Don’t Be Scared of Riding Your Horse
Until you’ve built a strong bond with your horse, it can be a scary getting in the saddle. What if he doesn’t listen when I tell him to go? What if he refuses the jump? What if he bucks? What if he doesn’t move? What if I look like a total idiot?
Clear communication with your horse takes time. Over the years, and now with Rudy, I’ve learned 14 methods you can implement immediately while riding when nothing else works.
And I want to share them with you! Because you should look forward riding, not dread it.
Sign up for instant access to the Confident Rider Bootcamp and be happier in the saddle today:
Okay, so we all know that horse people are a litttttle bit crazy. I mean, I know I am! Absolutely no shame here.
Just look at Instagram, or Tiktok, or Pinterest and you’ll see hundreds of memes about horses eating your money, time and taking priority over significant others in your life. You’ll also see countless videos of horse crazy people doing questionable things.
It’s just how we are. And that’s how we like it!
If that sounds like you, come hang out with us on social media:
Equestrian Boots & Bridles is about creating that special bond with your horse that all us horse-crazy people dream about.
I specifically built EB&B for all those horse crazy (or just plain crazy) people out there who fantasized about having a horse as their best friend.
So if that sounds like you, then you’re in the right place.
I was always “that horse-crazy girl”. When I was little, I was known by everyone as the girl with the imaginary unicorn named Luna.
My family and friends thought I was likely to grow out of it. I was pressured to go into a professional career path. Horseback riding lessons become too complicated and expensive living in the city. Getting a “proper education” was clearly much more important.
It took me years to realize that it’s never too complicated and expensive to do something that you love. When I was in my 3rd year of Engineering at the University of Toronto, I started riding again and it was literally the best decision I ever made.
Was it expensive? YES!
Was it time-consuming? YES!
Was it 100% worth it? YES!
I did not want to become an Engineer and so my family pressured me to go into another “respectable field”. I ended up in medical school. At the time, I did not realize that my heart was not fully in it. And in many ways, I loved medicine and still do. My passion lies in mental health (which is part of why I love horses and horseback riding – horses are like a living, breathing meditation app in my opinion). But I could not see myself working in a hospital or in a big city.
Throughout medical school, the prospect of a 5 year psychiatry residency weighed me down. My increasing student debt gave me incessant anxiety. All I wanted to do was escape to the barn as often as I could (which was not often with my gruelling schedule).
Can you guess what happened?
You got it right. I got sick. I started having weird neurological symptoms. I would get dizzy, I stopped sleeping, I developed anxiety and depression. It got so bad I had to take a year off of school with only 9 weeks left of medical training left.
So I did what any normal horse-crazy girl would do. I moved in with my boyfriend out in the country and I bought my first “forever” horse, Rudy, a 4 year old grey warmblood cross gelding. I started working with him 4-5 days a week for a few hours a day and then slept and rested or went for medical testing the rest of the time.
It took me an additional 4 months after that to realize that I didn’t belong in the medical field. The hospitals, the hours and the stress just didn’t make me happy. I realized what I really wanted to do was spend time outside at the barn with Rudy. Working with him and just hanging out with him, I was happier than I had been in years.
Now, I spend 4-5 days per week with him at the barn, I’m learning SO MUCH about horses and myself. I’ve also decided to take up painting again, which is something that I had given up since high school. You can check out my work on instagram at instagram.com/martinaheinelt. I’ve actually sponsored the KataLUNA horse sanctuary in Washington and do free portraits of all of their rescues.
Following your heart SO much easier said than done and don’t I know it. Social pressure can be so extreme! It might be cheesy to say but I honestly believe that Rudy helped teach me to follow my heart.
THAT is the power of horses.
Are you on the fence about buying your first horse? Click here to check out my Your 1st Horse Guide!
Getting Rudy changed my life and it will change yours too. I’ll be here for you 100% of the way through it. Feel free to e-mail me and we’ll talk it over if you need help.
ALREADY OWN A HORSE? Awesome! Let’s see how else I can help…
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Lessons I’ve Learned Training Rudy:
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Happy riding!
Martina
“There’s something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man (or woman! :).” – Winston Churchill