For riders
Therapy your horse will thank you for
Help with fear, nerves, and confidence in the saddle, from a licensed counselor who has spent her life around horses.
"Oh no. It is happening again."
The walk from the barn to the ring always starts out hopeful. A new day, a new lesson.
Then the ring gets closer and you start thinking about last time. What if. How will I. What about.
Your stomach tightens. You reach for your horse's neck and it feels tense too. You put your foot in the stirrup, swing over, settle in, and there it is. The fear is back at full strength. He chomps the bit and flicks his ears, waiting for your next ask and sensing something is wrong.
I know this from the inside
I have ridden and shown for more than 20 years. I have taught riding, bred horses, and I still show jumpers. I know the joy and the heartbreak because I have lived both.
Riding is as much a mind game as a physical one. You walked the course a hundred times. You step into the ring and cannot remember a thing. Your trainer is saying something and you cannot take it in.
Breathe. This can be different.
What we work on
Fear after a fall or a bad ride
When your body remembers what happened even though your head says you are fine.
Show nerves
Staying present, and being able to move on when something goes wrong in the ring.
The hard decisions
Moving up, changing trainers, changing sports. They are easier with someone who knows horses and knows how decisions get made.
The voice in your head
Perfectionism and harsh self-talk, and what to say to yourself instead.
I draw on mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. We use perspective, humor, and an honest look at your thoughts.
This is time for you, as a person and as a rider
Sessions are one-to-one and built around you. We talk through whatever is troubling you about your riding, and often about what is going on outside the barn too, because the two are rarely separate.
This is therapy with a licensed counselor, in my Crozier office or online anywhere in Virginia.
Get back to the feeling that made you love it
Start with a free 15-minute call.