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Tips f our gy catchin getting horse toanter the c nt! you wa
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orsemen’s Yankee Pedlar proudly presents to its readers “The Best of John Lyons.” As one of the most respected trainers around the world and with nearly 29 years of dedication to horses and their owners, Lyons has influenced equestrians of all levels and disci-
plines. Thirteen years ago, he began his own certified trainers’ program, which has served as one of the best in the country. With topics ranging from learning to lead your horse to finding the perfect canter in this guide, you’ll find our all-time favorite articles from America’s Most Trusted Horseman.
> CONTENTS 4 A Good Catch 7 A Pleasure To Lead 10 Get the Canter You Want 13 Head Position Matters the best of john lyons
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[ training tips with john lyons ]
In The Saddle
By backing off the moment the horse does what we want, we set up a dialogue that he can understand, and we also tell him that we’re not going to play catand-mouse games.
charles hilton
you’re holding a line attached to a horse you have no control over. As with everything else we do with our horse, we need to operate from a position of control. Catching a horse shouldn’t be a random snag.
Control—Yeah, Right
A Good Catch We’ve all experienced the frustration of trying to catch a horse who doesn’t want to be caught. Whether we claim it’s because he sees the halter in our hands or a juvenile delinquent buddy in his pasture leads him astray, it isn’t fun.
B
ut this system will help make that a thing of the past, and in a more advanced lesson, you can teach the horse to come to you on cue. Before we head into the how to, let’s pause for a moment to rule out what doesn’t work, or what won’t work reliably. Generations of horse owners have thought themselves clever by hiding a halter in a bucket of grain. The horse comes for the grain, and while he’s munching, they try to slip the halter onto his head. The problem is that it doesn’t work for most horses, and often complicates the problem. The grain part often gets the horse close, but he ends up snatching a bite, not truly close enough to halter. The attempt to capture him normally results in him bolting away with increased wariness about getting caught. The more savvy folks let him have several mouthfuls of grain before trying to snag him, which only results in a horse who’s wary and full. 4
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Another technique that we do not recommend is running a horse until he’s tired. That’s definitely asking for trouble or potential injury to the horse, as well as training him to run from you—the very opposite of what you want him to learn. The only benefit to using this system is that you get your exercise. Cornering a horse doesn’t work well, either, though it may make sense to restrict his escape routes, as we’ll mention later. Cramming a horse into a corner will panic some horses, causing them to try to jump out of the pasture or run through or over obstacles or people in their path. If a horse is already frightened, trapping things will only make his fear worse. And scared horses often hurt themselves or others. People have tried roping the horse, but unless you’re very experienced at that, you’ll end up merely chasing the horse with a long rope. Should you catch him, then
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It’s seems contradictory: We should be in control of a horse we can’t catch. But if you keep control in mind, you’ll have a lot more success. Plan to enter the field with a friendly, but matter-of-fact attitude. Resolve to keep your emotions in check—no expressing frustration to your horse or trying to punish him when he causes you extra work. Realize that the horse is going to make some decisions that aren’t in keeping with getting caught. Your best options are to use this method to catch the horse, and when time permits, teach the horse to be caught or even to come to you when called. We begin any lesson where we can—no use wishing for an ideal setup. Ideally, we’d begin in a small corral with safe fencing and footing. So if you have the option of turning your horse into somewhere like that to teach yourself the lesson, so much the better. As you work through it, you’re also teaching the horse to be caught. But let’s say you find yourself in a large pasture with a horse who doesn’t want to be caught or, worse yet, loose around your yard in an unfenced area. First, eyeball the surroundings to note any place that could be hazardous if the horse goes there. If there’s an area of the fence that’s weakened or likely to injure the horse if he comes up against it, mentally fence off that area. The same goes if there’s a piece of equipment in the field or a muddy or rocky spot. Also note any areas where you can’t or don’t want to go, such as down a steep hill.
Move the horse so he’s positioned with his left side toward you. Watch that you’re focused on his hip and not his shoulders.
limit the horse’s territory and walk up to his left side. But first you’ll have to get close enough.
One Step at a Time
We’re going to control the horse by controlling his movement. If you imagine one horse chasing another from a pile of hay, you know that the boss horse merely makes the other move away a few steps. She doesn’t defend her hay by chasing the other horse around the pasture for 10 minutes. An ugly look or a step in his direction and he moves off. Case closed. That’s the plan we’re going to use with our loose horse. We’ll want him to move a few steps in the direction we choose. Case closed. Then we’ll do that again. By backing off the moment the horse does what we want, we set up a dialogue that he can understand, and we also tell him that we’re not going to play catand-mouse games.
photos charles hilton
If you have helpers, position them to block access to the area you’ve mentally fenced off. You want them to stand quietly, unless the horse approaches, in which case you want them to wave their arms and use energetic body language to discourage the horse from going there. Be sure to tell them to stand quietly again the moment the horse has turned away from that area. Next, decide which side of the horse you want to catch. We’re used to thinking of horses as coming directly toward us, but that’s unlikely, especially in the case of a horse who doesn’t want to be caught. Most horses are more used to being handled on their left, and most people are more comfortable with that, too. That may change depending on what the horse does, as you’ll see later, but picture walking up to your horse’s head from the left side. Already you’re starting to develop a plan—
If the horse leaves going to the left, you should work toward catching him from the left.
