"From here, you'll capitalize on small improvements, continually approaching, petting for ever-extending periods of time, turning and retreating. Ask the horse to place two eyes on you, approach, pet for a moment longer than the time before, turn on your heels and walk away, totally relieving any pressure. Read the horse here: If you feel he'll yank his head away at three seconds, stop petting at two, turn, walk away. If he begins to move away (his feet), ask for a turn back towards you, get both eyes, and try again. Continue in this manner, slowly moving from the horse's nose to the top of his head, to his neck and so on. Make sure, especially with a green horse, that you keep well clear of those back, kicking legs, (stand just in front, and slightly to the side, of the horse's shoulder)."
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- 5 Days, 5 chapters
- Learn at your own pace
"It certainly doesn't take them long to learn that a saddle on their backs means they're getting put to work pretty quick - so it's no wonder that so many bad habits develop along this point. They weren't born yesterday: You approaching with a smile on your face, a saddle in one hand and "Riding for Dummies" in the other can only mean one thing: Work. It's no wonder they begin channeling the advice they've heard from their buddies: "Dance around," "Act like you're gonna bite," "Don't let him put the bit in your mouth. You get a bit in your mouth and you're done for." And, they're always trying something new, aren't they? I'd finally worked one of my mares through - what I thought was every bad habit at saddling time - only to have her lay down on me. (I cured this by being the ready the next time: The moment her legs began to buckle I screamed like a stuck pig and got her moving... anywhere. Trust me, she didn't go back and tell the others to try laying down.)
You can only deal with these crazy things they try in one way - and that's by keeping your sense of humor. They're going to keep coming like the tides - and the moment you lose your temper, they've got ya. Know why? Because your horse is dancing around, saying to himself "This is the part where he gets nuts everyday and smacks me." You lose your temper, smack the horse and prove him right. Every day. You do get the saddle on, the bit in his mouth - but each time it gets more difficult. Like the boy with his finger in the dike, new holes keep popping up."
Equestrians: Find A John Lyons Horse Trainer Near You
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511 Hudson Lane, Victor, MT 59875 USA
Email: info*heartcentered.com (replace * with @), Site: http://www.heartcentered.com
John Lyons horseman Kathy Valentine lives in West Central Montana (Ravalli county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Hamilton, Missoula, Phillipsburg, Elk City.
511 Hudson Lane, Victor, MT 59875 USA
Email: info*heartcentered.com (replace * with @), Site: http://www.heartcentered.com
John Lyons horseman Ron Valentine lives in West Central Montana (Ravalli county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Hamilton, Missoula, Phillipsburg, Superior, Butte, Elk City.
3738 Secrest Rd, Morganton, NC 28655 USA
Email: jaredcole*instridehorsemanship.com (replace * with @), Site: http://www.instridehorsemanship.com
John Lyons horseman Jared Cole lives in Western North Carolina (Burke county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Winston-Salem, Asheville, Spartanburg, Johnson City.
Shelby, NC 28150 USA
Email: loneroanfarm*yahoo.com (replace * with @), Site: http://beth-collins.com/index.php
John Lyons horseman Beth Collins lives in Southern North Carolina (Cleveland county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Gastonia, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greenville, Spartanburg.
162 Zimmerman Rd., Advance, NC 27006 USA
Email: drysdalehorsemanship*yadtel.net (replace * with @), Site: http://www.drysdalehorsemanship.com
John Lyons horseman Jessy Drysdale lives in Central North Carolina (Davie county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Winston-Salem, Statesville, High Port, Greensboro, Charlotte.
794 Wiggins Road, Mooresville, NC 28115 USA
Email: matt*gablehorsemanship.com (replace * with @), Site: http://www.gablehorsemanship.com
John Lyons horseman Matt Gable lives in West Central North Carolina (Iredell county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Kannapolis, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Concorde, Greensboro.
5016 Hwy. 57, Hurdle Mills, NC 27541 USA
Email: squest6*aol.com (replace * with @)
John Lyons horseman Suzie Quest lives in North Central North Carolina (Person county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh, Goldsboro, Winston-Salem, Lynchburg, Roanoke.
302 Stage Road, Nottingham, NH 03290 USA
Email: bbarney*ithakabridgefarm.com (replace * with @), Site: http://www.ithakabridgefarm.com
John Lyons horseman Beverly Barney lives in Southeastern New Hampshire (Rockingham county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Manchester, Salem, Portsmouth, Haverhill, Rochester.
8 Harvest Hill Drive, Stockton, NJ 08559 USA
Email: castlerockmanor*comcast.net (replace * with @)
John Lyons horseman Frank Michel lives in East Central New Jersey (Hunterdon county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Philadelphia, Allentown, Ewing, Levittown, Edison.
1300 Vista Colorado, Santa Fe, NM 87506 USA
Email: natalie*mesmerizingmusic.com (replace * with @)
John Lyons horseman Natalie Walden-Campbell lives in North Central New Mexico (Santa Fe county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Los Alamos, Rio Rancho.
787 Tiffany Bend St., Las Vegas, NV 89123 USA
Email: dadamsph*cox.net (replace * with @)
John Lyons horseman Destry Adams lives in Southern Nevada (Clark county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Las Vegas, Henderson, Spring Valley, Paradise, Bullhead City.
Robin Bailey Horsemanship, LLC, 10040 W. Cheyenne #170-73; Las Vegas, NV 89129 USA
Email: lasvegashorsetraining*gmail.com (replace * with @), Site: www.lasvegashorsetraining.com
John Lyons horseman Robin Bailey lives in Southern Nevada (Clark county) within 100 miles of the following cities: Las Vegas; North Las Vegas; Henderson, NV.