John Lyons discusses collection of the horse at Equine Affaire 2010

John Lyons is a well known clinician and horse trainer, especially in the western stock horse world.  He has been active in the horse show community for many, many years and has won numerous accolades and awards for his riding and teaching abilities.  I was very excited to see the number of John Lyons clinics offered at the Equine Affaire this year.  His “U-Pick” system of training provides a number of exercises geared toward a particular goal and the rider can choose which exercises appeal to and work for each horse.  In addition, each exercise has a few variations that can provide varying levels of challenge as the horse progresses.  There were a number of Lyons clinics I was interested in seeing, including ones for developing better control, controlling speed, and improved stopping.  The first one we made it to was the speed control clinic. 

The arena was packed with spectators, and seating was tough to find.  We were lucky to have some folks offer us their seats as they left and we got front row.  The one hour and fifteen minute clinic began with John coming out and talking a bit about his experience and then introducing the three men that were on horses riding around the arena.  It turns out that they were not “students” as in most clinics we watched – they were John’s two sons Josh and Michael, and a man that began the Lyons training certification many years ago.  John proceeded to talk about the unnatural manner in which we ask horses to remain collected and illustrated his points with a horse he led around as he spoke.  During the entire monologue, his two sons were mounted on horses and were riding around the arena behind him doing their own things.  It sort of looked like a warm up arena at a show, with John Lyons wandering around in the midle with a microphone.  To say it was a bit distracting would be an understatement. 

Finally John mounted up and the exercises for speed control began.  The first one he chose to talk about was doing a directional change – as you walk around the arena and your horse increases speed, stop and do a 180 degree turn and walk off in the other direction.  Each time your horse speeds up, change direction.  Simple enough, right?  Well, it felt like he spent fifteen minutes discussing this exercise, how to increase the difficulty (change gait), or include variety (turn on forehand versus hind).  The whole time he talked, his sons were riding around the arena doing their own thing – reining spins, loping, lead changing.  Finally he finished and moved on to Exercise #2, one of Josh’s choosing.  Unfortunately, Josh did not have a microphone and so John had to translate everything he said to the audience.  This one involved spiraling off into smaller circles if the horse speeds up; however there was some confusion as to how the exercise began.  At one point John seemed to be indicating that the rider should hum to the horse to slow it down.  I found the lack of microphone to be particularly troublesome, as Josh would lope off to demonstrate the exercise, but the audience was unable to have it narrated as it happened.  Once again, the other son was off doing his own thing, adding to the chaos.  I also felt that John wasn’t clearly explaining his techniques to the audience.  Maybe someone that has completed his video series would have understood him better, but I found instructions such as “Move his tail back” unclear and confusing.  This scene repeated for the first four exercises, but eventually I felt that the clinic was not serving the purpose I’d hoped it would and we left. 

In summary, this clinic was not well organized.  All three riders should have had microphones, or at the very least, the one demonstrating the exercises should have been narrating.  All the riders should have been demonstrating the exercises being discussed or they should have been waiting quietly for their turn, in my opinion.  All the activity had the effect of appearing chaotic and was a distraction to the exercises at hand.  Finally, I felt that the demonstration was very commercial.  In his defense, I had that same feeling at several of the clinics we went to and it’s a feeling I don’t recall having had at previous Affaires.  There was a lot of self promotion of the Lyons name and product line, and I felt that took away from the point of the clinic.  I would have liked to see students participate and learn the exercises with the audience, so we could grasp what issues the horses may come up with.  The exercises were that were provided were useful, albeit a bit basic for my own riding level, but a good refresher.  All in all, there was some good information there but I had higher expectations from a clinician of his caliber.

I’ve been barrel racing off and on for about 17 years, but I still look for new tips and techniques any time I can get them.  I’ve really only ridden 2 gamers, so I don’t consider myself too experienced.  I picked up this book, Charmayne James on Barrel Racing (Western Horseman Books), a few years back because I was looking for some tips on at home conditioning of my barrel horse.  The book is a solid overview of what it takes to be a successful barrel racer, and includes chapters on choosing the right horse for the job, conditioning, nutrition, gaining show experience, mental and physical preparation for the rider, and troubleshooting, among other things.  There are lots of great photos of Charmayne and her dream team of horses, and the book is full of diagrams and illustrations. 

Overall, this book was a good purchase as a reference book to keep on hand.  To be honest, it didn’t really provide me with anything NEW.  If you are a beginner to the sport of barrel racing, or someone looking for a refresher in the basics, I would highly recommend this book.  It has a great deal to offer if you are training a horse to run barrels, like lots of little exercises to gain control over his body.  It even has a troubleshooting section with case studies examining common problems.  However, if you’re looking for more detail, such as a conditioning program or advanced exercises, you might want to keep looking.  One thing I found irksome about the book is that Charmayne’s conditioning program suggests that a rider “plan to spend an hour and a half with your horse each day, at a minimum”  five to six days per week to achieve fitness.  I’m sorry, but that is certainly not realistic for me, or for most non-professionals.  I don’t think that my horse needs 90 minutes of conditioning per day to run a 15 second pattern.  I think that excellent conditioning can be achieved with a carefully designed fitness program that will fit in better for the average rider that works and has a family.  I’ll definitely keep this book on my bookshelf, but I’m going to keep searching for a reference that is a little more advanced and has a more practical conditioning program.

