Parents that were not raised with horses should not be expected to understand horses or horsemanship. They cannot be expected to understand the tremendous danger they foster by encouraging the natural fear that kids might have when facing the thought of riding a seven hundred pound, formerly wild horse.
A roller coaster does not become more dangerous by having its riders be afraid. A car does not become terrified because its driver is racked with fear.
A horse responds to fear with fear. When a child shows elevated levels of anxiety many horses will key in on that anxiety and become wrecks themselves. The parent that does anything, directly or indirectly, consciously or subconsciously to encourage displays of that fear places their child at a much higher risk than does the parent that says that it is ok to be afraid, but it is not ok to give into that fear. The nervous parent that constantly verbalizes her fear of horses to the child undercuts that child's safety. Parents with anxiety disorders often have children with anxiety disorders that are in their nascent stage. The parent's overt demonstration of that anxiety will accelerate the child's descent into that horrible disorder that is so often linked to depression and substance abuse.
When it comes to dealing with fear of horses on the part of the child the only real love is tough love. The instructor is not in a position to tell the child that has a minor fall from a horse what the child desperately needs to hear. An instructor in today's world cannot say "You are fine. Get up. Shut up. Get on. Move on."
A parent that understands kids, horses, and the incredible havoc that anxiety related disorders reeks on teens must do so.
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