About the Author

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.

Anxiety

Why is it so hard to let go of anxiety?

Nov 28, 2022 09:01 PM Central
Elise Hittinger
Anxiety, Fear, Horses
1 Comment

Palms start to sweat. The feeling of the world closing in on you. Breathing becomes shallow and it seems so hard to breath. The heat rises to the top of the head and the feelings of being trapped overwhelm. That feeling comes from not being in control. It makes you mind for get to think and your entire focus is in a very small, tiny world right around you, trying to survive. There are so many feelings that go along with anxiety but the biggest one for me, is the feeling of "NOT" being in control.

This started when I was little. The dentist seemed like a GIANT Boogeyman. Having stitches and all the blood after being kicked in the head by my pony after I fell off. Motorcycles anywhere near after having one hit us head on. There were so many triggers for my anxiety, and they were all around not being in control.

After my horse accident in 2000, I knew I had to find a way out of the anxiety and there were several pieces that worked for me. First of all, I had to know I had done everything to be safe. Some was easy, dentist isn't going to kill me. Flying wasn't so easy, that is all out of my control. Even being a passenger in a car was challenging and led to me searching for something that would work. The mental focus on the "What If's" that served me, made me feel better, helped a LOT. We get to choose what our "what ifs" look like so choose wisely.

Secondly, I found Stress Away and Thieves Essential oils. I used a process I learned call "anchoring" to anchor Stress Away to calm on a bracelet on my right wrist, and Thieves for Courage on my left wrist. This allowed me to be in control of my calm and my courage. (To learn more about anchoring, I would be happy to help you, you can schedule 30 minutes with me here!)

The last thing that was the final piece of the puzzle is CBD under the tongue. Just one drop allowed my release of my anxiety. So much so, that the last time I went to the dentist, I fell asleep HUGE WIN. I can have a horse act up and I don't shake! It was just the final piece in that giant jigsaw puzzle of getting over anxiety and loving life again!

If you are ready to kick anxiety to the curb, you can check out the products on my wishlist! Click Here.

Can laughing get rid of anxiety?

08/18/2022 10:00 AM Central
Elise Hittinger
Anxiety, Laughter
0 Comments

How many New Year's resolutions have you not completed or accomplished? Honestly, who came up with resolutions anyway? I remember the stress level that I felt for the first few months of the year when I was striving to get off on a good foot accomplishing my resolutions for the year.

Thirty years ago, I decided that I didn't want the stress of trying to meet this random thing I felt like I should be doing to fit in. I changed it up and decided that I wanted to "feel" better, each and every day for the year, but how? For me, I came up with the idea of 400 laughs a day. It is too big a number to track and yet, it is big enough to really strive for things to laugh at, all day long.

Here are the benefits I am finding from making this change:

1. I feel better. I am healthier. Laughter really does change your physiology and lightens your burden.

2. Stress reduction - I got rid of the stress of trying to do something that wasn't for me. I think most of that stress was "fitting in" but some of it was actually finding the time and doing whatever thing I thought I should be doing.

3. Choice - The more I laugh, the more people around me laugh, the more the world just seems to be a better place. Laughing is a choice and it is a much better choice for me than anger.

4. Anxiety reduction - this was very powerful for me. One of the things I laugh at the most was my encounter with the dentist. I am petrified of the dentist. I was sitting in the chair, getting a crown, and when they finished and handed me the mirror, I couldn't move my arm. Immediately, I started to get hot, I could feel me stress level going up. Did the dentist paralyze me? What was going on? The dentist started to get concerned and then realized, he had glued my arm to my leg. It was in that moment that I couldn't help laughing hysterically. It felt great and, in that moment, it significantly reduced my anxiety for the dentist. Laughter really does reduce or get rid of anxiety!

If you have ever wondered how to get a little more laughter into your life, I wrote a book that has some of my favorites! If you are interested, click here for more information.

Can horses feel when you are nervous?

Jul 14, 2022 08:18 PM Central
Elise Hittinger
Anxiety, Fear, Horses
0 Comments

Picture yourself, as a zebra, in the middle of the herds grazing in Africa. It is a beautiful day, light breeze blowing, the other zebras are quietly munching on the green grass around you. A lion creeps into the edge of the meadow, searching for lunch. A zebra on the edge of herd, feels the tension in the air and sounds the alarm, racing away from where it feels the danger. All the herd runs except you keep eating the lush grass and don't "FEEL" the danger. You would be lunch.

Horses are no different. Their instincts require that they feel the energy around them. Their life depends on it.

Are there things we can do that will help reduce our nerves and help our horses to remain calm? Yes, but the one thing I have found with horses that doesn't work very well is "Fake it 'til you make it". They can feel your energy while you are trying to fake it unless you can actually shift your energy and then you aren't really faking it.

