Horse Riding - Equestrian Exclusive: Build Your Horse Riding Confidence By Making Your Own Decisions

Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight paths. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take?

It is important that you are able to make definite decisions if you are to win your horse's respect.

You do not know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees that choosing to do the right thing all the time will always lead you to happiness. There are many possible outcomes, which you cannot control. The only power you have power is deciding how to act and react in different situations.

So use your power. Take the risk: make a decision, big or small.

Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure. Avoid being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist in life. Your horse will not follow you if you are indecisive. It makes him feel unsafe.

But do not make decisions indisciminately. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid, especially if you are a horse back rider. Carefully weigh your options:

Gather as much information as you can about your situation.

You cannot make a confident decision when you know nothing about your situation. Ask the 5 W's: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Why are you in this situation? Sometimes, the reason for your indecision is the lack of information about your situation.

Identify and create options.

What options do you have? Think out of the box. What do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? Then you create your own. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end.

Identify the pros and cons of each option.

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.

Trust yourself and make that decision.

Once you have assessed your options, you wll have to trust yourself to make the right choice.

Whether it is the right decision or not, time will tell. Most important is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Even if you made the wrong decision you will have gained your horse's respect...and increased your own.