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Overcoming Riding Fear

Spooky Horse or Nervous Rider?

spooky horse or nervous rider

Fear is a struggle many riders can relate to, like me. Yet there is hope. Today, I ride with much more confidence, and my horses have more faith in me, too.

Here’s my story…

Spooky Horse or Nervous Rider?

By Jennifer Klitzke

A traumatic fall in 1990 gripped me with paralyzing riding fear. I became a precautionary rider and only felt safe riding in a highly controlled environment. I only rode in an indoor arena, no distractions, on a calm day, in a small circle at a slow walk.

Control only lasted so long.

Famished, fear awaits another opportunity. My horse moves unexpectedly. Fear whispers, “Just what MIGHT happen next?”

Replaying falling flashbacks across my mind I must have fallen a hundred times by know. I halt frozen. I can’t breathe. My horse tenses. “Uh, oh, here we go again!” says fear.

I snatch up the reins. My horse begins the “I gotta get outta here” dance. “You’re going to fall off again!” warns fear. I quickly dismount in self-protection and return home wet with tears. Again.

Am I reacting to a spooky horse? Or am I leading my horse into a spookiness with my nervousness?

I faced a crossroads: Do I give up my passion for riding horses or courageously face this fear.

My passion wins out, and I courageously face my fear. Just how do I break this cycle?

Facing fear hasn’t been easy, nor was it an overnight fix. There were many who have helped me―including my faith. I couldn’t have overcome fear on my own.

Since 1990, I have developed a theory based upon my plight: Some horses are more reactive than others, and a fearful rider heightens a horse’s reactivity.

My husband proves it to me each time my horse spooks at the swaying bird-filled bush on a windy day. My darling husband hops on and in minutes he’s riding my horse by the disco bush without a care. I’ve had hundreds of riding lessons, and he’s had a handful. How does he do it?

For starters, I believe God brought horses into my life to mirror my soul and help me get in touch with what’s really going on. After a rough day at the office, I used to think going to the barn to ride my horses will make me feel better, only to have had a horrible ride and leave feeling even worse than when I arrived.

Two lessons can be gleaned from this. First of all, I believe God has used horses to teach me about myself and lean on him as my source of life, not wrongfully place the burden on my horses. From time to time, I lose sight of this, and horses continue to humble me and keep my priorities in order. God has given me life purpose, meaning, and an identity. He has also given me the courage to persevere through facing my riding fear and not give up.

Secondly, horses are sensitive creatures and react to what’s going on in me. When I have a rough day at the office, my horses mirror the junk in my soul. Now I’ve learned. If I desire a quality time with my horses, I need to leave work at work.

Jennifer Klitzke riding at a Larry Whitesell gaited horsemanship clinic
Larry Whitesell demonstrating and explaining
shoulder-in as I get a feel for it from the saddle.

In addition, I learned the importance of leadership from Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer. If my horse reacts to noise or sudden movement, how I react to my horse makes all the difference. When I maintain a sense of calm and redirect her attention back to balance and relaxation, that’s when we are successful. BUT when I react to what she MIGHT do, irrational fear springs up in me, my body tenses, I snatch up the reins, and this only reinforces my horse’s nervousness.

Larry and Jennifer taught me how to become a trusted leader with my horses and riding with the mindset of meeting the horse’s needs. Horses look to the rider for leadership. If the rider doesn’t lead the horse to a place of wellbeing, the horse will take matters into their own hands. Horses generally don’t make good decisions, so it is in our best interest that I learn how to lead well. I will stay safer, my horse will remain calmer, and the voice of fear will not whisper in either of our ears.

2013 jennie jackson dressage en gaite clinic
Jennie Jackson teaching dressage
as applied to the gaited horse.

Another mentor who has been instrumental in building my riding confidence is Jennie Jackson. She is the only person in history who has trained and shown a Tennessee Walking Horse to the highest levels of dressage with her naturally gaited stallion Champaign Watchout. Jennie has taught me how to ride my naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse using dressage to develop quality smooth gaits. She has challenged me to confidently ride through the storms, and not react to them. These tips have increased my riding confidence and consequently, my mare spooks less.

Finally, developing a secure and balanced riding position builds rider confidence like none other. Right after facing my crossroads in 1990, I began studying riding bio-mechanics from Mary Wanless when she published her first book, The Natural Rider. This book addresses riding fear and how to overcome it.

