Thursday, 28 August 2008
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May 2007 • VOLUME 21 • © HORSES For LIFE™
Magazine  TAKE YOUR TIME! A while ago, over a period of about three years, I underwent two major surgical operations and also injured my knee badly - not riding-related accidents, but the resulting loss of confidence around horses was the same, notwithstanding over 40 years of riding and being with horses. I was left with a strong sense of vulnerability and fragility which had a definite effect on both my riding and my handling of horses, indeed my confidence in just being around horses diminished considerably. But if you think about it, isn’t it rather natural to feel more diffident and nervous in situations where we do not feel 100% confident in our physical capacities? For a long time after my knee injury I was so afraid of slipping and straining or twisting it, that I was wary of even leading a horse - even a well-mannered one – especially over uneven or muddy ground. I could not be sure I had the full strength back in the muscles of that leg and didn’t feel totally secure when trotting or cantering - if the horse stumbled, slipped or shied I couldn’t be sure I would be able to make the movements necessary - or make them quickly and surely enough - to stay in balance, both because of lack of strength in the muscles and because a subconscious fear of pain or further damage was inhibiting my body movements. I started learning bad movement habits as pain and weakness altered my natural balance and the harmony of my mind tobody co-ordination. Also there was a very
real memory of the pain, the agony of injury and the often excruciating
steps to recovery and rehabilitation. If we make the above personal then we need to split it from the general from this following statement. It is only natural that the mind should constantly be engaged in trying to protect the body from further pain and damage by inhibiting in us any form of risk-taking activity. Sometimes it can exaggerate in a most understandable attempt to wrap us up in cotton wool for ever more! These fears and uncertainties are so understandable. It is well known that women riders who return to the saddle after having a baby often experience a diminished confidence through heightened caution and apprehension about risk taking because their main priority is now to be fit and well to care for their child, whereas before they did not have that extra responsibility to think about. The same or similar can surely be applied to anyone with responsibility for others (dependent spouses, elderly relatives etc) and those who are on their own with limited support systems. Others again have very responsible jobs where they cannot be easily substituted. I think that takes care of most of us, doesn't it?
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An Equestrian Legacy