Recently I sent out a poll to my Timid Riders Community on Facebook asking them what they were most afraid of. As I do, I take from my own life for examples and listed a number of things that have given me Fear or nerves over the years. For example, I listed: Jamie from Horses in the Morning made a really good point- all of these can be tied to the fear of Falling off. I just never really focused down or saw that fall off could be the result of the other things like riding a new horse or jumping. Confession: I’m not really afraid of falling. Is that weird? A few years ago, that would have been my worst nightmare: an injury-inducing fall in front of my children to be exact. Then, it actually happened. I launched off Delight at the canter and flew through the air, breaking ribs and bruising my lungs, all while my children saw me on the lying prone on the ground. For the gory details, I wrote about it in Big Horses Result in Big Falls, and it’s even a chapter in my book Confessions of a Timid Rider! I digress (as I usually do). My worst fear happened and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. In fact, I really do have the expectation of falling periodically as part of the learning process. More than that, I am a huge fan of preparing myself and my horses for success. So we decided to discuss this topic on episode 11 of the Adulting with Horses podcast. After all, what could be a better topic for equestrians than falling? Everyone has their own experiences and traumas and as such, triggers. My trigger is not the same as yours. My fears may not be the same as yours. I am not afraid of falling. I’m afraid of falling BADLY and getting hurt. Yet as a timid rider, that isn’t the core of why I have nerves or anxiety. I’m born with anxiety and ADHD and I find ways to help me live and flourish with these traits. So, if you are looking for some conversation about they WHY and ways to set yourself up for success- go listen to the episode and tell me what you think!