SRBA Farm Case Studies People

Linda - History of a client:

Linda had been riding off and on throughout her life. As a child she was like many of us who spent time riding with family, friends and neighbors. Linda was never given specific instructions on how to ride a horse. She was told get on, don’t fall off, kick to go, pull to stop.

As children do Linda and her friends made games out of pulling each other off their ponies and making homemade bridles out of twine and just in general having a good time.

As Linda grew up and away from the “fun” of childhood she rode less and less, although occasionally she would have an opportunity to ride with an adult friend or go to a trail riding stable. When Linda’s life changed from single to married with children she found even less time to ride.

As her children grew older and she and her husband became financially secure Linda decided it was time to reclaim the joy of her childhood and take up riding again. Unfortunately for Linda she found out that not only had it been years since she last rode and her body didn’t respond quite the same, she had a whole knew problem she didn’t know she had. She was scared of getting hurt!! Worse yet, that fear had turned into a reality, she was bucked off a horse that she was told was “bomb proof”, not only was she scared of getting hurt she suddenly realized she didn’t really know how to ride and didn’t feel at all safe around horses.

Linda then decided it was important to her to work through her fears. While looking around our area for a person to help her with her dream of riding again, Linda ran into a client of SRBA Farm who had some familiarity with the Safety, Sanity & Success^© courses. Linda decided to give us a call and we arranged a meeting to discuss Linda’s future at SRBA Farm.

Our first meeting:

When Linda first arrived at the farm, she was slightly nervous and unsure. She said she didn’t know what she wanted to do-only that she really wanted to ride again.

We went on a tour of the farm, introduced Linda to all the horses and other animals and got to know each other a bit. I explained the philosophy of 3S^© method we adhere to at the farm and Linda responded with enthusiasm. I told Linda I admired the fact she recognized she needed help. Recognition is the first step in being open to change. With that said, Linda and I began to discuss her Point. In essence, what did she really want to accomplish? Linda was surprised by the question and her answer was “to ride.” Well, that was not precisely what I meant. There are steps that must be taken to get from here to there. Through a probing and enlightening conversation I found out what Linda really wanted was to be able to:

1. Catch a horse in the pasture safely

2. Groom him safely

3. Apply & use tack appropriately & safely

4. Mount & dismount safely

5. Ride in the arena safely

6. Ride around others safely

7. Go on a trail ride and feel in control and safe.

Linda obviously was worried about her safety, but she also wanted skills and control. Since Linda did have a goal in mind we were able to develop a plan that worked with her concerns. Individualizing Linda’s plan in this way allowed Linda to feel part of the process. It also gave her a feeling of investing (control) in her outcome. Linda made a commitment to come to the farm twice a week for one month for lessons.

Working process:

Linda arrived ready to begin her “future with horses” as she called it. Since we were beginning with catching a horse in the pasture and Linda was very nervous, I decided to back track and have Linda just get used to being around one of our “quiet” older horses. As I showed Linda how to move around a horse and the correct way to become a horse’s leader she began to gain confidence. We practiced with a few more horses until Linda had digested the lessons. Using many horses allows someone to challenge themselves. We can all become competent around one animal, but handling different horsenalities is a great learning experience.

Every time Linda came to the farm she was encouraged to repeat the steps she had learned up to that point and then we would add another skill set. This repetition allowed Linda to fully comprehend the process we were teaching her, gave her time to practice her skills and allowed her time to think and ask questions. We worked as quickly or slowly as required. By the time Linda went out to the pasture to catch her horse she was confident and smiling knowing she could handle various situations.

We then began Linda’s grooming and tacking up lessons. Once again we continually supported Linda in practicing her skills and moving forward in every lesson by adding something new. In no time Linda was grooming, cleaning feet, saddling and bridling her horse. She did all this while remaining in control of his movements, reading his body language so as not to be surprised and generally learned to enjoy the feeling of being around animals she has loved all her life.

Linda had a lot of fear about getting on a horse. She was very near tears at the thought. To overcome this I had Linda work the horse she was to ride on the ground, while she exerted control of him on the lunge line. This way she saw how he would react to his environment and to her. She then began to feel she could try to mount.

For this process we did use a mounting block, although the horse was not very tall. For someone who is working through their fear it is important to have them be as comfortable physically as possible. Linda was struggling but determined to follow through with mounting the horse. Once she was aboard I told her just to sit there a moment and then get back down. Linda was so overcome she cried and was amazed that she had done it. While acknowledging her accomplishment we still needed to mount and dismount a few times. While mounted and with encouragement, Linda was able to walk the horse around for a few minutes. Linda felt very good about herself, although she still had residual fear. Practice and repetition was how we would work through that. Linda would need more lessons before she was ready to go out on the trail. However she was definitely ready to move to the outdoor arena and lunge line work. At this point I continued to use the horse Linda was comfortable with under saddle. Linda always caught, groomed and saddled her horse herself, with supervision. We then fitted Linda with appropriate riding attire and a helmet and off to the outdoor arena we went.

In the outdoor arena Linda worked her horse on the ground for a minute or two and then mounted and stood. I supported Linda in her riding by keeping her on a lunge line while teaching her balance for confidence, using the 3S^© method. Linda worked quickly through her fear. This did not just happen. Linda was very dedicated to overcoming her issues. She took measures at the farm and at home to challenge herself and to reinforce the changes she was making. She asked questions, practiced keeping her fears from paralyzing her and used visualization to help her see good things where the fear used to be. These are some of the tools that helped Linda, and they are available for others to find their own ways towards their goals.

Results:

Linda had taken 8 lessons and felt she had a very good beginning and I agreed. When I asked Linda to critic herself the following are her answers:

· I learned I didn’t have to feel dumb because I didn’t know something. I didn’t have the experience so how could I have known.

· Now that I can control a horse on the ground and feel safe I have more confidence that I take care of myself. I no longer feel vulnerable.

· I am learning how to be a leader and to communicate clearly with horses and people.

· I am enjoying horses again!!

What next:

Linda still has a way to go before she will be able to go on a trail ride, but she is a committed woman and I believe in the spring when Linda returns to the farm to ride she will fulfill her dream of going on a trail ride.

CCRider