The horse tries turning to the right, but John shoos him away, to the left.
Let’s say that you can approach within 15 feet of the horse, but when you try to get closer, he moves away. That tells you 15 feet is his safe zone. Rather than following him, we’re going to get the horse to come toward us. He may not move his feet toward us initially, but we’ll be able to see that his eyes and mind are on us and he’s willing to stand for us to approach him. When the horse is standing quietly, move toward him quietly until you’re 20 feet from his left side. Stop and stand relaxed. If he doesn’t move away from you, that’s a first victory. You might even turn and walk away, letting him know that all you wanted was to walk within 20 feet of him. If your horse is skittish, you may have to do this several times or at several distances until you find the distance where he’s comfortable with you. Approach again, and again stop 20 feet
Catch, Not Corner • Keep a matter-of-fact attitude. • Identify dangerous areas and mentally fence them out of bounds. • Plan to approach the horse from either the left or right, not head on. • Approach the horse, but stop before he moves. • Kiss to get the horse to look at you. Quit kissing when he does. • Control the horse’s movement and direction, working toward getting him to look at you longer and longer. • Step to the side to encourage him to turn to face you. Continue doing that, moving closer to him until you can pet and halter him.
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Haltered Horses at Risk in Pasture We know. It’s tempting to leave a halter or even a halter and drag rope on a horse who’s hard to catch. But unless that halter will break if there’s much tension on it, resist the urge (a break-away halter has a thin crown that will break readily). Though we’ve mentioned it before, it bears repeating that horses have a knack of getting themselves hung up and have broken their necks or had serious injury snagging their halter on a tree limb or fence post.
away, or stop if you sense that the horse is about to move away from you. Now, instead of thinking about approaching his head directly, step to your right as if you were planning to walk behind the horse. In order to keep an eye on you, the horse will have to turn his head, or at least his attention, slightly to the left. Our goal will be to get the horse to look at us with his left eye, then to turn his head to the left and then finally to turn himself so he’s looking at us with both eyes. The longer he stands with his neck bent, the better chance we have of catching him. This procedure requires some intuition. If you think the horse is about to leave, he probably is. If you think he’ll stand, he may. Make a little noise, such as kissing to the horse or patting your leg. You’re only trying to get his attention, not get him to move his feet. So if he stops eating and raises his head, even if he’s not looking at you, stop kissing, perhaps even turning and walking away. That’s the beginning of conditioning him that kissing means move and when the kissing noise stops, you’re telling him he did what you wanted. Move a little to your right and kiss again. Again stop the noise as soon as he turns to look at you. Play with kissing and moving until the horse turns to face you.
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Back at Home
You successfully caught your horse in the big pasture, but you obviously don’t want to go through that every day. What are your options? Use the same lesson in the horse’s stall, teaching him to turn to face you when you open the stall door. Then graduate to a small corral, then a slightly larger corral, then a situation with more than one horse and so forth. Work with your horse on leading lessons, and teach him the “head down” cue. The more comfortable he gets working with you, the easier he’ll be to catch.
Do Treats Work?
charles hilton
Because John taught the horse to come to him, once he was positioned and realized getting caught was inevitable, the horse walked toward John. 6
that you can approach within 20 feet of him. Then you can begin once more, getting him to look at you, asking his head to look to the left again. At some point, you may be able to walk up to the horse directly, but most likely, it will require him turning several times. From his left side, step to the right, asking him to look at you with his left eye by kissing to him. When he turns, stop kissing. Keep working with that, moving closer to the horse when you feel that you can without him leaving. There will be a time you can pet his head. When that happens, don’t nab him. Pet his head, then stop petting, particularly if you sense that he’s about to pull his head away from you. Try to feel when you should move away from the horse to tell him that’s all you wanted to do or when you can continue to engage him. When he takes his head away, don’t “chase” it with your hand. Kiss to call him back to you. Move to the horse’s left side and pet his neck, or hug it. When you feel that you can halter him without him running away, then slip the halter on, pet him and lead him back to the barn. Resolve to work with him in a smaller place before you turn him loose in a three-acre field.
While that’s the overview of the plan, it won’t happen as simply as that in most cases. The horse has to have a reason to turn toward you, and you may have to tell him to move his feet. At some point, you’ll lose his gaze. When he turns away from you or begins to move away, shoo him away a few steps, focusing directly on his left hip. You don’t want to get him running. You just want to move him a few steps. When he learns that you can move him without hurting him, he begins to respect you and to realize that you’re controlling him, and it’s OK. Though your goal will have been to move him a few feet, he may take off on his own. That’s OK. Next time, try quieter body language when you’re moving him. His running off may have had nothing to do with your body language, but it’s worth noticing. Remember which side was closest to you when he took off. So if he went off to the left—if his left side was toward you—then you’re going to want to bring him back and catch him from the left. When he tries to turn to the right, see if you can move to the right to cut him off or discourage the right turn. You won’t be able to control him as you might if he was in a round pen with the fence to restrain him. But if you’re persistent, he’ll get the idea, just as he would if you were another horse. Put pressure on him—moving toward him or shooing him to turn to the left, when he’s moving to the right, and stop shooing him when he turns to the left. The more specific you are when you do the green light/red light game, the quicker he’ll understand what you want. Eventually, you’ll be back in position so
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Sometimes. There’s no reason you can’t reward your horse with a treat when you catch him. that will help condition him to think that getting caught has its rewards. But don’t kid yourself into thinking that you have control of the horse or that treats will always work. If other horses are in the mix or if he’s been munching green grass and knows you’re catching him to put him up for the night or to go to work, treats may not be compelling enough. Only use treats as a treat. Don’t rely on them for training.
