Hypnotherapy has many proven uses - stopping smoking, losing weight, pain control, a cure for phobias, even a source of TV entertainment - but it really can help you become a better and more confident rider.

Confidence in yourself and your horse and the ability to stay relaxed in any situation is the key to becoming a competent and successful rider, whether you compete regularly or you simply enjoy hacking out at the weekends. Frustratingly, these are two extremely difficult feelings to master, as nervousness and tension can creep up at the most inopportune moments. The traditional advice is to 'ride through it', in the hope the problem will go away. But now many riders are taking matters into their own hands and turning to hypnotherapy to help boost their confidence and control their emotions when riding.

Hypnosis is a method of speaking directly to the subconscious mind, the place where not only our memory bank is stored, but also the source of most of our worries and fears.

With 25 years experience of owning, riding and competing horses, hypno-psychotherapist Sharon Shinwell is only too aware of how easy it is to lose your nerve.

Itıs the nature of our sport that at some point in our lives, most of us will experience a confidence crisis, be it hacking out, schooling, jumping or competing. There have been times in the past when Iıve lost my confidence as a rider, so Iım familiar with that nervous, sick feeling which you have no control over," confesses Sharon.
"As a hypnotherapist, I understand how useful hypnosis is to combat negative feelings. The technique has been successfully used to treat psychological problems, such as panic attacks, depression and general anxiety for years and is even regularly used in hospitals."

A one to one session with a qualified practitioner is the most intense method of hypnotherapy, but Sharon believes self-hypnosis is sufficient for the problems most riders experience. Self hypnosis differs in that you induce the hypnotic trance yourself, by listening to the practitioners recorded voice in a quiet, darkened room.
However, Sharon warns, "If there is a deep-rooted psychological cause for the riderıs nervousness and lack of confidence, possibly stemming from her past or another area of her life, I would strongly recommend individual sessions, combined with counselling".

"For most riders the CDs offer a boost and sets them on the right track," she says. "It is very common to magnify problems when we are riding. Often being fearful of something on a hack, or thinking our horse may do something, when there is no danger there. Self hypnosis prevents the mind playing tricks on us and allows us to see situations as they really are." Initially Sharon recorded individual tapes on request, but soon found she was making very similar recordings, particularly for people who were nervous about hacking. She therefore decided to record generic CDs to cover the main areas she was being asked about. Hacking with Confidence is by far the best selling CD, but Sharon also sells recordings to improve confidence while showjumping and competing in dressage tests.

While you listen to the CD, which is about 50 minutes long, Sharon takes you through the four stages of the hypnotic process:

1. The 'induction' clears the mind, and relaxes both body and mind in preparation for the process ahead. The hypnotherapist helps you relax each part of your body, starting from your head. The state of hypnosis is usually deeper each time you go through the induction.
2. The 'deepener' takes you on a journey of your own imagination, and deepens the hypnotic state. You are asked to imagine you are in a place where you feel safe and comfortable.
3. Therapeutic dialogue: The hypnotherapist talks directly to your subconscious mind, changing how you feel and think about certain situations. You are encouraged to visualise you are on a hack, show jumping or competing in a dressage test. The hypnotherapist eradicates any negative thought patterns, and in replace offers positive thoughts and new sensations to the subconscious. In the waking state, this can be transferred to the conscious mind. To help this connection, 'anchor words' are offered to remind the conscious mind of what it has learnt, and to enable the rider to take control of any situation that may still concern them.
4. The termination: The hypnotic state is brought to an end with a countdown from three to one. This allows the listener to bring all the thoughts and ideas they want into the waking world, leaving them feeling alert, wide-awake, yet very relaxed. Once you are in control of your inner thoughts, ideas and feelings, you can use this positive, relaxed state of mind to overcome your nervousness and anxiety when riding.

• Hacking With Confidence (general riding)
• Dressage With Confidence
• Jumping With Confidence

We are a UK based business but can post our CDs anywhere.

