Win four EFT sessions with Betsy Crouse

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Test Ride EFT for yourself

** This competition has now closed. Thank you all for your bravery! Can all entrants please check their email as I have unclaimed prizes**

The recent three part article series on ‘Tapping for Nervous Equestrians’ (which you can read here, here and here) really struck a chord with many readers. Many of us are holding onto fear and trauma from a scary riding experience and the possibility that Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) or ‘tapping’ could help us to release these feelings sounds like an answer to our prayers.

We also heard from Amy Thompson, who shared her personal story of how EFT helped her to overcome her anxiety following a riding accident.

Wouldn’t it be great to follow the stories of three more riders who were able to use EFT to once again enjoy their horse time with relaxation and confidence?

Wouldn’t it be even better if one of those riders was you?

Thanks to the generosity of our resident EFT expert, Betsy Crouse, I am so excited to announce that three lucky equestrians have the opportunity to ‘Test Ride’ this acupressure-related technique for themselves!

Betsy, who specialises in helping horse riders to break the cycle of tension and apprehension, will lead the chosen candidates through four intensive EFT sessions. At the conclusion of the ‘Test Ride’, the riders will share their experiences on Confident Rider so that other readers can evaluate if EFT could work for them too.

Here’s how to be in the running.

  1. Assess whether you meet the criteria below.
  2. Write a personal story in the comments section at the bottom of the page to explain how you meet the criteria, and why overcoming your fears would be life-changing. Your comment can be anywhere between 100 – 400 words and will be used to select the three riders who will go forward with the ‘Test Ride’.

This competition is brought to you by Betsy Crouse, ACEP-certified EFT practitioner. It is open to all Confident Rider readers from anywhere in the world. One entry per person please. Competition closes on May 24th at 11:59pm (WST). Good luck!

Criteria and Terms & Conditions.

This offer is for 4 one-on-one Skype or telephone sessions with ACEP-certified EFT practitioner Betsy Crouse. The criteria for candidates for this offer are listed below:

– Have access to and can read material posted online.

– Can make a little daily time (~20-30 min.) for doing some between-session “homework.”

– Willing to share personal story of reasons for seeking EFT help (100 – 400 words) and follow-up story of experience with EFT, on Confident Rider site, to provide for transparency of process.

– Available for sessions on Saturday or Sunday mornings, Eastern U.S. time.

– Willing to complete Betsy’s standard intake paperwork.

Candidates must be having riding difficulty that matches the criteria below:

(Note: these criteria are only for the purposes of this offer – effective EFT is not limited to them.)

– Rider was not having significant trouble (meaning normal learning curve for new skill development and comfortable riding with established skills and tasks) prior to one or more specific difficult events (mounted or on the ground).

– Rider has moderate to clear recall of these events, which may have happened recently or quite some time ago, or both. (This is just for purposes of this trial – EFT ability to help is not limited to those with clear recall or even clear knowledge of what is anchoring their fear. It just makes it easier to get started.)

– Rider is currently experiencing significant difficulty with riding and/or groundwork tasks that previously were not a problem.

Examples of non-specific vs. specific events:

Non-specific: I’ve always had bad luck at shows and now I’m scared to compete.

Specific: The time I got bucked off and dragged at a show in front of a big crowd.

Non-specific: I had a critical instructor who ruined my confidence.

Specific: The time my instructor humiliated me in front of others at a clinic.

Non-specific: I’ve had some awful experiences on trail.

Specific: The time my horse fell crossing a creek and landed on top of me.

Candidates don’t need to list all their events in their story, but should have a mental list of one or more specific events which they feel are likely to be major contributors to their current issues.

Please leave your comments below.

 

 

 

10 thoughts on “Win four EFT sessions with Betsy Crouse

  1. In October last year, I had a serious accident (on the ground) with my horse.
    I was giving him some oral pain medication when he spun and kicked out. While I don’t remember the actual kick itself, the event itself is very clear. I was kicked in the right side of my face and knocked unconscious for a short period of time, when I woke up, I had no realisation of the seriousness of my injuries. I ended up with a full thickness split from my upper lip to my nose, almost a dozen fractures (jaw, sinus, nose, eye socket), minor brain injury, teeth issues, eye issues and mental health issues. Before the accident, I was confident and comfortable doing everything with my horses, now, even ground work is nerve wracking…riding is almost too scary for words. (Note: I have a different horse now.)