Jennifer Klitzke riding at a Mary Wanless Clinic
Jennifer Klitzke riding her Spanish Mustang
getting established in the ABCs of riding
bio-mechanics with Mary Wanless.

Since then I have purchased Mary’s Ride With Your Mind DVD series, several of her other books, and have audited her clinics whenever she comes to my region. I was fortunate enough to have ridden at one of her clinics in 2012. Mary brought my book and DVD studies to real-time application. She taught me the importance of aligning my external anatomy, breathing deep into my stomach, and the isokinetic effort of bearing down my internal anatomy and sealing my seat and thighs alongside the saddle for a more secure position while distributing my body weight more comfortably along the horse’s back. Instead of fixing the horse, she challenged me to fix my riding position which naturally restores my horse’s way of going.

Mary’s riding bio-mechanics have taught me a more secure and balanced riding position. Because of this I am better able to confidently ride through spooks. As a result, there is less fear in me and I produce less reactive fear in my horse. This translates into less overall spooks and a more harmonious riding relationship with my horse.

So, what is my darling husband’s secret to calmly riding my horse by the disco bush? I think he is deeply grounded in his faith, he presents a trusted leadership with the horse, and a naturally balanced riding position. He doesn’t think about what the horse MIGHT do. In fact, his mind doesn’t even go there. If the horse were to spook, his secure position would keep him in the saddle, he wouldn’t react to the horse’s nervousness, he would bring the horse back to balance and relaxation, and the horse would look to him as the trusted leader.

Some horses are more reactive than others, and a fearful rider heightens a horse’s reactivity. The example of me and my husband riding the same horse within minutes of each other with the same conditions and completely different outcomes reinforces my theory.

If you struggle with riding fear, hang in there and persevere. Find others who can help you through this and don’t let fear win out. I’m sure glad that I did. My struggle with debilitating fear didn’t disappear overnight. But today I enjoy showing my naturally gaited Walking horse at open schooling dressage shows, trail riding, team penning, sorting cows, endurance races, jumping courses, and trail obstacles.

Fear no longer controls my life—thank God—I am FREE!

gaited horse sorting cows
Cow sorting
naturallygaited-riding-in-snow
Winter riding
gaited horse gymnastic jumping
Gymnastic jumping
Trail riding on gaited horse
Trail riding
Showing dressage at a flat walk in place of trot
Showing dressage
gaited horse canter on an endurance ride
Endurance

For more about riding bio-mechanics, visit mary-wanless.com.

For more about gaited dressage, visit Jennie Jackson at, www.facebook.com/groups/JennieJacksonDressageEnGaite/

For more about natural gaited horsemanship, visit Larry Whitesell’s Web site, whitesellgaitedhorsemanship.com and Jennifer Bauer’s Web site, gaitedhorsemanship.com

I hope this is helpful. Let me know your thoughts by sending a message.

Visit website: NaturallyGaitedHorse.com
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Follow: facebook.com/naturallygaitedhorse

Overcoming Riding Fear, Rider Position for Gaited Horses

Rider Biomechanics and the Gaited Horse

Rider Biomechanics and the Gaited Horse

Does rider position impact the quality of movement with the naturally gaited horse? In what ways can a rider help the horse through riding position?

Rider Biomechanics and the
Naturally Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

In 1989, a series of falls led me to paralyzing fear and panic attacks at the thought of riding. I faced a cross-roads: Do I give up my passion for riding horses or face my fear?

Thankfully, the latter won out.

Facing my riding fear introduced me to The Natural Rider, a book written by riding biomechanic expert Mary Wanless. In her book, she outlines ways to become an empowered and effective rider through breathing and relaxation; right-brain visualization that engages multiple body parts at the same time; and developing an engaged core for a more secure balanced riding position.

Over time, these concepts helped me overcome my riding fear. I became a more relaxed, confident, and effective rider, both mentally and physically.

Twenty years later, I learned that the England-native author/clinician was traveling to my state to teach a three-day riding biomechanic clinic. I cleared my schedule to attend as an auditor and re-acclimate myself to the concepts that saved my riding career.