For lots more information or to order online, please visit our website www.confidentrider.co.uk


Testimonials:

Dear Sharon,

I just want to say thank you. After three years of not competing after a fall, last weekend I took my horse to the British Show Hack Cob and Riding Horse Championship Show and came second in the Veteran class. Does not seem much to anybody else but a major success for me. I thank your Husband who also spoke to me after I messed up the order and was so enthusiastic and hopeful for me. Thanks you again for a wonderful idea to help us less brave people who still want to have fun on their horse.

Regards.
Valerie

Dear Ms Shinwell,

Today I rode my horse Yogi on my own in the big field in walk for 15 minutes. We weren`t worried about the show caravan, or the microlight parked next to it and the portaloo or the major ditch digging works going on over the road. We didn`t like the birds in the small belt of trees next to the gate much, but we were brave and went past them. We even walked out in the open centre of the field and had a short spell of trot on a good patch of ground.

I would like to explain why the above is so very amazing, because it really truly is. I have owned Yogi since February last year. Since then we have had very short periods of soundness due to previously appalling shoeing, chronic flat front feet and tendon problems. I had a very nasty fall in the above field in July last year seriously frightening me (I am nervous enough already honest) and poor sweet Yogi. So we retreated to the school for winter. In October we had a few weeks of wonderful work before the next bout of lameness. Earlier this year we managed three further fantastic weeks - he floats when he trots and canters, he is a beautiful 16.3hh chestnut ex eventer. Then he bolted in the school - 0-150mph in no time - I came off narrowly missing the post and rail fence. It was found that his pelvis was out and that he`d pulled just about every muscle there is in his rear probably slipping and doing `splits`.

Bottom line is that we`ve had a rotten time.

I cannot sell him - it would be tantamount to signing his death warrant because he is so fragile. I don`t want to sell him - he is a childhood dream. I had to get back on him somehow or otherwise accept that I am too nervous to have a horse at all. We had started being led by others (my partner Chris and his fantastic enormous horse Sam) but still the nervous blind panic attacks would come. e.g. I was offered another (bombproof) horse to go on a pub hack - but he fidgeted before we left the yard and the result was that I got off, terrified. (Went to the pub by car...)

Then your CD came in the post as a prize for a magazine competition about a month ago. I listened to it religiously for 5 days, missed a couple of days, then 10 days solidly and most days since. Chris says that I sleep better. The improvement in the riding started after about a week, and has been steady ever since. Our resident yard professional Liz is amazed at our progress. We might even think about having lessons again in a couple of months time when we are both physically fit enough ( I have shoulder niggles from all this hitting the deck). Yogi is becoming even more calm than he was when I bought him. We have improved his health since we`ve had him, but now he has calmed further and his eye has relaxed even more...he is still clumsy and wobbly sometimes but is very clear about having his bum massaged when its all seizing up again. He doesn`t cry after Sam if Sam goes off the yard or get as upset about anything that he used to...he is a different and far happier horse.

I can`t think of any way I would improve the CD - except to ask if there would be a problem if I used the weight control cd at the same time? To be honest, I`m losing weight anyway because the huge worry about what to do about Yogi and the nerves is going. Work is stressful sometimes - I`m an Architect, but I am now finding it easier to deal with. Personally Chris and I have had a tough couple of years with his heart valve replacement, my cancer worry and cash problems, but this stress is all now receding.

I still can`t believe what we did today. I only wish I had got one of your cds earlier. I still feel nervous, but I know that I can control it now so that I can act to resolve a situation.

Thank you.
Tessa Surawy

I just wanted to thank you for a great product. I bought Hacking With Confidence 3 weeks ago and it has turned my riding around. We are now walking past paper bags blowing in the wind and just ignoring them.
Regards,
Janet

I just want to thank you for a great product. I am sure there are lots of people just like me who are fine in training but when it comes to competing the nerves take over. I only compete for pleasure but I do take it seriously.

I bought the Dressage CD a few weeks ago and have listened to it about 6 times. I entered my first Novice test at the weekend and got 66% which is my highest score yet. Now it may be a coincidence but somehow I don`t think so.

