Fear-What does it mean to you?
Fear-What does it mean? The definition of fear is: noun
a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid; concern or anxiety
Fear has two means:
- Forget Everything and Run
- Face Everything and Rise (or in this instance RIDE)
FEAR-WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME?
It means that I cannot get past the history of a wreck to be successful on one of my horses.
I have been struggling a great deal over the last few years with fear around one of my horses. About four years ago, I had a wreck on one of my “colts”. We had hit a metaphorical brick wall, and my mare took me to the ground. I was asking Dori to follow her nose in a left-hand circle, and she decided that either she couldn’t do it or was being naughty (I don’t know if it was intentional or not). Instead of following her nose, she stuck her right shoulder out and fell (in slow motion), with me. We both hit the ground; I was able to kick my feet out of the stirrups and get up before getting too hurt. I did land on my right shoulder (previous injuries already happened to said shoulder) and bruised my ego.
As a horse trainer, being afraid can be detrimental to your career; however, the only horse I fear riding is my grey mare. I have been able to throw my leg over many horses since the wreck with Dori, but I can’t get over the mental block of fear with her. I CAN swing my leg over her and ride her to a point. Once we hit that “brick wall,” my “itty-bitty shitty committee” comes to the table, and I think about what had happened instead of what could happen.
WHAT COULD HAPPEN?
Dori and I could become an amazing team and accomplish every single one of my dreams together. We could be state or world qualifiers in barrel racing, and we could be running AAA or AAA+ gymkhana times. It is possible that I could have a successful training career because Dori helped me prove to people that I am good enough.
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO TO OVERCOME MY FEAR?
I am going to start at the beginning. (YES, the rain and winter are here, but there are things I can be doing during this nasty weather to get us to the next step.) We are going back to basics. I will be doing the groundwork, line-driving, round penning, ponying and all the stuff and things to rebuild our bond and skyrocket us to the success we deserve.
WHY AM I TELLING YOU MY STORY?
As a trainer and coach, I want to teach you that you can overcome your inner critic, and you can be all that you want to be both with and without horses. I have struggled for years to get back out there, especially with my grey mare. I have a support system that understands what I am going through and pushes me to be the best I can be.
Let me help you overcome the fear you have with your horse. Text me at 408*607*9491 or email me at sl_barrelhorses@yahoo.com to set up an appointment to discuss your fears, your goals and how I can help you get to where you want to go!