[ training tips with john lyons ]
In The Saddle
When John and Charlie are in sync and in step, leading seems to be a collaborative effort.
does “know the ropes.” This is not good. And while Ima Diva and Ol’ Molasses are frustrating, Sparky is dangerous.
You Ride the Horse You Lead
betsy lynch
Some people don’t think getting leading right is as important as getting the right lead. They seem to think that it’s OK for their horse to have lousy ground manners because he’s “fine” when they’re in the saddle. These are the folks who tell a prospective buyer, “Well, yeah, he’s a bit touchy on the ground, but wait until you see him over fences!” Or heading a cow! Or rounding a barrel! Leading, however, is the basis for nearly all horse training. We teach it for our safety, for the horse’s safety, and for control. If there are holes in a horse’s leading manners, there are holes in her training. Period. And “touchy” on the ground usually translates into at least unpleasant and often downright unsafe behavior. Your goal is to have a safe, wonderful experience when you are riding. There is no reason to expect anything less on the ground.
A Pleasure to Lead By Tracey Emslie with John Lyons
YOU DON’T WANT TO DRAG YOUR HORSE AROUND, OR BE DRAGGED IN RETURN, SO IT’S TIME TO POLISH HER COME-ALONG SKILLS
Y
our new horse is gorgeous. You proudly start to bring her out of the stall for your friends to admire, but she takes one look at the great, wide world through the stall door and refuses to budge. First you tug. Then you lean hard on the lead rope, your body making a 45-degree angle to the ground like Captain Jack Sparrow trying to drag the Black Pearl through an ocean of sand. “Ima Diva” cooperatively stretches her neck to the fullest possible reach without budging her feet. Come to think of it, the trainer you bought her from always presented her ready to ride. Or maybe you’re helping a bunch of 4-H kids. Little Joey’s family doesn’t have much money, but they managed to get him a horse at a good price that’s said to be bombproof. And he certainly seems to be that. The poor kid doesn’t so much lead “Ol’ Molasses”
around the pattern as drag him. Oh, and he takes about half an hour to get into a trailer. Or maybe you’re helping out at a barn, just getting to know the horses. That sharp little “Sparky” seems a trifle eager as you bring him in from the field. As you approach the gate, whomp! He charges past and slams his shoulder into you, knocking you into the fence. That hurt…and Sparky shows a clean pair of heels as he disappears down the road. None of these horses are a pleasure to handle on the ground. Perhaps whoever did their initial training was rushed. Or maybe they were raised by owners who just didn’t know there is more to teaching a horse to lead. But the fact is, none of these horses know how to lead properly—and they are a long road from being unique. In fact, so many horses do not lead well, that a lot of people have never handled one that really
R-e-s-p-e-c-t
You may have heard people say that a horse who does not lead well has a “respect” issue. Generally it’s not so much a matter of disrespect as it is a matter of ignorance. A horse will respond in a way that is natural for her unless she has been taught otherwise. If a horse charges ahead, it is because she has not been taught to follow politely. If she lags behind, it is because she has not been taught to go forward. If something to her right startles her and she slams into you, it is because she has not been taught to overcome that instinct when she is being led. If a horse has just begun her training under saddle, we do not say she does not respect us because she picks up the wrong lead. We understand that this is a matter of training and balance. We train her to connect a certain set of cues with a given performance. The same is true of teaching her how closely to follow, how much space to leave between the two of you, and how quickly to respond to your directions. True respect comes as a result of correct, consistent, humane training. You can teach a horse to move to the right, for instance, using a non-threatening manner so that she still wants to be with you, or you can teach a horse to move to the right because she’s afraid of you. Both methods will get a result, but a the best of john lyons
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photos betsy lynch
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If your horse doesn’t follow suit immediately, kiss to her or step toward her hips to drive her forward.
