Need to overcome fear

[nepreneaux]

If, IF SHTF, transportation will be halted as we know it. We have horses, and I am scared to death of them. Wife loves them, I on the other hand do not. Anything bigger, stronger than me with a mind of its own, is a problem for me. Lived in Texas my whole life, and not once ever been on a horse. How do I overcome this?

[Grumpy Old Man]

Get on and ride?

[helomech]

Yeah, only way is to get on. I don't like them myself, but not because I am afraid of them, because they don't seem to do what I want.

[Stg1swret]

Only way to over come the fear is to face it. You may not want to just get on and ride however. have the wife teach you how to approach the horse, lead you around in the paddock then ride in the paddock, then go out and ride with the wife.

[LUNCHBOX]

A long time and two vertebrae ago I felt the same way. (A horse and the ground double teamed me) I did attempt to get back on but couldn't lift my leg....lol. At this point I'm not going to put all my trust in a horse since I may have to shoot of its back.

[piranha2]

So lets get this straight. You are MARRIED and are scared of horses? Holy crap. Your fears may be misguided, my friend.

[nepreneaux]

Truth is I fell off my Harley and it took almost two years to completely heal. So the last thing I want to do is end up in that predicament again, especially at 54.

[piranha2]

I understand.

[The Stig]

Truth is I fell off my Harley and it took almost two years to completely heal. So the last thing I want to do is end up in that predicament again, especially at 54.

Certainly reasonable.

Maybe start spending some time with them if you don't already? Perhaps if you get to know them, spend some time brushing them, feed them a snack, etc you'll get to a point where you feel comfortable moving to greater degrees of interaction and trust.

[eagle326]

If, IF SHTF, transportation will be halted as we know it. We have horses, and I am scared to death of them. Wife loves them, I on the other hand do not. Anything bigger, stronger than me with a mind of its own, is a problem for me. Lived in Texas my whole life, and not once ever been on a horse. How do I overcome this?


When I was 17 yrs. old I went into the Army. I was afraid of heights to an extent. The recruiting Sergeant was Airborne and convinced me to do it. His explanation was most people fear heights to a degree. But if you face your fear and go at it with the purpose of conquering it in a straight forward manner and learning everything about it you'll find that the fear was made by you own mind by things you saw or heard.

As a wise old Airborne trooper once told me. Son as long as you have butterflies in your stomach means you're paying attention to the details of what your doing.
The day you lose that feeling you are very likely to get hurt or die because you weren't paying attention.
I say get all the advice you can from horse people and you'll find that horses are very easy to live and ride with. Good luck.

[nepreneaux]

New I joined the right forum, will let you all know how this turns out.

[ladyhk13]

First of all, welcome to the Site! Horses are like dogs...kind of. Just bigger. They will give you much love once they learn to trust YOU! There is a gal here who is wonderful with horses, her name is Sparrow. She may be able to help you a great deal. I'll give her a pm and ask her to check this thread.

[ravensgrove]

From the way you talk you might have a bonified phobia, not just a fear. There's a distinct difference, if you get panicky even thinking about approaching them...you're going to have to take baby steps. Acclimate yourself slowly to them...this might sound ridiculous but it might actually help if you drink beer or something prior...not so you're drop dead drunk, but to ease your nerves enough you aren't oozing adrenaline. As with all animals...a horse can smell fear on you, and its going to be a chicken and egg dance if you have so much fear whether you are afraid of the horse or it is afraid of you...and neither of you will enjoy it. Also, if the horses already naturally trust your wife, they will follow her lead on whether to trust you for the most part so don't be worried they are going to hate you off the bat. Finally...horses as a rule...just are big old dogs. I'd be more afraid of one of my bucks then a horse most days. Keep in mind a few somple things and your interaction goes easier. For the most part their peripheral and side vision is patchy...so don't approach them abruptly from the rear, that startles them. Because they see in arrays this way, just like cattle, goats etc, to move any livestock you move in the opposite direction you want them to move...because they naturally will move away from you ...you want them to go forward, you walk toward their flank...you want them to go back you walk past their head. In the end, horses are amazing animals and you are lucky to have access to them and they to you, so don't steal that opportunity from yourself or deprive you or them from one another. You might actually find, as was with my goats years ago when Bgi J was afraid of the bucks...they take to you immediately...because all this time they have seen you wandering around and have thought...boy that person doesn't pay any attention to me...I wonder who he is? I find with most animals they love people who don't like them...just like Big Js cats love me and they drive me nuts.

[izzyscout21]

^^ does that work for spiders??...........

[eagle326]

^^ does that work for spiders??...........


Boot Stomp Boogie does.

[msomnipotent]

Only way to over come the fear is to face it. You may not want to just get on and ride however. have the wife teach you how to approach the horse, lead you around in the paddock then ride in the paddock, then go out and ride with the wife.

I have to disagree. I am afraid of heights, so I faced my fear and went bungee jumping. I am still afraid of heights and I hate bungee jumping. I am afraid of horses, so I went riding three times. The first time, the horse rolled over while my knee was caught between the saddle and the horse, and then it took off running. Luckily, the running cleared my knee of the saddle. The second time, the horse just took off while I was in the saddle. I mean took OFF at top speed, towards a highway with no barrier. And it tried to bite me. And the third time, I screwed up my courage, bravely sat in the saddle, and the saddle promptly slipped to its belly because the employee didn't tighten it enough. I'm still afraid of horses!

[Grumpy Old Man]

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd421/GrumpyOldMan53/jimbo.jpg

This is me and Z Rainamus the Arabian Wonder Horse taken 10 years ago on the Cherokee Ranch in Sedalia Colorado. We have been together for 15 years now. I got him as a six year old, so he was still getting his mind to mature. He is the 9th horse, registered to me personally, that I have owned. I've had others that I bought and re-sold when the market was good, but they were pass throughs. I got my first equine when I was eight years old; a shetland gelding I named Nubbin. He taught me a lot. Over the years I've had horses more often than not depending on my situation. Sadly, Z and I aren't as young as we once were so we take it a lot slower nowadays.

I have been injured a number of times in my equine career. It comes with the turf! Broken ribs, broken wrist, fractured vertebra, sprained ankles and stomped feet; all that has happened over 50 years of my love affair with ponies. Was it worth the trouble? What trouble?

That being said, if you can't overcome your fear, don't get on a horse! Your emotions are transmitted directly to your horse's brain from your hands through the reins. When you are riding a horse, he is your partner-you are a team. If you are reticent, your horse will know it and react accordingly.

If you choose to ride, choose a horse that you bond with, that will be your partner. Learn ground manners with it. Groom it. Get comfortable being around it. Horses have distinct personalities just like people, so you will want a personality that complements yours. If your wife is the equestrian in the family ask for her help if you really want to get into riding. If you are doing this because it is a prep for SHTF, it probably won't go as well as it would if you were doing it because you genuinely want to learn. Horses are a big time and monetary commitment. Make sure you are willing to honor the commitment before making it, because for sure you will only get out of the relationship what you are willing to put into it.

This has been more philosophical than practical I fear, but we are talking about fear and overcoming it. The practical aspects of riding are covered by a whole lot of folks out there with books, videos, TV shows and newsletters; the mental part not so much so. That must come from within and from experience, IMNSHO.

I'll leave it with this: God created dogs to teach us unconditional love. He created horses to teach us trust and partnership. And cats, well He created cats to teach us to deal with rejection.

[The Stig]

I'll leave it with this: God created dogs to teach us unconditional love. He created horses to teach us trust and partnership. And cats, well He created cats to teach us to deal with rejection.

Well said.

ETA: Thanks for your entire post.