by Karen Meeker

Created on: April 26, 2007   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

There is nothing like the trust that develops between a horse and their rider. When the rider gets on that horse and the wind is rushing over them; they are one. It is this trust that makes it so difficult to recover emotionally when there is an injury causing accident. If you are a true horse lover, be prepared for that first time you end up in a pile on the ground without warning.

Once the physical injuries heal, you might have to figure our a way to get back in the saddle and build the trust all over again. You may not have lost the trust because the horse necessarily did anything wrong, but it is awfully hard to convince your brain of that when it was you crumpled up in pain only days or weeks ago.

An important factor in recovering from any riding accident is to realize before you ever start, that these types of things are going to happen. No matter how much you trust the horse, it is still an animal that will react in unpredictable ways from time to time. As with any sport, there is a risk involved and recovery will be much easier if you know this in the beginning.

When you are physically ready to ride again, begin slowly. If it takes walking the horse and spending time in activities that don't necessarily involve riding, that is perfectly fine. Only you will know when you are ready to ride again. It is as important for you to trust the horse again as it is for the horse to realize that things are going to be good between the two of you again. A horse can sense a lack of confidence and that will impact their ability to respond to commands.

Once you are comfortable, take a deep breath and climb back on the horse. There is no better way to regain the self confidence you need than to actually ride again. You don't need to get far away from your home or even ride at a fast pace, just ride. Talk to the horse and do a little self talk if needed, but ride.If it makes you feel more comfortable, have another person ride with you for awhile. Regardless of what you do, be sure to get back into doing it regularly.

Horse riding accidents are inevitable. Even the safest and most experienced riders will struggle from time to time. The difference between you and other riders will be your ability to emotionally reconnect with your horse and get back to riding as soon as possible.

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