44/ APRIL 2019 THE RIDER


The Science of how Horses Think & Learn 5 top reasons for horse and rider communication gaps.


the rider’s signals to the horse’s re- sponse – speaking back what I see – choosing words as descriptively and simply as I can. When I started to study the science


about horse behaviour and learning, it confirmed many things I’d discovered by trial and error as a coach and trainer. Learning why gave substance to the how. And to be honest, I encountered evidence that changed my mind about some of the ways I understood and trained horses! Glitches in the training ring or


5. Over-concentration. Riveted on a pattern or distracted with navigating arena “traffic”, a rider may be unaware their right heel is laying on the horse’s side or one rein is elevated. Cycle your attention from the task to what your body’s communicating to your horse and return the task.


About Lindsay Grice. A horse show judge and certified rid-


show ring can usually be sourced to communication issues: mixed messages or muffled cues. 1. The horse doesn’t understand the cue and the rider assumes he does. As equine psychologist Dr.Antonia Henderon sum- marized, “We train our horses based on assump- tions about their cognitive ability founded more on tradition, experience and folklore than on sci- ence.” “He should know better!” “He never does


By Lindsay Grice


Equestrian Canada coach and judge. I make my living observing horses and riders.


Coaching, training, judging - I’ve learned so much about horses by watching them. As a coach, I act as a mirror. My eyes circle from


this at home!” Our goals, traditions and time lim- its can influence riders to force the horse into a human mold. To convince ourselves that the horse shares our goals or thinks like a human. What’s it like to be a horse? 2. Noisy signals and conflicting aids from the rider. As the song says, The ankle bone’s con- nected to the knee bone, connected to the hip bone…Developing independent, intentional use of each aid is key to clear conversations with our horses. 3. Vagueness. I often ask riders to describe their


The Fire Horse


retina through muscular shaping of the lens. The retina does not reproduce an image, but


through some electro-chemical process transmits a message to the brain, which decodes the incoming data, to present an impression to the thinking mind. Similarly the ear concentrates incoming vibra-


tion causing movement of a diaphragm, which ac- tivates tiny bones to produce sensible movement. The feeling of this movement is transmitted to the brain for analysis. The same applies to touch and smell. Nothing


is seen, heard, smelled or felt until the brain re- ceives a stimulus. This is all very wonderful and amazing, but the human senses are extremely lim- ited.


We do not hear the low frequency sounds that


can be produced and sensed by elephants and whales.We do not hear high pitched sounds that dogs or bats can hear. We cannot see in the ultravi- olet or infra red ranges, but we have instruments that tells us that those invisible light shields exist. We cannot smell as well as hounds or snakes. Our sense of feeling is not as sharp as many


By Lauren Bode


My mission statement. Having developed and practiced my talent for years, I speak for animals. I willingly provide a voice for the non-human


creatures of our world, in the hope that I may assist them to obtain greater health, better understanding of their expected roles, and better relationships with their human partners. Through my classes and daily contacts, I en-


courage others to develop closer bonds, apprecia- tion and mutual trust with animals, and a respect for all life in this world.


Lauren Bode Chapter 7


Human senses are limited If we examine how we see, hear, smell and


feel, it should not be so surprising to imagine that we have other avenues of receiving input. The eye does not “see” on its own. Light pass- ing through the lens of the eye is focused on the


animals and birds that seem to use magnetic and gravitational forces as guides for migration. In fact our physical senses are so limited, even in compar- ison to our animal friends, one might wonder how mankind got to be so dominant. Merlin had hurt his front right pastern tendon,


and the prognosis was not good. He was in such pain that the vet gave his owner a couple of op- tions.


The vet had said she could do surgery on it,


but there was no guarantee that he would ever be pasture sound and also he would be at the vets clinic for months post surgery. Or, Merlin could be put down. Now, I am sure


every horse person understands that is a big bur- den, or will become an eternal could have, if only, would have situation. We have all been in similar situations. His lovely partner could not bear the thought


of him, a powerful 17 hand warm blood being so incapacitated. She made an appointment to put him to sleep. It seemed only right to her as there was not much they could do for him. I was in Long Island visiting friends and came to the facility where Merlin was stabled. His partner was hesitant to have me see Mer- lin, but he was already chatting with me.


cues out loud. For example what is the precise sig- nal they use to ask their horse to accelerate. Or their aid for a canter departure. If my student struggles to put it into words, she’s likely sending a fuzzy message to her equine partner. Teaching has made me become a better trainer. Carefully thinking through and verbalizing (without horse- trainer jargon), exactly how I ask a horse to do this or that, in a way the rider can replicate, has made me more intentional in my own riding. 4. Emotions block comprehension, or clear sig- naling, in horse or human. As in any human mis- understanding, when we’re angry or nervous we don’t say the things we mean. When a horse is worked up, he can’t focus on the rider’s aids. Sometimes he can’t even feel them. When the rider is exasperated or anxious his signals become abrupt or clutching. Take a deep breath or a time out.


