When I was young, I couldn't wait to be older! I loved riding as a kid and would go anywhere and do anything. As an adult, I have enjoyed so many hours of riding. Jumping and competing are by far my favorite but there is a lot of stress built in to that. I recently heard a quote from an eventing superstar (sorry, I don't remember which one, and I am paraphrasing), being asked about when do you get to the level the nerves stop. His answer was - they don't ever stop. You say thank you for keeping me safe, get on and go enjoy your ride, knowing that the nerves mean well but they don't bring you the joy, the riding does.
I also know that the feelings of excitement, when you get to do something really fun, feel almost identical to the butterflies of nerves. When I learned this, it was life changing. Why not shift the meaning I put behind the butterflies to excitement instead of nerves? It is my choice, right?
We have so many opportunities to enjoy life and we have to grab onto those opportunities and embrace them. Riders have the added benefit that riding fills us up with not only great feelings, but we can go into these amazing golden years filling up with empowerment! We are so much wiser than we were as kids and I know I must have almost killed my horses at least a hundred times and I know better now.
One of the keys to riding with confidence after 50 is embracing the wisdom that comes with our age! Over the years, we accumulate a wealth of knowledge and experience that improves our riding and enhances our understanding of horses. By drawing on this wisdom, we can approach riding with a greater sense of confidence and self-assurance, knowing that we have the skills and expertise to handle whatever challenges may arise. We have more finese and knowledge to do things better for our horses. As a community, riders have taken leaps and bounds in knowledge of our horses and their welfare just in the last 10 years. We have evolved!
The second key is that riding keeps us physically healthy. It helps our flexibility, strength, and balance if we focus on it while we ride. That is beautiful to age with grace and I know I feel younger and younger as I get to ride more.
The third key is that we have a huge horse friend community, whether in person or online. We have a support system that is world wide. We can even take lessons from trainers around the world if we want.
I would love to have you join our small support group! It is for everyone. We are either getting over fear or cheering on the rest of us and would love to have you! Join group here!
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