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32/ NOVEMBER 2021 THE RIDER


The Science of how Horses Think & Learn Judging tension, conflict and horse “happiness”.


from. Too many compar- isons. Too many de- mands, pulling at our focus. With white knuck- les and gritted teeth we soldier on. Think of how similar is the show ring experience for a horse. Unfamiliar voices and images babble and flash around him, yet the sig- nals of his rider pull his focus away from it all onto the circle or over the jump ahead. As judges we’re


By Lindsay Grice. Equestrian


Stress and tension Canada


coach, horse show judge, specialist in equine be- haviour.


plague us in modern times. Our screens serve up conflicting voices, im- ages and opinions. Too many options to choose


trained to recognize and penalize technical errors, lack of talent and lame- ness. What about signs of tension? Subtle signs of horse stress are easily clouded by a flashy mover, which naturally impresses us and we feel inclined to reward. Equestrian sport is


under closer scrutiny


than ever before. The public has strong opin- ions and cell cameras. It’s great to see our equine associations beginning to address the well-being of our show horses. I scribbled lots of


notes at this week’s Inter- national Society of Equi- tation Science conference where 65 speakers cov- ered this kind of thing. Smart, curious horse peo- ple who’d turned their questions about horses into research. Studies comparing sport and pleasure horses in a spec- trum of situations - as- sessing, measuring, documenting. Though FEI rules


advocate for a “happy equine athlete”, horse “happiness” is an fuzzy concept and not well de- fined in the rule book. Among my horse friends, clients and colleagues, opinions vary on what is a happy horse. Face it – we’re not objective; our horses don’t really share our personal and compet- itive goals. If we’re hon- est, sometimes our goals actually collide with their best interests. Conflict behaviour


As judges we’re trained to recognize and penalize technical errors, lack of talent and lameness. What about signs of tension?


is a term in learning the- ory describing the way horses respond when they’re confused. Short rigid necks, busy mouths, fixed ears, hasty steps – these happen when a horse feels torn between the mixed messages he’s getting from his environ- ment or his rider. Simul-


and conflict in a horse. When there’s no apparent way out, he acts out (even sub- tly) or zones out (learned helplessness).


taneous, opposite signals or noisy cues trigger a horse’s flight response and when there’s no ap- parent way out, he acts out (often subtly) or zones out (learned help- lessness). I admit, it’s a judg-


ing dilemma – comparing on ones’ score card, a tal- ented but tense horse with an average but “happy” one. Comparing


a


Simultaneous, opposite signals or vague rider cues combine to stir up confusion


Though commendable, a “happy equine athlete”, isn’t really well defined in the rule books - horse “happiness” is an fuzzy concept!


penalty-free, yet


stressed looking, per- formance to a relaxed entry with a few minor faults. It’s enough to stir


some conflict behaviour in judges! I’m a supporter of


continuing to tweak the scoring and penalty sys- tems to include specific signs and degrees of ten- sion -providing horse


show officials objective tools to determine what a positive state in a horse actually looks like. As a coach, I’m


ever so keen to teach rid- ers beyond the mechanics and posture of our sport to the whys behind the hows of communicating with our horses. Keeping our mounts as “happy” as possible in the training ring and show ring.


About Lindsay Grice. A horse show judge and certified riding 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


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


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