  2. Theo was my dream horse. From the minute I laid eyes on the tall, dark, and handsome Percheron-Thoroughbred-cross gelding, I knew we were meant to be. I had taken lessons for years as a kid, but had just recently found myself back in a barn after about a decade hiatus, so an easily ridden horse was a must for me, and his previous owners assured me he was.
    Having been out of the horse world for awhile, it didn’t really phase me when he bucked off or bolted with every person brave enough to try him out for me. I sent him off for training, positive that he just needed a refresher, and signed up for more lessons myself. After almost six months, three ‘incidents,’ and as many resulting concussions (yes, I was wearing a helmet,) I brought him home. He did great, until we tried trail riding.
    About a mile into it, we stopped for one of our group to get her horse through some water. Another group of riders passed us, and Theo became very distressed. He grabbed the bit, and started off down the trail after them. Any attempts I made to stop him were met with violent and dangerous reactions. Absolutely nothing worked. He kept calling out to them and speeding up. I had no idea where we would end up. We were almost at a full gallop,when a friend came up behind us, which distracted him enough to make him stop.
    The last time I rode him, I saddled up with a friend for a few quick laps around the arena, but as I swung my leg over he bolted to the other end, and started all out rodeo bucking. I stayed on until he slammed into another wall and threw me over the top of it. That was almost two years ago. I have been taking lessons now from a different (and very, very patient) trainer for about a year. She’s given me the skills I need to handle a difficult situation, but anytime a horse mimics any of Theo’s ‘triggers,’ I immediately freeze, usually followed by a breakdown, and then we have to start all over.
    EFT is the first thing that has made me not feel completely crazy. I have already seen an immense change in myself just by doing some of the very basic things outlined in the articles. I would give just about anything to be able to work with a professional, and maybe, just maybe start to enjoy riding again.

  3. About 8 years ago i had a full histerectomy about 2 months after my operation i went out to ride my welsh d i was nervous and he humped me off and set me back another 2 months, that,s were at all started then i was going to ride my daughters horses because i trusted them and was told i couldn,t ride them so in my head now i can,t ride.Being such a horse lover and being around them for over 30 years ,wanting to still ride i brought myself a quarter horse nowing that they are very quiet horses,but my nerves are now beating me.When i get on my horse is so patient but my legs are so tight i take deep breathes and try to relax but it takes to long i feel for my patient horse, please help me with my fight to still ride and enjoy my love of horses.

  4. I have ridden most of my life, and it has brought me more joy than anything else. But my ability to experience that joy has been damaged by two events. One day, I was cantering some lovely circles in the arena when my horse tripped and took a full rotational fall. I was thrown clear and landed face down about 15 feet away from him. He landed flat on his back, and when I got to my knees and looked back at him over my shoulder, he was flailing with his feet in the air. It was the reaction of the people who witnessed the fall that let me know how crazy the whole thing was, they said that he literally did a somersault in the air. Neither of us were injured physically, but it planted the seed for me to become completely terrified of cantering.

    Less than a year later, I was riding the same horse, returning to the barn from a trail ride. There was a short stretch where we needed to ride along the road. A half dozen loud motorcycles came up fast behind us, and the engines scared all the horses in the group. My horse reared up and fell over backward, landing on top of me. I remember feeling my organs being alarmingly compressed and laying there underneath him, seeing his hooves waving against the blue sky, thinking “and now I am being crushed to death by my horse”. I thought about my husband finding out that I’d been killed on a trail ride and imagined my 18-month old son growing up without me.

    It’s been 4 years since that second incident, and now I hardly ride. I miss it terribly, but I feel that it was only the relative naivete that I had before these incidents that allowed me to enjoy riding. I can’t ride now without feeling like I am endangering my life. When I do ride, I feel anxious every second, and I feel guilty that my selfish choice to do this could deprive my children of their mother.

    I have a wonderful horse and a fantastic relationship with him from the ground. He is smart and happy, and I really think he loves and trusts me. I don’t feel that he deserves to bear the burden of my fear; I don’t want to ride him scared, so I basically don’t ride him. We need help!

  5. I read about tapping helping riders here on this website, but I had heard about the benefits of tapping elsewhere. So recently I decided to use it for myself. It helped me enormously with two areas of high anxiety for me: mounting my school horse by myself, and going over cross rails. I was amazed at the results I saw in myself – it helped me to do the actions in question with little to no anxiety. I recommend this technique highly.

