Confidence Building in the Saddle
Scared to Ride? Regain Confidence and Control
Do you feel anxious or scared when riding your horse? It is more common then you think, horse riding can be scary when you don’t feel in control. Whether it’s after a break from riding, or after a bad fall, or just the fear of losing control, many riders experience this at some point.
Maybe it feels your horse is just bold, napping, or ignoring your aids altogether. Maybe you’ve tried traditional methods, but being told to just “kick on” or “toughen up” doesn’t make you feel any safer or more in control.
Riding should be a source of joy, not fear. You deserve to feel safe and confident again in the saddle and your horse should feel the same.
This is where I come in. 👋
My Solution: Safe, Kind Confidence Building
I understand how intimidating it can be when you’ve lost confidence riding your horse. My approach is about creating safety and trust for both you and your horse, using kind, gentle methods that build communication, not fear. I’ll work with you to identify what’s making your horse bolt, nap, rush jumps, or ignore your aids, so we can fix the root of the issue.
This isn’t about force or tough love. It’s about creating calm and control so you can feel secure riding again, whether you’re hacking out, jumping, or just schooling in the arena.
Is This the Right Fit for You?
This service is Perfect For You If…
- You feel nervous, anxious, or scared when riding your horse, whether from past experiences or recent issues.
- Your horse isn’t listening to your aids, bolts, rushes, naps, or spooks, making riding feel unsafe.
- You want to build trust and control with your horse, using kind and effective methods without the aggressive “kick on” or “push through it” mentality.
- You’re ready to feel safe, confident, and relaxed in the saddle again, and enjoy your time riding.
FREE GUIDE COMING SOON
What’s Included In This service?
Comprehensive Assessment and Tailored Training
- On-site Riding Assessment: A two-hour, in-person assessment where I’ll observe your horse’s behaviour in hand and under saddle. We’ll pinpoint why your horse is acting out whether it’s bolting, rushing, or napping and uncover the root cause of your riding anxieties.
- Custom Training Plan: Based on our assessment, I’ll develop a personalised training plan tailored to both you and your horse’s needs. This plan will gently guide you back to feeling safe and confident, while also addressing the specific behaviours your horse is displaying.
- Hands-On 1:1 Coaching: I’ll be with you every step of the way, showing you how to apply the techniques to regain control in the saddle. You’ll learn how to ride with confidence, using calm, effective aids that your horse will respond to.
- Ongoing Support: This isn’t a quick fix it’s a journey we take together. Over 12 weeks, we’ll work through a series of hands-on sessions, each building on the last to gradually rebuild your confidence and your horse’s responsiveness. These sessions ensure steady progress, giving you the time and support to regain full control and enjoyment of your riding.
- Veterinary Collaboration: If necessary, I’ll collaborate with your vet to rule out any physical issues that might be contributing to your horse’s behaviour under saddle.
3 Steps to Success
1️⃣ Assess and Understand: Together, we’ll identify what’s causing your horse’s behaviours under saddle and what’s feeding into your fears. Whether it’s spooking, bolting, or simply ignoring your aids, we’ll find the root cause and work from there.
2️⃣ Build Trust and Confidence: We’ll work on rebuilding your horse’s responsiveness and, more importantly, your own confidence in the saddle. Through gentle, trust-based exercises, we’ll help you both feel more secure and in control.
3️⃣ Review and Adjust for Lasting Confidence: As you and your horse progress, I’ll be here to support you. We’ll review your progress and make adjustments to ensure your newfound confidence lasts, so riding becomes a source of enjoyment again.
Recommended By Vets
“Whilst working with Barbara we worked on a case with a 9-year-old thoroughbred mare who was presented to me with persistent gait irregularities and physical signs that suggested underlying discomfort. Despite Barbara’s successful behavioural modification and farriers hoof rehabilitation, her return to work had revealed recurring postural and movement concerns that merited further veterinary investigation.”
“Barbara attended the appointment at Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital to support the veterinary team with low-stress handling protocols and assist in interpreting Maple’s behavioural responses throughout the examination. With Barbara’s methods great patience and care, calmness and proficiency were obtained in every aspect of this examination process.”
“Barbara’s understanding of the patient really gave me the best insight to analyse and guide my veterinary advice.”
“I would highly recommend Clinical Animal Behaviourist, Barbara Hardman on behavioural cases for horses in the future and look forward to collaborating with her in the future.”
Juan Francisco Perez Olmos MVB, Dip ECVS, Director at Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital
“Performing nerve blocks during a lameness assessment on horses with behavioural issues can be a dangerous undertaking leading to injury of the veterinarian or the horse, or both. In most of these cases where needle placement cannot be performed utilisation of advanced imaging techniques such as gamma scintigraphy or bone scans are then required, and in horses with mild chronic lamenesses the sensitivity of such diagnostics is usually reduced. Thus, blocking is best but fighting with a 500kg horse is always going to end with one winner.”
“Barbara’s ability to reduce the behavioural issues of these cases and improve the horse’s acceptance of needle placement for nerve blocks has made the blocking process possible and safer in some of these cases. Her patience and effort has allowed us to do more thorough diagnostics and definitively identify sources of lameness in horses that would otherwise have been impossible to deal with. This again highlights the value of multi disciplinary cooperation within the veterinary community and respecting the skills and areas of expertise of our fellow professionals.”
Simon Hennessy MVB MSc Cert AVP(ESO)(ESST) MRCVS DipECVS EBVS Recognised Specialist in Equine Surgery at Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital
If you want to Claim on Insurance
As a fully qualified Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CAB) accredited by APBC, many insurance policies will cover my fees. Check your pet insurance policy to see if you can claim back some or all of the costs. (Ireland does not have as comprehensive cover for Equines as the UK; however, this is slowly changing.)
Ready to transform those stressful rides into enjoyable adventures!
Let’s build confidence and make horse riding fun again! 👇
How it works:
Fill Out the form below: Reach out and share a bit about you & your horse’s challenges. I’ll call you at a time that suits & We’ll determine if this service is the right fit and set up our first session.
Assessment and Plan: We’ll start with a riding assessment to pinpoint the issues. From there, I’ll create a custom confidence-building plan to help both you and your horse feel safe and in control.
Ongoing Support: Through hands-on training and follow-up coaching, we’ll make sure that your confidence grows and that riding becomes something you enjoy again.