Calming methods on horseback?

[Silver Wasp]

I know you don't want to hear this, but honestly a couple of the things you said make me very concerned. If you are scratching yourself enough to draw blood, then I'm afraid that you may be suffering from anxiety that probably won't be cured by a couple of deep breaths. You also mentioned chest pains...if you don't have a condition that explicitly explains your chest pains, then that may be another sign of anxiety.

I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad, but because I'm worried. I also suffer from sometimes crippling anxiety, so I know exactly how you feel. Some days my chest is so tight I feel like I can barely breathe enough to get oxygen. But injuring yourself is definitely not the best way to calm yourself down.

As for how to deal with the situation, I have noticed that a lot of tension is carried in peoples' jaws. If you're feeling tense, relax your jaw, and your muscles will usually follow suit. Another thing to do would be to walk him on a long rein and do stretches (things like toe touch, touching his ears, etc). Only do this if you know that he won't spook. And a third thing you could do is to ask him to do something painfully simple for him (like a nice trot transition) and as soon as he does it praise and hop off before you can think of anything else you want him to do. I practice the third on my mare who I sometimes get anxious about, and it works well.

Again, I really hope that you don't think I'm trying to attack you or insult you because really I'm not. But doing something like that is a warning sign, and I can guarantee that if you speak to a doctor or therapist they can teach you coping techniques that will make your life so much better.