About the Author

Elise Hittinger - Courage Coach

Elise is a Courage Coach, Certified Hypnotherapist, and NLP Practitioner dedicated to helping anxious equestrians get out of their heads and back in the saddle with calm and confidence. Through her "Turn Riding Fear Around Podcast" and bestselling book, 'Rise from Fear to Courage,' she empowers riders to quiet the noise, reset their nervous systems, and reconnect with the joy of riding. She leads a thriving community of over 1,600 riders in her 'Overcoming Anxiety & Fear Horseback Riding' Facebook group. Learn more about Elise's transformative coaching through a Calm-Ride Strategy call.

Equestrian Mindset Blog: Overcome Fear, Ride with Joy

THE DEVASTATION OF A KISSING SPINE DIAGNOSIS, AND THE HOPE!

THE DEVASTATION OF A KISSING SPINE DIAGNOSIS, AND THE HOPE!
I remember the excitement to go see this 3 year old filly at the track that would replace my heart horse I had lost.  She had unlimited potential.

I would ride her for 20 or 30 minutes with a lovely trot and canter and then all of a sudden, she would REAR to full height and come down like a BRONC in a rodeo. It would last 20 or 30 seconds and if I could ride it, she would go right back to the lovely trot that we has started with, if not, I hit the ground.

Then after just a few months, diagnosis and Devastation! KISSING SPINE! I felt like I had been punched and all the air had left my body. My new amazing horse that I planned to start competing with in the Spring of 2014, had Kissing Spine (along with a fractured skull). I felt completely helpless!

Everyone I knew didn't even hesitate, they all said put her down! She will never be SAFE, she will always be in pain. The more I learned, the more I felt CRUSHED. She was just the sweetest young mare and I had bonded with her immediately at the track when I went to look at her and our bond had only grown.

On top of that, the treatments were THOUSANDS of dollars! I just couldn't fathom putting this sweet young horse down, I had to find a solution.

Lots of research and an Amazing Chiropractor and we had a GLIMMER OF HOPE.

THE GAME PLAN:

    1. Teach her to carry herself to build her "ABS", yes, you read that right…."ABS" to support her back. We did this with free lunging, no side reins, no lunge line, it had to be on her terms so that if she did hit that spot, she wasn't confined, she could move through it on her own. No trotting, this was all WALK and CANTER. There are a lot more details if you would like to know more Contact me.
    2. Monthly Chiropractor work at first and in the end, it was every 6 months (this took THREE YEARS!)
    3. Fix her feet. She had really low heels as most horses in the US do these days. I am now trimming myself because I could not find one trimmer that didn’t take too much off the heels.

RESULTS:

A sound horse, cleared 100% for everything, even jumping. I still have to do maintenance when I see her abs letting down but for the most part, she is MY HEART HORSE, no rear, no buck, just amazing riding partner!

Here is a bonus that has helped on our journey to health!  If you would like to get my "3 Snippets of Removing Toxins from the Tack Room!" and to stay in touch!

Detoxing Your Tack Room SNIPPETS!

Disclaimer - I am not a vet and do not give medical advice for horses. I am just sharing what I went through and what worked for me.

TOXINS IN YOUR TACK ROOM?

TOXINS IN YOUR TACK ROOM?
Disaster struck a few weeks ago!  Horses get into the craziest things but this time, I WAS THE CAUSE!

I have 3 mares, you know, MARES. I have one that has high liver Enzymes and COPD which makes things additionally challenging and has me on a whole new journey into the world of TOXINS and what is not toxic. My horses and I have been "Clean" for over a year now!

I used to have hot flashes, lots and lots of hot flashes but I fixed that. The horses have very mild cycles and all 3 get along great. I never have issues, feeding time, taking one or two of them out, they are always just calm and quiet. Truthfully, they are better than my geldings used to be.

Three weeks ago, I found a "STASH" of SWAT. I thought hmmm….I better use this stuff up. It had been a year since I had used anything commercial on my horses, I make my own. After finding the Swat, I just put a dab on their bellies for the no-see-ums. That was it….just a DAB!

24 hours later, I noticed pinned ears. 48 hours I had 3 horses in FULL CYCLE, Kicking each other and extremely aggressive. I also noticed that I was having hot flashes again, HUGE NASTY ONES. Was it possible that a dab of Swat could influence hormones that drastically????

The answer was yes, sadly, it was the SWAT That was fully responsible for not only mares trying to kill each other, but also for me feeling horrible and not even wanting to function! It took a full week for the 4 of us to recover. From TWO NIGHTS of a little dab of SWAT! That is what started my journey into Toxins and hormones.

Mares always get a bad wrap and it got me wondering, are we, the HUMANS, the cause of the mares bad wrap?????

I decided to go through and check the ingredients of EVERYTHING in my tack room, no small feat and I actually gave up after only a few items. EVERYTHING had Toxins, cancer causing, poison control warnings, Endocrine Blockers, you name it, it was in the ingredients. I just used CDC and the Center for poison control to look stuff up, stuff I could not pronounce or even type!  The worst were the cleaning products.

The SWAT Went in the trash, I developed a non-toxic salve (I like to call it TAWS since it is the Anti-Swat) and if you have read this far, the recipe is in the Three Snippets for you!

If you are interested in finding out more, click here to get my "3 Snippets of Removing Toxins from the Tack Room!"

Detoxing Your Tack Room SNIPPETS!


What to Do When Fear Takes the Joy Out of Riding

What to Do When Fear Takes the Joy Out of Riding
Has fear taken the joy out of riding? Learn four practical steps to rebuild confidence, calm your mind and body, and enjoy riding your horse again.
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How to Move Forward Even When You Feel Afraid

How to Move Forward Even When You Feel Afraid
Learn how to move forward even when you feel afraid. Discover practical ways to understand fear, rebuild riding confidence, and enjoy riding your horse again.
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Natural Fly Control for Horses: What Finally Worked for My Sensitive Horses

Natural Fly Control for Horses: What Finally Worked for My Sensitive Horses
Discover natural fly control for horses using fly predators, homemade fly spray, and fly oil. Learn what finally worked for my sensitive horses.
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Hey there! I’m Elise Hittinger—Fear Slayer, Confidence Creator, and your go-to Courage Coach.

 
Once upon a time, I was that fearless kid riding deep into Angeles National Forest without a second thought. Then bam—life threw me a plot twist. A horse flipped on me, pinning me beneath it, and fear crept in like an uninvited guest who wouldn’t leave.

That moment tested everything. But here’s the wild part—I walked away with only bruises and a divine reminder that I wasn’t done yet. Fear may have stolen my joy for a while, but it did not get the final say.

Fast forward to a move to Kentucky, where the trails were calling my name. I had two choices: let fear keep the reins or take them back. Spoiler alert—I took them back. Now, I help other riders (and, honestly, anyone sick of fear running their life) do the same.

I make fear pack its little bags and GTFO. Whether it’s through hypnotherapy, NLP, or a little well-placed humor, I help people trade anxiety for confidence, doubt for courage, and overthinking for action.

So, if you’re ready to kick fear to the curb and rediscover the joy you deserve—I’m here for it. Let’s do this.

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