23 Exercises to be a Calm & Confident Rider
The Step by Step Guide to Finding Calm in Your Riding
Do you ever feel uneasy, anxious, or nervous when you’re on your way to the barn, meeting your horse from the field, or even as you climb into the saddle?
Do you ever get a queasy, fearful feeling in the pit of your stomach that keeps you from enjoying your time with your horse, even though nothing seems to be going wrong?
Do you ever find yourself getting stuck in a state of anxiousness, when all you really want to do is relax, have fun, and feel the joy of riding again?
You are not alone.
You might have had a fall or injury that left you feeling discouraged, disconnected, and uncertain about how to repair the “damage” to your relationship with horses- even long after your physical body has healed.
You might feel overwhelmed by your horse, or feel at a loss as to how to handle the challenging situations that may come up with them.
Or, you might not even know why you are struggling to enjoy riding, or where your feelings of anxiety are coming from.
Chances are, you feel like you’ve already tried everything under the sun– new riding programs, new trainers, even changing horses– but nothing ever really seems to get to the root of the problem.
So you do your best to put on a brave face, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and push through your difficult feelings- but they never really go away.
Do you wish you could finally just feel GOOD and CALM in your riding, so you can rediscover the freedom, connection, pure joy, and magic of riding horses again, but you just don’t know how?
If so- this program is for you.
Fear isn’t Just a Feeling- It’s an Invitation to Reflect and Grow
Fear is a very stigmatized and misunderstood topic. We’re taught that being afraid means being weak- and thus, we rush to push away our uncomfortable feelings of worry, fear, and anxiety whenever they come up in riding. Just like our horses- we can’t let our so-called “weaknesses” show! Not to the world, and not to ourselves.
Our pride, our fear of failure, our fear of not living up to our own expectations or the expectations of others- can end up holding us back from using our fear to grow into better riders and better versions of ourselves.
In those moments of fear (which we ALL experience!) telling ourselves to “just ride through it” is probably the worst thing we can do.
Instead, what we really need to do is STOP and pay attention to what our body is trying to tell us. When we gain a better understanding of our fear, and we have practical tools to work through it, we gain back the POWER to bring ourselves into a state of CALM.
“Finding calm means embracing what fear tells us about how we feel in the moment. It is about learning how to read our body’s cues indicating a shift into a survival state, then taking steps to regulate—aka, find calm—and productively engage our mind.”
Instead of letting our fears run amok, we can learn how to put ourselves back into the driver’s seat.
Through this course, you’ll learn powerful, scientifically-based tools and techniques to shift from a state of disempowerment and fear to a state of empowerment and calm.
I can’t overstate how critical and valuable this is in riding. Without these skills, you can be the most talented and proficient rider, and you will still find yourself falling short of your full potential.
Finding Calm will help you build the confidence you need to succeed through fear- with horses, and in life.
I did it, and (believe me!) you can do it too.
These are the Foundational Skills for Every Rider
This course is designed to provide all riders, regardless of background, skill level, or specific experiences with fear, with the practical knowledge and skills you need to transform from a nervous rider whose fear holds them back to a thriving, confident rider who processes fear in a healthy way that fuels their success.
What you’ll get:
Packed with easy-to-understand research-backed science, you’ll learn how and why fear manifests in the body, through physical sensations that can take us out of the present moment.
You’ll learn practical, easy-to-implement tools and exercises you can take to the barn and use in real time to work through challenging moments in your riding.
In addition to the program’s comprehensive video training, you’ll receive a powerful growth tracker, planner, and journal, to keep you on track, organized, and help you implement the lessons and exercises in your everyday life with horses.
PLUS valuable extra bonuses, including:
- Real world case studies to help you gain a deeper understanding of how these concepts can be applied to common situations
- In-Depth Interviews with other riders
Meet Your Finding Calm Coach: Lisa Pulliam
I first met Lisa at a training we were hosting at our Farm Campus for Natural Lifemanship, educators of a method in Equine Assisted PsychoTherapy.
Lisa had worked for years as a Coach, Counselor, and Mental Health Professional, and was just starting to focus on helping riders.
For several years, Lisa operated her Coaching practice, StableMinded, alongside our riding school on my family’s farm in Pennsylvania.
There, Lisa worked with the horses to assist clients in finding calm and confidence, in the saddle and in life.
