30/ JULY 2023 THE RIDER


The Science of how Horses Think & Learn The simple power of a credit earning rein-back.


from it, curling behind the bit. • Tension –You may not ex-


perience the “push back” men- tioned above, but if your horse is clearly not relaxed – rushed, irri- tated, ears back or tail swishing, the mark will be below average. • Sluggish - A horse might


get stuck in his rhythm, failing to maintain a distinct diagonal beat. He may grudgingly offer 2 or 3 steps instead of a showing off a full back up. • Crooked – Your horse


backs diagonally or curls his body out of alignment.


By Lindsay Grice. Equestrian Canada coach, horse show judge and specialist in equine behav- iour.


Stop and back. It’s the final


segment in many horse show pat- terns - the finishing punctuation on the phrases of maneuvers you’ve linked together for a win- ning “go”. Dressage, western horse-


manship, western riding , and reining are among the classes which include a separate score for the stop and back. Sounds simple enough – so


why do we earn negative scores in that box on the judge’s card?


To be honest, as a


competitor, I just hadn’t taken that final box seri- ously. I didn’t really envi- sion the judge assessing the maneuver and putting a number in it. With all of the “important” parts of the pattern in the rear view mirror, I’d be men- tally reviewing the previ- ous components instead of concentrating on this one. Horse show judging has been an eye opener for me. Every phrase of a performance is consid- ered credit earning, aver- age or below average. So I challenge my students – why waste a maneuver score? Typical reasons for a below average rein- back include: • Resistance – Your


horse opens his mouth lugging on your hand. He may even root or pull on the reins. He may evade bit pressure by raising his head above the bit, or hide


The fixes (Conveniently begin- ning with the letter S – sorry, I couldn’t help myself) • Soft: Begin with a light


touch to test the waters. Likely, both you and your horse’s adren- aline is raised in the pressure of the show ring. I often see com- petitors, triggered by competition butterflies, “pull the trigger” on the reins. Surprising a horse causes him to gap his mouth, rush, toss his head or “spill” out in a multitude of ways. • Step: Your legs ask your


horse to step in rhythm and deter- mine length and tempo of that step. Pulling the horse back, using a greater ratio of hand to leg, is the formula for an ugly


Pulling the horse back, using a greater ratio of hand to leg, is the formula for a crooked, resistant back up and a poor score.


back up. • Straight: Imagine your


horse as a train with three cars. If you reverse the train initiating from the first train car, pulling on the reins, the whole thing will jackknife. Now picture grasping behind the middle train car and backing the cars from there. This is the role of your legs, signaling from the girth area, creating en- ergy to step back. • Speed. Degree of diffi-


culty earns credits, but not at the expense of accuracy and willingness. Once all the other compo- nents are mastered, go ahead and increase mo- mentum. • Shape. The credit


earning back up main- tains a consistent, round outline from the gait ap- proaching the stop, in the stop itself, and in the backward steps. Simply pulling on the reins squishes the out- line, sours the expres- sion and spoils the straightness (and the judge says “yuck”). You’ve heard it before


The credit earning rein-back maintains a consistent, round outline from the gait approaching the stop, in the stop itself, and in the backward steps.


– “Small wins make a big difference.” Many training steps are com- bined to reflect the number in each box on the judge’s score sheet. And each box tallies up for the final score – even the forgotten rein- back! The pattern’s finish-


ing…now stop, pause, take a deep breathe, and ace that back up!


CTHS Ontario Board of Directors Announce Changes


pleased to announce the appoint- ment of René Hunderup and Robert Marzilli to the Ontario


tunity to appreciate the contribu- tion and commitment Ms. Dalos made to the Society and its Mem- bership during her two-year tenure. The Board of Directors is


the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario Division) would like to inform its member- ship of the resignation of Ms. Colleen Dalos as a Director of the Society effective May 18, 2023. The Board takes this oppor-


The Board of Directors of


Board of Directors. René Hunderup (Norse


Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario Division) through his breeding program and support of our yearly Yearling Sale. His many racing successes have in- cluded Sovereign Award winners. Robert Marzilli (Zilli Rac-


ing Stable) has been a member since 2018. Robert is an active breeder and owner supporting both CTHS (Ont) and Woodbine for many years. He has cam-


the


Ridge Farms), has been a mem- ber since 1998. René has sup- ported


paigned many Sovereign Award winners throughout his racing ca- reer.


Canadian


to having both René and Robert join us in supporting the mem- bership as we prepare for our up- coming 2023 Sales Season.” commented Peter Berringer, President CTHS (Ont). “Both members bring a tremendous amount of experience and knowl- edge of the industry. We wel- come their input and ideas moving forward.”


“The Board looks forward


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Send To: The Rider, P.O. Box 378, Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 (905) 387-1900 • email: barry@therider.com


07/23


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


haviour. 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 ther- apeutic riding facilities. Lindsay judges many disciplines and breeds and serves on an EC judging commit-


tee


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


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