The biggest hurdle in amateur riding anxiety is simply allowing yourself to make mistakes and embracing them as data for growth. If you aren't making mistakes, you're probably not learning.

A barnacle, in horse show terms, is that person who's always asking for a leg up, a hand with tack, someone to hold their horse, or an extra pair of hands. But somehow, when you need a favor, they're mysteriously invisible, suddenly busy with an urgent text, or just…gone. It's the equestrian equivalent of a one-sided relationship, and frankly, it's exhausting.