Instead of fixating on the horse’s errors, Mary challenges riders to fix their position first. Often a horse will rush or lose their balance because the rider has lost their balance. If a rider is relaxed and balanced over the horse’s center of gravity, the horse is more likely to mirror balance and relaxation.

For the rider, this means:

  • Developing an awareness of body balance over the horse’s center of gravity
  • Aligning ear, hip, and heel
  • Breathing deep into the belly to produce relaxation
  • Maintaining symmetry between the front side and back side, right side and left side
  • Riding with a lowered center of gravity by isokinetic engagement of core muscles that bring balance, power, and impact
  • Developing stillness from core tone reducing noise (the extraneous body movements sent to my horse) so aids are more clear and the horse becomes more responsive
  • Wrapping these steps into right-brain visualizations that can impact multiple body parts

I couldn’t get home fast enough to apply these clinic insights with my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana and naturally gaited fox trotting horse, Lady.

Each time my naturally gaited horse loses balance or rushes, this reminds me to fix my position first. Each time I do, I find my horse naturally aligns with my balanced riding position quicker than if just fix my horse with my rein and leg aids alone. My horse feels more balanced, more through from the hindquarters, relaxed through the back and neck to the bit, and she takes deeper, steadier steps under her belly in her natural smooth gaits.

While Mary’s clinic featured non-gaited horses, I find that her rider biomechanic paradigm applies equally well with riders of naturally gaited horses.

Two decades after reading The Natural Rider I am grateful to have met Mary Wanless in person whose rider biomechanic concepts have pushed me through fear instead of giving up and onto becoming a better rider.

Today Mary has rekindled my passion for riding like I had in the beginning. She’s given me a rider biomechanic paradigm that impacts the quality of my riding with my naturally gaited horses.

Mary Wanless has written many books since The Natural Rider, including Ride With Your Mind, Ride With Your Mind Essentials, Ride With Your Mind Masterclass, For the Good of the Rider, For the Good of the Horse, Ride With Your Mind Clinic: Rider Biomechanics from Basics to Brilliance.

Visit: www.Mary Wanless.com.

What are your thoughts? Please reach out and send me a message or stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and “like” us on facebook.com/naturallygaited.

Dressage for the Gaited Horse, The Versatile Gaited Horse

Naturally Walkin’ in Wonderland

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walkin in wonderland

By Jennifer Klitzke

Naturally Walkin’ in Wonderland

I live in the frozen tundra where the winter’s cold and dark imprisons us for up to six months. No indoor arena. No deep pockets to travel South. If I want me and Makana my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse to stay in shape, I have to get creative.

Winter riding is not new to me, but using the snow to improve and condition my horse’s naturally smooth gaits is a new concept. The snow has encouraged my gaited horse to lift her shoulders and engage from behind, so much so that I now know what the rocking chair canter feels like. I’m hoping that winter riding will ingrain muscle memory in Makana and for me, the “feel” of the rocking chair canter.

The snow has also introduced Makana and me to the Tennessee trot. Yes, I know that I’m crossing the thresh holds of taboo, but I believe that my Walking Horse is established enough in her naturally smooth four-beat gaits to develop another gait on cue.  So adding to the free walk, medium walk, flat walk, running walk, canter and counter-canter, we are tackling the trot. After all, I’ve enjoyed 25 years of riding traditional dressage horses, so trot is a welcomed gait. I believe that as long as the trot is trained on cue, it will not disrupt Makana’s naturally smooth four-beat gaits.

My cues for flat walk and trot

For flat walk and running walk, I encourage Makana to lift in the shoulders, and I follow her head nod with a light rein contact. At the same time, I lighten myself in the saddle by distributing my weight into my thighs. This allows Makana to neutralize instead of hollow her back.

For trot, I hold my weight in my thighs and hug my calves through the upward transition while holding a light steady contact with the reins. This holding the reins with a steady contact discourages the head nod and encourages the trot. Then I post instead of sit each trot step. Every stretch of trot on cue is followed up with flat walk and canter.

Not only is riding in the snow an utter blast, but it has been a good workout for both me and Makana (especially the posting trot). Who knows, if I can develop Makana’s trot on cue in and out of the snow, nothing will stop us from entering the traditional dressage shows!

Remember, dressage is more than trot (but gaited horses can learn trot on cue, too, and it won’t ruin their naturally smooth gait!)

Video: Walkin’ in Wonderland

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