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From John Lyons Trainer Keith Hosman

Trailer Training Horses [Downloadable PDF version]
A Downloadable Book

A sample from Day 1:

I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to look for tiny, tiny, tiny changes from your horse when you first begin anything new. Don't begin by asking for big movements; look for small changes, be solid on your releases, and build from there. When you're doing this work, it will serve you well to remember that a common house fly can cause a horse to move by being irritating enough for long enough. Be that fly.

Next you'll raise your dressage whip toward his hip and pause. Think "forward." Your horse will stand there. You'll feel silly, like a conductor with no orchestra. Start tapping on the high point of his rump with an even pressure, the idea being that you will release all pressure (including your grip on the lead) the moment the horse even leans forward. Just keep tapping, increasing pressure right up to the point of "being really irritating." Sure, you can smack the horse and get him moving - but do that often and with enough horses and you'll get kicked in the chest (by the back opposite leg, believe it or not) sooner or later, trust me. For that reason, I like to build up to "massive annoyance" and stay there, perhaps speeding up, but not smacking. At this point, you can cheat a bit if deadlocked: Apply a little pressure to "pull" the horse's nose forward or perhaps toward you, to really imply "just move already."

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Lyons Training 101

Issue Number: Seventeen
Accelerate

written by
Keith Hosman, John Lyons Certified Trainer

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Issue Seventeen, Part 1 of 1

Rider Checklists

Here are 3 "Rider Checklists" from John Lyons Trainer Keith Hosman: Together they'll keep you safer and accelerate your training to boot.

I'm going to give you three "Rider Checklists" today. Together they'll keep you safer and accelerate your training to boot. How accelerate? They'll keep you rational; they'll keep you from "losing it" - which has the effect of setting your training back. The fact is, when we don't have an objective means of approaching our training, when we simply "ride," reacting emotionally to what's happening, we're asking for a wreck - or at the very least, a bad day. The horse gets confused and we get frustrated or lose our temper. Not an environment conducive to a proper education, would you say?

Each of the following lists will cover small things you can simply check off in your brain. Basically, has something happened or not? If the answer is "not," I'll tell you what to do. Your answers to those questions will, flowchart-like, tell you how to act in the moment or how best to form your day's game plan.

The lists were created to "be done in order."

Checklist One: How To Keep From Totally Losing It
Before you ever get on your horse, back when you're approaching the barn, ask yourself one easy question: "Am I training today or am I joyriding?" If you answer "training," skip to Checklist Two. If you answered "Uh, I'd like a day off from training, please. I got a horse to have FUN, Mr. Wet Blanket Trainer Man" - that's great, too. It's great as long as you can honestly say that not once in the last few days or months have you turned to a friend and said something akin to "Flicka nearly bucked my teeth out back there" or "This (expletive deleted) horse keeps trying to eat grass. What's the number for the tiger sanctuary?" If there are known issues, then it doesn't matter where you ride (trail or arena), the fact is, you need to be training as opposed to joyriding.

At clinic after clinic, here in the states or in Europe, I get a version of the same question: "I'm out on the trail. On a cliff. With a ten thousand foot drop to my right and cactus on the left. My horse hates plastic bags - but one blows by and he freaks. What do I do?" To which I answer something akin to "Say your prayers." See, training is not a widget that you carry in your back pocket and pull out like a parachute when the plane goes down. It's about practice and preparation. Ignoring warning signs and riding into potential disaster is like eating a cake every night and suddenly freaking when the scale reads "300."

If riding your horse has become an aggravation or something that - even at times - frightens you, then you gotta answer "training" until riding is fun again. Following this simple thought process will have a bigger impact than if I told you to specifically do a, b, or c - because there are trillions of horse/rider combinations and situations that might be described. So, with a nod to the ol' John Lyons axiom "Ride Where You Can, Not Where You Can't," we'll consciously pick a reasonably safe place to do our training and get at it. Example One: Is your horse "jiggy"? Then you need to capture his attention by improving his performance. How do you do that? By being a proactive rider. Keep giving the horse something to do. Make him spin enough plates and he'll hand you control. Example Two: Does your horse keep munching grass? Then develop a zero-tolerance policy toward any resistance on the part of your horse. Be on the lookout for resistance in the form of a stiff neck or a horse that won't move forward when asked. Don't wait till his head's on the ground. Test constantly and the instant you feel reticence, correct the situation. If you feel an ounce of stiffness in the neck, apply pressure and get the horse moving till he relaxes, then you relax. Teach the horse that the way to get you out of his mouth is to stay soft and obliging. The answer is the same if he drops to a speed you didn't ask for. Be ready with a good kick and swift reward. If you just thought to yourself: "That's what I do and it doesn't work" then what's happening is that you're keeping pressure on the horse's mouth all the time (example one) or kicking all the time (example two). The horse has learned "I get punished no matter what I do so I might as do what I wanna do." Learn to be more aware of when you're applying pressure. It doesn't matter what you think you're doing, your horse's actions tell a different story....

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Lyons Training 101: Issue Seventeen, Part 1
"Trail Horse Training: Rider Checklists"
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