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If this newsletter looks odd or the links don't work, go to this page: Horsemanship101.com/Newsletter and scroll down to Issue Number 12.
Welcome to the August 2007 issue of "Lyons Training 101," written by Josh Lyons (John's son) and John Lyons Certified Trainer Keith Hosman.
Teach neck reining, side passing, backing up, diagonal movements and reining spins with this month's training article The Clockwork Exercise.
This is a classic Lyons exercise and is taught at nearly ever clinic we conduct, it's just that strong.
You'll find the article sampled below. To read it in its entirety, simply follow the link provided. If the links don't work or you're not getting our emails properly, scroll to the bottom of this page.
And remember, prior issues can be found 24/7 at Horsemanship101.com/Articles. Most can be printed out and saved for easy access later.
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Jump directly to the article:
Teach Neck Reining, sidepassing, spins, backing and more with the Clockwork Exercise.
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Why You Want To Do This Exercise: This must-learn exercise teaches your horse to neck rein, side pass, back up, move diagonally, spin, or do reverse-arc circles. It's also a great way to teach your horse to not drop its shoulder through circles.
How You'll Do It: You'll teach your horse to move any of his four feet anywhere you please using either of the two reins. The combinations are virtually endless and give you excellent control over the movements of your horse.
There are two ways to teach this exercise: You can begin by walking forward or you can begin by backing up.
To get started, stand up. Look to the left. Keep your head in that position and sidestep to your right. Now, look to your right and sidestep to your right. It was easier to move to the right with your head to the left, wasn't it? Your horse finds the same thing. That's why you begin teaching your horse to move to the left by using the right, or "opposite," rein.
Picture a rope laying on the ground. Imagine your horse walking on this rope with both front and back feet, like a train on its tracks. Now, picture two ropes laying on the ground parallel to each other. Picture your horse walking with its front feet on one rope and its back feet on the other rope, as if the engine of the train were on one set of tracks while the caboose ran on another set. That's what you'll teach your horse to do with this exercise – so when we say "move your horse's left shoulder to the right" we mean to push it off the track.
You'll need one more analogy before we begin: This is called "The Clockwork Exercise" because you need to imagine four very large clocks, one underneath each of your horse's feet. When your horse moves any leg directly forward that leg is "stepping on twelve o'clock." When any leg moves directly back that leg is stepping on six o'clock. Three o'clock is directly to the right, nine o'clock directly to the left, etc. All four legs can step on any of the twelve numbers.
We'll begin very simply. Move your horse off at a walk and pick up your left rein. (At this point this is not a two-handed exercise.) Stare at a very small part of your horse's right shoulder and think of nothing but making it move to the right. Hold your rein with whatever angle and amount of pressure it takes to encourage your horse to move the spot you're focusing on to the right....
keep reading this article
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"The Horse Behavior Problem Solver" by Jessica Jahiel
Trailering, catching, leading, spooking, buddy sour, fear, tying, moving while the rider mounts, mares, foals, stallions and much more....
Shop online
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- Get the same reins we use in our clinics for $42.99
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Does Your Horse Move Too Fast Or Too Slow?
Check out the Study
course "Speed Control"
Here's a sample from Day Two:
"Snaffle Bits: Their Use in Controlling Your Speed "
"The snaffle bit is the tool you'll use to do this training most effectively. The reason is simple: The very nature of a shanked or leverage bit causes the horse to stiffen his body from nose to tail. Think of a baseball bat. Rigid and unyielding, right? Shank bits cause our horse to stiffen their bodies in the same way — making training as we've described very difficult because it causes the horse to line up all the bones in his body, one behind the other. He then uses his entire "skeletal structure" to brace against our requests. Why not make this training business a thousand times simpler by using a bit that encourages our horse to stay soft? Snaffle bits enable us to soften one part of the horse at a time; they get your horse to "unlock up" and to move more fluidly.
Now, some of you are saying to yourselves "My horse won't go in a snaffle bit" for whatever reason. You're thinking things like "My horse has to go in a side pull otherwise he whips his head around because he just doesn't like snaffle bits;" or "His last owner smacked his teeth with the bit every day for years;" or "I need the shank for control" ... etc.
Alright, first: Do not do anything that we or anyone suggests if you think it's asking too much or putting you in a bad situation. If you feel that you need a particular bit for control, do what you think is best. However, if that's the case, you would do well to find a professional trainer to work with — because it's not fair to your horse to ask it to soften as we describe in these pages when you've got sixty pounds of hardware on his head and he's looking like Hannibal the Cannibal...."
To sign up for this five-day course, visit this page. |
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