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Tuesday, December 06 2022 / Published in Weekly Feature

Learning to Get Back On After a Fall

By Margie Sugarman                                            

My child loves riding. I know it’s important when she falls off to get back on, but what’s the best way to handle it? She is young and gets scared to get right back on. I want to do the right thing and handle it the right way to ensure she continues to love the sport.

We’ve all been in a situation that calls for fast action. Our brains are wired in a way that leads it to keep us safe. When we perceive something as potentially harmful, our built-in warning system goes off. The fear trigger is hard-wired into our brain, and our experiences, along with what is in our mental ‘tool kit,’ determines how we handle the challenge, and, consequently, the ultimate outcome.

Foremost, we must remember that fear is a normal and natural response. Anxiety walks together with fear. Learning skills that prevent the fear from overtaking us and impacting our responses is an integral piece of enhancing our responses. But being young and inexperienced doesn’t always afford one the opportunity to intellectualize or pull positive things from the experiences we’ve had.

Let’s all think back to when we were much younger. Almost everyone reading this article can relate to having ridden a bicycle. Do you remember the tears shed when you first fell off your bike? Do you remember the ripped pants and bloody knees as your legs hit the ground and your new bike scraped against the pavement? Do you remember the frustration in wanting to get back on, and the fear that accompanied your desire to ride off with the other kids? But you did get back on and you tried again!

Why? Children bounce back for a variety of reasons. Foremost, they are kids and used to falling. They don’t have the understanding that they can get really hurt. Their perceptions are centered around their more immediate experiences. While adults realize they’re not invincible, young children and teens believe that they really are! Moreover, coercing a child just to get back on and sit on a pony/horse after a fall doesn’t allow time for the anxiety and fear to settle in. Remind the child of a fall that they recently had and how they got up, brushed themselves off and went back to enjoying the experience despite the fall. Remind them of how their younger siblings fall when learning to walk but get right back up and try again.

Our brains can’t tell the difference between an imagined event, a real event or a memory. Help your child create a mind movie—a mental video or a story where they’re feeling excited about riding and having a positive experience. Have them describe it in as much detail as possible. Ask them to replay this video in their mind and ask if they saw anything new in the replay. In doing this exercise, the child is imprinting positive outcomes in their subconscious mind—and we know that it’s the subconscious mind that feeds the conscious mind. This approach to dealing with fear is much more than positive thinking. This is the same type of ‘rehearsal’ professional and Olympic athletes utilize to get ready for their competitions.

As your child is imagining their mind movie, make sure they’re taking some deep breaths. Anxiety causes our brain wave to shoot up. We want the brain wave low to help maintain calmness. The lower the brain wave, the more relaxed our minds and bodies are and the more confident we feel. Bingo!

Horses are living creatures and can get scared, just like people. An important tool for children learning how to ride is the emergency dismount, which is rarely taught these days.

Teaching children how to dismount when things seem to be getting out of hand, for either rider or horse, is a security measure that stays with someone for their entire riding career. If you have a youngster starting out, ask their trainer to spend some time teaching them this technique. The security it gives the rider is something that no other strategy offers. 

Would you park your car on a hill without using the emergency brake? The more skills we have, the more secure we are. 

Photo:

Savannah Kelman practices trotting. Teaching children how to emergency dismount is an important part of their early riding career.

Photo by Ali Kelman

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Jan Lukens has always felt blessed to be an artist Jan Lukens has always felt blessed to be an artist, turning his observations into works of art, but it hasn't always been easy. “My biggest challenge starting out was fitting in to the equestrian world as an artist, not a rider. Although I spent the better part of two decades exhibiting 15 weeks a year at national horse shows, there’s a massive 
difference between an artist who paints horses and someone who has been climbing into the saddle since they were 5 years old, surrounded by all aspects of the horse 
world.”

