44/ MAY 2018 THE RIDER


The Science of how Horses Think & Learn Keys to a winning stop


By Lindsay Grice Eques- trian Canada coach and judge.


Like a dinner mint after


a meal, a precise stop puts finishing punctuation on a pattern and leaves the judge with a good taste in his mouth! From reining to dressage, western riding to


western horsemanship, the stop is your presentation’s final “ta-da”. First, the common er-


rors, I circle on my score card, as a judge. Then we’ll cover three points toward straight, crisp stops. Location,


location.


Your horse should be able to stop in the exact imaginary


Any part of the horse that pops out of alignment on approach will result in a poor, unbalanced stop.


box of your choosing, not just in a general, geographic


region. In horsemanship (western eq- uitation), stopping ten feet outside the designated point is a major error. So the first step, as always, is planning – you are the decision-maker. Aim to park your horse’s shoulder be- side the marker. Keep this in perspec- tive - as long as the stop looks precise and planned, this is a zone, not a rule. Leave enough room between you and the marker, so that if you’re asked to pivot, for instance, you won’t knock it over (a severe penalty).


Resistance. A gapping mouth, a poked out nose. Both signal a horse giving his rider “push back”. Conversely, I frequently see a horse stub his toes into the dirt as he dives onto the forehand and hides his nose behind the vertical. Avoidance, but also resistance.


Crooked. Your horse should stop with all his train cars in line – nose, shoul- der and hip. Any part that pops out of alignment will result in a poor, unbal- anced stop.


Fizzle. With each stride approaching the marker, this horse loses steam. Each stride gets flatter and often he breaks down to the next gait - a major fault. Aim to have lift and energy. Your horse should feel light on his forehand and every stride should mir- ror the one before in lively rhythm.


I coach riders to picture a stop in


three stages: Ready, ask, stop. As you approach the stopping point, you’ll make a connection to your horse. A re- balancing, or call to attention. Then you’ll ask him to stop - sitting deep in your saddle and saying “whoa”, qui- etly but clearly. Subtle voice com- mands are perfectly acceptable in most disciplines. On the next stride your horse should be completely stopped. Soft, straight and balanced. So let’s break down the training process.


Ready. The key to a good stop is preparation. Begin at a walk. Your horse should be straight and energetic in the approach. Make sure his atten- tion is focused on you and he yields to your hands as you make contact with the reins and close your leg on his side. Align his body parts arrow straight. With a seasoned horse this preparatory signal can be as subtle as a slight backward shift in weight. Sim- ilar to answering the telephone, your horse is connected and ready to re-


If your horse is resistant on approach your stop will be “sticky” or crooked.


spond. Some would call this a half- halt.


Ask. Say “whoa” as you roll your pelvis back, deeply anchored into the saddle. This is your cue to stop. Horses recognize the tone and volume of voice commands – not the actual word. Make sure the word sounds the same every time you say it. Save it only for stopping…and mean it.


Note: in some disciplines ie dressage, voice commands are discouraged. In most, discreet use of voice is accept- able. In either case, a vocal cue is a useful training bridge which can be eliminated eventually.


Stop. If he doesn’t halt on the next stride, follow immediately by backing him up several steps until he’s step- ping back with only the softest touch of the reins and light leg. Eventually, you can eliminate the back up when your horse starts to prepare to stop by turning his ear back to listen, shifting his weight onto his hindquarters and stopping on his own when he hears your voice -this is where anticipation becomes our friend! Thereafter, only back him when he’s too casual about responding to your “whoa”. Expect to take roughly seven to ten repetitions at the walk before your horse starts to connect the dots. Horses learn by rep- etition.


Like jumping, or loping a trail pole, I often count down strides with


my students as they approach the stop- ping point so that they stop out of a rhythmic gait. Ready – several strides away. Then soften your body and flow for the next couple of strides. Ask – two strides away. Stop - on the next beat.


About Lindsay Grice: “Is it me or my horse?” Coach, trainer and show judge


Lindsay Grice in her 25 years as a pro- fessional horsewoman is a self-de- scribed “horse observer”. “I’ve learned so much by watch-


ing horses – from the end of a longe line, the view from the saddle, or the judges’ booth – and I love helping rid- ers solve their horse puzzles based on the science of how horses think and learn,” she says. Lindsay’s love of teaching shows


up as coach, clinician and even when judging – giving tips and encourage- ment as appropriate. She’s taught classes and seminars


on Equine Behaviour and Learning for provincial equine associations, thera- peutic riding facilities and courses of- fered by University of Guelph. She teaches clinics on showing,


training and judging for horse clubs and teaches riders at various farms. She is an AQHA specialized


judge, Equine Canada judge and a Provincial Hunter/Jumper judge. Serving on an Equestrian Canada


judging committee, she teaches semi- nars in General Performance (multi discipline, multi breed) judging.


This rider step her horse back to correct a sluggish stop.


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