Grice, Lindsay Articles

Desensitizing the "Quirky" Horse

By Lindsay Grice - I’ve had several horses in my program that, despite their talent, were extremely frustrating in their early competitive years. After investing many years of consistent training they eventually desensitized to the situations that would formerly set them off. Now, as mature horses, they are successful, versatile competitors.

Teaching Your Horse to Neck Rein

By Lindsay Grice - Moving from direct reining in a snaffle bit to neck reining in a curb is like teaching your horse a new language and it takes time. Like every child graduates from elementary to high school, neck reining is the next step in a Western horse’s education. By the time your horse is six, he must be ridden with one hand and a curb bit at the breed shows.

Lindsay Grice, connecting with your horse, long horse necks, tense horse neck, stretch horse long and low, graceful horse neck

Unfortunately, when a horse is tense through her neck and spine, there is no way to achieve that long, swinging trot and slow legged canter that we desire. Instead of lengthening, she just gets quick. The solution is to teach your mare that it is “safe” to stretch long and low and to fill out the frame of the box.

By Lindsay Grice - I approach training on the basis of behavioural science which can help explain how horses think and learn. We’ll never know what it’s like to be a horse, but there is a wealth of evidence pointing to the way horses are wired...and they’re not wired like humans!

Finding the Right Coach

By Lindsay Grice - A good coach should be able to read their students and tailor their approach somewhat to meet their needs. Following are some questions to consider as you search for an instructor who will meet your needs.

Getting Showmanship Savvy

By Lindsay Grice - Showmanship is an event in which the handler leads his horse through a prescribed pattern consisting of walking, trotting, backing, and pivots on the haunches of varying degrees. The horse needs to remain attentively by the side of the handler while they perform the pattern together, briskly and smoothly, with no visible signs of cueing from the lead shank.

By Lindsay Grice - We always need to look to a physical cause first as the key to any issue, with the realization that a horse with a good education and a relationship of respect and trust with the rider will push through the pain barrier. There is never an excuse for bucking.

By Lindsay Grice - If you are a results-oriented person, even on a limited budget, consider that it can be a false economy to do all the training yourself. A skilled professional has learned to avoid miscommunication that can slow down a horse’s education, or cause things to get worse before they get better. A real horseman knows how to use cues with the appropriate timing, intensity, and repetition (not too much, not too little) to get the job done efficiently.

By Lindsay Grice - In my program, I lay a solid foundation of understanding and build upon it like a flight of stairs by challenging the rider or horse with a new skill as they master the previous step. This process may not appeal to the thrill seeker, but it preserves the sanity of their equine partner, and mine as well! For example, we wouldn’t go on to a skill at the canter until it was well established at the trot.

Lindsay Grice, Horse Show Safety, equine show safety, horse safety

It is a wise coach who prepares their green competitors for all aspects of show day before it arrives. As a coach who enjoys working with novice riders, I’ve learned that there are as many issues to deal with outside the show ring as inside it.

By Lindsay Grice - Rider error can cause horses to rush through the obstacles. Just like horses who rush over fences, those who don’t know how to adjust their own stride and don’t trust their riders’ judgement just want to get it over with. Some people confuse this with eagerness, but it’s actually adrenaline raised by fear. With every mistake, their confidence erodes and their flight instinct takes over.

By Lindsay Grice - If you allow your horse to rub or nibble on you, you become his equal rather than the herd leader. In the horse’s hierarchy system the leader doesn’t allow subordinates to play with her or invade her personal space. Recognize the warning signs in your horse before a bite ever happens.

By Lindsay Grice - “Is it me or my horse?” Every rider has asked herself this question when encountering a problem. But to say a horse likes or respects one rider over another is simplistic – let’s look deeper into the concept of nature versus nurture.

By Lindsay Grice - Going out on his first “field trip” can be overwhelming for a young horse whose training foundation has not been completely set. I like to make sure a horse feels “show ready” in his home environment before I take him to a new place. If your pace, transitions, steering control, etc. aren’t in place at home, chances are things won’t magically come together when you get to the show.

By Lindsay Grice - Most horses tend to cut in on one half of a circle and “bulge” out on the other half. If your horse has bulging problems, he most likely gets “magnetized” toward the fence, the in-gate, or toward another horse. Comparing your horse to a train, I’ll give you some tips to improve your control and be able to keep your horse on the track of your choice.

By Lindsay Grice - It’s important to keep it very simple when coaching children. I usually give the young ones only two or three things to think about before their class. I give the student specific word pictures as guidelines that are easily understood.

By Lindsay Grice - There’s nothing less satisfying than having to haul your horse to a stop. Like a dinner mint after a meal, a precise stop puts a finishing punctuation on a pattern and leaves the judge with a good taste in his mouth!

By Lindsay Grice - Horses are evaluated in most disciplines according to talent, training, and temperament. The emphasis in each category will be different in every discipline. Let’s take at what the judges are looking for in Hunter Under Saddle (HUS).

By Lindsay Grice - The Western pleasure class, while historically the most popular class in the stock horse breeds, comes with its share of criticism. Knowing that I judge and compete within the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) circuit, the subject of Western pleasure often comes up with the dressage, hunter, and jumper riders in my clinics.

By Lindsay Grice - A rider can communicate confidence with her eyes in any class and, of course, pilot her horse much more effectively. I tell my students that their eyes should shift between three different pictures as they ride.

Pages