Slowly, the curriculum for this new online program with HorseClass, Finding Calm, was created.
Lisa’s formal resume includes training as a Life Breakthrough Coach and Highlands Ability Battery consultant. Lisa is a Natural Lifemanship Institute Equine-Assisted Coach and specialist, EMDR trained, and holds a Masters in Clinical Counseling from Eastern University.
What I feel makes Lisa most special, and qualified, as a teacher… she has been a “nervous rider” too and knows what it feels like.
My name is Lisa Pulliam and as a fellow everyday equestrian, I have found calm as well as courage, confidence, joy, and incredible progress in my riding!
I come to you not only as a fellow equestrian but as a trauma-informed mental health professional as well.
It’s my job – and passion – to understand why people and horses do what they do, and then strategize a plan to facilitate the growth process. Simply put, I help humans and horses arise, stabilize, and thrive – and I’ve seen enough transformation to believe it is entirely possible for all.
Here’s One Reason You May Be Stuck
From Lisa and the Finding Calm Program:
Our brains are designed for survival. Incredible instruments that they are, our brains process a huge amount of sensory information every second.
A priority of this processing is what is safe and what is dangerous.
Add in the memory of an accident or the stress of other happenings in life and the alarm can start going off at even the slightest cause for concern.
Your horse trips, he does a small spook, he raises his head to look intently at something, and your brain says “uh-oh, here we go again!” Prepare for an emergency.
It is a good thing we have fear. Without some fear we wouldn’t make good decisions and we probably wouldn’t survive in this life for very long.
But an overactive alarm system is no fun either.
There IS a way to change this and YOU can change it in your own riding.
The solution is more than just positive thinking and deep breathing.
You can become a calm equestrian by understanding how the brain and body work together as an integrated whole.
You will be able to effectively understand the cause of your problem, the challenges standing in the way, and the skills needed to grow, and attain clarity for your next best steps.
This growth process works not only for humans but also for horses. That’s because we’re not riding dimestore ponies.
We’re riding sentient beings with an equally active nervous system processing every stimulus in their environment, including us as their rider.
In this quest of finding calm, the goal is to develop the kind of connection with the horse you ride that builds confidence in both of you.
Doing It Scared is NOT the Answer
The answer will change not just your riding, or your ability to show up to the barn without a knot in your stomach.
The answer has the potential to change your life.
From how you relate to your horse, your family, your career.
I won’t tell you to just take some deep breaths, get back on the horse, sit up straight and smile.
Instead, through this program, I will be your guide.
Going into the neurobiology of fear, the science of what happens in our body and mind when traumatic events happen, and how change is possible – through deliberate steps forward.
I will guide you through stories from my own life, and stories from my equestrian clients. I’ll show you how to work with this thing called fear.
Most importantly, you don’t need to do this alone. I’ve got your back!
Here is How We Will Do This – TOGETHER!
We developed this program for you to engage and learn in multiple ways.
Here are the key elements:
Personal
Guide Book
Personal Workbook
Get all of the concepts, tips, strategies, how-tos available for easy reference, even taking this with you to the barn.
I will be sharing my story, and encouraging you to apply each concept, each exercise to your own life, with space to answer prompts, reflect, and make notes.
*Free Shipping Included*
Video
Lessons
Video Lessons
In the videos, you will find discussions of each learning concept, demonstrations of exercises – both at home and with your horse.
You will meet other riders through the Case Studies and follow along as they apply the concepts and lessons.
CALM
Tips
CALM Tips
These simple and powerful tips and techniques are going to be your best friend!
These are the strategies you can do in the moment that fear starts to take hold, to clear your head, and calm your body.
These CALM Tips have helped me and my clients on the way to the barn, while grooming and tacking up, and even during a challenging ride.
Bonus
Growth
Tracker
Growth Tracker
This tool will help you apply each of the lessons and stay on track to your goals.
The Growth Tracker is where you will map out your plan and record your progress.
Keep yourself on track by using the Growth Tracker to create strong habits.
*Free Shipping Included*
Here is an outline of what we will be covering together, with the stories in the book and videos weaving together…
I guarantee you this program is not what you have done before.
If you are thinking, “Lisa, I already do therapy, I have taken horsemanship courses before…
how is this different?”
Or maybe it’s “how am I going to have time to do this?”
This is not riding or horsemanship how-to.
I won’t be telling you to take a deep breath and get on with it.
