TRAINING ARTICLE

PERFECTING PRACTICE

by Jeffrey Reed
with Lindsay Grice

As horse lovers, we’re all familiar with the old adage, ‘Practice makes perfect.’ While no rider, nor horse, is even close to perfect (although some of us may think so while proudly posing for a photographer after a victory), there are a number of guidelines which can make practice time in the saddle not only beneficial to show results, but also enjoyable.

Popular trainer Lindsay Grice, of Lindsay Grice Quarter Horses in Caledon, Ont., just northwest of Toronto, has certainly put a lot of miles on a lot of saddles. A professional communicator, Grice enjoys the challenge of helping to create thinking horsemen of her students. An equine industry veteran of 18 years, she stresses the "hows" and "whys" of riding.

Nowhere are the "hows" and "whys" more important than in the practice ring. There is no substitute for hard work, and this only comes in time. However, it is a fruitless effort to practice without purpose. And, there are a myriad of facets to consider, including: repetition, frequency and improvement; expectation; motivation; variety; and most of all, patience.

Frequency & Three-Per-Cent Solution

Grice is a big believer in setting a personal goal of achieving a 3 % improvement, each and every time you practice. However, how much is too much to expect from your horse?

"You should have expectations for your horse, and I think the goal should be, a 3 % improvement in whatever exercise you are working on in that particular session," says Grice. "Challenge yourself and your horse just enough so that your horse learns something new, but that you don’t overload him with expectations. You can create fear in a horse, and destroy his confidence, when you expect too much from him. I've seen this happen."

When you expect too much of your horse, because a horse’s adrenalin rises, he doesn't think really well. It’s important to take a break, Grice says. "Take him out later in the day, or at least let him chill for a few minutes. It's amazing how often you will then see your horse understand a new skill. It is as if he has thought about it overnight. I know they don't. But I think what it is, is once the adrenalin lowers in the learning situation, and they are calm, then they adapt better." Grice adds, she won’t put a horse away "until he has made some headway. It’s amazing how the next day, he has often digested a new skill and seems to understand it more."

"Every time you push a horse out of his comfort zone, you will just raise his adrenalin level a little bit more," says Grice. "You are stretching his limit, pushing your expectations. But once your horse learns a new skill, often the next day, or later that day, you will bring him out and he'll often get it. I can't afford to do this, because I have a number of horses that I train, so I will ride each horse once a day. Boy, if I just had one horse, and I was an amateur, and could ride my horse two or three times a day, I would do it. It's like how we feed our horses: little and often."

"I really think that horses need to be ridden for several days – three or four days – all in a row," says Grice. "I think an every-other-day schedule is not what you are after. Consecutive days is the route to take. I personally ride five days a week, and give them the weekend off – five days on, two days off. That is what works well for me. Even three days on, one day off, works. But I think they need at least three consecutive days to be able to make any progress in any given area."

Planning & Motivation

"Some riders only practice what they are comfortable with," Grice continues. "I see riders wasting valuable time the ring, and I ask them, what exactly is it that your are practicing? Some really don’t know. You need a purpose to your practice routine. You shouldn't practice for the sake of practicing. You need a game plan, and you need one for every practice session."

You ride not only because it’s in your blood, but because you want to see results in the show ring. So, how do you motivate yourself to properly practice? Grice believes the thrill of showing – competing against other riders, and yourself – is a motivating factor

"You are competing against others, but also like the game of solitaire, you are competing against your own personal best performance. If you have an expectation on what I call, the computer screen of your mind, and have defined your desired end result, it’s like playing a game of solitaire. You are trying to top your best performance." But Grice says it is also important to include your competitors on your little computer screen. She says, "Perhaps you admire a competitor. I admire the way some other trainers ride, and often, when I am working a horse, I am thinking, I want the same look that he or she has with their horse. So I think it's good to have clear vision of what you want to accomplish. Focus on your personal best, and perhaps a competitor. These visions can help to push you a little harder during practice, and eventually in the ring."

