16/ JANUARY 2014 THE RIDER
knowledge: facts, steps, processes. The goal of coaching is to facili-
Q. What’s the difference between a riding instructor and coach? After years of lessons, my son now owns a horse and a friend suggested find- ing him a coach will help him to reach his goals.
failed to take the training wheels off. I was taught technical skills, and correct equitation but never learned to think by myself outside the schooling ring. I fol- lowed the instructions “Outside leg!” “More bend.” “Shoulders back!” in the schooling ring, at the in gate and even
Registry continues with this practice to honor those sportpony stallions that have proven themselves to be true
ing in Europe bestows great impor- tance upon the heritability of the char- acteristics of stallions to future gener- ations. Some of the stallions have shown themselves to be extremely pre-potent and have become very famous. They are recognized and hon- ored as the foundation sires of a breed. The NorthAmerican Sportpony
very rare occasion in the horse world happened. A stallion was awarded the highest honor a stallion could obtain. Rosedale Top Cat was presented with the First Foundation Sire rating for the NorthAmerican Sportpony Registra- tion. He became the sire of over one hundred First Premium inspected off- spring in North America. Sporthorse and sportpony breed-
At the 2013 Royal Winter Fair a
British Riding Pony and was imported from Rosedale Stud in Wales by Mor-
inspected First Premium offspring in Canada and the United States. Rosedale Top Cat is a registered
given his wonderful temperament, his conformation and movement and readiness to perform to all of his off- spring. He is the sire of over 100
Registry is affiliated with the World Breeding Federation of sporthorses and maintains a stud book to encour- age the breeding and inspection of sportponies capable of the Olympic disciplines such as Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Driving and including Hunter. At 14.2 Rosedale Top Cat has
foundation sires and giving of their positive characteristics to all of their offspring. The Northamerican Sportpony
tate the participant’s learning process. As a younger rider, my coach
A. What is the goal of a teacher vs. a coach? I think a recent edition of the Equine Canada “Coaches Corner” said it well… The goal of teaching is to transmit
in the ring, I kept my ear tuned for that voice until I got out of range….and that’s usually where I went off course! As a young professional trainer I had sink or swim. There’s no one to tell you how to solve horse puzzles and you can’t go off course with a client’s horse! I took the facts in my head, the “hows”, and figured out the “whys” by lots of research and trial and error .
to eventually become a good trainer. And I want to empower my riders with the ability to think independently – to solve puzzles on their own.
Sportpony Stallion Presentation
Morton family who have continuously exhibited horses at the Royal Winter Fair since 1967 involving four genera- tions.
honor was The NorthAmerican Sport- pony Registrations president Sonja Lowenfish. Accepting the award was the
family, for this exceptional stallion! The NorthAmerican Sportpony Reg- istry is very proud to honor him as its First Foundation Sire. Presenting Top Cat with this
at many prestigious shows in the USA and Canada winning 28 Champi- onships and was retired to stud follow- ing his winning the Royal Winter Fairs’ 2006 Grand Champion Starsearch Challenge. Congratulations, to the Morton
ton Stables as a yearling. As a 2 to 5 year old he competed
Independence Independent thinking caused me
riders (or, as parents, our own kids) to be dependent on us, but don’t you think the best gift is to give them wings and release them?
The coach helps a rider to • combine skills, and facts making deci- sions appropriate to the moment, • to make judgement calls without wait- ing for precise direction from their instructor • learn from multiple sources: the horse, the situation, their own mistakes, and observation of others. As coaches it’s tempting to want
ty, humour, perspective (“this too shall pass”). Life lessons along with the tech- nical skills. Yep, that includes a healthy dose of riding without stirrups because it’s both a technical skill and life lesson (no pain, no gain)!
more than success in the show ring. Our students may take away a ribbon, year-end title and “Congratulations!” from peers as they exit the ring. But if they don’t take away life lessons learned from the pressure cooker of competition, we’ve failed as coaches. In 25 years of coaching, I smile as I look back at the clients who’ve been trans- formed through riding and showing. Negative qualities bubble up and are skimmed off, leaving the good stuff that was hiding underneath… • The selfish teen girl learns to pick up a broom to help out in the barn, empathize with her horse, fellow riders and even her parents (truly a miracle!) • The timid middle age woman devel- ops confidence to risk failing in the fishbowl of the show ring. (Even the pluck to wear “nowhere to hide” riding pants!) • The macho man sheds his cowboy image to learn to work smoothly and sympathetically with his horse (and take instruction from a woman!) Creative problem solving, humili-
What makes a good coach? A good coach knows it’s about
some pointers from a coaching expert, Dr Joan Vickers…. • Analytical eye. Ability to zero in on the issue and the source of it. Devel- oped from watching hundreds of horses and riders and thinking about what we see • Proven corrections. And a plan B or C if correction A doesn’t solve the prob- lem • Ask questions. Involve the riders. • Provide rationale for the corrections we suggest • Plan a balance of practice sessions to competitions. It’s proven that rider burn out is the result of too much showing without soaking in enough practice in between • Foster independent thought. Decision making. The goal is not to have a riding lesson at horse show. Practice that requires some form
of problem solving, known as “decision training,” may not produce as rapid a result early on but leads to superior learning and retention of skills as well as superior transfer of skill into the competitive environment. 1
Taken from: Vickers, J.N. (2002). Deci- sion-training: A New Approach to Prac- tice.
Lindsay Grice Bio: Coach, judge, speaker and equine behaviourist, Lind- say Grice has trained hundreds of hors- es and hundreds of riders in her 25 years as a professional. Riding clinics and seminars take
Some practical tips Now let’s get practical. Here are
site
www.lgrice.com.
her throughout Canada, teaching for equine associations, riding clubs and at private farms, creating thinking horse- men of her students by teaching the “hows” and “whys” of riding. “Most training problems are just communica- tion issues between horse and rider,” she says, “solved using the science of how horses think and learn.” For more information, visit her
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