  6. As a recent return to my first love, I was thrilled to find myself doing so well in my lessons. My horse was also coming along nicely in his training. I met every challenge head on and was taken on some wild rides, but never once did I fall and although I felt some fear I did not let it stop me.

    We were beginning to have an area that I could not overcome and at the beginning of each lesson I would anticipate it with anxiety. I was instructed to be alert for it to happen and to be ready to push him through it. But I could not. And I was getting frustrated. My trainer was frustrated. I was losing my horse’s respect and my fear was taking root. At one point I had allowed this habit of his to really take over and my trainer had me dismount so she could fix it. I watched as she fought with him, he was being completely disrespectful and he ran her right into the gate. Neither were injured and she continued to work him and he did settle down after that but I believe that’s when my fear of riding him truly anchored itself into my soul.

    Some time later, during a lesson, I kicked him into a trot and instead he went into a canter that I could not stop. We flew around and around, he was going so fast and all I could do was fall into a fetal position. When he did stop I wanted to dismount, but my trainer insisted I stay on and trot him. I tried again, my legs shaking,and he flew into the canter again going faster than before. I was completely frozen in fear. When he stopped I jumped off and vowed to never ride again.

    I would like to add that as this fear was growing, I was suffering a series of unfortunate events in my personal life that was causing much stress and anxiety.

    I feel anxious even thinking about riding him yet have no reservations in riding other horses. I have recently been trying EFT, and would love the opportunity to have one on one sessions.

  7. I had started back riding about a year and a half ago after much time off where I had lost my confidence. I have a very nice well trained hunter mare that I got last Christmas who I have been learning to jump on. I am just at cross bars and raised cavellettis. We were doing really well and I have been regaining my confidence in riding. About 7 weeks ago I went for a short ride before work and my mare was very high from not being ridden for 2 weeks, and instead of doing some ground work first I just hopped on for a ride., she did a huge spook from something and dropped me and as a result I am healing from a fractured pelvis and Lumbar spine compression fracture. I am almost ready to start riding again and I am not sure if I can. I really want to get my confidence back again as I fought so hard to regain it in the first place. I would love to learn this technique so that I can continue with riding without being so nervous and afraid.

  8. I am 46 now. Raised around horses and have always loved them. At 17, I rode English the 1st time on a friends’ warmblood. He took off with me and I could not stop him. Nothing I knew to halt a horse did the trick and I ended up flying over a jump. Then I flew off and hit a wall. I ended up in the hospital for a month, collapsed lung and dislocated hip. Several years went by and I was able to ride a few times without too much problem, but always fear. Fast forward to a few years ago. I finally get to re enter the horse world. I take lessons trying to overcome my fear. The feeling I had of not being able to stop the horse or ride out any incident will not let up. But I will not give up. My dream horse, a friesian gelding, is dropped in my lap. I have had him for 7 years. He is my soul. And I am petrified of riding him, but I try. A couple of years back, he bolted on me (he was greeeeen!) And I came off pretty hard. He has been through much training and is so good now. And yet, I remain unconfident and fearful. All I want is to enjoy riding with him. Confidently. Instead, I watch my spouse and our trainer living my dream. Please help!

  9. I have been riding for 30yrs now, can never remember a time not having horses and couldn’t imagine a life without them. When I was younger I was always the go to rider to hop on any horse. If someone was having trouble I would be the one to put my hand up and sort it out. Even now my friends and family call me for advice.
    At 21 I became a mum, a single mum! And fear and confidence issues slipped into my mindset. The what if I get hurt, who will look after my baby thoughts took over. I got a job when my daughter was 2 doing pretrainign work with racehorses and reeducating them for eventing. My confidence grew a bit. Fast forward to 4 years ago, I had my son. My confidence took another hit. The what ifs took over again. This time I cannot shake them. I know I have the abilities and knowledge in what I am doing but my confidence is lacking.
    Just this afternoon I was riding my horse and I could not get him to settle so I got off and lunged him instead, once upon a time this wouldn’t have been an issue, I would have revelled in the challenge. But nowadays the what ifs are too strong. I would love to try tapping in the hopes that I can go back to using my skills and knowledge in retraining my beloved off the track thoroughbreds.

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