocking fall, and one of the biggest challenges we face is getting back on our horses afterwards. You may have made a full physical recovery, but the mental scars often remain. With the challenges and pressures of everyday life, as well as trying to balance work and family, mental recovery can be difficult. While instructors, friends and family can be invaluable help in rebuilding lost confidence, if you’re still struggling with lingering worry and have lost your riding mojo, there’s plenty more you can try.
Confidence boosting
Loss of confidence affects all riders and the saddest conversations I have with clients are those who are thinking of giving up riding after an accident. They feel emotionally shaken and most say they feel out of control. These emotions become overwhelming and quickly begin to affect how the brain thinks, reacts and responds.
It might appear as though you’re the only one who feels this way, but in reality, it’s extremely common. However, in order to move on you need to understand what’s underneath those feelings of worry – and that’s fear.
Fear plays an important role in keeping us safe. A part of the brain called the amygdala triggers a warning mechanism, which causes a fear response that alerts us to danger. If you put yourself into a similar situation to that which triggered that fear in the first place, it sets off warning signals that indicate you’re putting yourself in danger again. Another part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, struggles to cope with the sudden influx of information and goes offline, diverting everything to the hippocampus, or thinking part of your brain. This increases your cortisol levels and induces anxiety or panic.
Help rebuild your confidence with Horse&Rider June’s top advice, on sale 30 April 2020. Get your copy delivered direct to your door with free P&P, here.
