FEBRUARY 2011 THE RIDER /47


If for instance, we ask the horse to bend with our inside rein, our outside rein needs to give. Free- dom is a reward. In the words of well known trainer, Ray Hunt, “make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy.”


ferred alpha status to them. Have a lesson plan for the barn aisle, leading to the paddock, mounting, and riding figures in the school- ing ring.


Q. I’m an amateur rider who does most of my own training, supplementing it with occasion- al lessons and clinics. While the technical skills I’ve been learn- ing from the professionals have been helpful, I’d like to know more about the bigger picture why these skills work, for instance. I’ve heard you talk about the importance of think- ing like a horse when you’re riding and hoping you can give me some insights…


A. Without a doubt, an aware- ness of how horses learn has helped me to train safer, smarter and more efficiently. At home or at a show, like a horse detec- tive, I now approach issues by asking the question “why might this be happening? I look for clues and go through my mental rolodex of equine behaviour facts to solve the puzzle. Problems happen when we try to fit the square peg of horse thinking into the round hole of people thinking!


“Anthropomorphization,” which is attributing human qual- ities to our horses, can get us into trouble as horsemen. “You hear people say, “my horse real- ly enjoys that” or “she’s in a bad mood” or “he should know bet- ter!” While it may look like our horse is displaying those emo- tions, God has wired horses and humans very differently. Effec- tive trainers understand how horses perceive their world, what motivates them, and how they learn.


Horses are social/herd ani- mals.


A horse finds comfort and safety within a herd. The alpha horse, or leader, is the one who makes the decisions (time to go for water, shelter, or to rest) and the subordinates trust and fol- low .


As trainers, we are the alpha horse, and must be the decision maker. We call the shots as to exactly the path we are going to travel, where and how long we are going to stand still, and the pace at which we’ll move, for instance. This takes a lot of energy and planning on our part because whether we’re aware of it or not, from the moment we walk our horses out of the stall, we are either telling them what to do, or we’ve trans-


Alpha horses confirm their dominance by being able to move the underdogs to retreat with a threatening ges- ture, and no one has permission to step into their personal space uninvited. Body lan- guage is the major way horses communicate, a good horseman will do the same. As a regular exercise, throughout the training process, it’s a good idea to ask our horse to step away from us, (either back- wards or to the side) and yield to pressure applied to any part of his body. Handlers who step back when longeing, or in the barn aisle, for instance, may be unaware that they are sending the horse the signal that he is the boss!


Be aware that we are always training. Inconsistency – being cuddly and permissive on one occasion and slapping and jerking the horse when he’s pushed too far is confusing to him ..nothing messes with a horse’s mind more than an unstable hierarchy!.


Horses are prey animals, not predators.


Prey animals, need to be more wary than predators in order to survive. When they per- ceive frightening stimuli, they flee, and don’t stop to ask ques- tions! This fright/flight response is the source of the instant reac- tion time we experience as rid- ers trying to stay on board dur- ing a spook. As Alpha, we can train horses to trust us in the presence of something spooky and override the flight response. Through repetition, we can desensitize them to a spooky object.


Riders are often quick to lose patience with the horse that spooks at imaginary ghosts, but the fact is, he perceives far more than we are aware of.


Programmed to be on the lookout for danger, horses are quicker to detect stimuli than humans. They have a wide field of vision because their eyes are situated on the sides of their heads, as opposed to humans with binocular vision. Although they have a limited view of things directly in front (turning their heads slightly to see this area) they can take in most of what lurks to the side and behind them.


In addition, they can hear a wider range of sounds than we do and, with ears which swivel around like radar, they can localize the source of that sound.


If a horse is trapped, and cannot find a way to flee from what’s frightening him, he’ll fight. Picture a horse pulling back when tied, or having his leg tangled in a fence. In train- ing, then, we must always pro- vide a way out, or an open door.


For more information on program sponsorship or participation please contact Marc Nicols at (705) 435-9229


The trainer should avoid creating fright. Emotions and adrenaline do not foster learn- ing. The horse is bent on flee- ing scary situations rather than reason them through. In flight mode, his movements become quick and unnatural rather than long, soft and calm


The only possible training benefits of creating fear would be when a horse has exhibited truly aggressive behaviour such as kicking or biting. The trainer must assert his dominant status, followed by an instant reward when the horse responds posi- tively. How important it is for horsemen to be in control of their emotions, as well as the timing and intensity of their cues!


Horses learn differently than humans.


I’m often asked if humans


are smarter than horses. Although the horse has a far smaller ratio of brain size to body size than the human’s, it’s really an apples to oranges com- parison. In keeping with the fruit theme, the equine brain is about the size of a grapefruit. But it’s less about size and more about structure and motivation to learn certain things. Horses’ brains are laid out differently than humans and this might explain some of the frustration we encounter when we try to use human logic in training. Scientists tell us that the cere- bral cortex, the specific centre required for reasoning, creative thinking and logic is larger and more developed in the human than in his equine partner. This is crucial for the predator who has to use strategy to track his prey and predict it’s movement. The horse’s brain, howev- er has a large and complex cere- bellum – the part that is respon- sible for sensory perception , large muscle co-ordination, bal- ance, and body functions, and thought to be involved in learn- ing patterns of movement. As a prey animal, the horse is up and


running soon after birth, sorting out all the information he’s picked up from the environment with his keen senses. He’s moti- vated to eat grass all day and flee danger. Grass doesn’t’ move, so problem solving isn’t needed. He learns by doing. So we can’t count on our horses to reason through a skill that we’re teaching them, or imagine the outcomes of doing it right or wrong. He get it by trial and error By patient repetition they connect the dots between cues and movements.


So the next time you’re tempted to anthrompomorphize, (“My horse is having a bad day.” He’s just trying to get out of work”) remember the differ- ences in how horses and humans are wired and try thinking like a horse!


Lindsay Grice Bio


Coach, trainer, equine behaviour lecturer and judge, Lindsay Grice, has prepared horses and riders for wins at major horse shows in the US and Canada for over 20 years. Starting her career on the hunter A circuit, she continues to


actively compete in both english and western events, specializing now in the AQHA circuit. Lindsay teaches Equine Behaviour for several Universi- ty of Guelph courses. She draws on the principles of equine psy- chology and sports psychology to bridge the communication gap between horses and riders. In her popular clinics she explains both the “hows” and “whys” of training and show- ing.


Lindsay is an Equine Canada judge and AQHA spe- cialized judge, as well as a certi- fied Equine Canada and NCCP (multi event) coach.


When asked what she loves about her job, Lindsay responds, “I love putting com- plex principles of riding into a language that riders can under- stand. As someone who’s been there – forgotten courses, made training mistakes, listened to hollering coaches and still made it to the winner’s circle, I share with my students the keys I wish I’d known.”


For more training and showing tips, visit www.lgrice.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60