20 August 2008 11:23
I had a bad fall from a riding school horse that really shook me up. I now ride a 15.2hh Arab mare who’s a bit frisky and my nerves have come back. I used to love cantering but now avoid it like the plague. I get extreme butterflies
– please help!
Answer
By Your Horse
Horse Answers editor Kate Large replies:
I tried Caroline Putus’s visualisation exercise to help with my butterflies.
1 Think of the situation that gives you butterflies – I imagine my horse misbehaving in a packed show ring.
2 When the butterflies start, notice where they are and in which direction they’re moving. Mine start from my diaphragm and work up through my chest and into my arms.
3 Take the butterflies up out of your body to arm’s length away – then flip them upside down.
4 Move the butterflies in the opposite direction and put them back in your body. Make sure you keep them moving in the opposite direction to the one they went in originally. I have to push mine back towards my chest and down through my body.
Caroline says you should do this exercise every time you feel even a flutter of butterflies.
It worked best for me when I sat in a quiet place. It’s harder to do in the saddle as you need both hands free and I like to close my eyes.