40/ AUGUST 2018 THE RIDER


The Science of how Horses Think & Learn Coaching vs. teaching. What’s the difference? Part 2


By Lindsay Grice Equestrian Canada coach and judge.


Speed and tension…when haste makes waste. This weekend I judged


some speed - barrels and poles on one day and jumpers the next. It was ev- ident some riders had put in hours developing a plan, practicing the lines and turns of their discipline to shave precious seconds. Terrific to watch.


But others had not. With speed comes ex-


citement and a surge of adrenaline – in both horse and human. Signals from rider to horse get muddled when either is distracted or anxious. It’s common for a rider to get so caught up in the moment or focused on winning that they’re not mindful of the cues they’re relaying to their horse. For a prey animal, adrenaline trig- gers a flight response. And flight is self-generating -the faster a horse’s legs, go, the more stressed he becomes. When a horse is tense, he can’t think, learn, or even feel. That’s why, when afraid, a horse could run


right into a fence! Flight response or eager- ness?


Oh c’mon, you might


say, my horse is just keen. “Chomping at the bit” so to speak. Flight response in a


horse ranges from mild to maximum expressions. “The flight response -


it can be fully on or partly on. The flight response shows up in various behav- ioral ways too. For example, bolting, bucking, rearing, shying, tension, running, hurrying, jogging, rushing,” Dr. Andrew Mclean. And that’s when things


go wrong in the show ring… Baulking at the gate, or


bolting through it. Running through the rider’s hands or running off line. Resisting the rider’s hands by bracing, gapping the mouth or ap- proaching the next obstacle with a high head.


Associating tension with the show ring. Adding to the stress is


the vulnerability of the indi- vidual performance charac- teristic of speed classes. A herd animal, alone, is at risk. His buddies are back at


the in gate. Add to the unpro- tected feeling the unfamiliar sights and sounds of the ring and the horse takes a mental note – the show ring is a scary place. Unlike other information,


once learned fearful responses are not forgotten. You can layer new responses on top, so they become less easily retrieved, but forever after, fearful responses need careful training to keep the lid on them. Thus, while most skills are learned by trial and error, it only


takes one or two trials for him to learn something through fear. So if your horse is confused on course AND his legs are going fast, he’ll associate the ring with an unsettling place to be. Ring- wise becomes ring sour.


Every little resistance costs precious time. I love working with “speed


riders” in clinics or lessons – helping them to: • identify specific instances in which the horse is resisting their


About Lindsay Grice. A horse show judge and certified riding coach with a spe-


cial interest in equine behaviour. After 25 years as a competitor and horse trainer, Lindsay enjoys teaching clinics and travelling to Ontario farms as a freelance instructor. She’s taught the sci- ence of equine behaviour and learning for horse associations, courses for University of Guelph and therapeutic riding facili- ties.


Lindsay judges many disciplines and breeds and serves on an EC judging committee


Why do horses do what they do? “In the horse world, our traditions and evidence sometimes col- lide – I love to help riders solve their horse puzzles with logic, patience and equitation science.”


cues on course • clarify their cues • speak in a code the horse under- stands – even while navigating at speed.


Jumper, barrels or extreme


obstacle races. Speed under con- trol is quicker than speed out of control. And it’s fun to judge!


OFA outlines priorities to new provincial ministers


OFA Commentary: July 13, 2018


By Peggy Brekveld, Vice President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture As the new PC government sits


at Queen’s Park for the first time, the Premier is expected to provide direc- tion to each new cabinet member about the priorities for their ministry. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has crafted its own priority recommendations to key cabinet min- isters as its first official communica- tion with the new provincial policymakers. The OFA is reminding key Min-


isters that the agri-food sector is an economic powerhouse in the province. We are also making a sim- ple request – to work together to en- sure there is a long-term investment strategy in place to support economic growth in our industry and our rural communities. We will continue to advocate


across all ministries for distrib- uted economic development – a policy to support the communi- ties beyond the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA). With proper investment, we know that rural communities can relieve the strain on the GTHA housing mar- keting and transportation infra- structure, while encouraging long-term,


stable economic


growth. Our Producing Prosperity in On-


tario campaign called for greater investment in Ontario’s agri-food


sector and rural communities. OFA garnered widespread support with its campaign messaging before the elec- tion – including expressed support from Premier Ford. We advocated that distributing infrastructure invest- ments around the province can boost economic growth, create new jobs, build affordable housing options, en- sure food security and support envi- ronmental stewardship. These are the messages we will


continue to use as we begin to build new relationships with all the min- istries that impact our sector – includ- ing Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Environment, Conservation and Parks; Infrastructure; Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade; Municipal Affairs and Hous- ing; Health and Long-Term Care; and Transportation. Premier Ford and many MPPs expressed support during the election for OFA’s Producing Prosperity in Ontario messaging. We believe the time is right for


the provincial government to adopt a new approach – working together with our industry to develop a long- term strategic investment approach for rural Ontario. We are proud that our agri-food sector generates nearly $40 billion every year to the provin- cial GDP and employs more than 800,000 Ontarians. We will be taking this success story to policymakers to push for investments that will ensure rural Ontario and the agri-food indus- try is poised to continue driving our economy forward.


Horse Shows 2018 ●


For more information please visit www.foxrunhorseproducts.com


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