follow her mother as if the umbilical cord were still attached. Grown members of a herd in motion show extreme awareness of each others’ placement, speed, and silently telegraphed intent. Horses For a horse to lead willingly, she needs forward read your body motion just as clearly as momentum, so keep slack in the line as you move forward. they do that of another horse. They just have to be taught what the movement horse grants respect when she learns we can means and how exactly they are expected to make her do what we want without hurting follow it. As in all training, any change we want to or frightening her. achieve in the horse starts with us. It is our So What Exactly Do We Want the responsibility to teach our animals clear, consistent cues for specific actions we want Horse to Do? It is possible to teach a horse to lead in any them to perform. If you don’t have a cue to position in relation to her handler. Some let your horse know what you want her to people like to have their horse’s head at their do, you don’t have a plan, so you don’t get a own shoulder; others prefer to be farther result—or at least not the result you want. Whether in the saddle or on the ground, back, by their horse’s neck. Or you might be more comfortable in the classic 4-H or our cues are simple: Go forward. Back up. showmanship stance, where you position Go right. Go left. Stop. We use these to place yourself even with the horse’s throatlatch. In the horse where we want her, at the speed we any case, our mounts should match our speed want her to go, and, when we are working and follow our direction with a slack leadline, with her on the ground, at the distance we without having to be tugged forward, pulled want her to be from us. As an additional benefit, these are the same cues we use when back, or hauled around. We’re going to work through our lessons we ride, so making sure they are solid on the from the left side of the horse. However, ground is not only a significant safety issue, once she’s responsive to cues from that side, it is also a great time saver in our underyou’ll want to practice leading from the right saddle training. as well. There will be situations where that becomes necessary, and your horse needs to Equipment be familiar with the same requests even when Your horse should end up leading with equal you’re on her right. perfection in a halter or bridle, or free in the round pen. John uses ground training in a Cues Without Words or Touching bridle as a significant key to having the horse Remember that horses are attuned to body attuned to cues when she’s under saddle. language. From her earliest hours, a foal will If your horse is well attuned to you in the horse me n’ s Y a nkee Ped l ar
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bridle, but is less responsive when in a halter, use the bridle to teach her the basic lessons, then repeat those lessons over and over in the halter until she gives you the same sensitive response. A dressage whip can be useful to reinforce your “go forward” cue.
Heads Up
Part of being a smart trainer is to arrange things so that the natural response of the horse is to do what you ask of her. Remember, you shouldn’t get hurt, and neither should the horse, and the lesson should end with the horse calmer than when she started. If, like Sparky, your horse tends to lead too closely to you, or forges ahead, or bumps into you, practice these exercises in the round pen while you stand a safe distance away. Make sure she responds to your cues from a distance before you get close to her. If, like Ima Diva or Ol’ Molasses, your horse is sluggish or gets plugged up in doorways, start the work in a stall or pen, or anywhere she is likely to do what you want her to do. You want to avoid frustration, so don’t set the stage for a confrontation where you already know you have a problem. Once the correct response is established, you can work on it in as many other places as you like, but start by setting yourself up for success. Remember that at first your horse may not understand what you are asking her to do. Be patient and give her a chance to acknowledge the cue and to respond to it. Look for small improvements in all the following exercises. Do not demand too much too quickly. And praise your horse for any correct effort!
to cross over, the left front foot passing in front of her right foot, begin to ask for two steps, then three, then a full circle. Ask for a go forward when you lead her out of the circle into a straight line. This is an especially important lesson because it teaches your horse to move out of your space and to avoid crowding you or running you over. By moving her shoulders away from you, you’ll be able to establish a safe, comfortable boundary for better control as you lead your horse.
betsy lynch
Teaching a Left Turn
Sometimes it’s easiest to begin by asking the horse to step backwards. Backing is also a good way to control speed in a horse that wants to get ahead of you.
Backing Up
Odd as it may seem, sometimes it is easier to train a horse to go forward by teaching her to back up. It can be useful for this lesson to use a fence for a barrier on the other side of the horse to help keep her straight. Take your leading position. The horse should be standing quietly and the lead rope should be slack, but not dragging or sloppy. Take a step back. Do not tug on the lead rope. If the horse takes a step back as well, that’s great. If not, add a bit of noise to your cue with a “kiss” or a foot stomp, or by smacking the ground lightly in front of her with the whip. If she so much as leans backward, praise her. If she does not, increase the noise or ground smacking until she does. If she still doesn’t get it, you may need to turn toward the horse’s shoulder and apply some pressure to the lead rope or rein to get her to take those first backward steps. You need to help her make the connection. Correct her if she gets her nose too far ahead of you, then praise her when she is in the right position. Practice this exercise a lot, praising her each time she begins to step backward, reducing the amount of cue each time until she responds to just the backward movement of your shoulder. She has now learned to watch your body for cues.
Go Forward
Your horse should go forward as you do, wherever you want her to go and at whatever speed you choose, whether it is to the barn or into a trailer. You should not have to tug on the halter or bridle to get her to walk or trot with you. Stand again in your ideal position. Take
a step forward without taking the slack out of the lead. If she steps forward with you, that’s great. If not, give your go forward cue (a “kiss,” for instance). If nothing happens, reach back with your dressage whip or the end of your lead rope, and reinforce the cue with a light tap on the hip. Remember, this tap is not a punishment. The rope or whip is just an extension of your arm so you don’t have to leave your position to give the cue. Do not let her circle around you. Any time she gets ahead of you, lean your shoulder back to slow her pace, or turn toward her shoulder and ask her to back up a step or two. If necessary, disengage her hips. You’re going to have to finesse this a bit, because you don’t want to discourage the forward motion you need for leading, but you don’t want the horse rushing ahead either. Practice changing from walk to trot to walk to stop to walk. Repeat, repeat, and then repeat again, praising her every time she does something well.
Turning Toward the Right
A right-hand turn is the same as an outside turn in the round pen. When you ask your horse to move to the right, you will put pressure—that is, almost a cushion of air—on her shoulder by moving your body in that direction. Cue the nose for an outside turn, then cue the shoulder for a sidestep. Now, cue the hip to go forward. You want the horse to move to the right almost as if she were sidepassing. If she so much as leans or takes a single step to the side with a front foot, praise her. Practice this many times. As the horse learns
A left-hand turn is the same as an inside turn in the round pen. Use your rein or the lead rope to cue the shoulder so the horse takes one step away from you. The instant she takes that sideways step, move your body down her side, with your body facing the horse’s hip. As you move toward the hip, make a kissing sound. She should turn and look at you. Practice this over and over again. When the horse is consistently turning and facing you, step backward in small circles. Keep her feet moving and be consistent with your body position. Praise her often. Once you have your horse turning reliably to the left, you’ll add the go forward cue to get her to step ahead when you do, remaining alongside.
