Sample Our Newsletter From "Stop Your Horse With Hip Shoulder Shoulder," Issue 9, part 2 of our FREE monthly newsletter
Re: how to train reining horse
The most common problem we see: Keeping your horse moving may prove to be your biggest challenge. Sluggish horses that look for any excuse to slow down will stop dead in their tracks when you first pick up a rein and ask for such a sharp maneuver. Be ready for it and really motivate them with your legs (spurs, crop, threats, bolt of lightning, whatever it takes) to keep moving. If your horse begins to freeze up more and more, then simply drop back a step and ask for less of a "sharp turn" (and really kick or squeeze). Then you'll progressively whittle it down, asking your horse to turn more and more "abruptly." More likely than not, you'll need to take your hand/arm waaaaay out to one side or the other because any sort of backward pressure on the reins will cause your horse to stop. If that's the case, take yet another step back in your training: Try simply walking a straight line, picking up a rein and asking your horse to bend it's neck and "gently arc" to the right or left, then release on the turn as he softens, however briefly. Your goal at that point has to be to keep the feet moving, all the while building softness and dissolving resistance. Concentrate on keeping the feet moving, gradually making your turns sharper and sharper. This is called "You gotta start somewhere." Do whatever it takes to keep the horse moving and softening. If you stick with it, he'll soon start relaxing and you'll be able to move ahead. When your horse is relaxed this exercise is actually quite easy.
The 5th in a series of 5 videos, Josh Lyons Sliding Stops and Rollbacks covers the following topics:
• Improving lightness
• Teaching your horse the speed you want on demand
• How to keep the front end in your slide
• Energy in the stop "Hurry up and stop"
• Going forward/thinking back
• Working the horse's emotions to create a calm and safe
partner
• Understanding the snaffle bit and what it means to your
horse
• How to correct and talk to each corner of the horse in the
stop and back up
• Rollbacks: What they mean and what they are
Your phone number will be requested, but it is not mandatory.("Why Is That?")
You can purchase online using your checking account or a charge card like VISA. Both methods are very simple:
To purchase an item, click "Add To Cart." After that you can look at other products or pages on my site. When you're ready to complete your purchase click on the "View Cart" button on any product page. You can also use it to change quantities. You will be given an opportunity
during this process to pay via your checking account or with VISA.
We use PayPal to handle our online transactions. (Why?) But, you DO NOT NEED a PayPal account to make a payment using a charge card. When it asks you to sign in, ignore that and look down the page. You'll find a link (it says "Continue") which allows you to continue without creating an account using your charge card.
You do need an account to pay by check (or "echeck"). To pay by check either sign in to your PayPal account (on the page mentioned above) or go to PayPal.com and follow the simple process to create an account. (You'll find a button at the top of their page marked "Sign Up Now.") Note that signing up to pay by check will take a few days as PayPal verifies your account. Also note that PayPal will not allow me to send any products until your check clears (usually in about 5-6 days).
