Create A Confident Mindset

When you feel uneasy on your horse, these strategies will help you ‘fake it ’til you make it.’

- Van Hargis

Your horse wants to look to you as his leader. But when your own confidence wavers, it can cause him to feel uneasy, too. This rattles your nerves even more, creating a vicious circle. Horses are incredibly intuitive, and they feed off our energy, for good or bad. They also don’t want to follow a leader they think is unsure, anxious, or scared.

The solution? I tell my students to fake it ’till you make it, something I learned from a Zig Ziglar book years ago. In other words, actively control your thoughts and behavior in a way that helps you feel more calm and relaxed in the moment, and eventually this more confident state will become your reality.

I’ll give you several strategies for doing this. Try them all, focusing most on the ones that work best for you.