Equestrian & Showjumping: The Nervous System That Speaks Down The Reins

Maybe this sounds familiar. You walk the course, you know your lines, and your horse jumped beautifully at home on Thursday. Then you ride into the arena, your stomach tightens, and three strides out from the second fence he backs off and stops.

It is tempting to blame the horse. Often, though, he was only answering a question you did not know you had asked.

Your horse is reading you all the time

Horses are prey animals. For millions of years, staying alive meant noticing the smallest sign of alarm in the herd and reacting before thinking. A lifted head or a held breath in one horse can put the whole group on alert.

When you ride, you are part of that herd. Your horse feels your seat, your thighs, your hands and your breathing through every stride. Riders and trainers have long said that tension travels down the reins, and some limited research suggests that a horse's heart rate can rise in response to a nervous handler.

So when your body says something is wrong, your horse has no reason to doubt you. He cannot know that you are worried about the judge, the crowd or last month's fall. As far as he can tell, his rider is tense, and tension in the herd usually means danger ahead.

What rider anxiety looks like from the saddle

Anxious riders often do not look frightened. The signs are small, but a horse may pick up on them:

• Held breath, especially on the approach to a fence.
• A tight seat and gripping knees, which block the horse's back.
• Tipping forward, getting ahead of the movement.
• Busy or fixed hands, taking back at the moment the horse needs freedom.
• Looking down at the fence instead of up and beyond it.
• Rushing, to get the round finished.

The horse may respond by rushing, hollowing, running out or refusing. The rider then becomes more anxious, and a loop is formed. Each of you is reacting to the other.

Your horse does not need you to be fearless. He needs you to be steady enough for both of you.

Co-regulation: sharing a calm state

Co-regulation is a simple idea with a long name. It means that one nervous system helps to steady another. A parent does it when they hold a crying baby. A calm friend does it when they sit beside you in a waiting room.

It is thought to happen between people and animals too. A settled rider breathes slowly, sits deep and moves with the horse. Under such a rider, a horse is more likely to lower his head, soften through the back and breathe out. Calm can be as contagious as fear.

The difficulty is that it is hard to fake. A brave face over a pounding heart is unlikely to fool a horse. For co-regulation to work, the calm has to be real, and that is a matter of how well your own nervous system can settle.

How neurofeedback may help the rider

Neurofeedback aims to train that settling ability directly. Small sensors on your scalp read your brain's electrical activity. They only read, and nothing is sent into the brain. A computer turns the activity into sound and images that respond when your brain finds a steadier pattern.

The idea is that, with practice, the brain learns the way to that pattern. For anxious riders, common aims in neurofeedback are more alpha, the rhythm of relaxed wakefulness, and more SMR, the sensorimotor rhythm linked with a quiet body and an alert mind. Another is easing high beta, the fast and tense activity associated with worry and what-if thinking.

Your body has an accelerator, the fight-or-flight response, and a brake that slows the heart and loosens the muscles. A nervous system that can reach the brake easily is likely to be one a horse finds easier to trust.

Every client begins with a 19-channel brain map, which takes about an hour and a half. Sessions then last 45 to 60 minutes and start with a short check-in. You will find the details on our services page.

The aim is a nervous system that settles more easily, which may help you breathe more freely on the approach and feel less rattled by a stop or a pole down. Results vary, and brain training supports your lessons. It does not replace a good instructor or time in the saddle.

After a fall, and when to get other help

Fear that follows a fall is the nervous system doing its job. If you hit your head, were knocked out or feel dizzy, confused or nauseous afterwards, see a doctor before you ride again.

If the memory of a fall keeps replaying, or you avoid the yard altogether, please speak to your doctor or a psychologist. Neurofeedback can work alongside that care but does not replace it. Our article on traumatic memory loops explains what may be going on.

If nerves in the saddle are part of a wider pattern, you might recognise yourself in the pieces on high-functioning anxiety or panic attacks.

In the meantime, try one small thing on your next ride. Breathe out slowly, all the way, as you turn towards a fence, and notice what your horse does with his ears and his back.

Common questions

Can my horse really feel that I am nervous?

Quite possibly, yes. Horses are highly tuned to body language, muscle tension, breathing and movement, because their survival once depended on reading the herd. Some limited research also suggests a horse's heart rate can rise when its handler is anxious. So a tight seat, held breath and busy hands may well be messages your horse picks up.

Can neurofeedback help with riding nerves after a fall?

It may help the nervous system settle so that fear is less overwhelming. Results vary. If you hit your head or were injured, see a doctor first. If the fall has left you with flashbacks or nightmares, a psychologist or counsellor should be part of your support.

Do you work with the horse as well?

No. Neurofeedback at our practice is for people. You sit with sensors on your scalp that only read your brain activity, and nothing is sent into your brain. The idea is that a calmer, steadier rider gives the horse clearer and quieter signals, which you then build on with your instructor.

The partnership between horse and rider is one of the loveliest things in sport, and it is built on trust in both directions. If you would like to bring a calmer self to the yard, you are welcome to get in touch and tell us about you and your horse.