sports psychology

Equestrian Psychotherapy

~ claire ballardie

Equestrian Psychotherapy

 With many years of experience as both a rider and coach, and as a  psychotherapist  with an equestrian background, I combine many years of experience into my unique approach to help you to get the best out of your relationship with your horse.

When you worry, your nervous system goes into survival mode, looking out for danger. Your horse reacts to your adrenalin levels, and becomes fearful, mistrustful. You are no longer his ‘safe person’. Panicking can lead to poor decision making. I can help you to  prioritise a sense of calm, before making choices.

Some of the issues we can work with:

  • Loss of confidence
  • Lack of trust in your horse
  • Performance anxiety at competitions
  • Residual fear  from riding incidents
  • Post traumatic stress (PTSD) from frightening experiences
  • Grief from the loss of a beloved horse (or human)
  • Lack of self-worth, self-doubt

and more ……………

How can equestrian psychotherapy help?

As a rider, most are aware of learning the physical side to riding, such as your riding position, and the aids. Equally, keeping yourself and your horse physically fit and well adds to the enjoyment of being able to achieve your goals. You might aim for a competition, or to be able to hack safely.

Equally as important is being aware of your thoughts and emotional responses to your horse. We will work with getting to know how your nervous system works, alonside your horse’s.

If your horse is spooky, or you feel he does not understand you, I can help you to take a look at what is going on for you emotionally.

You may face choices about your horse, or your riding career. talking through your options in sessions can give you a clearer picture about your decisions.

My aim is help you to take the stress and worry out of ‘what if’ scenarios which turn up in your mind, thinking logically rather than responding emotionally. learn how to Be aware of your emotional response – your feelings/mood when you are with your horse, or thinking about things in the night. What stresses you? What makes you feel relaxed?

Building a better relationship with your horse is about how you work as a team. Sessions will include ‘talking therapy‘ without the horse, to gain self-awareness  and to explore emotional issues going on for you. We will also work with your body to help you to relax and remain calm with your horse, to improve how you function together.

What happens in sessions?

I aim to help you to work through problems before putting them into practice with your horse. If we are working on-line, we can discuss a short video of you and your horse in action together. We can schedule an initial session to see how best I can be of help. A minimum of 4-6 sessions are recommended to get a good understanding of what is going on for you.

I work with adults (over 18 years) on a one-to-one basis. Sessions can be in person at my therapy centre (without your horse)  or on-line using Zoom. Ridden sessions can be also be done virtually using Zoom.

Prices 

 The Psychology of Horsemanship Webinar  is available from the shop page.

You may find my latest book, The Psychology of Horsemanship supportive in your quest to improve your understanding of your horse.

The Window of Tolerance – Horse and Rider

~ claire ballardie

The Window of Tolerance – Horse and Rider

Have you ever wondered what’s behind a successful horse and rider partnership? Why are they so in sync, confident, capable of mastering any challenge that arises?

The mystery lies in expanding your, and your horse’s, window of tolerance.

What is the window of tolerance?

It is your comfort zone. Where you feel calm, confident, and in control of your emotional and physical state. You are nor scared. You can breathe, trust in your ability, trust your horse.

For your horse, it is his safety zone- he is wothout fear, calm, trusting in you, and his world.

How does it work?

Say you are riding towards a jump. On the approach you feel scared, your heart rate goes through the roof, you can’t concentrate, so you hang on, and leave it up to your horse, hoping he will get you over it. So what does he do? He refuses. he feels scared and runs away.

You panic, you feel afraid, and vow that jumping is not for you. Your window of tolerance is slammed firmly shut. Your horse’s too. You are left feeling disappointed in yourself, and feel you have failed your horse. Your fear tolerance level is zero.

So how do you expand your window of tolerance?

Breathe. Yes, I know it sounds simple, but there’s more to the effect of conscious breathing. Your nervous system has two parts: the adrenalin activated side which gears you into action, (feeling nervous or excited) and the calming part, for rest, recovery, safety.

The same goes for your horse. He either feels scared, or safe. His nervous system will pick up from yours whether the world is safe or not. So the remedy starts with you. You need to be your horse’s’safe person’ horse for him to trust you.

Going back to the jumping example, if your horse pricks his ears, hesitates in his stride, he is asking you ‘is this safe?’

If you answer is”Oh that’s too big, we’ll never get over that!’ you are compounding his fear, so he refuses.

On the other hand, if you answer him with,’we’ve got this, come on!’ and are confident, he will trust you.

Building your safety zone

Learn. Build your expertise and knowledge. Belief in yourself. Trust your physical ability and be aware of your emotions. Trust your horse. Nervousness will pass. It is this recovery that builds your ‘window of tolerance’. It is the belief that you will land safely over the fence, and carry on to the next.

Building the Partnership with your horse

Practice finding the flow between feeling a bit scared (challenged), and back to calm. This flow expands as you get to know what you are capable of.

You can choose to return to your comfort zone at any time by closing your ‘window of tolerance’ when you need to. This choice gives you recovery time, control, calmness, time to reflect on your achivements, be proud of yourself and your horse.

For more information, see the links below:

The Psychology of Horsemanship Book by Claire Lilley

The Psychology of Horsemanship Webinar with Claire Lilley

The Psychology of Horsemanship Book by Claire Lilley

~ claire ballardie

The Psychology of Horsemanship Book by Claire Lilley

Gaining insight from my own real-life experience, I look at the relationship between the horse and their human partner, and how it impacts on both mental and physical development. This book aims to help horse owners, riders, coaches and therapists alike, exploring how both can benefit from a depth of understanding with each other, with a focus on how fear affects riders and horses. My hope is this book unravels some of the intricacies of the human/horse bond.

My experience as a riding coach for over 40 years informs my practice as a psychotherapist (Claire Ballardie MBACP), working with all aspects life, and the trauma associated with impactful life experiences. I keep my 3 horses at home, a great benefit to spending time with them. I still ride, and the horses assist me in therapy sessions, should they choose to!

How I work with my horses in therapy

Price £18.99 plus P&P

Buy The Psychology of Horsemanship Book by Claire Lilley from our shop

or from Crowood Press

 

Or contact me to pay by bank transfer.

 

Claire Lilley Interview The Psychology of Horsemanship

Out-take Claire Lilley talking about her latest book

 

Claire Lilley Interview The Psychology of Horsemanship

~ claire ballardie

An interview with Claire Lilley about The Psychology of Horsemanship (with her husband Dougald Ballardie)