A prolific painter working mainly in oils, Jan’s original and commissioned works of art hang in the collections of the likes of individual gold medalist Joe Fargis and Rodrigo Pessoa, as well as many other Olympians and owners. One of the most influential 
moments in Jan’s career was in 2014, when Ralph Lauren acquired two of his equestrian paintings. “I was still recovering from the 2008 recession at that time. There  is a unique part of a painter’s reputation that is based on who has purchased or commissioned his art, and when I promoted that sale, my phone didn’t stop ringing for a 
year and a half.”
For more information visit janlukens.com

Read Jan’s full article at the link in our bio. And never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 

 #Sidelines #sidelines2023 #sidelinesmagazine #magazine #forhorsepeople #abouthorsepeople
Calling all trainers and professional riders! St Calling all trainers and professional riders! 

Struggling to keep up with your social media and the barn? Reel editing got you overwhelmed? Is your #Hashtag - trending audio - sponsor tagging being neglected? 

Entrigue specializes in equestrian social media and rider management! We help equestrians handle the daily posting to Instagram and Facebook, handle boosting and engagement ads, and can help trainers and barns maximize their sponsorships, keep websites up to date, and PR! Your barn is a business too and as a rider or barn your digital hoof print counts!

@entrigue_marketing 

#equestrian #sponsoredrider #socialmedia #equestrianmarketing #equestrianreels #horsesofinstagram
Yay for June! We have another great edition for yo Yay for June! We have another great edition for you all that we can't wait for you to read. Up first are Evan and Ashley Donadt a dynamic duo that has won the hearts of many! Stay tuned for many great stories like this by following us on Instagram and Facebook or subscribing to get your very own copy of Sidelines Magazine!

What happens when a horse-crazy equestrian girl meets a never-touched-a-horse-before guy? If you’re Ashley and Evan Donadt, it might just be the beginning of a happily-ever-after that includes a solid dressage program and extremely popular social media channels featuring good-natured humor and horses.

Ashley, a lifelong equestrian, began her horse experiences with the local 4-H club, progressed to lessons with the local dressage trainer when she was 10, then her own pony when she was 11. Conversely, Evan grew up in Massachusetts, without any horse experience to speak of. The odds of them meeting were fairly low, until fate landed them both in Southern California.

Evan knew from the start that spending time with Ashley meant spending time at the barn. In fact, Ashley told him straightaway, “The horses come first always; you’re going to be second!” Evan wasn’t deterred, and instead found the loophole: spending all his own free time with her at the barn.

Read Ashley and Evan's full article in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine! You can also click the link in our bio. Don't forget to subscribe to get your very own copy delivered right to your door! Thank you Evan and Ashley for allowing us to share your story!
📸Portraits by Jeni Jo Brunner

#sidelinesmagazine #sidelines2023 #forhorsepeople #abouthorsepeople
As we head into June we wrap up our May women entr As we head into June we wrap up our May women entrepreneur, edition. We were so lucky to be able to feature so many amazing women within the Horse industry. We have one more to share with you, and if you missed any of the women entrepreneur stories head to our website for all of our past issues! Enjoy! 

Hurry Up and Wait” is a familiar saying at hunter-jumper competitions. Unlike other disciplines, where 
riders are assigned specific ride times, hunter-jumper riders typically must check in with the starter at 
the in-gate throughout the day to determine when they will show. In 2019, Emma Fass decided to put 
her computer science background to use in the show industry and created RingSide Pro to allow riders 
to be “ringside” wherever they are.
Throughout high school, Emma competed at horses shows on her horse Son Of A Sailor, aka Ernie, 
oftentimes trailering Ernie into the show for the day with her mom. “That was stressful because we 
didn’t know how the show was running until we got there. Even once we were on the show grounds, we 
struggled to find information. It’s a hike to the rings and the speakers in the barns tend to be 
unreliable,” Emma said. “I would think to myself, There’s got to be a better way.”

For more information, visit www.ringsidepro.com

Read Emma’s full story at sidelinesmagazine.com, and never miss an edition of Sidelines magazine by subscribing. 

@ringsideproinsta @emmafass 
📸Photos by Kirsten Konopnicki, kkonophoto #Sidelines #sidelines2023 #sidelinesmagazine #magazine #forhorsepeople #abouthorsepeople
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