The Payoff
Remember that all these exercises carry over into every part of your horsekeeping routine, from leading out of the pen to loading onto a trailer, to time in the saddle. The better your horse becomes at “Follow the Leader” on the ground, the more perfect your working relationship, safety, and enjoyment will be. Ima Diva will soon be a beautiful dance partner. Sparky will be a candle rather than a rocket, developing patience with whoever is handling him. If you do your groundwork, every horse can become a pleasure to lead.
Follow the Leader • Poor leading behavior isn’t a respect issue; it’s the result of insufficient training. • Solid leading manners are essential for safety. • When you lead, your horse should match your speed on a slack line. • By being consistent, your horse will learn to pick up on your body language. • It’s easiest to start with the horse bridled, but good manners soon transfer to a halter and lead rope.
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Canter YOU WANT It’s All The Things You Do Before You Launch Into The Lope That Will Help Your Horse Roll Smoothly From Second Into Third Gear FEW THINGS FEEL MORE PERFECT than a quiet transition into a balanced canter, whether you’re riding a dressage test, setting up for a fence, or heading across a pasture. When it all goes right, you barely have to do more than think “canter,” and your horse floats off on the correct lead into a collected, three-beat gait. But then there are the other times. Maybe your horse’s trot is strung out to begin with and his body is stiff, out of position, off balance, traveling a little crooked. Maybe you’re kind of tense and apprehensive about shifting into the next gear. The last time you cantered, it felt like he was going to take off with you, or he bucked a few strides into it, or you came off in the corner of the arena. So he’s not set up well for the transition, and you’re telegraphing some reluctance even though you’re asking—insisting—that he pick up the canter. He rockets into a faster, rougher trot, and you feel like you’re riding a paint shaker. He finally falls into a canter, but his head is high, his back is hollow, and you’re bouncing around, unable to find and follow his rhythm. He may be on the wrong lead, too, or maybe it’s the correct lead in the front but the wrong lead in the back, what’s descriptively called “cross-firing.” 10
horse me n’ s Y a nkee Ped l ar
charles hilton
By Jody Gilbert with John Lyons
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the key to control at the canter begins at the walk. John asks his horse to give his nose and move his hips to the inside of the track with light rein pressure.
Dial Into Easy Departures Rest assured, your canter departure doesn’t have to be that way. You can teach your horse to pick up a smooth canter on the correct lead, without jarring you out of the saddle or requiring any gymnastics on your part. But here’s the thing: A good canter departure is the goal, not the starting point. Before you can get there, you and your horse need to do a lot of homework. The best way to perfect the canter is to start by mastering certain fundamentals, such as walk/ trot transitions, speed control, good stops, hip and shoulder control, collection, and correct head elevation. That may sound like a tall order, but these aren’t difficult lessons. And they’re things your horse needs to know no matter what you’re trying to accomplish. Before we consider the prerequisite work for developing that nice canter, let’s take a minute to picture what we’re aiming for. Close your eyes and imagine your horse stepping lightly from a relaxed trot into the canter. What do you feel? Imagine his back rising under you and the soft feeling as his feet change rhythm. Feel the momentary slack in the reins as he brings his nose back toward his chest. If you were watching, rather than riding, what would you see? Imagine your horse’s posture, his attitude, the curve of his neck, and the relaxed way he carries his tail. Keeping this picture and this feeling in mind will help you understand how each exercise you work on is going to help you get the canter you want. Teaching your horse to speed up when you ask him to will help him bring the right amount of energy to his transitions. Teaching him to be soft on the bridle, to lower his head and relax his neck, and to bring his hips underneath himself will give you that lightness and nice round back. Allowing him to bring his hips a tiny bit to the inside of the circle when you ask will position him to step off into the correct lead.
Reduced Speed Ahead
• Imagine what you’re aiming for: the feeling of your horse’s back rising underneath you, the momentary slack in the reins as he brings his nose back toward his chest, and the soft sound as his feet change rhythm. • Work on speed transitions at the walk and trot first, changing pace every 30 feet by squeezing and releasing or gently kicking with both your legs. • Pretend your horse has a speed control dial ranging from 1-10 at the trot. Use the dial to get incremental and consistent changes in speed. • Use diagonal exercises to position your horse’s shoulders and hips and practice stepping into the correct “lead” at the walk and trot. • With the hips-over rein cue, ask for a “haunches-in,” which will position your horse to pick up the correct lead. • Let your horse move into a canter on his own from the extended trot. It’s a reward and a way for him to slow down his legs. Then refine it by asking for the departure at slower speeds.
