I Just Smile, Sing A Song In My Head And Speak Softly To My Pony :)

Always Calms Me As We Have To Hack Everywhere (No Arena), Past Combine Harvesters And Everything :(

Nicole ♥

hey i no exactly what u mean about the horse tensin up iv ridden young pointers out and theyre constantly stoodd up lookin around as tho theyre about to be eaten by the world but as long as ur relaxed ur horse will feel this and relax also.they sence alot through u.i generally leave for a hack thinking the worst that can happen is il end up in a hedge or sat on a car and when we come bk ok its great.but thats just me lol if ur nervous u shoudl ask someone with a mummy horse to hack with u so ur horse sees its ok and will learn alot.

 My old mare was a very nervous hack, but as we had no menage, she had to hack to get anywhere! She would nap on the busy roads for no other reason than a scary looking leaf. I used to want someone leading her, but decided I needed to get a grip for the mare's sake!

My main advice...

-Don't look. If your horse is looking at something, look straight ahead where you want to go and don't even acknowledge it. 
-Talk. Talk in that stupid baby voice people put on when talking to animals, and just say meaningless rubbish. It's very soothing for a horse to be talked to. I've had entire conversations in this annoying voice before. It helps!
-If you're hacking on the roads, make sure you're well into the pavement, and covered in reflective things. It will help your piece of mind to know cars aren't going to be whizzing by when your horse is freaking out.

-Breathe! This was my main issue. My trainer came out with me hacking and just said, in so many words, 'bloody hell, breathe!!' Deep breaths relax the body, and will calm you and the horse. If you're holding your breath, you're tensing up. Just let your bum go floppy and relax into the saddle with nice soft hands. It will give your horse confidence, thinking you have confidence, even if you're scared witless inside!

Hope I helped!