Sample Our Newsletter From "The First Thing I Do," Issue 15, part 1 of our FREE monthly newsletter
Re: round pen horse training
Here's the first thing you should do with your horse today - and with any horse that's 'new to you.'
What's the first thing I do when I meet a new horse? The same thing you should do with your horse today and everyday: Give them a "resistance test." If you have the typical horse - whether you'd call him a problem child or a horse with just "occasional challenges" - this is for you.
If you get one thing from reading this article, it should be this: Any resistance from your horse while he's hanging out, just standing next to you munching grass, will be many times worse when things get hairy. If it takes one pound of pressure today to get him leading (away from that grass), it'll take one hundred when he gets spooked on the trail.
You have to ferret out those "one pound moments" and eradicate them like weeds. They're seeds that can grow into major disasters very quickly on the trail. If your horse "only freaks out once or twice a year but is otherwise great" - then you're fooling yourself. You're overlooking slip ups from your horse, perhaps on a daily basis, that will sooner or later get you hurt. Remember, accidents are by their very nature "things we don't expect."
If your horse went ballistic out on the trail last week... it didn't "just happen out of the blue." He's been telling you for weeks or months that he was going to lose it when enough pressure was applied every time he resisted (however slightly) the pull from your lead rope or reins.
If he walks ahead of you while you lead him, he's telling you that sooner or later he'll blow past you as you go through a gate or knock you on your kiester with his shoulder when something scares him bad enough.
If the muscles in his neck bulge toward you instead of relaxing when you put the bit in his mouth, he's telling you that he'll do mach sixty when he gets spooked on the trail.
Deal with these situations by doing two things: First establish a zero-tolerance policy; nip bad behavior in the bud the instant it happens. Example: If your horse inches past you as you lead, do an about-face and back that horse up. Keep him moving till he quits pushing back. (If he freezes pull on his head to pull his butt away from you. Getting those feet "unstuck" will allow you to keep backing till he lightens up.) Be adamant.
Second, get proactive. The first thing I do with any horse - and what I do each and everyday with all five of my own horses - is to see exactly where they stand when it comes to "resistance." Luckily the test and remedy are fun.
And having fun with this is a key point. Realize that every horse has resistance tucked away somewhere. Like an Easter egg, your job is to discover it. Instead of chocolate, your reward is a safer, more pleasant ride. The calmest, coolest, bestest trained horse you have ever seen has a little pocket of resistance hidden somewhere. Ever see that great comedy "The Ref"? Dennis Leary needs a cigarette bad. When he's told that actress Judy Davis has given up smoking, he smiles and asks her where her secret stash is. Being a smoker, he knows she's got one or two hidden somewhere in the house for high-stress moments.
In a like way, your horse may be a real pleasure 99% of the time, but somewhere inside him he's got resistance tucked away for "high-stress moments."
So let's get started squashing rebellion. Approach your horse from his left (bridled, haltered, bare naked, it matters not) and place your left hand
5-Segment Course Covers: Round Penning, Sacking Out, Come To Me, Spook in Place and Pick Up Feet When I Point. Features the gentle, proven methods of John Lyons.
Should you buy the PDF version of this book - or one of the other formats like paper back, Kindle, iPad, Kobo or Nook? It depends, of course, on what type of "device" you have, but also on your own priorities: This version costs less and you can print it out five minutes from now - but it does include ads (like a magazine) and is strictly focused on round penning. The other formats are more expensive - but include an additional ten chapters you'd need for a horse at this stage in its life. The paperback is something you can carry to the barn - but it'll also take time for it to be delivered. Please read each item description carefully.
Are you starting a horse? Did you just buy one and need to know what to do first?
Round penning is easy once you know how - but the changes you can make are amazing. Whether you're starting a youngster to ride or retraining a hard luck case, this step-by-step guide shows you exactly what to do, in which specific order - and why.
This course shows you the very first steps to do with a new or young horse. Download this eDocument, print it from your home computer - and be training in five minutes! Train your horse:
• to become a willing partner
• to deal with its fear
• to be ready for the first farrier visit
• to be much safer for you and your family to be around
Are you teaching a youngster? Use the Lyons Methods to build a strong foundation! (Note: While this document does not address first saddling, it brings you right up to that point. That'd be the next step!)
Want to see big changes in an older horse? You can safely "turn that horse around" with the simple and proven techniques contained in this Five-Day guide.
As a special BONUS, I've included an additional chapter that shows you exactly how to use a round pen to make your horse "look forward" to trailering up!
Round Pen: First Steps is broken down into five "Days" or segments:
• Day 1: Round penning basics explained, step-by-step
• Day 2: Teach your horse to come to you when called!
• Day 3: Learn the safe way to sack out your youngster!
• Day 4: Teach your horse to deal with his fear with "Spook in Place"!
• Day 5: Train your horse to pick up it's feet... when you point!
• Bonus Chapter: Use a round pen to teach your horse to actually look for open trailers!
I call the individual segments "days" but you should take this work at your own speed. Some "days," will be easier than others. And, while you can breeze through everything in hours, you might want to split it up over days or weeks. It's completely up to you.
Here's how it works:
• click on the "Add to Cart" or "Buy It Now" button to pay
• you will be given a link to download the document
• SAVE THE FILE TO YOUR COMPUTER IMMEDIATELY!
• the document has five chapters, one for each of five days
• you'll learn theory and/or be assigned "homework" - in a specific order
• the best part: Learn the material at your own pace
Each chapter gives you a plan, a goal, theory and homework. It may take you a week - and it might take you months to go through this material. Regardless, when you arrive at the other side, you will have made significant progress in your horse's training.
This PDF version of "Round Pen: First Steps" is 23 pages long and comes in a format that every computer can read and print out called "pdf." It's in "magazine format" which means it carries ads - but that's a good thing - because it lowers the price of this course to just over a dollar a day - in the same way that advertising makes a newspaper affordable.
While this document is "just" 23 pages long, it covers a lot of material. Each of the five chapters within the document (called an "e-book") are designed to get your horse safely under control and well on it's way to a becoming a good, solid riding horse.
Whatcha waiting for? He's not training himself sitting out there munching hay!
You will need the Adobe Reader to read this (pdf) file. You probably already have it, but if not, you can get it for free at adobe.com. Look for the yellow "Continue" button near the top, right corner. If you have a Mac, you can simply click on "Choose a different version" there near the top of the (center of) the page.
VERY IMPORTANT: The "Add to Cart" button on this page will add only the version and product specifically described on this page, (that is, the PDF, downloadable version). See links above for other versions/formats.
Do not buy this PDF version of this book for your iPad unless you already know how to view pdf files on your iPad. (An iPad version is available, scroll up for links to other formats.) From what I've been able to glean, I think you can view PDF files on (most, if not all) iPads, however I don't have an iPad and have no idea how they work. If it helps you, I did locate this video that apparently explains how to do this: Viewing a PDF file on an iPad. Again, this PDF will work great on a regular computer - but iPad users, buy this at your own risk.
ORDER WITH CONFIDENCE (Online Security Concerns) You can trust this John Lyons Certified Trainer ()
Item: Round Pen First Steps [Downloadable PDF version]
Today's price: $6.99
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