How to Increase Your Child’s Confidence With Horse Riding Lessons

Self-confidence allows a child to take risks, set realistic goals and feel good about her accomplishments. By engaging in a sport like horseback riding, children get the opportunity to build self-confidence by successfully mastering new skills, conquering fears and setting and achieving goals. Working with horses has been found to be especially effective in building a child's self-confidence because the sport allows children to use skills such as non-verbal communication, assertiveness and problem-solving.

Things You'll Need

  • Bridle
  • Horse
  • Horseback riding attire
  • Horseback riding boots
  • Horseback riding helmet
  • Saddle

Instructions

    • 1

      Encourage your child to talk about her fears with regard to horseback riding. Prompting your child to engage in a new sport gives her a concrete outlet or pretext for her fears. Helping your child work through her fear of horses will help her work through more ambiguous generalized fears, according to the website Hand in Hand Parenting.

    • 2

      Help your child set realistic goals. Working toward and achieving goals with her horseback riding lessons will help your child build self-confidence. Protect her from failure by discussing with her trainer what goals are realistic for a beginner, such as obtaining knowledge about horses and increasing her comfort level. Find a happy medium between pushing and protecting.

    • 3

      Show your investment in your child's success by watching her ride, paying for lessons and listening fully when she discusses the sport of horseback riding. Getting involved in her life on a day-to-day basis sends a message to your child that you are interested in her and proud of her accomplishments, which will build her self-confidence.

    • 4

      Facilitate your child's opportunities to make friends through horseback riding. Encourage carpooling to lessons, entering competitions and social events outside of the horse arena to give your child a chance to meet new people. Your child builds self-confidence by working as part of a team, building trust and learning to get along with all kinds of people.

    • 5

      Consider enrolling your child in an equine-assisted therapy program if her problems with self-confidence are severe. In this mode of therapy, a horse trainer and therapist work with your child to facilitate discussion of problems while working with horses. EAP is especially effective for children who are disabled or have issues such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or anger management issues, according to the website Equine-Assisted Therapy.

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