Fear vs Danger: Riders can improve if they know the difference

Episode 1: Welcome to season one of the Stacy Westfall podcast. I'm Stacy Westfall, and I'll be teaching you why horses do what they do and action steps for creating clear confident communication with your horses. In this first season, I'll be discussing issues that frequently affect the way that riders think.

I use a tool called the four square model. The purpose of this model is to simplify complex problems and break them down into smaller actionable pieces. The four quadrants include the rider's mind, the rider's body, the horses mind, and the horse's body. Season one will focus on the rider’s mind. Today’s episode is about fear. I talk about how it is different than danger and some of the ways that it affects riders.

Show Notes

[00:34] Season one will be about issues that frequently affect the way riders think.

[00:47] One of the tools that I use is the four square model to simplify complex problems by breaking them down into smaller actionable pieces.

[01:05] The model is created with four quadrants which include the rider's mind, the rider's body, the horses mind, and the horse's body.

[01:43] This first season of the podcast will be focusing on the rider’s mind. Today, I'll be discussing fear and how it is different than danger and some of the ways that it affects riders.

[02:30] Fear is something that you experience in your mind. Danger means that you are actually in physical danger.

[02:59] Melanie writes in about having a fear of riding.

[03:51] Think about having fear and anxiety about riding.

[04:21] Fear in people's minds is frequently because there isn't a guaranteed outcome.

[05:08] There's no guarantee that your riding experience will always remain the same.

[06:11] Letting fear hold us down guarantees we won't achieve what we want.

[06:14] An email example about another horse owner not riding because of fear.

[07:18] If you really want to do something, don't let the fear of not having a guaranteed experience stop you. Otherwise, you are guaranteeing pain.

[08:57] Even when you have fear, you will live through it and at least you know you tried.

[09:45] One of the greatest ways to learn is by making mistakes.

[10:51] Other people are also experiencing fear.

[11:07] We literally teach our horses to face their fears, because we want them to know that not all fear equals danger. The same thing is true for you.

[11:34] What is one step you can take to face your fear?

[11:54] Sharing your fear in a comment can be one small step towards facing it.