#3
Mental health has been very prominent this week, with a lot of people have been brave enough to share their stories with friends and family. It’s become apparent that so many people have suffered in silence for a very long time - either through worry over the stigma that mental health issues has attached to it, or because they didn’t even realise they were having these problems.
As horse riders we are super tough & resilient humans, we have to be hit pretty darn hard to be taken down. Or, at least, that’s how we like to brand ourselves.
We’ve all been there - fallen off, maybe slightly hurt or even scared ourselves, but we have to save face, so we get back on, against our better judgment. We continue riding, but we ride backwards, defensively, cautiously - and the horse picks up on this. Then the next time we rally ourselves up to ride, our horse isn’t as attentive or willing as usual, we find ourselves getting frustrated at ourselves and our horse, and we question why are even trying. And so a downward spiral begins.
But still, to save face, we carry on turning up, tacking up, and powering through, because we are damn equestrians and this is what we do.
But does it have to be this way?
This was a day I should have listened to my gut & not gone back into the ring.
Is it not enough that we already put strains and pressures on ourselves to keep up with our peers, we now have to physically stretch ourselves thin, too?
I’ve done it on many occasions. Gotten back on when I know I shouldn’t have done. Pushed on when I know I needed a day off. Ridden that horse when I know I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. But being a self employed equestrian means that I have to push myself or my bills won’t get paid, my clients won’t be impressed, my reputation could be damaged.
When is enough enough. When is it okay to talk about this?
Hopefully, now - and every day going forward.
I’m very pleased to announce that I have teamed up with The Conscious Equestrian, who recently approached me to ask me to be a brand ambassador. I simply love what this company stands for - rider physical and mental health, and how we can (and should!) take better care of ourselves in order for us to become better horsemen and women.
We’ve all been guilty of spending £80 on a physio for our horses, but ignoring that niggling back pain we have ourselves. Or spending £70 for our horses’s new shoes every 6-8 weeks, but we hobble around in shoes that offer our own feet absolutely no support. We’ll quickly ring the vet if our beloved animals have gone slightly lame, but we’ll continue to work and muck out and ride with a twisted ankle or a broken wrist.
The Conscious Equestrian focuses on removing the stigma around equestrians being “super tough and resilient”, because we shouldn’t have to put up a front to prove ourselves. We need to be more open about our ailments, physical or mental, and offer support to others who might also be struggling. I’ll be working very closely with them and offering my support to all of my clients in person, and fellow equestrians on social media, to ensure that we are the best we can be for our horses.
