At this point, we collectively know and acknowledge that nearly everyone who rides horses will experience fear at some point - it's the cost of doing business with 1000lb+ creatures who are strong, fast, and have their own instincts. For some folks fear might be momentary or fleeting, and for others, fear may become an unwanted, consistent passenger that seems to take over their experience with their horse. I wanted to learn a bit about how we can take the big, overwhelming problem of fearing our horses and trace it back to smaller, less overwhelming, and more addressable pieces.  Who better to walk us into that interconnectedness than Luke Gingerich, who appears in these big “spooky” night time shows with his horses bridleless or his horses at liberty in exhibitions and clinics all over the country, where simply controlling the horse through fearful situations with contact is not an option.  Luke specializes in Performance Liberty Horsemanship, inspiring and educating people to better connect with and understand their horses, while empowering them to reach their goals together in many different disciplines and pursuits.  In this chat, we discuss:  -Your personal responsibility to your horse and to yourself - How luke “diagnoses” or identifies a fear problem between a horse and rider, even if he doen’t know the horse and rider - Some practical relationship and riding strategies when fear enters the picture either suddenly or in a more longstanding, chronic way.  And finally - we end with a bit of hope. Fear isn’t something to “overcome” because fear is useful and serves a purpose, but it is something that we can get some context and control around. Luke and I talk about the gift on the other side of fear and why it can forge a deeper bond with your horse in the end, than if you’d never had it.  This episode is proudly supported by Nikovian - high-performance, size inclusive, flattering equestrian apparel that feels like true luxury . Use horseperson15 to get 15% off of your purchase of ANY item on their website. We're proud to be supported by WeRideTogether.today , a nonprofit organization on a mission to make the youth and amateur sport environment safer for all athletes. Go HERE to take the pledge mentioned in this episode’s Ringside Chat segment.