10/ JUNE 2021 THE RIDER Pro and Non-Pro Reiner Article Series
Insiders Guide: Show time. Managing what goes on between yours and your horse’s ears
Pro and Non-Pro articles written by Jen Jonas of Jonas Performance Horses (Pro) and Sharon Jones of Be A Better You (Non-Pro). Together, they are J&J Rein- ing Inc. Both Jen and Sharon are be- lievers in continual learning – if you’re not learning you’re not growing.
Sharon: For the past 10 years, I’ve been showing in Reining. When riding at home I can feel at one with the horse and we can exe- cute great maneuvers. But the minute I enter the show pen, what’s between my ears turns to marshmallow fluff and I seem to expect the horse to take over the controls. You can imagine how well that goes… My last show was Sep-
tember 2020. I was riding my 4 y/o, Bentley, I was
feeling anxious and Bentley was jumpy in the warm-up pen just before the class. I know horses pick up on their riders, I never appreci- ated how much. I took us out of the warm-up pen, and managed to calm myself down by slowing my breathing and relaxing my muscles. Miraculously,
Bentley also calmed down. We managed a decent run. This event opened up my
thinking - I wanted to know how to get a grip on what’s going on between my ears when I go to a show. I read a book called ‘The Inner Game’ which was written for tennis players, the book helps with what I’ve been describing – how to manage what your mind
Make the most of the time between horse shows!
1. Host a clinic. Need a fresh perspective? Riding sessions and workshops. Learn a new skill. Perfect an older one. The science of equine behaviour and learning for competitive and recreational riders. 2. Book some private/semi private lessons. “Is it me or my horse? Training YOU to train your horse with the tools of equitation science. Ask if I’m making farm visits in your area.
Sharing the science of equine behaviour and learning.
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www.lindsaygriceridingcoach.com 2021 Judges Committee
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Melanie Gray Shari Irwin
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Cally Jo Fritz 21 Taylor Blvd., Elliot Lake, ON P5A 3H5 H: (226) 289-8563, C: (519) 280-8169 Email:
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Melanie Gray 49 White Road, Lakeville, NB E7K 1Y2 (519) 372-2527,
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Shari Irwin 166 Gleasons Corner Road, Castleton, ON K0K 1M0. (905) 349-1092, Cell (905) 440-5941
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Jamie Kuhl 899 10th St. W., Owen Sound, ON N4K 3S3 H: (226) 909-1447. C: (647) 290-6093 jamie@archlines .ca
Kelly Lehman 895893 Oxford Rd. 3,, Drumbo, ON N0J 1G0 C: (519) 807-2660. E:
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Anne Marinacci 65 Swayze Court, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0 905-957-5619
Janet McClure 14156 Ten Mile Road, R.R. #3, Ilderton, ON N0M 2A0 (519) 666-2482
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Lorie Duff 7651 County Rd. 10, Vankleek Hill, ON K0B 1R0 H; 613 867-0776, C: 613 867 0776 Email:
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Erin Fawcett 9 Strong Court, Brantford, ON N3R 7Y4 C: (519) 754-3526, H: (519) 753-0757 Email:
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Erin O’Drowsky 253 James St. N., St. Mary’s, ON N4X 1A5 H: (519) 284-0684, C: (226) 377-0244 Email:
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focuses on. I picked up a lot from it yet, in reining, we
have another set of ears with us – our equine partner, and what’s going on between their ears can also make or break a good run. Matt Mills put me on
to Gilead Friedman, who operates ‘Mental Athletics – Athlete’s Mindset Training’. Gil is an Israeli native, he has been around horses since the age of 6, has com- peted at high levels in the US and has clients all over the globe. When I talked with Jen about it, she was already looking in to Gil’s three-part webinar series, we both signed up for it. We also had a conversation with Gil, for this article. Gil shared a lot of
great insight with us, more than we can fit here. This was the big take-away for me from what Gil said: “People think equestrian sports is a solo sport, but it’s not – you enter the show pen with a team-mate. I do not believe the most talented rider wins the class or the most talented horse. It’s the team. The rider is the com- petitor, the horse is the ath- lete. We choose to live the competitive life; we choose to be observed, judged and evaluated on our riding abil- ities. The horse does not know he is being evaluated, he does know something in the show pen is different, and that difference is the rider. A strong rider takes the pressure off the horse so he can perform well under the rider’s guidance.” There was a lot of
great information on the we- binars – plenty of strategies and practical tips on how to
manage yourself in the show pen!
Jen: Watching the webinars has given me great insight into how I can improve my coaching program for my clients, and my training pro- gram for my horses. My thinking has opened up for how I can improve my awareness not only when we are in the warmup pen or showing, but also at home. Gil’s methods have en-
couraged me to be fully consciousness when I’m riding at home, so I can be aware of where my head is at during different times in the ride. For example, if I’m having trouble in a maneu- ver with a horse that usually excels in this particular ma- neuver, I now stop and take note of where my head and body are at, where I may be tense. I assess and make the necessary changes to im- prove/fix this situation. It makes training much less stressful for the horse and for me; the more I can prac- tice this process the more it will become a force of habit. I am excited to imple-
ment Gil’s methods in my coaching program so not only am I coaching to my best ability, my clients will know how to perform to their best ability!
Links to Gil’s informa- tion:
https://www.mental-
athletics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/
mentalathletics.il/
Watch this space – we’re hoping to have Gil host a se- ries for J&J Reining Inc!
Images: Gil Friedman showing and coaching
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