Personal Best

Still, watch for setting unreasonable goals, cautions Grice. "I'm not going to make a particular horse lope at a six-foot stride if he physically cannot do it. So make sure your horse is capable of reaching the goals you set for him. I can picture Ian Millar jumping with one of his horses. It would be unreasonable for me to think I am able to jump that high and that big! Maybe I have to set my computer image to a lower level," says Grice.

At a show, Grice says it is possible to compete against others, while competing against your personal best performance. It's not unlike the sport of golf. However, you can focus too much on other riders, therefore clouding your vision of your personal best.

As a coach, Grice says, "A student might win first place in a class, but if it's not her personal best showing, I won't congratulate her as enthusiastically as I would if she had performed at a personal best level. It must be your personal best, which must be defined on the computer screen of your mind. Define your expectations. Expect a little more each time in the ring before you put your horse away."

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Grice says horses learn by repetition. She says it’s imperative to repeat a skill until you are positive he doesn't perform that skill correctly just by accident. Grice repeats a skill on the same side of a horse, for example, going to the left, or on the left lead, or moving away from her left leg – several times – until her horse understands several times. Only then will she stop.

"This particularly applies when practicing a new skill," says Grice. "I won't switch over to the right and expect him to carry the information that he learned on the left over to the right. A horse's brain doesn't work that way. They don't transfer a skill that they learned on the left over to the right. You can expect that when you are teaching a horse something on the right, it's going to be a different skill for them than a skill learned on the left.

Repeat, repeat, repeat! We learn more by association, and by reason and deduction. A horse learns through repetition."

While repetition is important, so is a logical progression of skill difficulty: having the right mix of skills to practice. For example, mixing Showmanship, Trail, and Hunter Under Saddle skills is important to a proper game plan. 

"Within each of those events, again, you need to tune into the computer image of your mind, with proper expectations. I like my riders to change tack. They may ride English, then change bridles and ride Western, and then change their halter, and ride Showmanship. I think sometimes changing bridles creates a change in your focus. It also allows you to take a deep breath, refocus, and start with a fresh event. It's a good commercial break," Grice says.

And, commercial breaks are very important to practice. Grice says, "When your horse has nailed a move in practice, for example – you have repeated something five times, and he gets it – then take a break. I will just stand still. Or, I will walk. I relax. I call it, letting the horse soak in it. So, my horse has learned a new skill, I've repeated it five times, and I know he understands the skill in relation to my aid. He didn't just get it by accident. I then stop and let him soak in it. Commercial breaks are important."

So is simplicity, says Grice. She offers her students the same advice regarding practice time as she would during a show warm-up routine. "I don't give them any more than three things to think about," Grice explains. "Some have a problem even handling three things to think about in the pre-show ring. Experience helps in this department. Maturity. The 11-and-under walk-joggers: I'll give them a check list. They may start with heads, hands, heels." 

Grice stresses the important of variety, which keeps you from muscle exhaustion. When your muscles are tired, you will practice badly. "Let's spend three minutes working on different positions, for example. So, we'll spend three minutes on hand – work on several different exercises for three minutes on hands. Then, three minutes on leg position. Then, three minutes on eyes. Keep a variety in your practice routine. If your horse is a multi-event horse, then change bridles. Take a commercial break. Or instead, then work for three minutes on one skill, then three minutes on another."

Familiarity: A Double-Edged Sword

Working in synchronicity with your horse comes with time. The more you get to know your horse, and the more you have acknowledged and comprehended his reactions to different stimuli, the more you will know what to expect from him. But, is this necessarily a good thing? If you don't spend a lot of time on your horse, but your trainer spends all the time on your horse, you won't get to know your horse very well. However, he will be finely tuned.

Grice believes, "If you ride your horse all the time, and don't have a trainer, the horse might not be as polished, but you will know your horse better. This is something every rider needs to decide: do I want to keep my horse in training, and practice very little? Or, do I want to practice a lot, because I need the practice, and therefore see my horse become untuned during the process?"