As many of you know, Tiny’s riding schedule over the past few months has been a bit erratic.  Between her foot abcess, my move, and the mostly rainy afternoons our riding sessions have been inconsistent at best.  I’m OK with giving her some down time under saddle, especially when we don’t have upcoming events and I’m not training consistently.  For the past couple of months, we’ve just been exercising – long trotting and some circles but no serious schooling.  Now that things have finally settled down a bit and I have been riding more regularly, I have decided to step it up and resume our schooling drills again.  Yesterday was the first time I practiced drills with Tiny in a few months.  Given my recent posts regarding leg and seat aids, I decided to take this opportunity to discuss my ride and give an example of real world troubleshooting in the saddle. 

My basic riding drills typically consist of a warm up at the walk and trot and then I start throwing in some tests to see how much control I have over Tiny’s body and how responsive she is being to my cues.  Generally I will ask for flexion in the neck and softness in her mouth, I will ask her to bend left and right without dropping her shoulders, I will ask for turns on the haunches and the forehand in both directions.  I will practice her “whoa” off my seat and voice commands – something I always need to reinforce with her.  If she is responsive with these drills at the walk and trot, I will then move on to cantering spirals or circles of varying sizes and work on transitions and softness. 

Yesterday did not go quite like that.  As soon as I started asking for hip movement, I realized that she was “sticky” in her left hip.  When I’d ask her to move over, she would lay on my leg.  When I asked her to stop, she’d kick her left hip out.  Her shoulder control was excellent, she was staying soft in her mouth and back, and she was responsive in her right hip.  She was giving no indication of being sore anywhere and seemed happy to be working. 

My initial suspicion was that she was just a bit stiff on that side after not being pushed for so long.  I continued practicing my drills at the walk and jog, asking her to stop and turn on the forehand to try to loosen her up.  I added in some lateral work, asking her to track right then left at the walk and jog.  She was a dream to the right, but was not improving at all to the left.  In fact, she started getting irritated - stiffening in her mouth, increasing speed.  Tiny does this thing when she’s frustrated where she’ll insist that she’s got an intolerable itch on her ear and she’ll duck her head and just rub on her front leg forever.  I know this is her avoidance mechanism, so when she started doing this I had to re-analyze my session. 

I ran through my mental checklist:  not sore, not showing a similar response anywhere else.  She was certainly showing no improvement with repetition, and I would have expected her to loosen up if it was simply stiffness.  I considered myself as the possible reason for her stickiness.  I rode around a bit more, really concentrating on my seat and legs.  It didn’t take long to note that I was having a hard time sitting hard on my left seatbone.  My left leg didn’t want to remain in the proper position and kept sliding forward if I didn’t concentrate on keeping it back.  The final clue was when I stopped and asked for a turn on the haunches.  To the right it was smooth and fluid.  To the left?  She wouldn’t plant her hind foot and wouldn’t stay in the bridle.  Based on the evidence I decided that I was most likely the culprit for her lack of responsiveness.  I do have an ongoing problem with my spinal alignment and my hips tend to rotate a bit, creating subtle changes in my cues.  I haven’t visited the chiropractor in months and yesterday Tiny told me that it was time to pay him a visit!  After realizing the problem, I backed off the drills and let Tiny relax a bit before cooling off.  It was important to end the session on a good note, especially because Tiny was simply reacting to my body alignment and I didn’t want her being frustrated. 

I wanted to share this story to illustrate a couple of things.  First off, I can’t over-emphasize the importance of using your seat properly when riding.  Even a horse that is not particularly responsive to seat cues will be affected if you are sitting off balance or twisted.  One of the easiest ways to demonstrate this is by practicing turns on the haunches.  It is essentially impossible for a horse to plant the proper pivot foot if you are putting weight on the opposite hind.  The horse will generally switch pivot feet or back out of the turn, but will not spin smoothly.  Also, the horse may not track straight, may lock up in the hip or shoulder, or may not stay framed up.  If you are having problems with your horse and there is no apparent lameness, analyze your body language.  The problem just might be you!  The second thing I want to bring up is the importance of staying calm and remaining in “investigative mode.”  It would have been easy for me to get frustrated with Tiny for not paying attention, not responding, etc.  but if I had immediately gone into “correction mode” it would have escalated into a battle of wills.  The end result would have been the same, because she was SIMPLY RESPONDING TO ME.  If you want a partnership with your horse, be willing to hear what they tell you.  Horses don’t lie and they are mirrors.  If you let them, they will give you valuable information about what is working and what isn’t.  Good luck with your own troubleshooting.  I hope this gives you another perspective to consider.  It took me years (and a great trainer) to figure out that my twisted hips were a big part of the reason that my sensitive show horse refused to hold a hind pivot foot! 