1. Practice getting your nerves stressed and bringing them back down. Exactly what we do when we desensitize our horses, we can also do for us. Sit in a comfy chair, close your eyes, and picture something you fear. Feel your stress start to increase. Practice breathing in a square or circle. With the square, I like breath in for count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4, focus on this count until you feel great again. The other one I like is picturing my breathing is a Ferris wheel, going in a circle. The most critical is to not hold your breath. Make sure you practice exhaling.

2. Visualize an amazing time with your horse. I like to picture myself as the eye of the storm, strong, powerful and calm. I love practicing this while I am with my horses, they relax and change when I am that calm energy.

3. I use CBD for my first rides back after a break. It really helps to take the edge off and if the horses get nervous, I use a brand that will also help them. Most is not approved for horses; it took me a while to find one for both of us. (Click here if you would like to check it out).

I would love to be able to feel what other energies are around me like horses do. I think it would be fascinating.

If you have enjoyed this, you might enjoy my 3 ways to stop panic guide! Click here if you would like a copy.

Can Horses Help to Get Over Riding Anxiety?

Jun 16, 2022 08:53 PM Central
Elise Hittinger
Anxiety, Fear, horsebackriding, Horses
0 Comments

If you have the right horse for you, yes! A lot of riding anxiety comes from mismatched horse and rider. We feel like we are giving up if we sell the horse to a better home for that horse, but I think it is just the opposite.

If a horse isn't a good fit for a person, and we keep them, the horse feels bad that it isn't right. I have sold a few that were not good fits for me, and they blossomed in their new homes. It was hard for me to watch but so rewarding all at the same time.

Horses don't want to hurt us, once we are herd members. Bonding with the horse and learning how to communicate with each horse is so important.

There are horses that are more timid, communicating with them can require a little more finesses but it is amazing to see them gain confidence through clear, quiet communication.

Horses that are more outgoing and maybe even aggressive, require more confidence and "louder" communication. Timing is so important to really show them that you are a partner and can be trusted to lead.

If we let our horses, they will teach us how to relax, breath, ride. In the time since my accident, I have learned so much about my own courage, my fears, and the things that work for me to gain courage. (I share this journey back to courage in my book if you would be interested in reading the whole story, click here). When I get on, if I tense up, I can feel them tense up. I can practice breathing, especially, exhaling, to calm me and feel the horse calm too. I started out with taking four steps. I felt like I was on cloud nine after those first four steps back. Sounds silly, but it was huge for me.

As we build our courage, it will carry over to all areas of our lives. I have become braver in all areas of my life. I am more confident with work, with speaking up for me, with sharing my fears and my successes with others to help them along. I never would have written two books if it wasn't for this amazing journey back to courage and this was enabled by my horses. wasn't for this amazing journey back to courage and this was enabled by my horses.

If you have enjoyed this blog, and would like to be part of a support community, you can join here!

How Do I Get Over Riding Fear?

Jun 8, 2022 09:27 PM Central
Elise Hittinger
Anxiety, Fear, Horses
0 Comments

How to get over horse riding fear depends on what type of fear you are feeling. When I first heard this, it made so much sense to really delve into what type of fear I was feeling and base the answer on the type of fear.

The first type is real fear. This is the fear I feel when my horse starts bucking or rearing. This is the type of fear when I am riding along and see a poisonous snake. This is the type of fear when I am riding along, and a mountain lion drops onto the tail of my horse. All of these fears I have experienced first-hand. The answer to getting over this type of fear is to take action. In these moments, I have to "DO" something. If my horse is bucking, I have to get her to stop. A snake, I need to go around it. The mountain lion, I had to hang on for dear life until I got home. Action is required.

The second type of fear is perceived fear. This is when riding along and seeing what looks like a poisonous snake ahead and it is a tree limb. This is saddling up and having the wind pick up and blowing the trees around. This is having the horse slip and thinking they are bucking. This type of fear requires thinking, evaluation, determination if the fear is real and necessary. If the snake turns out to be a tree branch, no action necessary. With the wind blowing, adjust the ride to stay out from under trees that might have branches falling. Feel the horse and realize that it wasn't a buck but just the horse slipping. In all of these, action may or may not need to be taken but it isn't immediate.

The third type of fear and the one we practice the most, is imaginary fear. This is the "What if's". This is the imagination running wild with all the things that might happen. This robs us of our joy. This robs our horses of knowing that we are present. This is the one that we can overcome! If you are going to use your imagination, pick the "What If's" that you actually want! It takes practice but why not? What if my ride is glorious? What if my horse and I really connect on the ride and have a ton of fun? We get to pick and choose our what if's so why not pick the ones that we want to have happen?

If you have enjoyed hearing my thoughts on fear, you might enjoy my free guide: 3 Ways to Stop Panic

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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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