Episodes

Your horse walks past the SAME plastic bag 50 times without blinking. On trip 51? IT'S A HORSE-EATING MONSTER!!! And suddenly, the whole herd is running. Half of them have NO IDEA WHY! Sound familiar? Here's something that might surprise you: Your brain and your horse's brain have more in common than you think! When riding anxiety shows up, it's easy to assume that feeling afraid means something bad is about to happen. But what if that nervous feeling isn't warning you about what's happen...

Your imagination is AMAZING! It can turn one little spook into 14 imaginary disasters before you've even put your boots on. But what if we put that imagination to work FOR you instead of AGAINST you? What if you could borrow your favorite trainer's confidence? Or start thinking, feeling, and acting like the rider you WANT to become? Or the one you used to be? And what if it could actually be FUN to become that rider now??? In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're having some fun wi...

When did loving horses turn into being afraid to ride them? And when did “I feel anxious about riding” become “I'm an anxious rider”? WHO decided THAT was your identity??? Riding anxiety has a sneaky way of becoming part of how we see ourselves. One difficult experience, one fall, or one too many WHAT IFS, and suddenly the joy of horseback riding gets buried under fear. But here's a thought… What if riding anxiety isn't WHO you are? What if it's just something you've been wearing? In this ...

Your horse spooks ONCE. And suddenly your brain has planned the next 26 disasters! WHO put FEAR in charge??? Here's the thing... fear isn't necessarily the enemy. But when every What If starts making decisions FOR you, riding can become a whole lot less fun. So how do you stop letting fear control your horseback riding without ignoring the things that could actually go wrong? In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, I'm sharing how I changed my approach to intimidating jumps, and what th...

What if the biggest thing holding you back from the rider you WANT to be isn't your horse? What if it's something you've been telling yourself for YEARS? “I can't do that.” “I'm not brave enough.” “Those riding days are behind me.” But what if you're WRONG? In today's Turn Riding Fear Around Podcast, I'm sharing how one horse changed what I believed was possible in the saddle. We're talking about riding confidence, limiting beliefs, and how your thinking can influence your horseback ridin...

Who decided there was an expiration date on horseback riding? Was it someone who told you that you're getting too old? Your body reminding you that things aren't quite as easy as they used to be? Or that little voice in your head that's gotten REALLY good at saying, "I can't do that anymore"? And here's the BIG question... Is it actually TRUE? As we get older, our riding confidence can change. We may become more cautious, question our abilities, or start avoiding things we used to do without...

When did "I'm just getting older" become the answer to EVERYTHING? Your horse gets a little stiff, and you start making adjustments. YOU get a little stiff, and suddenly it's just another birthday catching up with you! What's wrong with this picture? We put so much thought into keeping our horses healthy and comfortable as they age. We adjust their nutrition, exercise, conditioning, and recovery because we want them to keep feeling GOOD. But what about the person sitting in the saddle? In ...

Ever get on your horse feeling perfectly fine... and suddenly your brain has written 47 different disaster scenarios before you've even left the mounting block? And now your shoulders are somewhere around your ears, you're holding your breath, and your horse is wondering what on EARTH is going on! Sound familiar? Horseback riding anxiety isn't always just a mental problem. Your emotions, thoughts, and physical reactions are constantly influencing one another. And when one gets out of whack, ...

Your horse takes ONE funny step, and you're researching supplements, calling the vet, and scheduling bodywork. Meanwhile… YOU'RE held together with Baling Twine and Duct Tape! Sound familiar? As horsewomen, we're REALLY good at noticing when something isn't quite right with our horses. Stiffness, soreness, low energy, changes in balance... we notice EVERYTHING. But when it's our own bodies? “Eh. I'm just getting older.” What if we gave ourselves the same care and attention we give our hor...

Snap. Crackle. Pop. GROAN. Does getting on your horse sound more like breakfast cereal than horseback riding? And when did getting older become our excuse for EVERYTHING? Stiffness. Low energy. Losing our balance. Struggling to do things that used to be EASY. What if getting older doesn't mean you have to keep feeling older? In today's episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about how improving your health, energy, flexibility, balance, and strength can help you feel better AND mo...

Ever lose your keys and discover they were right where you left them? What if your riding confidence is the same way? You haven't necessarily LOST it. Fear, anxiety, What Ifs, and life may have just buried it under a whole bunch of STUFF! If you're afraid to ride your horse, struggling with horseback riding anxiety, or wondering how to regain the confidence you once had, this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around is for you. We're going looking for that confidence! In this episode, you'll lear...

