Confident Rider was featured in Your Horse Magazine, with an article titled “Does Hypnotherapy work?” which put Hypnotherapy for riders to the test.

The article opened with “we’ve all seen the TV programs where hypnotists claim to help people quit smoking or lose a stone, but could hypnotherapy be used to set nervous riders free? ​

When I was first approached by Your Horse, to take on 2 case studies, and then follow their progress back at their yard, with a photographer and a journalist, I was a little apprehensive.

Hypnotherapy does not work for everyone, and there can be more going on underneath the surface for a rider than just their nerves, lots of personal circumstances can sabotage the most determined rider, but in the interest of testing out what I already knew to be a very helpful method of combating anxiety, tension and fear, I was prepared to put my reservations to one side, put my reputation on the line, and throw myself into the project.

From a personal point of view it was going to be a first for me to actually see the results of my work first hand. I get lots of lovely emails with positive feedback, but I never actually see the riders in their home territory, trying out what they have learnt in my therapy room whilst in a state of hypnosis.

The process started with seeing the 2 case study clients at my practice.
 
There is every chance that Hypnotherapy will work for you just as it did for these two case studies and all those thousands of other riders all over the world that have used my Hypnotherapy sessions.  Give it a try and free yourself from all those negative feelings and thoughts that can hold you back by creating nervous tension and fear,  that spoils your enjoyment.

You can purchase my self-hypnosis sessions as mp3 downloads from this website. 

Good Luck!

Case Study 1
 
1) Amanda had owned her horse for 2 years, newly backed,  and to begin with all went well. Then her horse Tyler had to have some time off work, and Amanda changed yards. Things started to go downhill when Tyler’s personality began to change. He had become quite dominant in the field with his new companions. Even though Amanda moved Tyler back to his old yard, things didn’t improve, and one day Tyler barged past Amanda whilst she was bringing him through a gate, dragging the lead rope so hard through her hands she suffered rope burns.
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Once Tyler knew he was boss, he argued about where he would go on a hack, spooked and napped, and the more dominant he became, the more reluctant Amanda was to argue her point, the more nervous she became, so that eventually she wasn’t hacking out at all.

Case Study 2

2) Julia already had one horse that her son had taken over, and she was then offered the opportunity to take on a young ex-race horse. Unlike a lot of thoroughbreds that have undergone race training, Mabon was a quiet, laid back individual, but still quite green when it came to working on anything other than straight lines, and his lack of muscle development and outline caused him to become unbalanced at times especially on corners.

Julia started with some Parelli groundwork, hacking out, doing some basic schooling and then popped him over a couple of fences, and this was when Mabon scared himself and Julia; he reacted badly on landing, bolted around the arena and Julia fell off.  This made Julia lose her confidence and she found herself making all manner of excuses not to ride. I discovered an underlying problem for Julia - she was very aware of her responsibilities as the sole provider for her children.  

This was a very different scenario from when she didn’t have children and rode many different types of horses as part of her career, with no fear at all. I explained to her that this was very normal. The realisation that we are mortal can have a real impact on how comfortable we are with taking part in potentially dangerous sports and hobbies when we are a parents. Mother nature encourages us to stay safe to provide the best possible outcome for our offspring. This is something to bear in mind if you find that now you have children, you seem to feel more nervous and anxious about situations that before you wouldn’t have given a second thought to.

The Outcomes

The outcome of both these case studies I’m glad to say, were really positive!

Amanda actually hacked out whilst we were filming; taking Tyler somewhere she hadn’t been for many months, feeling really relaxed and positive, and as a result, Tyler didn’t spook or nap, he looked at things but took the lead from Amanda, and responded to her instructions, and Amanda informed me this was how things had been since seeing me. Her whole manner had changed and so had Tyler’s.

Julia worked Mabon in the school whilst we watched (she had been doing this since our sessions together). This was so different from before, as she had not even attempted to ride for many weeks.

Julia felt so positive about her long-term relationship with Mabon. She was looking for someone to help her with the flatwork schooling so she could realise Mabon’s potential as an all round horse that she could enjoy for many years.