"Straight talk time: Before tackling today's topic, make absolutely sure that your horse has been thoroughly sacked out to your touch. If that little voice says there is any way your horse is going to react negatively (flinch, freeze up, pull away, try to kick, etc.) to your touch, especially when working around those back feet, then... you ain't ready. Conversely, if that little voice says "All systems go," then you should have an easy day of it.
You can teach the following very simply without a round pen – but the round pen offers two significant advantages: 1) You don't have to juggle a lead line in one hand, and 2) Should the horse need a little extra motivation to play along, you can send him around a few rotations.
Simply put, the better we can control the hind end of the horse, the easier it is to control the front half of the horse. So, we start with the back feet. Standing on the horse's left side, you'll ask the rear of the horse to move away. Ask him to take a step or two and when he stops, look at the back leg closest to you (the one we'd like to pick up). Does he have any weight on it? We want to keep asking him to move, then pausing, then asking him to move until, by chance, he stands with that nearest back leg cocked up. You’ve seen this stance a million times. They'll stand there with weight on three feet, the fourth resting, slightly turned up, toe to heel."
- Print out from home
- 5 Days, 5 chapters
- Learn at your own pace
"Have you ever seen a red ribbon tied to a horse's tail? What does that ribbon mean? It means "Stay away from me. My horse will kick your horse."
Does that make you mad? Maybe it should. You've gone to a lot of time and trouble to train your horse, to teach it that it is never okay to act up or kick somebody else's horse – but the guy next to you with the ribbon skipped the whole process. The days you worked on gaining control over your horse, he spent going to the movies. You put in the hard work it takes to build a safe horse; they skipped the process entirely.
How about I take a rope and throw it at that red ribbon? Their horse might kick and it might buck. And it might make the rider turn around and say "What the devil did you do that for?" And I might just answer 'I'm telling your horse's butt to stay away from the end of my rope.'"
Equestrians: Find A John Lyons Horse Trainer Near You
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1951 Colony Way, Jupiter, FL 33478 USA
Email: patty*paintedprincess.com (replace * with @), Site: http://www.paintedprincessfarm.com
John Lyons horseman Patty Russell lives in Southeastern Florida (Palm Beach county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Jupiter, Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Greenacres, Boca Raton, Miami, Fort Lauderdale.
John Lyons horseman Jessie Shepherd lives in South Western Florida (Lee county) within 100 miles of the following cities: North Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, East Naples.
1142 Lakeview Dr., Grovetown, GA 30813 USA
Email: b.gates*bluelineranch.com (replace * with @), Site: http://www.bluelineranch.com
John Lyons horseman Bert Gates lives in East Central Georgia (Columbia county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Augusta; Martinez & Columbia, SC.
9432 HWY 16 East, Senoia, GA 30276 USA
Email: asapippin*aol.com (replace * with @), Site: http://www.asapippin.com
John Lyons horseman Asa Pippin lives in West Central Georgia (Coweta county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Peachtree City, Atlanta, LaGrange, East Point.
526 N. Hwy. 91, Firth, ID 83236 USA
Email: mctraining91*yahoo.com (replace * with @)
John Lyons horseman Marindi Coward lives in Southeastern Idaho (Bingham county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Blackfoot, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Montpelier.
PO Box 2479, Eagle, ID 83616 USA
Email: wingbar*earthlink.net (replace * with @), Site: http://www.wingbar.net
John Lyons horseman JP Johnston lives in Southwestern Idaho (Ada county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Boise, Mountain Home, Meridian, Caldwell, Idaho City.
Box 575 - Rosco Street, Inkom, ID 83245 USA
Email: stvslarson*aol.com (replace * with @)
John Lyons horseman Steve Larson lives in Southeastern Idaho (Bannock county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Soda Springs, Pocatello, Montpelier, Idaho Falls.
5603 Castle Drive, Boise, ID 83703 USA
Email: himountnrider*aol.com (replace * with @)
John Lyons horseman Robyn Maloney lives in Southwestern Idaho (Ada county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Boise, Mountain Home, Meridian, Caldwell, Idaho City.
Box 190104, Boise, ID 83719 USA
Email: BuckleBunny315*aol.com (replace * with @)
John Lyons horseman Laurie Sullivan lives in Southwestern Idaho (Ada county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Boise, Mountain Home, Meridian, Caldwell, Idaho City, Nampa.
195 Diamond T Trail, Victor, ID 83455 USA
Email: brianthomashorsemanship*yahoo.com (replace * with @), Site: www.brianthomashorsemanship.com
John Lyons horseman Brian Thomas lives in East Central Idaho (Teton county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Idaho Falls; Jackson, WY; Pocatello.
7405 East Cedarville Rd., Rock City, IL 61070 USA
Email: Pjf103159*aol.com (replace * with @), Site: http://www.patrickfoxhorsetraining.com
John Lyons horseman Patrick Fox lives in North Central Illinois (Stephenson county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Rockford, Chicago, Beloit, Milwaukee, Madison.
RR #1 Box 192, Sandborn, IN 47578 USA
Email: nick_phyllis*msn.com (replace * with @)
John Lyons horseman Nick Bowman lives in Southwestern Indiana (Knox county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Evansville, Bloomington, Terre Haute, Indianapolis, Louisville.