"I'm a big advocate of having your horse in training," says Grice. "Your trainer is putting bank deposits on your horse. However, mathematical sense applies. If you are also putting a lot of miles on your horse, you are putting bank withdrawals on your horse. You can end up neutral."

There are those who can afford keep a practice horse, or perhaps ride a school horse, and only the trainer rides their show horse. The student, trainer and show horse only come together for lessons, and shows. "That minimizes bank withdrawals on their good horse," says Grice, "but that is only a method for a rider concerned with the end result, and not the process. I ask my riders: do you want to put miles on your horse – do you want to enjoy the process, and develop a relationship with your horse, even though it may delay your results in the show ring? Or, are you result oriented and your priority is to get prizes immediately?"

Extra Set Of Eyes

Receiving an objective view is good thing, if you wish to better your performance. Grice says, it’s a good idea to have someone video tape you and your horse in the ring. She says sometimes we don’t believe what our coach is telling us about our riding, whereas a video tape doesn’t lie. "When we see ourselves on video, reality can strike home," says Grice.

On the same token, respect your coach and her role. Following improvement in the ring, we will praise our coach. However, some of us quickly jump off the bandwagon when things aren’t going our way.

Grice says, there are two kinds of students: those who buy into a coach’s game plan; and "coach hoppers." 

"Coach hoppers go from trainer to trainer. They don't have the patience to wait for a trainer's system, or philosophy, to work. They don't have staying power. I always say, if you are with a trainer, don't tell them their program doesn't work unless you have stuck with it long enough to know that it's not working for you. And don't mix bits and pieces of systems or philosophies from other trainers, and then tell a previous trainer that her program isn't working. If you have a trainer, follow their direction and give it time to work."

Grice compares this situation to the care of a veterinarian. She says, "If a vet has prescribed a treatment for a horse, I don't tell the vet that it didn't work because I didn't complete the treatment and didn’t follow the program." 

In order to do everything you can do to help a coach’s prescription work its magic, communicate with her. Ask her after a lesson what areas you can improve upon. Write down her advice. Grice often writes notes to herself. Like a video tape, a written note goes a long way in helping the learning process.

Above All, Have Fun

Grice cannot stress enough the importance of enjoying practice time. We all enjoy the spotlight of the winner’s podium. However, you might never get there, if you don’t enjoy the road along the way.

"Enjoy the fact that each time you ride, you're pushing yourself a little bit more. Enjoy trying to reach a personal best. Give yourself credit for pushing yourself. Relish in a really good practice session, rather than just the results in the show ring. You must enjoy the process," advises Grice.

Bio: Lindsay Grice Born in Oakville, Ont., Orangeville resident Lindsay Grice owns and operates Lindsay Grice Quarter Horses in Caledon. A professional horseman since 1984, Grice trains and teaches by the philosophy that the "hows" and "whys" of riding are imperative for her students to comprehend. Grice has trained and ridden horses to the AQHA s National High Point Top 10 status, and has often been the Ontario s top ranked Junior Hunter Under Saddle rider. Grice has a strong reputation for successfully training clients horses for new events, including: western riding, horsemanship, equitation and classes over fences. Her students have won many provincial and high point awards in both Western and English events, and have won at major shows across Canada and the U.S. An enthusiastic and energetic trainer, Grice takes her seven horse trailer to many of the 40-plus quarter horse shows held in Ontario each season, as well as American shows. A teacher at heart, Grice says, "I ll travel anywhere to hold a clinic." Check out her web site at www.lgrice.com

Jeffrey Reed of London, Ontario is a leading Canadian freelance journalist. For more than 20 years, he has been an active broadcaster, writer and photographer. Well-known for his contributions of news, sports and entertainment reports, Jeffrey is now writing equine-related stories for a handful of publications, including AQHA Journal, Northern Horse Review, Horse Canada, Ontario Farmer and Business London Magazine. Jeffrey and his wife, Elizabeth, are both members of OQHA, and Area 1 Quarter Horse Promotional Association. You can e-mail Jeffrey at  or visit his web page or visit his second website,  featuring a selection of his horse photography.