I was about 12, I was on the back of my new palomino horse, Jack. Oh, and Jack was 11 years old and had never had more handling than a few pats while eating before he came to us. He was not the right horse for a beginner 12 year old.

Dad had the long line, we were walking around him in circles. We tried to speed up, Jack reared and simultaneously fell backwards with me on his back. I held on. He fell, he landed right on top of me.

The wind was knocked out of me, I thought my leg would be crushed. It was okay, but my arm was hurting bad. I cried. I was ready to stop, run inside, and cry to mum.

But there’s a rule in horse world – always get back on the horse. So that’s what I did.

You might think the rule is so that the horse doesn’t get away with, “bad behaviour.”

But the rule is all about the rider. The idea being that the longer you keep thinking about the fall, the bigger it feels in your mind, the worse it gets, and the more hesitant you get to ever get on a horse again.

It’s okay to fall and cry, and feel whatever you feel about it.

Maybe you got a bad review, or someone asked for a refund, or you got a hater.

Or you just feel like no one cares what you have to say, let alone sell.
Maybe someone close to you is mad at you.
Or you’re just tired and need a damn day off.

It’s okay to take some time to process it, but what you DON’T want to do is let it turn into a mountain.

But since overcoming fear is all about you as the rider and not the horse, it’s okay to not get back on the same horse. Maybe it wasn’t the right horse for you. Just don’t stop riding.

I’m always here if you need a listening ear or a new perspective, just message me.