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When you ride do you have a Fear basis or a Faith basis?
Now before you answer really think about the question.
" I'm not afraid of anything!" I have been heard to say.
That is not necessarily true.
I'm not afraid of spiders or flying monkeys, but I am afraid of something BAD happening.
Now we have to define the word BAD. Not bad- like naughty, but bad -like I've done something stupid and now something BAD, like dying, is going to happen. FYI- It hasn't happened to date.
And I'm not necessarily afraid of dying, but I am afraid of the pain that might go along with it. Actually I want to avoid PAIN altogether if possible. So I guess I am actually afraid of pain. But physical pain only- emotional pain I can handle, ask my girlfriends.
So when I ride, do I ride on a fear basis of avoiding pain?
To answer that , I would say that I try not to be afraid, but I'm aware of what's around me, to avoid the potential 'Pain Causing' factors. And sometimes that makes me overly cautious. So the answer is - yes, sometimes I ride with a FEAR basis.
But occassionally I get mad- really mad- and then all thoughts of pain and of dying fly right out of my head, and then I am riding on FAITH alone.
When you ride with Faith, you ride with the knowledge that you are good at what you are doing, that you know exactly how to get what you want done, and done right. When you ride with Faith, you are strong and confident, you can quiet that inner cautious voice and be 'in the moment'.
Have I ever gotten hurt while riding with Faith? No.
Have I ever gotten hurt while riding with Fear? No.
(I have usually gotten hurt while not paying attention!)
So what about it?
FEAR or FAITH ?
7 years ago
8 comments:
I think if riding in the moment is riding in faith, that's where I am right now. But it's been a long road through a lot of fear.
My fear is more of losing control. When I have confidence that I have a level of control (not total, that's an illusion, especially with horses), then I can ride in the moment and just feel.
Interesting thoughts. I would say that I might ride from faith on horses I don't know. For example, riding a family member's horse, or the horse I rode at my lesson on Saturday. I just met that horse twenty minutes before I cantered him! That is riding with faith. Or, maybe it is fear, and adrenaline, that made me get through it?? However, sometimes I feel fear when riding my own horse! Silly, since he's done nothing to really scare me, or at least, hurt me. He has never thrown me.
Me, I ride with Faith but I do have a horse that can bring the Fear out in me. Other horses if they do something that should cause fear it's only fleeting and I immediately settle back in Faith. This horse can do something and the fear takes longer to disipate but it is getting better and better each ride. Still I have a ways to go before I ride totally Faith based with all horses again. I suppose once I conquer my demons with this horse, I will be less likely to encounter that fear based riding again........unless of course, I get injured again to the extent his horse hurt me in the first place.
I keep reminding myself to ride with more faith, but at the same time take responsibility for my own welfare. I do think accidents often come out of being overly confident at time, so it's good to be confident, but with a humble approach.
A combination for me. Mostly faith, sometime some fear creeps in, but I have gotten good and pushing it out and powering through it on faith. I ask my hyper ass gelding to canter (more run and then convince him to canter) and have faith that while he is fast - he will not buck.....
But i do keep in mind that (even with a helmet) I could die the very next time I crawl up on a horse and that is the chance we all take, my love of horses over most fear of this - but I think it makes us horsey girls stronger people for it.
How many other people do that on a regular bases??
I am fear based. Back in the day when I would ride anyhing. I got tossed and then the horse stepped on my arm. Fear based big time. And then I met the Arab who changed my mind. When he got to old and sick to ride, I met my girl, Miss Kitt, a quarterhorse who love me and listened to me. We overcame ground bees and Pit Bulls. She was my trailriding buddy. And then she got lymes and I didn't know it. One day when all hell was breaking loose at the barn, she was afraid and hurt and she tossed me. I was knocked out, bruised bones, torn muscles. The exbull rider who owned the barn told me, If I could have stuck that horse for ten more seconds, I'd had a belt buckle.
I love her on the ground. But I am big time fear based again. I don't know what to do. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Gotta go with Faith. Not faith in my horse really, but faith in my riding ability and to handle what is thrown at me in a "fear" situation.
I really think that was a good answer. Toot toot (that would be my own horn if you were wondering)
I generally ride faith based although, in strange situations, a little fear creeps in once in a while. I did rehab a TB mare that terrified me. She never really hurt me but she sure wanted to buck and 'go'!
When I get a little afraid, I try to psych myself into getting angry so that it overrides the fear.
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