Does the thought of hacking-out fill you with fear?

Hacking-out can be a very scary experience because there are so many uncontrollable dangers lurking - traffic, loud noises, wide open spaces, dogs, mountain-bikers, even flapping plastic bags! And feeling you have less control can make you more stressed, tense and nervous.

But hacking-out is part of the riding experience, and you want to be able to go out and have fun! But how can you if you get into a state just thinking about it?

Well, you can start by getting rid of the bad memories that are probably causing you to feel so anxious. Memories of a fall, perhaps, or memories of a time when you lost control of your horse, or even memories of someone else's accident you witnessed or heard about. Any memory of a past experience that still gives you an unpleasant feeling will be having an effect on you now.

If you think of a bad experience in the past and there's no emotion attached to it, then that's been dealt with; it's just the ones that put you in a negative emotional state now that still need to be addressed.

As well as replaying your own bad experiences, thinking about all the awful things that could happen can cause you to feel uncomfortable. All those 'what ifs' can be crippling - What if I fell off? What if my horse bolts? What if something jumps out at me? What if I injure myself really badly? The list is endless.

And apart from taking the enjoyment out of hacking, these thoughts can distract you and make accidents more likely - not least because you're communicating your anxious state to your horse.

It's a vicious circle, but one that can be broken.

Imagine having a good night's sleep, waking up feeling refreshed and looking forward to taking your horse out into the local countryside. Imagine feeling close to nature, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. Both you and your horse are relaxed and calm, enjoying that feeling of freedom you can't quite get in the paddock. Imagine returning from your hack feeling exhilarated and energised having had such a good ride. It's all possible.

The only thing that's holding you back from feeling this good is the fear that something bad's going to happen. It's unlikely you've always felt this way - and even if you have, there's still something you can do.

By dissolving the fear using powerful techniques such as Thought Field Therapy and The Sedona Method, you can release yourself from the negative thought process that's making you feel so stressed and anxious. Both processes are very gentle and just require you to get in touch with the feeling by thinking about it, before you let it go and move on.

You CAN have a good night's sleep before a hack. You CAN look forward to hacking out. You CAN feel calm and relaxed about going out. You CAN enjoy yourself and have fun. And it's easier than you think.

You only have your fear to lose.