Hi Natalya,
I am so happy to hear that yo wall came out OK after that incident at the beach.
I can so understand how you feel about riding after a thing like that.
What you have to remember are all the times before and after when nothing like this happened. It goes to show that just because it happened once, it doesn't mean it has to happen every time, or even again.
On the other hand, horses are excitable creatures - just like kids ;) - and you need to take into account that the potential for accidents is a constant risk when you deal with them. Once you accept that, it is less likely that you will be so shocked that something happens.
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Here's an exercise that might help you get back some confidence.
Sit or lay down with some soft music and try to make up images in your mind where you are riding Zebedee and everything is fine. Make it detailed, and as soon as your mind tries to enter "bad" things, stop that line of thinking and return to an earlier point in your fantasy where things are good and relaxed.
When you have control over your imagination, you can try to see yourself control your pony when he misbehaves - figure out how and what to do. It's easier in your mind, because you can't get hurt and you are in complete control, so you don't have to panic or even get nervous.
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You are so wise to see that you are both young and still learning! Try to keep calm around your horse and avoid doing things that will help get him excited. Spend lots of time with him on the ground so you can build up your relationship and feel safe with your pony again.
Do you have someone who can help you in an arena, so you can get more control over Zebedee's legs?
Can you do a Join-up? (For safety's sake you should have a grown-up with you who knows how to do this and not try it alone.)
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You should know that (in my experience at least) almost every single rider gets very scared at some point - usually after about a year of riding - and has to find a way to overcome it. Most riders do to! :)
Remember how much you love Zebedee and picture all the great things he does when you are together and hopefully you will find your way back to trust and enjoy him.
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Lots of luck!
Kicki

hi Kicki,

i will try they things, i think they will help. my dad is trying to get 6 foot fences from his work for join up so hopefully in a couple of weeks we'll be doing join up. i've fallen of 5 times including the time at the beach and the time when i fell of before the beach i got a little bit nervous going down hills after that because we were going down a hill and i forgot to lean back so i lost my balance and fell of and i have quite a big scar because of it but luckily i feel happy about going down hills now because i have to go down a hill pretty much all the time so i feel better now. and thank you so so so so much for the help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Natalya.

Natalya,

The only thing I would add to Kicki's advice is to have yourself a few rides with your pony and another horse/rider that are calm and easy going. Take it at a walk or an easy trot the whole ride, and just relax into the rhythm of your pony's gait. End on a good note, when you and your pony are relaxed, even if that means getting off and walking a short while to get back to the barn. And get that J-U done as soon as your dad has the round pen built :) Have fun!
Julie

Whenever my horse has bucked me off (twice), i have gotten straight back on. i later thought about both incidents and it helped me to trust my horse Alli again when i realised thatit wasnt her fault and she wasnt angry at me. this may help you too- realising that it wasnt exactly Zebedee's fault and he wasnt and isnt mad at you.

Hi Natayla, These guys are right in saying that falls and a loss of confidence are all normal parts of the learning process of horsemanship. Put it all down to experience and can i say you already have a head start on most of us because you are learning all this great stuff at such a young age...you are a lucky girl! When i was not much older than you are now i went riding on the road on my pony (probably not a wise thing to do at that age by myself!) She saw a big Bull in a paddock and before i had any warning she turned and bolted so fast that i lost my reins and all! Lucky for me a farmer had seen it all and ran out on the road to stop her before there was an accident. I too lost my confidence for a while and would not ride anywhere but in a small yard where she could not bolt! Definately do lots of ground work now to regain confidence in your pony and your ability to handle him. Might i add that my pony never bolted after that....maybe because i also spend lots of time on the ground with her till i was confident to ride again. We eventually went back out on the road and she was fine.
Also if you do go out in company it might be a good idea to ask people to warn you if they are going to take off or go silly. At least that way you can prepare yourself and your pony :-) Hope all this helps some :-)
Janelle

Hi Natalya,
I'm sorry to hear this happened to you.
My granddaughter is the same age as you.
Seeing as how much you care for your horse I'm going to make a suggestion that may help you build your confidence in your riding abilities again.
Ground work is very important, this builds confidence in yourself and in your horse, that's the first thing to do.
It is improtant to reconize what you are afraid of. From what I have been reading, it's getting back in the saddle.
Why not tack up your horse, attach a lead rope and have your MOM lead you around for a while until you get the feel back and your confidence has been rebuilt.
The youngster who caused this problem is very young indeed and they seem to have the "no fear" syndrom, nothing will ever happen to me. I say this because she seems to be fine now.
It is good to have a bit of fear after what you experienced, this can be a valuable lesson for you. In the future you will be more cautious about your riding companions.
This is important as you are still young and sound very mature to me.
I lead my granddaughter and so does my daughter around the corral, her pony is only 7 years old and there are many distractions for him.
Each day we see her confidence coming.
You have a good day and give this a try, OK.
Ronda

Dear Natalya, I agree with all the good advice you have received from the uni members. I also remember a situation when a pony just turned and ran off back to the stable. I also let myself fall off and had no bad injuries. I might have been about 9 years old at that time. I passed all my holidays on that pony farm - holidays with horses and no parents ! We fell off often, we even had a game: start at one end of the pasture, canter, jump off the pony and bet which pony would make it first to the end of the pasture by himself ! This was good for confidence too and not dangerous as these ponies where some of the smallest you can find :-). But please, don't take that as an advice to do so too ! Your mom would be angry with me ! The only point that nobody who gave advice was talking about was the WHY your pony bolted. Why did he follow the other pony ? what scared him so much ? Can you prepare him for exactly that situation ? There is book "I am Shy Boy and this is my story" it is written by Monty. He lets Shy Boy tell his story. it is written for children and it will answer most of your questions about the WHY and also about the WHAT to do now. It might be a great Christmas present from mom ? Take care and have fun. You will gain back your confidence soon and learn from this experience for the coming situations ! All the best. VioBerlin

Hi VioBerlin,
Thank you so much for mentioning the book. I look forward to reading them all.
Have a great day, Ronda