Positioning and Relaxation
When your horse speeds up, it’s natural for him charles hilton
To practice your transitions and speed-control exercises, you need to be someplace safe and quiet, so that you can both focus on what you’re doing. The first challenge in this work is to get your horse to perform the tasks correctly. If he gets it wrong—and he will—don’t punish him. Just regroup and try again (Or go back and work on some exercises he already does well to help him regain his confidence). With enough repetition, he’ll learn what “correct” is. Start by making speed changes at the walk. For example, walk forward for about 30 feet and then
ask your horse to move up to a more active walk for 30 feet. Then ask him to slow down. Thirty feet isn’t really much distance, and you may need to go farther than that before asking for a change, at least in the beginning. But with practice, you’ll be able to make that distance shorter and shorter, asking for the speed changes sooner. As you do this work, keep your reins loose. Use them only to slow your horse down, then release them. Make sure you use a distinct, recognizable speed-up cue when you want him to go faster. Squeeze or kick evenly with both legs. The instant you feel him speed up in response to your cue, relax your legs. Along with working on speed control at the walk, practice transitions from the walk to the trot and back to the walk, and work on balanced, relaxed halts. The more often you can get quick, consistent responses to these requests, the easier it will be to set your horse up for the canter departure (or any other change you request). You’ll also be developing the control you’ll need to feel confident and safe when you begin your canter work. If you’ve always been uneasy about your horse getting excited and picking up speed when he canters, for instance, you’ll know that you can bring him back to a slower pace whenever you want. And he’ll know it, too, which will reassure him. Once you’re getting consistent speed changes when you ask for them at the walk, you can start practicing the same exercise at the trot. Imagine that your horse has a dial you can use to adjust the speed of his trot—say, from 1 to 10. The lowest and highest settings on this dial are probably too slow and too fast to be useful, but between 3 and 8, you’ve got a good range of speed. Start off smack in the middle, with that dial set to 5. Then, think about adjusting the dial up a few notches to 7 or 8, and then slow him back down to 3. When you’re getting good changes from slow to fast and back to slow, you can refine it, turning the dial up and down by varying degrees, from 3 to 8, down to 7, down to 4, up to 6, and so on. Of course, these numbers are completely arbitrary, but they’ll help you ask for and feel those incremental changes of speed.
Developing a reliable response to the hips-in cue on horseback will help John get his horse to take the correct lead every time.
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photos Charles hilton
Your transition from a trot to a canter may be a little awkward at first. Breaking your horse into a lope will allow the horse to slow his legs down, which he’ll begin to look forward to. Then you can begin asking for that change in gaits at slower speeds.
to stretch his nose out, raise his head, and hollow his back. To pick up the smooth canter you’re after, he must learn to travel in a more collected, relaxed manner—and to maintain that position through the transition. To get this to happen, you need to work through the process of having him “give” with his nose, lower his head, and relax his neck and shoulders. We won’t go into the mechanics of each of these steps. Basically, you’ll be putting a little pressure on the rein to tell your horse to move a specific part of his body. When he moves the right part in the direction you want, release the rein. You’ll use this technique to have him position his nose slightly to the side (but not past the inside of your stirrup), to lower his head so that the tip of his ear is roughly even with his withers, to relax the long muscle in his neck, and to bring his nose back toward the base of his shoulder, which will cause the shoulder to relax. This won’t happen all at once. Your horse will have to learn each component before you can put it all together. Once you have him walking with his nose in the right spot, with the correct head elevation and relaxation through the neck and shoulders, you’ll need to work on the speed-control exercises and walk/trot transitions to teach him to maintain those things even when you’re asking for changes. You’ll also want to practice directional control, such as the serpentine exercise, until you can get him to turn smoothly without giving up the nose position and elevation you’ve requested.
Diagonal Work
The more flexible your horse is, and the more 12
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responsive he is to your cues to move specific parts of his body, the easier it will be for you to get him into the right position for the canter departure. One way to achieve this flexibility and responsiveness is by practicing diagonal work. This will help you develop better control of your horse’s shoulder and ultimately let you set your horse up for a good transition. For example, by riding him so that his nose is traveling in a straight line but his right shoulder is heading toward one or two o’clock, his left front foot and left hind foot will be stepping over in front of the right feet. You’re actually getting him to travel in his left “lead”—even though you’re only walking or trotting. You can practice this in one direction and then the other. As you bring his nose toward the base of his neck, he’ll soften his shoulder and move diagonally.
Hip Control
Along with controlling your horse’s shoulders, you’ll need to develop excellent control over his hips. By picking up on the left rein you can cue your horse to move his hips to the right. This maneuver is at the heart of teaching your horse to stop well and comes in handy in a million situations, from settling a jigging horse to gaining control of a runaway. Another aspect of hip control involves having your horse step his hips to the inside when you pick up the outside rein. This maneuver, called “haunches-in” or “hips-in,” is a great tool for positioning your horse to take the correct lead when you ask for the canter. Once you master the technique, you’ll be able to make that slight adjustment in your horse’s hip position that will almost guarantee that he pushes off with his outside hind foot.