And now I’m off to call the chiropractor…..

If your goal is to create a solid partnership with your horse, a good place to start is by determining your current level of communication.  You can do this by performing a simple self test – the results you get will clearly dictate the path you should take to reach your goal. 

Start with a relaxed horse.  Don’t do this on your first ride after a week-long break, or during a windstorm, or the day that they are replacing your roof.  Warm him up until he’s as limber and responsive as he normally is.  If your horse takes a while to settle in, put him on a longeline and let him play.  The goal is NOT to wear your horse down, the goal is to fairly assess his typical level of responsiveness and your communication skills.  If you need to longe for 45 minutes to gain responsiveness, you probably have some work to do. 

You should conduct the exercises in a quiet place where you can focus on your cues and your horse’s responses.  If you feel comfortable with someone watching, have them videotape your ride.  When you are ready to begin your assessment, gather your reins so you have light contact.  For the purposes of this exercise, you should have enough grip that you can make light contact with your horse’s mouth, but should not be pulling or holding him with your hands.  Remember that your hands are a GUIDE and are not the primary method of communication between you and your horse. 

*Start by walking in a 20 m circle in either direction.  How does your horse respond?  Is his body stiff or his shoulder poked out of your circle?  You want your horse to gently arc in the direction of travel, with his nose just slightly tipped in, his shoulders upright, and his hips tracking under him.  How is your body reacting?  Are you unconciously twisting to coerce him to bend?  Are you sitting harder on one seat bone than the other?  Pulling on one rein?  Take note of the cues that are being exchanged and don’t get frustrated.  You are simply gathering information at this point.  Repeat this at the walk, trot, and canter in each direction.  You will often see varying responses at different gaits or directions.  Again, take note.

*Next, practice halting from a walk.  How does your horse stop?  Do you have to pull back?  Does he hollow his back, lift his head, or shift to the side?  Does he slam on the brakes, dropping onto the forehand?  The goal is to stop soft and round, staying in the frame he was traveling in.  Repeat this exercise at the trot and canter and note your results. 

* Continue walking around the arena.  Practice signalling with your body, concentrating on not using your hands.  For example, squeeze your outside leg on him.  Does he get faster or move over?  Does he even acknowledge the pressure?  Alter the pressure points – squeeze your leg along different points on his side.  Do you get a different response as you move your leg?  Practice changing your seat, shifting your weight to one seat bone then the other.  Shift forward and back.  Are you feeling any response from your horse? 

After you have finished testing out your cues, devote some time to just walking around on a loose rein.  Let your horse absorb things – if you’re not used to riding with your seat and hands, chances are he might be a bit confused.  Use the time to carefully consider the cues your horse gave you.  Is he resistant on one side more than the other?  Does he consistently hollow his back when you cue him?  Is he sticky in his shoulders or hips?  Try to analyze all the information that you were given; when you design your riding program this information will come in handy.

It might be helpful to develop a log or journal of your riding sessions.  When you are practicing new techniques, it will help you clearly track your progress.  In addition, journaling will help you notice trends that can be important in your future training or showing endeavors.  For example, does your horse get stiff in his left shoulder when the weather is cool?  Does your mare get backsore when she comes into heat?  If you note trends and prepare for them, you can adjust your training program accordingly.

Hope you enjoy your ride and your first day of riding consciously!  Next up in the series, we’ll talk about what might be causing your horse’s responses and what might help shift you into a more successful partnership with him.

Have you ever seen a performance that flowed so smoothly that you couldn’t even see the cues the rider gave?  Have you ever wondered if you could achieve that same level of responsiveness from your own horse?  FromTheHorsesBack is launching a new series of tips titled “Perfecting Partnerships.”  This series is devoted to training tips and exercises designed to improve the communication and partnership between you and your horse.  Everyone from trail riders to top level competitors can benefit from improving their relationship with their horse.  Stay tuned for upcoming tips on softening your horse, increasing responsiveness, achieving control of your horse’s body, and many more exciting topics.  To start things off, consider the following:

In my opinion, one of the most critical elements to a true partnership is…having a partnership.  If you are looking for the ultimate in communication, you have to log the hours in the saddle.  Just as in any relationship, it takes time and effort to establish trust and communication.  Every minute you spend in the saddle is impacting your relationship with your horse, either positively or negatively.  You must choose to create a positive, trusting bond with your horse before you can hope to achieve partnership with him.  Ground work is just as important as riding.  Get in the habit of seeing your horse when you are with him.  Know his personality, his likes and dislikes.  Respect him.  Don’t treat him as a machine meant only to haul you around the arena or up and down the trails.  A big part of the enjoyment of having horses is experiencing them – so don’t short yourself on that!  If you would like to learn about how to improve your partnership with your horse, check back soon for exercises and tips to start you on your path.

*These tips and exercises are based upon my own experiences.  I am not a horse trainer.  Please use your best judgement and consult a trainer if necessary.