Confidence feels different when your body trusts its balance. Your horse moves forward. Sideways. Sometimes unexpectedly. And your body needs to feel capable of moving WITH them. In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about the connection between rider balance and riding confidence—and why improving your balance off your horse can help you feel steadier and more confident in the saddle. When your balance changes, riding can start to feel different too. You may feel less se...

Riding may seem harder after 50, but really… it's different. And different? We can work with. In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about horseback riding after 50 and what happens as our bodies, energy, balance, strength, and flexibility begin to change. Maybe mounting doesn't feel quite as easy. Your balance feels different. You get tired faster. Your body doesn't move exactly the way it did 20 years ago. That doesn't mean you have to stop doing what you love. We alr...

What if NOT riding today means you're even MORE afraid tomorrow? That thought can create a whole lot of pressure. I HAVE to ride. I'm going to make my fear worse if I don't. But is that actually true? In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about riding avoidance, riding anxiety, and the fear that skipping a ride will somehow undo your progress or make you even more scared to ride your horse the next time. Riding isn't automatically moving you forward. And not riding isn...

You can build riding confidence before you ever get on your horse. But eventually... you've gotta get on if you want to ride. In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about how to start rebuilding your riding confidence BEFORE you get in the saddle—and why eventually riding becomes an important part of creating new confident experiences with your horse. If you're scared to ride your horse or dealing with horseback riding anxiety, confidence can start on the ground. You can m...

Your horse has NO IDEA you were supposed to ride today. But YOU do. If you feel guilty when you don't ride your horse, you're probably carrying around a whole list of expectations. I should ride more. My horse needs to be worked. I'm wasting another beautiful day. In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about the guilt and pressure riders can put on themselves when they don't ride—especially when riding anxiety, fear, or a loss of confidence is already making the decision...

The pressure to push through riding fear might be exactly what's keeping you stuck. Just get on. Push through it. Don't let fear win. Riders hear this advice all the time. But what happens when you never actually deal with WHY you're afraid to ride? In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're looking at the difference between pushing through riding fear and actually working through it. Sometimes pushing through works. Sometimes it adds more pressure without addressing what your fear i...

What if riding could be FUN again? Not something you SHOULD do. Something you WANT to do. In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about what can happen when riding fear, riding anxiety, or a loss of confidence takes the fun out of horseback riding—and how to start finding your way back to enjoying time in the saddle. Remember when riding was FUN? You weren't analyzing every ride or wondering whether you felt confident enough. You just wanted to get on your horse and GO. Ma...

What if “I don't want to ride anymore” isn't actually the whole story? What if what you really mean is... “I don't want to feel like THIS when I ride anymore.” In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about what happens when riding fear, riding anxiety, or a loss of confidence leaves you wondering whether you even want to ride your horse anymore. You love your horse. You WANT to want to ride. But when riding has become filled with fear, tension, What Ifs, or anxiety, it's ea...

What if you don't actually miss being fearless? What if you miss being EXCITED to ride? Remember when you couldn't WAIT to get to the barn? You weren't wondering whether you'd feel confident enough that day. You weren't analyzing every possible What If. You just wanted to RIDE. In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're looking at something that can get lost when you're dealing with riding fear, riding anxiety, or a loss of confidence on your horse: the FUN. Sometimes we become so fo...

You used to be the rider who just got on and RODE. No committee meeting. No 47 possible What If scenarios. Just LET'S GO!!! So what happened? In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about why experienced riders can suddenly become scared to ride—even when they used to feel completely fearless on a horse. There's a whole lot of life wisdom between Fearless Kid You and the rider you are today. More experience. More knowledge. Maybe a fall or two. A different horse. And poss...

You know what's exhausting? Holding yourself together. In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about why riding anxiety can leave you feeling physically exhausted in the saddle. Tension, holding your breath, tightening your muscles, bracing, and trying to control everything all use energy—sometimes more than we realize. If you tire quickly while horseback riding, feel exhausted after riding, or notice that anxiety makes your body tense and tight in the saddle, this episode w...

What if the goal isn't to stop the What Ifs? In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're looking at those "What if?" thoughts a little differently. Your brain is asking them for a reason. It wants to keep you safe. Instead of leaving the question unanswered, you can give your brain something much more useful—a plan. If riding anxiety has your brain jumping from one What if? to the next, this episode will help you turn those questions into something you can actually use. Because "What if...

Every good horseman knows you don't judge a horse until you've warmed them up. Maybe our own bodies deserve the same courtesy. In this episode of Turn Riding Fear Around, we're talking about stiffness and what happens when we give our bodies a chance to warm up before deciding what's really going on. Just like with our horses, movement gives us information. Once your body becomes as fluid as it can be today, you can start listening. Is it tension? Inflammation? Pain? Or simply a body that nee...