Horse psychology insights: for a winning edge in the show ring and in life!

"The meeting of preparation with opportunity…

Flight response: A horse’s instinct as a prey animal, to flee from perceived danger. 



Dr Andrew Mclean says “A structure deep inside the brain called the amygdala, sorts out stimuli as to whether they are fearful or not. Fearful stimuli receive special recognition by the brain in terms of remembering - unlike other information, once learned fearful…

Can riders transfer stress to their horses? A study presented at the International Equitation Science Symposium several years ago confirms it…

53 pairs of horses and riders were tested (each of the 26 horses at least twice with a different rider). Riders were also asked to rate different aspects of their riding skills on a scale from 1-10, for…

We were cautioned as an audience at a recent Cavalla performance to refrain from flash photography for the safety of the horses and riders…I was skeptical.

I reasoned the stressful part for the horses would be what’s going on inside the ring. Performing in close proximity to other horses while more gallop about in random directions. Humans and equipment…

As a judge and competitor, I’ve seen a lot of bad horse show experiences. From horses who begin to anticipate in the class to those who refuse to go in the gate. There are riders falling off and others just falling apart emotionally. 



If training a horse is like climbing a staircase, many mishaps occur because riders try to skip a step, or even jump…

Discrimination is the ability to choose or differentiate between things. We make it hard for our horses to discriminate when we’re wishy-washy with our cues.

Dr Camie Heleski, Michigan State University, describes a study that illustrates this point…

In a study by Flannery, ponies were conditioned that one of two symbols on a feed box would gain them…

During March of this year, 2012, I had fun presenting a clinic of this title at the Can Am horse expo along with notable hunter judge, BarbaraMitchell and again with reining judge Gary Yaghdjian. We fed of each other’s energy as we highlighted various mistakes judges note on their cards and how to prevent them. I asked riders to look beyond the usual fixes,…

In the information age, Q and A columns , blogs, and on -line forums provide an buffet of answers to the questions horse owners have as they try to communicate with their 1000 lb., non-English speaking partners. The process of equine  training and management can be puzzling. In in the horse world, where emotion and fact often collide, how do we know how horses really…

Sometimes there’s more competition that goes on outside the show ring than inside, don’t you think?

Horse owners at a boarding stable compare training methods and horse management practices, hoping to become the barn expert. Horse show “groupies” chit chat at ringside with their assessments of competitors, judges, and show management, but never…

It’s the misuse of imagination according to renowned motivational speaker and salesman Zig Ziglar.

“What if..?” keeps us up the night before a horse show or a presentation or a difficult telephone conversation.

A nagging worry is like dragging a weight around on the end of a rope. Wherever we go, it comes with us.  The longer we drag it, the…

Leaning against the fence of the warm up ring, waiting for the next class to begin, I chatted with an amateur rider who was watching her trainer give her horse a pre-class tune up. “He gets along so well with my horse,” she sighed. “My horse just knows who’s boss. I think we have a personality clash.”

She chatted away to her horse and trainer…

Photo courtesy of Mcphail Equine Performance Center

 

As I entered the office of a friend the other day, I interrupted him as he was dictating into his computer. We’d chit chatted and swapping a few stories, before he realized he’d forgotten to turn off the dictation feature. It was awkwardly…

Boundaries. With kids or horses, establishing limits and expectations is the one of the most considerate things we can do for them. Insecurity and resentment arise when boundaries aren’t well communicated or they shift.

As  decision maker the horse/human partnership, riders must clearly define their expectations of the pace, path and package with which they…

Maggie's been in training lately, so all I do is hack her.  Although my trainer was out of town dealing with a personal emergency, I've still just been doing that, so that i don't confuse her.  So, I was out of work early on Friday and headed to the barn for a hack before the sun went down.  We headed to the berry field...

They've finished the fencing of the field next to it, and although the posts have been there for ages, apparently this was a good excuse to spin and bolt,…

Equipment that is used to back up or fortify a rider’s natural cue (i.e. spurs, whips, martingales).

Rarely should an artificial aid replace a natural cue. Used following the first light cue, it combines with negative reinforcement, giving relief as soon as the horse responds. Used logically (light cue, stronger cue,…

At a horse show the other day a horse came firing backward out of a trailer, breaking the trailer tie (and the pride of the red faced owner) as she pranced free, tail flagging, touring the show grounds. Her  owner had tied her up, and then went around to fasten the tail bar….

You never know…

I have been having some difficulty lately with two trainers. My dressage trainer herself has issues with this too. The only difference is that she has two in the same discipline, I have two in different disciplines (dressage and jumping).

Sometimes I wonder if she is sad about me doing bothe and not be a primary dressage rider. Dressage will always be in my…

Stress and tension plague us in modern times. Too many voices. Too many demands. With white knuckles and gritted teeth we soldier on. We can spot the signs of tension in a person – but what about a horse?

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