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32/ JULY 2020 THE RIDER


The Science of how Horses Think & Learn Is your horse in a rush? Part 2


By Lindsay Grice, Equine Canada certified coach and show judge.


In teaching lessons and clinics, I love to explain


the significance of lack of tension in horse learning. As promised, here are 4 more tips to slow your


horse, minimize his tension and maximize his train- ability.


What is rushing?Any type of rushing, jigging or hur- rying is an expression of the horse’s flight response. As a prey animal, your horse’s instinct is to flee from perceived danger. We’ve all known a horse who, after catching his blanket on the stall door latch, begins to rush through doors. Horses hurry through canter tran- sitions, scurry across trail bridges, and back off trailers in a flurry! As a young rider I was told it was “eager- ness”. Evidence teaches us it’s the equine endeavour to get the experience over with! A scary experience is confirmed when running


away behaviour results in escaping the object your horse fears. By increasing the amount of distance be- tween the horse and the scary object, he learns that fleeing the scene works! He escaped the clutch of the


One of my favourite lines in coaching –“Slow the legs, slow the


thinking.” Tension is self-generating. The faster a horse’s legs go, the more nervous he becomes.


stall door latch, left the trailer ramp behind and scooted across that bridge before it grabbed his legs! Here are 4 more tips to SLOW DOWN:


3. Notice each small acceleration and nip it in the bud. Maintain the rhythm. “Self-carriage” describes a horse neither running away (accelerating) nor slowing down. He stays within an imaginary box of the rider’s relaxed aids, without having to be held there. If the horse is hurrying, he will be showing some degree of flight response. I help riders to lengthen, not quicken the stride, keeping the activity or tempo of the legs the same while gradually stretching the stride. 4. Don’t trap a horse with your aids. Conflicting aids create con- fusion. Confusion breeds tension. Tension makes the horse inclined to escape the stressful situation. The more conflicted the horse be- comes, the greater the urge to run or shy away. Opposing signals such as tightly restricting a horse’s head in an upward transition, over jumps or loping poles will make a horse feel claustrophobic.


iour. 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 be- haviour 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 committee


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


About Lindsay Grice. A horse show judge and certified riding coach with a special interest in equine behav-


When our adrenaline is elevated, we’re all prone to overreact. As a judge, I wince as competitors rush into canter departures or, as I signal to begin the pattern with a nod and smile, they step on the gas at the 1st marker.


|5. Avoid abrupt cues. Gradually increase pressure, especially in a busy, un- familiar environment, when the horse is on high alert. As humans, when our adrenaline is elevated we’re prone to overreact. As a judge, I wince as com- petitors charge into equitation patterns, or even western pleasure transitions. They don’t mean to be abrupt. They’re just caught up in the moment! 6. Stronger bits are not the answer. When a horse is stressed, he tunes out stimuli. He just switches off. The key is to show the horse what you DO want. Apply the slowing aids, note any shortening in his step and reward by imme- diately relaxing the pressure. And what about humans? Ever suffer from “hurry sickness”? Years ago, before cars, the pace of life was 5 mph- the pace a horse could


walk. Or 3 mph, the stride of a human. Before smartphones, we called or showed up and “visited” face to face. When I was judging and teaching a clinic in Israel, I was moved by how everything shut down for the Sabbath and fam- ily.


What if we intentionally, inefficiently slowed down?


• Try a weekly tech-free day. • Linger in a conversation, deciding you’ll not be the first to say “gotta go”. • Join the longest grocery line- even start a conversation with the person behind you! • Eat dinner at a table – no screens allowed. • Watch your horse eat.


The Fire Horse


and daily contacts, I en- courage others to de- velop closer bonds, appreciation and mutual trust with animals, and a respect for all life in this world.


Chapter 19 Continued


teenage boys. Geldings are like


By Lauren Bode All content copyrighted


for the non-human creatures of our world, in the hope that I may assist them to obtain greater health, bet- ter understanding of their expected


ticed my talent for years, I speak for animals. I willingly provide a voice


My mission statement: Having developed and prac-


wants to talk to you”, so I walked over to the gelding, a shy looking boy who immediately dropped his sheath. No one had ever seen him do that in ten years. The owner was shocked to say the least, he had said it needed to be cleaned, she called the vet who cleaned it and removed a bean. He is now on a bi-yearly cleaning program.


While visiting a barn and taking some time out for myself, I walked up to the fence where the horses were gathered. One of them said to me, “that horse over there


roles, and better relation- ships with their human partners. Through my classes


Here is another one for good meas- ure: One of the horses at a beautiful barn told me he had a growth on his sheath. His owner laughed and said, “Oh Lauren, the things you talk about.” To which I answered, “It’s not me, it’s your horse talking, so check it out and see what’s going on there.” She did, and sure enough, after the vet’s visit it was verified that he did indeed have a cancerous growth on his sheath.


Another owner called me to speak to a gelding from his photo. This lovely boy said he could not pee, and he was in pain if he tried to force it. I relayed to the owner what the horse had said. She called the vet who immedi- ately who told her after a couple of x-rays that the gelding had a huge stone which had to be removed. The owner called me again to tell ask me if I would speak with him again as she had to decide. I told her that I could not tell her what to do but the best thing for him would be to have the surgery. The gelding had the surgery and is now completely healed and back to his old self. When I visited the barn last, he called me over to tell me that he was doing much better and the stone which had been removed was as big as his hoof.


Copyright Lauren Bode www.animaltalk.ca


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