This article was originally published on Eventing Nation
Peter Gray has a wealth of experience in eventing – he’s competed in three Olympics, Badminton and Burghley, and two WEGs, just to skim the surface, need I say more? Along the way though, he’s been lucky to have trained with and become friends with some of the great riders and trainers across the disciplines, and riders who are lucky enough to take clinics or lessons with him are going to reap the rewards. Peter cites his greatest influence as the “Canadian Bert de Nemethy”, Polish Cavalry hero, Colonel Micheal Gutowkski who he quotes as saying, “Better to upgrade a year too late than a day too early”, and this is a rule of thumb he lives by. He is an absolute perfectionist, with a passion for passing on everything he knows, and sharing his love and knowledge of horsemanship. He has a dry sense of humour which kept us all highly amused all day, and is surprisingly shy, but don’t be fooled by the wit, the soft voice and the kind and gentle demeanour, because he also doesn’t suffer fools gladly, “Now I don’t want to be critical, but really, everything about that was not good at all, from start to finish, don’t you agree?”
Peter is a stickler for the basics, and self-discipline. In everything you do. One of the things that struck me about his teaching was how useful everything was, this was all stuff we wanted to go home and start practicing right away, despite the deplorable weather, and I don’t even have a horse! He told us to be strict with yourself about making everything perfect, and exactly how you want it, from, for example, getting on at the mounting block and having the horse stand still until you ask it to move away, to each transition – are you happy? If not – change it. Don’t just be a rider when you get on your horse, be a trainer, think about what you’re doing, and what your horse is doing underneath you. Peter is obviously a smart man and a thoughtful man; He’s also incredibly busy: he does about eight or ten weekend clinics a year, he organises four competitions over the winter at the Florida Horse Park, and also manages to compete himself, develop property both in Canada and Ocala, and train the Ontario Young Riders and his own day students as well as be involved with both the Canadian and US ICP programmes.
However he does take the time to reflect, on how he might have done things differently if given another chance at life, how he can improve everything he does, how he can be the best at what he’s doing, and let’s get it over with, yes, he did address the Canadian Three Day Event Team Coach question.
Peter started off by telling us that he most admired the Klimkes and the Todds of the world who can represent more than one discipline at the very highest level, and to that end he seems to be following suit; he’s been riding Grand Prix Dressage for the last three years, as well as Hunter Derbies, and applying the lessons he learns there to his eventing and teaching. The most important thing about riding, he says, is good hands, and, if you’re not born with it, developing a “feel”, not just with the hands, but an ability to communicate with your horse. The reins are the lines of communication and the hands must be still but not locked, and gentle and sympathetic; you can supple a horse by vibration on the inside rein and then giving again in a very subtle way, the outside rein is always steady. [ This was somewhat reassuring to me, and sounds Old School, but it’s what I learnt growing up, but lately dressage riders I think are having more of an equal contact on both reins?]
Peter also gave all the different levels exercises to work with during the winter, poles on the ground, in a semi-circle, sometimes raised to trot over, to improve the engagement behind, poles in a square, to walk very slowly inside in a small circle, useful for young, green horses, or if you have a larger area to work with, to trot circles around it, or trot/ canter through it. He also recommends trotting in three point seat for five minutes every day, and once a week without stirrups as a lower leg strengthening exercise that can’t be replicated in the gym and really works. The three things that Peter says are going to get you out of trouble, we’re talking jumping now, not everyday life (although maybe..!) a half-seat, a strong leg and a light rein. Peter taught four sessions and a total of about twenty riders, in abominable conditions, and everyone, even those who struggled somewhat, came away with something concrete to work on, some ideas to think about, and definitely hope!
The riders at all levels did plenty of flatwork, making sure each and every transition was perfectly executed, then lots of jumping out of trot, a slow trot, to give the horse confidence that he can jump from power and scope, not momentum. Peter likes to see the riders in their three point seat approaching the jump and for the purposes of the clinic, exaggerating the softening of the hand in front of the fence. Always keep your leg on, “just because he’s pulling you into the fence doesn’t mean he has any intention of jumping it!”
Peter stressed throughout the day that training a horse should be a passive and gentle progression. We heard the “F” word frequently – Flexion! “flexion and bend are your friends”; according to Peter if the horse is soft and bending in his body, and has proper flexion, at his jaw, then he will be unable to put his whole weight behind you and pull and be strong. To demonstrate, he set up barrels in the corners after jumps and had riders stop and walk small circles around them, bending their horses’ bodies correctly like bananas around them to slow them down, rather than pulling and tugging, and you can also do this on the flat, in between gaits, slow to a walk and use a 3 metre circle, about the length of you’re horse’s body. Repetition is Peter’s preferred means of “punishment”, if your horse does it wrong, you do it again, and again until you get it right. Reward should be a pat, or a kind word, and then you move on, but there should definitely be a very clear distinction for the horse between right and wrong. The ultimate goal is a well trained horse that’s easy to ride and reacts to your aids.
As well as a very welcome and delicious hot lunch, and a never ending supply of scalding hot chocolate and tea, (thank you very much Martha, just what the doctor ordered!) we were all treated to a good, old-fashioned dose of horsemanship. I must admit that I questioned Martha’s sanity as I drove to her farm in sub-zero temperatures, but as usual, she was right! Peter was the perfect man for the job. The prelim level horses all got a good refresher course, and the younger, greener horses and riders have plenty to be going on with. Clever Martha, who will now re-locate to Aiken, not to return until warmer weather does also, always knows best, has a string of excellent clinicians lined up for the summer also, including Jimmy Wofford, Jan Bynny and more [Lands End Farm – Event Stables]
Video Link: Lands End Farm
I couldn’t possibly cover everything in one report, but the good news is I will be down at the Ocala Horse Trials that Peter organises in a few weeks time, so I look forward to bringing you a report from there, as well as catching up with Peter again. I did corner Peter at the end of the long, first day and bug with him a few more questions, and you can tell by then end where he wishes he’d rather be – you and me both, Peter, I’ll see you on that beach and the first round is definitely on me.
Thank you to Peter for sharing, thank you to Martha Lambert and the whole crew at Lands End Farm for braving the elements and making the sure the show went on, and thank you for reading. Go Eventing, somewhere warm!
