fear of riding

From the momment I sat on my uncle's appaloosa at age 4 I fell in love with horses, at 5 I started english lessons. Up until I was around 13 I did horse camps and lessons with various instructors(horses were my life). Eventually I just started trail riding my own horses. I was always fearless and would try and ride any horse. When I was 18 and working as a trail guide, people would put me on unbroken and problem horses. I havn't ridden alot in the past 5 years. My OTT TB died and I didn't have my own horse since then, my parent's horses were too old to ride(and since then have died). I moved to oregon and my boyfriend has horses here. Anyway, I don't feel like I used to. I'm afraid to gallop down the beach like everyone else, I don't feel safe on every horse like I used to. Is this just because i'm not a fearless teen anymore? Or because I havn't ridden enough lately? Has anyone else felt like this?

Yes, I feel the same way right now and it's ok! Different story than yours- I started riding when I was 4, began eventing when I was 12 and at 19, during an x-country schooling ride, was thrown onto a log and broke my back. 6 years later (august of 2010) I bought a horse named Jester and at first was terrified everytime he spooked or misbehaved. I still get scared sometimes, but with the help of a FANTASTIC trainer I'm able to ride through his issues and each time I do, I gain more confidence. I would suggest taking some lessons- the more good experiences you have on a horse, the more confident you will get and that will make riding more enjoyable all around. You may even get back to galloping down the beach again! Good luck!

Yeah but if you really wanted to ride you would get that feeling again. Just take it slow. Go at your own pace. Takes some time to get back into it if you really want to.
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wow, that's amazing that you are riding again after that. I thought about taking lessons, if I can find a good instructor I will(i'm kinda 2 hours from anything).

I do want to get back to feeling that way again. The last trail ride I went on went well...no horse rolling on me, or spooking and falling off. I finally rode my new horse in the ring yesterday, after some tack issues were fixed it went ok. I guess it will just take a while. I can't wait until the weather is nice enough for trail riding again(oregon coast winters suck).

Yes, it's because of your age and yes it's because of the layoff from riding.

When I started back 3 months ago, I hadn't rode in over 10 years. I was even a little nervous just mounting up for the first time. About 30 minutes into, it started coming back to me. And even now, I'm not the best at cantering, but I'm coming back into it. It'll just take a little time to get your seat back and remember how it felt.

Good luck! And the instructor idea is a good one. Even just once or twice a month could help you progress better than if you just did it alone.

After a few months of no riding I always feel that way. Scared, very careful, but once I get going, get my balance back and figure out my seat (and finally feel secure), I am not scared to urge the horse forward and do crazier things. Take it slow, get your confidence back, practice, and you'll feel better in no time. :)

I bought my first horse recently, and I wen out to ride him for the first time today and I was terrified (I rode him at a walk/trot a few weeks ago, before I vouth him bu that was the first time I had ridden in about 2 years) . But once I got on him, and walked a while, my confidence started coming back. I'm sure it will for you too, just keep with it!

I took lessons for 10 years growing up - I would ride just about any horse and was confident. I'm in my late 20s now and haven't ridden much in 7 years. I've taken lessons off and on, only for a few months at a time (then something seems to happen so I have to quit for a while). I feel like a complete beginner again! I'm not confident and I don't have the muscle tone to do what I want. It's very frustrating to know that you used to be able to do something, but now feel you can't. The professionals I've ridden with said I had a great seat and looked very good, so I know the skills are still there and I'm sure yours are too. I don't think we'll ever be as confident as when we were teenagers, but in general your confidence should come back in time. You certainly weren't confident when you first started riding and you took things slow - just go back to that mentality instead of expecting your body to do what it used to do right away.

I would say it's a combination of the two. Not having rode in a while, you're not as confident as before. As well as your riding muscles aren't there anymore, so you're not completely in control. And with being a teen, you can easily bounce back. Being older, it gets harder and harder to bounce back for some. Back at the old barn I used to board at, the owners would come back from an auction with a few horses and they'd have me ride the horses that were a little on the ornery side. I had many falls and accidents. One, where the horse completely flipped over on me, which cause me to crush my ankle and break my collar bone. I was out of riding for a good two months. When I finally was got back in the saddle, I was a little nervous. You just gotta take it one step at a time to getting back that confidence you once had.