Amidst the snorting jokes he told me, I ex- plained to him that I will try to help. I asked her if I could see him, I found him


lying in his stall, in the same position he had been for a couple of days, she said. I asked permission to work on him, just mov-


ing his energy around to ease the pain in the begin- ning. He had been scheduled to be put down the Monday, I visited on the Saturday, so his partner shrugged and consented, she did say out loud “nothing to lose”. I received a call from his partner the following day, he was back to his normal self she said. I visited Merlin before leaving Long Island and he jokingly thanked me.


I believe Merlin is still around 6 years later. Chapter 8


Mankind tried to rule nature We did leap ahead of other species to such an


extent that we have restructured our environment. That used to be one of the major brags of our sci- entific community. “Animals may adapt to their environment, but man shapes his environment to suit himself.” I am afraid that we got carried away too far


with that. With overpopulation, pollution, destruction of


the animal habitat (and our own), mismanagement of our natural resources, and destructive chemical practices, we threaten even our own existence. We have come far from the hunter/gatherer


who roamed the forest and plains of untamed na- ture and left very little trace of his passing on the green landscape. When Europeans first came to North America,


their behaviour contrasted obviously and radically from the largely nomadic Native Americans. They lived in harmony with nature. The white


man’s attitude toward the land was “destroy the forests and build farms, roads and towns.” Toward the animal kingdom that sustained the


natives, the newcomers took the attitude of “slaughter it and use it for food,use its furs for commerce, or if it has no commercial value, just slaughter it anyway so that it won’t eat our crops or bother us.” We had come a long way, but as we moved to-


ward man made communities, and a social struc- ture that aimed at totally abandoning the natural setting, perhaps we left special survival talents be- hind.


ing coach with a special 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 science of equine behaviour and learning for horse associations, courses for University of Guelph and therapeutic riding facilities. Lindsay judges many disciplines and


breeds and serves on an EC judging com- mittee


Why do horses do what they do? “In the horse world, our traditions and evi- dence sometimes collide – I love to help rid- ers solve their horse puzzles with logic, patience and equitation science.”


www/lindsaygriceridingcoach.com


tralia and the Pacific Rim countries bewildered the more scientifically enlightened explorers, by living at peace with their environment, and being able to harvest crops and animal protein without the need for land claims, and ownership so dear to the Eu- ropean attitude. They had great knowledge of the natural ways


of native animals and vegetation. They knew when to plant, when to hunt, and when to move on. It is not unusual for horses to be “in disbelief”


as well when I speak with them. Who is this strange visitor (me) who is most times accompa- nied by a throng of people.? Is it the Vet? nah, will they stick something in me? What on earth did I do now? I quickly tell them who I am, ask for their per- mission to chat with them, as I do with humans. After just a couple of seconds they decide who


has to go first, you hey the young gelding, go first hahaha, one will say, and usually I will bypass the young gelding and go for the mare. Fixing her mane on the preferred side, she will throw me a “bring it on kinda look”. After a few minutes, the horses will accept me


into their herd/tribe, and sweetly tell me every- thing. It is actually amazing how much their person-


alities differ. Some are proud and aristocratic ( no breed difference) others meek and subdued. Some of course are overly aware of their athleticism and will boastfully tell me of their accomplishments (ahem). There are others with such bonds with their


humans, it is truly wonderful to listen to their con- cerns for them. Studs who believe they should only have to cover once.


I have met a dutiful stud who maintained that


it was not necessary for a second cover! In this par- ticular case, he really did not like the mare, so the owners decided to change her blanket. He marched up to the mare and just turned away. It was brutal, he couldn’t do it. I was asked to speak with him. We agreed that he would do it just this once


with this mare. I spent the better part of the day with him,


eventually he got it done. Insisting that he only wanted his trainer and the Vet as onlookers! What a hoot! I think of him fondly and hope


he’s still around. Lauren Bode


Many of the aboriginals of the Americas, Aus- All content copyrighted


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