Managing fear

R ended horse camp last week with a bucket-load of fear. She went back on Tuesday - did okay - and the same can be said for Wednesday. But on Thursday, there was another incident that caused her to be afraid again. It caused all the campers to be afraid, actually. So I got another call on Thursday morning and then she decided to not ride on Friday. And I totally understand.

But here's the kicker - she still wants to try riding! She just needs to find a horse and an environment that helps her feel safe and in control.

So good friend T has stepped up and offered lessons on her horses, which we took advantage of this morning.

R and Spirit on their first ride together.

T is a gentle teacher and is hopeful that R will fall in love with riding like the rest of us crazies. They spent the first 30 minutes of their lesson choosing a horse, brushing and generally getting to know Spirit, and then leading him around with the halter. Only then did R get to mount up. To help R relax, T showed her how he was really trying to do whatever R asked. She also got her to let go of her death grip on the horn by having her drop her reins and pretend to be an airplane, guiding the horse with only her legs and body movements.

At the end of the lesson, R was smiling. And on the way home, she was totally happy and asking to come back for more lessons and rides on Spirit. Thank you T!

R loves the dorsal stripe and zebra leg markings that Spirit has. So do I!