Time to Canter
Let’s say you’ve done all your homework and
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you’re satisfied with the way your horse is responding to your cues. You’ve developed great speed control at the trot; you can move his hips and his shoulders; he halts well; and you can keep him properly positioned, relaxed and collected through transitions. Now you’re ready to start working on the canter. Begin by asking your horse for an extended trot and then urge him to go just a little faster. Don’t use a cue to ask for the canter, just encourage him to do a little bit more, squeezing with both legs, mentally turning his dial to 11 or 12. When he breaks into the canter, he’ll be doing it to give himself a break. At the extended trot, his feet have to move pretty fast. Changing his footfall pattern to a canter will actually allow him to slow his feet down. This slowdown will teach him to move quietly into the canter instead of speeding up or rushing into it. After a few strides, ease him back to the trot, and then slow him down even more, gradually bringing him to a stop. Let him stand and relax for a little rest. Then, repeat the exercise. Eventually, he’ll decide to go ahead and canter before his trot reaches its maximum speed. But don’t try to give him a specific canter cue. You’re just working on correctness and consistency at this point. If you start concentrating on getting the transition in a particular spot, you’re likely to become more aggressive in your cues, which is the last thing you want. As you work on the transition, you’ll probably find that some of them are far from perfect. Concentrate on that image of correctness. You’ll find that the quality of the transitions will improve, and occasionally, you’ll get a really good one. Keep working with that thought in mind, and the percentage of correct transitions will improve. Eventually, every time you ask your horse for a canter, he’ll give you a pretty transition.
[ training tips with john lyons ]
In The Saddle
charles hilton
when the horse’s head is at the elevation you want, leave the reins alone. that will tell the horse he did what you wanted.
Head Position Matters FEW THINGS ARE AS FRUSTRATING AS TRYING TO REASON WITH A HORSE WHOSE HEAD IS UP IN THE AIR. IT’S LIKE TRYING TO GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE ON “CROSSFIRE.” NOBODY’S LISTENING.
T
he problem goes beyond aggravating to unsafe when he’s acting goofy—and not letting you call the shots, either. There’s no steering, slowing or stopping. When a horse’s head is “high,” it’s as if his brain is experiencing a certain type of static. If the horse could talk, it seems the only word he’d say is “no.” But when he drops his head into what we’d consider a normal position, he calms down. In fact, we call the “head down” cue the “calm down” cue for that reason. Horses have head-position problems for many reasons, but solving the training element usually comes back to one simple exercise. Let’s look at the range of problems, and then we can discuss the fixes.
Problems
Pain: If a bit hurts a horse’s mouth, the horse is going to try to evade any bit action. Bit comfort may be a matter of the size or
shape of the bit, or it may have to do with the condition of a horse’s mouth. If a horse is having tooth problems, for instance, no bit is going to be comfortable for him. We’ll walk you through the training steps, but if your horse doesn’t respond to the training, check your bit to be sure it’s smooth and not hurting him. Also, have your vet check his mouth and teeth. Observe how the horse does with the bit when he’s just standing there not being ridden. Is he quiet, or do you see signs of discomfort? If it’s the latter, then training isn’t going to solve the problem. Then there’s lameness. Quite often a horse who’s uncomfortable will raise his head, just as you’d stiffen your neck if you were walking with a twisted knee or other pain. Occasionally, a horse with a lower-thannormal head position is dealing with foot pain. He may not appear lame because the pain is often in both front feet.
One way to observe how the horse carries himself and the bit is to turn the horse out, wearing the bridle, in a small corral. Watch carefully as you move the horse around, including making turns. Loose turnout in a small ring is preferable to longeing because the horse is likely to raise his head or change his balance in response to the line. Back pain can also affect how a horse carries his head. Sore feet or hocks often show up as if the horse has a backache. The horse can also have a sore back because of a pulled muscle or an ill-fitting saddle. Sometimes a saddle appears to fit correctly when it’s just sitting on the horse’s back. But when it’s cinched up, the rider’s weight is added to it and the horse moves, the fit may be different. You might borrow a different saddle (don’t just pad up the one you have) and see if that solves the horse’s problem. If not, talk with your vet about other possible causes of pain. Habit: Some horses are in the habit of carrying their heads in awkward positions. They may have learned to do that when they were dealing with a physical problem or perhaps in response to a particular rider’s style. Maybe they were never taught how to best carry a rider. Regardless, the habit can be changed with training. But realize that, like most habits, it will take work to replace the old habit with a new one. When you change a horse’s head position, the rest of his body changes, too. When a horse carries his head too high, he is probably bracing his back (sometimes referred to as being inverted), and often his hind feet stay behind him, pushing him forward. When the horse is in good position, he rounds his back, and that allows his hind feet to step farther under him and carry, more than push, him forward. As you can imagine, though, making a big postural change is hard on muscles, even if it’s from a bad position to a better one. When the back muscles start to hurt, guess what the the best of john lyons
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photos charleshilton
The horse is likely to move your hand or drag the rein through your hand if you hold it up in the air.
horse is going to do? Raise his head. So when you work with your horse to change his habit, keep in mind that his muscles will protest, and keep your work sessions short at first. Excitement or Fear: When a horse is on alert or excited, he’s going to raise his head. That’s natural. But you don’t want him to be so scared or excited that he can’t think straight. Aside from control problems, he’s much more likely to injure himself or to be uncoordinated and hit one foot into another. He’ll be much bouncier to ride and much more likely to have a big spook reaction. So you’ll want to develop a cue to tell him to “calm down.” That’s a simple matter of training, as we’ll describe below. Ignorance: Just as people aren’t born knowing how to read, horses aren’t born knowing what position to hold their heads in when carrying a rider. And just as you can’t scold someone who was never taught to read, you can’t legitimately scold your horse for not holding his head where you want it. Fortunately, training head position is a lot less complicated than teaching reading.
the horse uses his head and neck for balance for the various jobs. We want the horse’s head at a height where he can comfortably carry a rider and navigate the terrain. He has to be able to see where he’s going, and to balance his load. Depending on the job he has to do, he may need more or less adjustability. For instance a jumper or pack horse requires more up-and-down use of his neck than a western pleasure horse. We’ll work on training the elevation in this
Good Head Position
Before figuring out how to solve a problem, we have to determine the behavior we want. Different sports require the horse to carry his head in different positions. That’s because When the horse’s head goes too low, use the same rein to ask him to “give” up. 14
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John has braced his right hand against the saddle, so that Stretch doesn’t get him to move it unintentionally.