What we will do together is understand the science and psychology of fear.
We will explore how it starts, what makes it better or worse.
We will understand how we can’t separate riding from the rest of life, and how this is not a burden, but an opportunity!
If I can do this, if my clients can do this – coming through traumatic events, accidents, wrong match horses, unsupportive families, shouty riding instructors, and still come out the other end knowing what CALM feels like and how to find it…
Then YOU can do this too!
Take the First Step and Join Me in Finding Calm Today
There are two options for how to join.
You will receive access to all the course materials, get the Personal Workbook and Growth Tracker shipped Free, plus I will be available to answer questions, both through email support and through a Weekly Group Call, personally guiding you through the program.
You don’t need to do this alone.
I’m a community gal, and in Finding Calm, that is exactly what you are stepping into.
A Community of riders moving toward the same goal – Calm.
Together in these weekly calls, I will guide you and support you.
I can ask the questions that give you more clarity for your next step.
In hearing the stories of others, you will find first comradery, hope, then true confidence as we all move forward together.
We will be doing 6 Weekly Calls together, starting July 17. All calls will be recorded, so you can review the recordings after.
Here is the schedule for the calls:
- Week 1: Wed, July 17 at 12:00 pm EDT
- Week 2: Wed, July 24 at 12:00 pm EDT
- Week 3: Wed, July 31 at 12:00 pm EDT
- Week 4: Wed, Aug 7 at 12:00 pm EDT
- Week 5: Wed, Aug 14 at 12:00 pm EDT
- Week 6: Wed, Aug 21 at 12:00 pm EDT
*Coaching Spots are limited and will be reserved on a first come, first come basis.*
You will receive ALL the course materials, the Personal Workbook and Growth Tracker shipped to you Free, all the CALM Tips, but this is the DIY option.
If you prefer to study on your own timeline and want the most affordable way to get started, then Self Study is a great choice.
You will receive ALL the course materials, the Personal Workbook and Growth Tracker shipped to you Free, all the CALM Tips, but this is the DIY option.
If you prefer to study on your own timeline and want the most affordable way to get started, then Self Study is a great choice.
We Have Included a Few Special Bonuses for You
After The Fall
A Live and Recorded Session with Lisa Pulliam and Callie King on the Physical and Mental Recovery After a Fall or Accident
Growth Tracker
If you have ever joined a program and then struggled to stay consistent and apply what you learned, don’t worry – Lisa has your back with the Growth Tracker.
Lisa developed this tool for herself, as she was working through a difficult period for her and Kody.
She is sharing it here and will teach you how this simple and invaluable structure will keep you on track and growing.
Instructor Interviews
No one talks about this, but your riding support team can help or hurt your confidence.
We put a lot of trust in our riding instructors, and in their ability to know what is best for their students. Some instructors are gifted at helping riders build their confidence, choose a great horse, and know when to push and when to slow down and support.
Other instructors may never have learned these skills or may feel inadequate themselves when a student is struggling.
From this additional resource, you will gain insight into your own relationship with your instructor, know how to choose a great instructor for you, and learn tools to structure conversations with your instructor or others in your support network.
Let’s recap exactly what you receive with Finding Calm.
- Personal Guide Book Shipped Free ($147 Value)
- Video Program - Introduction ($97 Value)
- Video Program - Module 1 ($97 Value)
- Video Program - Module 2 ($97 Value)
- Video Program - Module 3 ($97 Value)
- Video Program - Module 4 ($97 Value)
- Video Program - Module 5 ($97 Value)
- CALM Tip Library ($197 Value)
- Growth Tracker ($97 Value)
- “How to Talk to Your Instructor” Interview ($47)
Total Value of Finding Calm: $1070
| Here is exactly what is included | Self Study |
|---|---|
| Personal Workbook (Free Shipping) | |
| 6 Video Modules | |
| Calm Tips Library | |
| Bonus: Instructor Interview | |
| Bonus: Printed Growth Tracker | |
| Join Now |
Full 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
I am so confident that you are going to love the Finding Calm program and consider it extremely valuable, that I always offer a full guarantee.
You are free to return the course at any time within 30 days of joining for a full refund.
Do you have a group who would like to study Finding Calm together?
If you are a riding instructor, trainer, or simply want to get a group of your riding friends to do this together, we can help!
Use the form below to contact us for group pricing and our leaders guide.