Feelings of fear and apprehension can trigger the flight-or-fight response, a natural change in your body as a result of feeling threatened either physically or psychologically. Fear can result in a big change in your ride which signals to your horse “look out, something is up!” You can minimize the communication of your fear to your teammate by taking a few steps:
Feel the Fear
Never deny how you feel. Too many riders try to deny their feelings, act tough, and white knuckle their way through things. It really doesn’t work. Accept what your body is trying to tell you, and know you will have some control over how you interpret and ultimately deal with the message you are being given. You can’t be anywhere in this moment other than “where you are” and accepting this is a vital first step to change.
Assess the Fear
What is it that you are afraid of, exactly? Is it getting bucked off? Crashing at a cross-country obstacle? If you have had a bad accident, then you need to understand how and why it happened: my horse was too fresh; I was over-faced; I took that turn way too tight. Simply understanding the elements will make you feel better; the “known” has a nice way of calming us down.