Horses are big puppies (Mark Pilgrim/X). Everyone should have a healthy fear of horses (I do), but when it becomes a phobia it can be life altering.
What do phobias have to do with the NFL? Why is there a picture of a horse? Who’s the guy on a journey? Learn one man’s heartwarming journey to healing his seemingly only fear. Check out my other articles while you’re at it!
Let’s Talk Phobias
Equinophobia, hippophobia—there are a few words for the fear of horses.
People should be afraid of horses to some extent; they’re huge and can hurt people. Horses are prey who are constantly reacting to external circumstances with fear to stay alive. Equines aren’t intentionally mean (in the vast majority of cases), but being that big and that scared can go wrong quickly.
The difference between a healthy fear and a phobia, according to the American Psychological Association, is the difference between a rational reaction to something that is potentially dangerous and an irrational fear triggered by a stimulus where the anxiety outweighs the risk.
It may not be advised, but this is why your horseback riding trainers scream at you to get back into the saddle whenever you fall off. It’s not appealing when you’re covered in mud and sore (yes, I’m remembering a specific incident). But it doesn’t let fear settle in as much, most of the time.
I’ve been kicked at; horses (Sammy, I’m talking about you) have tried to bite me repeatedly; I’ve been thrown off and hung on to the saddle for dear life while the horse bucks. I fully understand former NFL player Eric Berry’s fear of horses.
Berry had to face his fear of horses to play in the league, in a weird turn of events.
Where did Eric Berry’s Phobia Of Horses Come From?
Eric Berry grew up in a small town in Georgia (Fairburn), so a horse phobia sounds complicated to have. In a town of 12,000, there have to be horses around. Poor guy.
The former NFL safety developed equinophobia after being bitten by a pony at a petting zoo when he was little. Baby Berry interpreted this as being betrayed by horsekind. In the description of hippophobia, it’s made clear that the fear of a horse can extend to any hoofed animal that resembles one (donkeys, ponies, etc.).
What on earth does Eric Berry and his phobia of ponies have to do with the NFL? We’re getting there!
Warpaint.
Warpaint, who? In case y’all don’t remember, the Kansas City Chiefs used to have a live horse mascot that would be on the gridiron at their home games. Racism (the problematic portrayal of Native American culture) has unintentional consequences.
Eric Berry was drafted in the first round as the fifth overall pick in 2010. Kansas City probably didn’t even know about his phobia, and he probably didn’t know about Warpaint. Would you turn down a job in the NFL because of a horse? Berry didn’t. I wouldn’t.
Berry was a safety for KC from 2010 to 2018. Warpaint was there the whole time. Eric was likely uniquely excited about Warpaint’s retirement in 2021, when a lot of the team’s racist traditions were ousted.
Every time KC got a touchdown, Warpaint would take a round. I’m not saying that discouraged the safety from getting a pick-six, but it sure didn’t sweeten the deal for him either.
I’m also not picking on Eric Berry’s phobia, but I want to point out that Warpaint was a sweetheart. Being calm and comfortable in a loud, busy, and crowded environment means Warpaint is one of the chillest horses ever. The horse even went to visit hundreds of kids in schools multiple times. A saint horse, truly.
There was that one horse that accidentally knocked over a Dallas Cowboy player over long, long ago. Eric Berry was not interested in a repeat. He wasn’t even on the field the majority of times that Warpaint was, being on the defense and all. That was a lucky thing for everyone involved.
Eric Berry Faces His Phobia
This story ends on a sweet note. Eric Berry is a brave man. I would advise, however, that individuals should work with a mental health professional when facing a phobia. Exposures to a person’s phobia that are not regulated can often do more harm than good. Not for the former NFL safety, thank goodness.
In 2013, Berry went on an emotional journey to heal. Warpaint wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was he. It became one horse’s responsibility to begin to change Eric’s life-long fear of all of horsekind. It’s not Warpaint’s problem, but again, the horse is a saint.
Phobia Exposure Therapy
Eric Berry worked his way up to Warpaint. He tried some less scary exposure to horses to start.
First, Eric drew horses in what looked like coloring books. Then he escalated to pin the tail on the donkey. Next came the horse puppets he wore on his hand. Next, he put horse paintings around his house and looked at him. Lastly, before Warpaint, he watched horses on TV.
By the end of Berry’s journey, he mustered the nerve to pet Warpaint. First, he looked at them on the gridiron from the seats. Next, he approached Warpaint when the horse was very still and stayed only by their side.
Eric Berry did it; he pet Warpaint! After a few pats for Warpaint, Eric was back in the stadium’s seats so that the horse could leave the gridiron.
Baby steps matter. You probably won’t find Berry becoming a jockey or hanging out in barns. But he reconciled with Warpaint, apologizing for throwing shade at the sweet horse on TV. That’s what really counts. You can watch Eric’s full journey as captured by NFL Films here.
That’s the unlikely story that connected a phobia of horses, the NFL, and the five-time Pro Bowl safety, Eric Berry.
