Fancy a beach ride, but feel nervous riding in open spaces? This expert advice will help build your confidence so you can enjoy it

The idyllic image of galloping along a beach or across empty moorland may be a dream scenario – but for some riders it’s a nightmarish prospect. While most of us start our riding lessons in arenas, and may feel quite secure within an enclosed space, the thought of the freedom of horse riding in open spaces can be daunting.

Providing the horse itself is used to the sight of an expanse ahead and not liable to get over-excited, riding in open spaces – whether walking, trotting or cantering – should be a thoroughly enjoyable and exhilarating experience for both horse and rider.

However, it can be shrouded in fear due to the rider’s trepidation or past negative experiences. Let’s take a look at how to build our confidence up to the stage where you’re ready to take on the challenge.

4 ways to build confidence horse riding in open spaces

1. Be present

Mindset and performance coach Jenni Winter-Leach of Flying Changes explains that worrying about riding in open spaces is often because riders don’t feel in control when there’s not a “barrier” around them.

“Maybe a rider has had issues like their horse taking off, or just feeling out of control,” says Jenni.

“From there, when we get worried we go into ‘what ifs’, but ‘what ifs’ are in the future – they’re not now in this moment.

“We need to stay present in the moment, because when we project things into the future our bodies start doing things which are never helpful in our riding like tensing up or not breathing properly, and we go into a freeze response.

“The best place to be in the present moment is in our body and physical feeling; so think about your breathing, and your position on the horse.

“By doing this you’re aiming to change the pattern and prevent yourself from going into the ‘what if’ mode, and you can then be effective in the moment.”

2. Elevator breathing

Equestrian mindset and confidence coach Debbie Hill of Ahead for Life recommends practising breathing exercises before you set out.

“One of my favourites is to imagine that you’ve got an elevator inside and when you breathe in the elevator stops at your belly button, then it stops at your mid chest, then the top of your chest,” she explains.

“Then you watch it slowly descend back down towards your tummy. By using the image of an elevator, you’re using your conscious mind to stay in the moment,” she explains.

“When doing this you should breathe in through your nose, and gradually out through your nose, and the reason this is important is because it tells the rest of your body through your nervous system that everything is OK.

“As soon as we breathe through our mouths it can cause stress, because we would usually breathe through our mouths when we’re running or fighting to get as much breath in.”

3. Take in your surroundings

Debbie also recommends immersing yourself in nature and admiring the view.

“Practising mindfulness when you’re on your horse can be really helpful and remind you to enjoy being out,” she explains.

“Think about what you can see: are the trees changing colour? What new flowers have come up? Have you spotted a buzzard? What do the clouds look like?

“Looking up is really important because when we look up and we use our peripheral vision, it relaxes our mind. When we’re in ‘focus’ vision, like when we’re staring at something thinking, ‘That’s going to spook my horse!’ that sets us off, because going back to tribal times we’d have only been in focal vision when we were hunting or being hunted.

“To widen our vision and look around us is useful to calm the mind, and also helps us to balance. If we’re crossing the road for instance we wouldn’t just focus on one spot on the other side, you’re aware of the traffic coming and going because it helps us to judge speed and balance when we step off the kerb.

“Enjoy your surroundings; we tend to forget to enjoy it because we’re so worried what might happen.”

4. Turn the dial down

Debbie says a useful tool is using the “arousal dial” to help bring calm to a situation.

“Imagine there is a dial between your horse’s ears – and you can turn this up and down,” advises Debbie.

“If we say that at number one you’re completely relaxed, and number 10 is you’re so nervous you can’t ride.

“When you’re riding consider what level you would like to be at. To work this out you can think of something that went well, and think about where on the dial you were, was it maybe a four or a five?

“When you are riding and you start to feel overwhelmed and that dial is creeping up, take a moment and picture turning that dial back down to that time it went well.”

So whether you’re planning a beach ride, or are going to head out into the open countryside with your horse, using these techniques can help ensure you are in the best possible mental place to enjoy the experience.

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