Some falls from horses can have such huge repercussions that the lingering effects can compare with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – complete with chronic physical pain and chronic anxiety.
I do work here at Rokeby that specifically gets rid of that chronic pain and anxiety and at the end of this article, I have invited other alternative therapists from all around the world who specialise in horses and riders, who can also help with this problem, to make a special comment about their work at the bottom of this article too.
In my work, we call the after effects of a bad fall like this “the fright imprint”.
It’s like… whenever you are on your horse afterwards, your body is reacting to this fright imprint with a level of tension that varies from outright fear in certain circumstances – to just a general lack of confidence.
You may or may not recognise how big a contribution the fall has made to your tension level and your nerves. But ANY “negative” tension in you, affects your ability to ride well and has an adverse effect on both your happiness AND the way your horse can carry you. It affects their movement, their ability to track through, their ability to use their body athletically and their long term health because of all those things.
That “negative” tension certainly produces the feeling that something is Not Quite Right that I describe and that I show you how to work with in our FREE LESSONS The 9 Keys to Happiness with Your Horse.
I keep putting the word “negative” in quotation marks like this because, although we think of this kind of thing as negative – it’s really the opposite. It becomes a beautifully POSITIVE thing when we understand what it is that we needed to know or do about whatever is brought up by the fright and the fall.
I guess that might be difficult to understand unless you’ve worked with me before – but getting to the bottom of this stuff is always a beautiful thing.
Leanne experienced that stress ever since her big fall 21 years ago and the physical and emotional effects of that stress and of the accident itself were still there until she cleared it a few weeks ago on the vaulting horse that I call “Magic”.
Magic is an imaginary horse, a comfortable 44 gallon drum on four legs horse that stands there calmly and doesn’t even move 🙂 – while you sit in the saddle and work out your “stuff”. You can do yours in a chair…
You can share Leanne’s wonder as she sits on Magic after one of our sessions and feels her body respond with no more pain or fear about this horrific fall. Click here for the link to that blog.
Magic’s use these days is NOT in teaching me how to vault onto a horse bareback, but in clearing the frights related to old falls, understanding and releasing the chronic pain and chronic anxiety and tension that is the result.
We also use Magic to create a comfort zone around an effortlessly strong and powerful riding position and even to re-program automatic reactions that get in the way of being a good and happy rider.
Anyway, here’s what prompted me to write this article. Medical experts in post traumatic stress disorder have recently discovered that the brain takes about a month to “heal” from a trauma. During that month, you can help your brain to heal in ways that produce useful reactions in the future. We can do that on Magic too.
But even bigger than that – we alternative therapists have been doing this sort of thing successfully – even years after the event – even 21 years after the event like Leanne.
So how much of your riding tension is caused by old falls? How much is that affecting your riding and getting in your horse’s way?
This is SUCH a big deal folks – you simply don’t have to be putting up with this kind of stuff.
It is gobsmacking the amount of issues that we face when dealing with horses.What blessed teachers they are!
Being both a therapist and a rider that has had a fall or two over the years I can sympathise with the lost confidence that can dull many a “horsey” passion.To overcome my reluctance to get back on I looked at my motivation first. Why was I a horse rider? Secondly, how far away from my comfort zone can I go without setting myself back further? Thirdly, what is the goal? For me, its about spendng time with horses so if I ride then great if I dont then that’s ok too. No pressure there. On the second point, if I dont push myself at least a little then I will never move forward. “Feel the fear and do it anyway” so baby steps ie, handling the horse on the ground confidently, standing on the mounting block, mounting in an environment that is relatively controlled like a yard or indoor arena, take a few steps forward, and so on. Each time a little more than before but not so much that it’s scarey enough to undermine the progress. Every success no matter how small builds a degree of confidence.
The therapeutic measures to minimise a negative response from the horse and rider from traumatic memory I utilised several methods that really made a noticeable difference. Bowen Therapy to not only release the existing muscular pain and strain but also to address the older memories stored in the cells and loosen and relax tension and structural misalignment, creating a much more comfortable physical experience. Homeopathic and Flower Essence preparations to address the same physical issues but working from within through the energy bodies whilst also addressing the emotional and spiritual aspects.
We battle with ourselves over what we think we “should” be able to do and dont really give enough importance to what we actually “want” to do. By taking a moment to clarify our thoughts and focus on the present and release expectation we can over come our hesitation and rebuild from a strong base that has served to reeducate and expand our positive experience as a horse enthusiast now and for the future.
Great advice here Lisa – only one small thing that I do differently. I must send you The Six Keys to Happiness with Your Horse, where I talk about my experience with fear as a message and when you figure out what you need to know or do about it just goes away – pfft! And when we listen to fear consistently and take whatever action on it that we need – then fear and excitement separate again and we can feel them as different emotions. It’s very exciting! The interesting thing is, that on more reflection – your “giving importance to what we actually want to do” could be doing exactly the same thing, coming at it from a different angle. Look for Lisa on the World Wide List of Alternative Therapists at the top of every page.