A few “face plants” should reinforce what you know to be correct!! Concentrate!! Maybe you are riding beyond your level of expertise???
[QUOTE=Tamara in TN;4638135]
it’s called “going fetal” wrapping up and protecting the internal organs from a fall…one does it in just about anything…skiing,skating,breaking up with a boyfriend…anything that might “hurt”
you have to learn not to…it’s as simple as that
either thru practice or confidence (or bravado;)) one way of another you have to train your body to over ride the natural instinct to “ball up”
overcoming that is specific to each person
Tamara in TN
Yeah, I do think it’s an instinctive response that you have to unlearn or overcome if that’s your (inborn) instinct. Not everyone’s the same; I think it’s the luck of the draw.
OP, you inadvertently nailed it when you said:
makes me more defensive
Going fetal is a defensive move. It’s reactive. It’s letting the horse be in charge and hoping for the best.
The alternative is to take control over the sitution! It’s a mental shift that will put you back in control of your own body, and therefore your horse’s body.
Frequently, the first step is to allow yourself to get angry when your horse is bad! Not so angry that you are abusive, but angry enough that the adrenaline flows and gives you the mental and physical strength to take control of the situation.
Once that mental shift has happened a few times, and you see how effective it is, it will get easier and easier to sit up and ride!
Good luck!
Actually, I’ve always leaned forward, even when a horse was bucking. This has always kept me on the horse. Of course I once got razor burn on my forehead from one horse’s ear, but I stayed on. So while people tell me to “lean back,” I say my method has worked for many decades, so I will continue to lean forward.
I always lean forward to the point where before the jumping portion of every lesson I have to remind my trainer: “tell me when I’m going fetal.”
If I’m very conscious of it I can avoid it but it’s unfortunately my default mechanism. It’s worse if I’m stressed out about something outside of riding. The tensions from everyday life carry over into the ring.
It’s very frustrating. If there was a pill I could take to make this go away, I’d pop it in a second!
[QUOTE=scheherazadetbmare;8503045]
Actually, I’ve always leaned forward, even when a horse was bucking. This has always kept me on the horse. Of course I once got razor burn on my forehead from one horse’s ear, but I stayed on. So while people tell me to “lean back,” I say my method has worked for many decades, so I will continue to lean forward.[/QUOTE]
leaning a bit forward to ride through a buck is different than going fetal.
Coming from a jumping background, I’m more likely to be leaning a bit forward anyway. And with a bucking horse, I much prefer to have short stirrups and be off their back in a jumping position when dealing with those shenanigans. But this is different than going fetal, freezing or locking up in your body that many on this thread were discussing.
Personally…I try and defuse the shenanigans by feeling it coming and doing things to get my horse’s focus back!
Yeah, I think it’s really the tensing that gets you. When things go awry on my horses, I don’t think to sit tall at all, or going fetal/forward. I think about sitting in the middle of the horse and staying soft and relaxed so I can go with the horse and wait it out. I’d almost guarantee my position is in a “young horse hunch,” slightly in front of the vertical but I don’t care as long as it’s in the middle of the horse and relaxed. Then as soon as they are at all down from their high ropes enough to do it, KICK THEM FORWARD!!! Ride them forward and make them work.
That will save you 9 times out of 10, or a great deal more actually. It’s when people tense up they get bounced off most of the time.
Well, as others have said, it is an instinctual defensive position. The only way to get out of the loop is to do so consciously. I used to do it all the time and have since broken the habit. I have a few suggestions.
Ride or jump down hill. Even the slightest slopes will help keep you centered over your feet. It’s pretty much sit tall or face plant.
Ride with a crop tucked into the front of your pants. You won’t be able to curl up without hitting yourself in the face.
Ride without stirrups. Just a few minutes a day at walk/trot will plug you into your horse better and start to get you body in the habit of sitting deep when you get into trouble instead of going up and forward.
Take yoga on horseback lessons. It will improve your seat tenfold. Even the biggest spooks will not unseat you once you’re plugged in that well.
Acknowledge that horses are self fulfilling prophecies. If you look “over there” expecting your horse to spook, that’s exactly what you’re gonna get. If you approach a jump looking at the fence wondering if he’s going to jump it, you’re setting yourself up for a 50/50 chance at best. If you sit tall, commit to getting the other side, that’s where you’re going on most horses.
Along the same lines as the above paragraph, if you are worrying about stuff like that, you’re probably not riding as actively as you horse requires. If you’re on a horse prone to distraction, tons of transitions, changes of direction, ground poles to go over, etc are on order. Take control of your horse’s attention, and you will become a more empowered rider. Sit tall and ride like you’re the bomb! It’s somewhat of a “fake it til you make it strategy” but it really does work.
