How to Train a Horse

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"An Exercise For When You Can't Ride," Issue 1, part 3 of our FREE monthly newsletter

From our Horse Ground Training Series:

"Take your left hand and hold the lead rope as if it's the left rein. Pull the halter slowly toward yourself.

"Concentrate. Feel how much pressure it takes to bring that rope toward you. You should feel on your pinky how many ounces it takes. Throw it back out and do it again. This time close your eyes and really concentrate. If you get this lesson, horse training gets a whole lot easier. Really focus on what it feels like. How many ounces is it taking to bring that halter back to you? Think of a specific number. How many pounds? How many ounces? One or two? 5 pounds or 5 ounces?

"How would you like your horse to be that soft? A pound or two doesn't seem so bad, does it? Actually, it's terrible. Having to put a pound or two of pressure on the rein to get it to "come back to you" is just terrible. Take the halter off the lead rope now and throw the rope back out, snap end first.

"Do the same thing, drag the snap back to you. How does that feel? It feels pretty light, right? You feel a big difference. But that's still terrible. Now take the lead rope and throw the opposite end out, the end without the snap. That feels really light. It feels like nothing. It's still terrible.

"The reason it's terrible is because…"

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Lyons Training 101 Issue Number:  Eight Something's Gotta Get Better! written by Josh Lyons & Keith Hosman

Issue Eight, Part 1 of 3

How Far How Fast How Little

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The following example is appropriate for horses of any discipline. Let's say we have a reining horse – and we want to make his spin better. We have a recipe to improve his performance and there are three ingredients in this recipe. They are "further," "faster," and "less."

To begin, I don't worry about anything except "further." I do whatever it takes to make something go further. (In this case, the spin "action.") So I look at his front feet and I see that the step they take covers a distance of, let's say, two feet. I make it my goal to go further, maybe to two and a half feet. I'll then spin my horse; I'll kiss or kick with both legs or do whatever it takes to make that step bigger – and that's all I'll concentrate on. I'll only work on that for about thirty seconds, just till that one step is "further." (Maybe it sweeps and covers three feet.)

The next part is "faster." So now I keep the "further" – and I make it "faster." As soon as he gets faster, that is, as soon as he covers that same three feet in less time, I quit. Again, I do whatever it takes to make it faster – and for only about thirty seconds. Pretty soon, the step is further and it's faster. Then, the last thing in the recipe is "less." That means that I want to do what I've been doing – but with less pressure. So I ride and I ask him to spin. If he doesn't do it ("further and faster" as he's been doing) then I'll pick up the reins and get after him till I get that quality of movement. Then I'll go back to asking with less pressure. As soon as he does, I quit.

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That's the recipe to use. Ask for further, faster and with less. Now, we don't ask for this all the time; it's too much for the horse and you're not doing much for "correctness." Remember, it's always more important to make everything correct than it is to do something fast. I'd much rather stop correctly in three feet rather than stop in ten feet incorrectly. So most often, when I train, I want to work on keeping everything correct as far as how he carries himself (position of his rib cage, head, feet, etc.), what he's thinking and so on. Better, I want to work on making things "more correct." "Further, faster, less" is for once in awhile when we need increased performance in a short period of time or when we want to change things up and approach our training from a different angle.

End of Issue Eight, Part 1

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Read next article: Keys To Improvement

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Disclaimer: Equine training can be a hazardous activity which may subject the participants to possible serious injury. Keith Hosman, Josh Lyons, Patrick Benson and their associates will not assume any liability for your activities. Our newsletter, books and videos provide general information, instruction and techniques that may not be suitable for everyone. No warranty is given regarding the suitability of this information, the instructions, and techniques to you or other individuals acting under your instructions.

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