What if I’m afraid?

Being afraid when you ride a horse is a natural and normal thing - there is no shame in being afraid! We take people horseback riding from all experience levels - beginners who have never gotten on a horse before, to experience riders who own their own horses. The beauty about our horses, the ride we take, and our experienced vaqueros is that this is no big deal to any of them? Afraid? No problem! Just remember to breathe (people often hold their breath when they are afraid, which makes you tend to tense up your body, which makes you more rigid, which makes it harder to ride a horse!) and if you can, take a nice deep belly breath that goes all the way down. (Shallow breathing, from your chest, is often related to the ‘fight or flight’ nervous system response and won’t give you the deep sense of peace that you are looking for.) So, first, there is no shame in being afraid! Second, don’t forget to breathe! Thirdly, know that you can trust your horse - your horse has literally taken thousands of people riding, and knows how to take care of them. The horse can tell the difference between an experienced rider and a new rider, and knows how to accommodate for both.

I (Erin) can tell you - I was VERY afraid when I learned to ride here in Baja, with Jose. I was so afraid that I was almost crying. There was no particular reason that I was afraid, other than I felt like I had no control on this being much larger, faster and stronger than me. I can tell you, you can move through the fear. Now, I ride most every day, and often am galloping down the beach, one hand on the reins, the other hand holding the iPhone to film someone else galloping next to me.

So, don’t let your fear get the best of you - you can ride like a true vaquero or vaquera - book a ride and come and see for yourself!