Nervous Rider after fall

Taking my young horse for a trek today and quite nervous but also excited!

Quite a few months ago I came off my young standardbred and really hurt my back while road riding. Since then I have avoided riding him and when I do I stay in the paddock making him do circles. He hates it and our relationship has really gone down hill. He's gone from being a fantastic boy who loved being ridden out and about to pinning his ears at me and refusing when ridden.

Well the last week or so he has been very vocal about wanting to get off the property and go for a trek. So today I am going to face my fear and get him out! Just hope the nervous settle quickly :(
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How did it go?

Haha I chickened out last minute. I still took out for a walk but didn't ride him. But he loved his walk a bit nervous at first but settled down and enjoyed being out.
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Any time spent with your horse is good time. Glad you had fun.

Gosh, this post could be mine! I did the same thing. My young horse spooked last November, I fell pretty hard and twisted my back and have been a chicken to ride him ever since. (I rode him a couple times with friends but that's about it). Today I rode him in the pen and he did great! As soon as I have steady company to ride with, I have to get him back out in the real world. I love him and I can't stay a chicken forever. The first ride out is going to be nerve wracking for me though. I hate being a scardy cat!

Just go at your own pace... You'll be fine.

Baby steps OP, baby steps.

After my last bad fall, I was understandably nervous about getting back on my mare, since she'd landed me in hospital and I still wasn't fully recovered. So when I got back on, I got someone to lead me. In my case, it didn't avoid disaster but it was what I needed to make me realize that I'd made a huge mistake with that horse.

In your case, maybe you could try having someone lead you, or at least accompany you. And don't go too far, maybe just a couple hundred metres. Keep it slow and steady.

Just keep in mind that the longer you leave it, the harder it will be, but you'll be nervous as heck either way. Doesn't mean it won't turn out wonderfully.

For me, it was a broken hip coming off of a 4 yr old 17hh that I broke to ride - he had learned to buck off another trainer and she gave up on him, so never was saddle broke. When I got him, I got him with that lovely bad habit. Persistence paid off and I had him going in about three months and was trailering him to state parks and camping and riding with groups and alone. Then one day he pulled a fast one on me out of the blue and I got slammed down on my side. Usually I'm up and on my feet and grabbing the reins in about half a second. This time I tried to jump up and about tossed my cookies. IT HURT.

After a few days immobile and then a few days on crutches and tramadol, I worked with him some more but only in my arena and only with a bucking strap to keep him from getting his head down too low just in case. I was scared of this horse. Just a few weeks later when I felt he was solid enough to go on with someone else, I sold him to some folks who wanted a novice eventer and he's doing GREAT. I disclosed everything to the new folks and he did try a thing or two with them, but they enjoyed him so much they just kept on and he's settled right in.

And nowadays to be honest, anytime my own riding horses throw out a crow hop or get fritzy on a cool spring day, I get a little bit tense and admit I think I will forever be a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to bucking. I'd been training horses for over 20 years and have been thru a lot of crazy stuff. But that one horse put the 'fear' in me....I don't know why it was this particular one, but so be it! I DO NOT train horses that tend to buck hard like that anymore. Just can't do it..

Oh Thanks so much for the stories, makes me feel better.
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I love to ride alone, but I find that my confidence to go places that are reasonably dangerous skyrockets when I am with other riders. Logically, that makes no sense...I have am cell phone. :) But, when I a alone, cell phone or not...my imagination goes wild when I look at tough areas I really want to reach. I imagine if you went out w other people, especially ones on seasoned horses, your fears would subside, too.