I didn't start riding horses regularly until I was in college and bought Earl, my very first horse. Growing up I had ridden my friends horses here and there, or dude horses on vacation. I leased a horse for a few months from a nearby boarding facility, but it wasn't until I owned a horse at 19 years old that I really spent a lot of time doing it.

The problem though, and what I preach to my clients NOT to do, is Earl was green. He was young and didn't know much. I was young and didn't know much either. It was a recipe for disaster! I spent a lot of time getting bucked off or with Earl running off. I usually landed hard and after one such hard landing landed me in the hospital with residual pain lasting for months, I found myself FEARFUL. I loved Earl. We were like magic on the ground, but in the saddle, I was overmatched.

Thankfully, my best friend Sherah, had grown up with horses and had two of hers close by, my sister-in-law made a trip to Texas and taught me so much, and I spent a summer at Sky Ranch where I let other people ride my horse and I rode horses I could build my confidence on.

Earl ended up being one of our best horses on our Mustangs on a Mission journey. He was a tank. He'd go anywhere, and do anything I asked of him. Though he never did like the arena, Earl ended up giving me the confidence to go to work for a trainer, which eventually led me to having my own training business.

Here are the steps I took to overcome my fear.

1. Take Lessons - Whether you are a newbie or a pro, find someone with more confidence in your area of struggle and get help! Brandon and I really look up to Clayton Anderson of C Anderson Performance Horses. We will go see him or call him when we need help or accountability!

2. Find your line of comfort, then go 1 inch past it - No one is saying you need to go from having never touched a horse to the show pen! Find where you are most comfortable and take one small step forward. Maybe you're comfortable at a walk, but nervous to trot. Ask your horse to trot for just 2-3 strides before slowing back to a walk. Do that over and over and pretty soon you'll be going from a trot to a lope!

3. Ride more often - Fear often builds when there is a gap between what scared us and when we do it again. There's a reason why they say you need to get right back on after you've gotten bucked off! The more often you ride or do groundwork with your horse, the more confident you will become.

4. Slow and steady wins the race - Unless you are training and showing horses professionally, there is no timeline for your horse. Go at a pace that fits both you and your horse. Make sure to challenge yourself and your horse, but don't feel rushed. When we rush, we miss things. When we miss things, things tend to go wrong. Make sure you are doing things right!

5. Be safe - If you are fearful, ride in an enclosed arena, with a friend, and with a helmet. Take precautions to make sure you are being as safe as possible before you get started. If you know your horse doesn't do well around other horses, don't start working on your confidence in an arena with a bunch of other horses. Start in an arena with 1 or 2 other horses with riders that can help you. Or, if you're worried about falling off, wear a helmet and ride in soft ground so you know you are more protected. When you take safety precautions up front, you will build confidence before you even get started!

6. Have fun! - If you're not having fun, you won't want to persevere! Work on the area that causes you fear, but also spend days and times where you are enjoying your horse so you stay motivated to conquer your fear!

7. Try different things - When I first got Earl, all I did was ride him in an arena and I got bucked off a lot. My summer at Sky Ranch helped me to realize, he hated arenas! He could ride down a rode with a semi truck going past and be fine, but put him in an arena and he had a bad attitude! If it wasn't for trying different things with him, I would have never built my confidence on him. Try an obstacle course, trail riding, a rodeo event, or even some low jumps (at a low speed). You never know what your horse might love!

These seven steps helped me go from being afraid of my own horse to swinging the leg over the back of many "problem" horses. These are still things I practice when I get out of my comfort zone or find myself in a sticky situation!

If you have questions or want to share the ways you've overcome fear, send me an email at thewanderinghomesteader@gmail.com. Horses are incredible creatures that give us the opportunity to become more confident and then carry that confidence out in our daily lives.