Of course it is named after my horse Grace, but the word grace has multiple meanings. The obvious ones are clearly appropriate to training a horse towards the ideal, both in terms of our aims for the horse but also the behaviour of the human.
“Elegance and beauty of movement or expression”
“A sense of propriety and consideration for others”
“A disposition to kindness and compassion”
But recently another definition has come to my attention
“Bring honour to someone by one’s attendance or participation”
I would say that for me without doubt this is the most important of all, and you would be hard pushed to achieve the others without it.
Does your horse grace you with their presence? Or do they avoid connecting with you through avoidance, distraction or closing down?
Do they honour you with their participation? Or do they comply through coercion and bribery?
Are you focused on the outcomes of your training or the honour of your horse?