Thanks again
Heather

Just thought I`d drop you a line to let you know how I`m getting on with my CD

Mine is a familiar story - having ridden as a teenager I gave up horses when I discovered boys, some 20 years ago! I decided I wanted to start riding again in 1997 so went and bought completely the wrong horse - a young cleveland bay mare. After several falls, the worst in which I fractured my spine, she was sold as a brood mare and is now a very happy mother. I had completely lost my nerve, but - thanks to my riding instructress - kept on riding and got determined to do all the things that I saw people around me doing. The others would just turn up at the yard, tack up and ride out, they`d come back an hour or two later perfectly safe and sound - I was so jealous, but there was no way I could do it!

I then found the right horse, Captain - a ten year old ex-hunter, but still found myself too frightened to hack out. The slightest thing would completely send me into a panic and he - understandably - wondered what the hell was going on! I moved yards to one where there wasn`t an indoor school so that I would have to hack out and started doing so - but always with that slightly sick feeling. Winter just gone, I was moving house and didn`t ride for nearly six months. When I came to get back on I found myself back at square one.

Then I ordered your Hacking with Confidence cd - it has made such a difference, I can`t tell you. I rode out on my own the other day for the first time since I was a teenager - it was a bit nerve-wracking at times, but I "drifted" and so did Captain! Now I`m the one saying - "are we going out then? where are we going? come on, it`ll be fun!" - I`m sure I`m driving everyone mad ! We were out yesterday and had to ride past a field of young cows, they all came careering down to the fence line, as they do, and my friends horse set off down the track, coming hurtling past Captain and I - not only did I not panic, but had the presence of mind to ask Captain to stand still - which he did - so that my friends horse would stop too - which he did! Amazing!

As you can probably tell from my rambling, I`m dead proud of both Captain and myself and would like to thank you for helping us to get to this point - there was a time when I never thought we would.

Thanks again
Louise

ps. Have just ordered "Jumping with Confidence" - watch out the Whitakers !!! I am more than pleased with my `Confident Rider` CD. After many years of misery and frustration, I have found it has helped enormously in regaining my confidence which was lost after a bad fall.

After not riding for 15 years, I found myself a horse owner once more last October and spent 5 months wondering if I had done the right thing. After buying your CD, I am now ENJOYING riding, (something I thought I`d never do again!) and going out for hacks are now so much more enjoyable for me and my lovely boy.

I would certainly purchase more CD`s from you in the future should the need for other help arise.

Thank you!

A friend recommended the confident rider series to me because I had lost all my confidence on my young horse. I was making all sorts of excuses not to ride him but I knew I had to get it sorted. I wanted to compete at dressage and to enjoy hacking him out but I didn`t have the confidence to do either. He had been out of work for a while and had become a difficult horse to get back into work.

The friend bought me a cd and I listened to it, well the first bit, before I knew it I woke up refreshed and relaxed and wondered what was on the cd as I didn`t remember anything after about 10 minutes.

I listened to it every other day and it was so relaxing and before i knew it I was having pleasant hacks out and not giving it a second thought! It was great!

But I was wondering why I was still getting so nervous about schooling him and learning a dressage test with a view to competing, it just didn`t make sense! until I realised that the cd my friend bought me was the Hacking with confidence one! - so now i have also bought the Dressage with Confidence one and although it is early days - I seem to be getting to grips with the schooling and training without the trepidation I used to feel.

As an extra benefit I also seem to be calmer in general and don`t seem to get stressed out as much at trivial things.

I would recommend them to anyone who has problems with confidence.
Regards,
Dee

I compete at Elementary dressage and I have experienced the "my horse goes a lot better at home" situation. In fact when I work in it is really good but for some reason when I cross that threshold into the arena I sometimes seem to drop a level I had just acheived whilst working in.I couldn`t believe how relaxed I felt the first time I listened to the cd, within minutes I was `in another place` Afterwards I felt so refreshed and calm and that night had a very good nights sleep.

I listen to it now about once a week. I have recommended the cd to all my friends and in all I think about 6 have bought one and they all say the same as me, they are fantastic.

This article was supplied by Sharon Shinwell