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Welcome to the April 2007 issue of "Lyons Training 101," written by Josh Lyons (John's son) and John Lyons Certified Trainer Keith Hosman.
Every horse problem you can imagine has to do with "going" and "stopping." "My horse goes too fast," "My horse goes to the left when I want to go to the right..." Name it. This issue takes you one giant step closer to solving your "going and stopping" problem with a classic exercise entitled "Hip Shoulder Shoulder." It's been around forever for a reason: It's simple, objective - and a huge problem solver. More than that, it makes you as a horse owner and trainer really understand the importance of gaining control of Flicka, one body part at a time. This favorite exercise should be a part of every training curriculum.
We cover Hip-Shoulder-Shoulder this month in three parts. First we explain the thought behind the training in Part 1, then we go over the exercise itself in Parts 2 & 3:
- Part 1: Solve Every Horse Problem: Meet "Hip-Shoulder-Shoulder"
- Part 2: Begin the Exercise
- Part 3: Finish the Exercise
The first two parts are sampled below. To read each in its entirety, simply follow the links provided. (If the links don't work or you're not getting our emails properly see the end of this page.)
And remember, our earlier issues can be found 24/7 at Horsemanship101.com/Articles.
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This exercise, Hip-Shoulder-Shoulder, has become a "classic" exercise for one very big reason: It gives you control of your horse's stop. Every horse-related problem you can think of comes down to "going and stopping." "I can't get my horse to cross the creek." "I can't get my horse to go in the arena." "I can't get my horse to go away from another horse." And people get hurt when they can't stop their horse: "I can't get my horse to stop bucking, stop rearing, or stop kicking." We spend most of our training time, (as in this exercise) dealing with, and practicing, "going and stopping" because that's where you need the most control.
If you pick up two reins to stop your horse, he might stop – but without the correct training he's going to get heavier and heavier on that bit. And that means his stop is going to get worse and worse. If you remember nothing else from this lesson, remember this: If it takes your horse two seconds to stop then back up, you can multiply that by eight to figure how long it'll take your horse to stop when he's running and his emotions are high. Your horse can travel a long way in those 16 seconds – maybe far enough to get you bucked off or seriously hurt. To keep you safe, you want to teach your horse to go from a walk to backing up with zero hesitation. And that's what this exercise gives you.
First you teach the horse to "start to stop" by getting a single part of him to stop moving. Hip-Shoulder-Shoulder first teaches the horse to stop a single shoulder and swing his back end around. His power comes from the rear end, so swinging those hips puts his "engine" into neutral, causing that single shoulder to stop. When you're able to consistently stop that single shoulder you can begin teaching the horse the concept of "stopping and backing."
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We'll break this exercise down into several steps. Practice this first at a walk, then progress to a trot when you're ready. Here's the first step: Walk forward and pick up one rein. Add whatever pressure (or angle) that it takes to make the shoulder (or foot) on the same side stop moving – but cause the hind legs to take at least two steps sideways (around the front, as if his front feet are nailed down – not like a propeller). Release, walk forward and do the same thing on the other side. Alternate sides often at this stage of the exercise. Later, when you begin backing your horse, keep to the same side till your horse backs willingly.
Here's a specific example of what you'll do: Pick up the left rein, pull the horse's head off to the left side (sort of like you're steer wrestling), searching for the angle and amount of pressure it takes to get the left shoulder to stop. Simultaneously apply the leg pressure (both legs evenly) it takes to keep the horse moving. By blocking his shoulder – but still saying "move" – your horse will have little choice but to move his back legs off a step or two to the right. Think of it this way: If you're squeezing or kicking and saying "move horse" – yet you're blocking him from going forward with your rein, he'll eventually find a release by taking that step to the side with his rear end. So the two keys at this stage are: 1) stop the shoulder; 2) get him to move his rear a step to the side. Always, always, always end the sequence by relaxing your reins and walking forward. And do it immediately, without hesitation. You want the horse thinking "forward" and "What's next?" not "park and snooze."....
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Our Newsletter
Comes out monthly - & covers lessons taught in our clinics.
Here's a sample from
"Snaffle Bits vs Shank Bits"
"The snaffle bit allows me to work his head side to side and get him to begin to utilize his neck. The difference is that, with a snaffle bit, if I pick up the reins and I putt ten pounds of pressure on the rein, that's exactly what the horse feels, ten pounds of pressure. It's pound for pound. If I pull a pound here he feels a pound there. With a leverage bit, if I pull 1 pound he feels 10 pounds down there. That's a big difference. When I train my horses, I'm always using a snaffle bit. Do I ever ride in a shank bit? Yes, because I show my horses and when I show it's required.
"What a leverage bit does is give me the feeling of having more control than I actually have. But it doesn't. The leverage (or shanked) bit doesn't give me any more control than any other bit."
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