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lesson. Once you’ve taught the cue, you can adjust the height easily. We also want the horse to carry his head evenly, with both ears about the same distance from the ground. We don’t want the horse’s head tipped to one side or the other. Frequent changes of direction with a complete release of the rein will take care of this automatically on most horses, unless there’s a bit or mouth problem. Then whether the horse’s nose is poked out
Once the horse has been through the lesson, he’ll know whether you want his head up or down as you pick up the rein.
everything. Continue using one rein to ask the horse to drop his head, until you can put his head down by his knees.
charles hilton
Give Up
or his chin is tucked back toward his chest is a matter for you to decide according to the horse’s conformation and his job. Generally speaking, most horses benefit from having some collection. That way, they can stretch out as need be, but they have better carrying ability.
Give Down
Using a simple snaffle bit, we’re going to “talk” to one side of the horse’s mouth at a time, conditioning it to respond to the rein on that side. Once you’ve taught each rein separately, you can mix and match according to the level of control you need. For now, we’re going to concentrate on teaching the horse to “give”— the word we use for “respond to”—the rein. In order to do that, you have to consciously stop thinking about the rein mechanically and start thinking about it as a communication tool. Begin this lesson in an area where you don’t have to steer much, and without too many distractions. With the horse walking forward, look at the tip of the horse’s ear. Notice how high it is—as if you were going to measure it against a doorpost, the way people do as their kids age. Now slide your left hand down the left rein until it’s about six to eight inches in front of the saddle. Grasp the rein and bring it back to your saddle, taking the slack out of the rein as you do. Hold it against your saddle, and focus on the tip of the horse’s ear. The horse will likely bring his head to the left, which is fine. As he does that, the horse’s head will drop about a half-inch. When that
happens, let go of the rein (as in open your fingers and let it go). You can immediately pick up the rein again, but that generous release is important for letting the horse know he did what you wanted. Pick up the left rein again, and again hold steady tension on it until the horse drops his head a little bit. (It’s easiest to see the head drop by focusing on the ear.) As soon as the horse drops his head, release the rein. Your horse might not turn his head to the side or drop it right away. Instead, he’ll wonder why you have that rein and how he can get it back from you. So he may pull his head to the right. He might raise his head or try to yank the rein out of your hand. Keep your cool and try not to release or let him move your hand until you see that ear drop just a little bit. Then release generously. After about 10 times on the left, then do the same thing with the right rein. At first, you’re not going to know when to release the rein. If you think the head dropped a bit, release. You’re going to repeat this enough that the horse will figure out the pattern, so releasing a few times too early won’t hurt. But holding too long may prolong the training. If he eliminates dropping his head as the option that won him the release, he may have to try lots of other options until he tries the head drop again. Ask him to drop his head, then leave the reins alone until the horse raises his head again. You can work with him at the walk or the trot with this lesson, but begin at the walk until you’ve figured out how to coordinate
Obviously, you’re not going to ride your horse with his nose by his knees, but you should work with the exercise enough that you can put it there. When the horse is excited, the same cue that dropped his head to his knees in practice will drop his head about two inches. But then you can ask for another two inches, and another two and so forth until you have the horse under good control. What if your horse naturally holds his head too low? Or maybe he thinks that he’s supposed to carry it low, now that you’ve worked through this lesson? Use the same system to tell him to raise it. Since you didn’t pull the horse’s head down, you’re not going to pull it up. Hold light tension on one rein and think about your horse raising his head. He’ll probably give down first. When you don’t release, he’ll wonder what you want and he’ll try other options. One of them will be to raise his head. When he does, release the rein. You’ve just taught him to “give up.” It will seem like the same cue to you as “give down,” but the horse will recognize the subtle difference in you as you give the cue. That said, the horse will be confused at first, but that’s OK. Because you release the rein each time, he won’t get too frustrated, and any confusion will resolve itself in a few minutes, if you stay consistent. He’ll know there’s a solution nearby, and he’ll be motivated to find it.
Head Carriage Help • Horses usually have to be taught good head position. • Consider whether a horse’s head is too high because he’s compensating for pain. • Rule out lameness or back pain. • Check for bit and saddle fit. • Teach the head down cue either from the ground or the saddle. • Leave the horse alone when he’s doing what you want. the best of john lyons
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Equine Affaire, MA
come and visit John and Jody Lyons at their booth in the Mallary North building following each demonstration. Get answers to your training questions !!
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Two Booth Locations in Mallary Complex Come and visit John in the Youth Pavillion-Mallary South where his horse Gracie will be displayed each day in the Celebrity Horse Showcase Demonstration times will be: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Thur-Sat and 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm on Sunday
Thursday, November 10th 12:00pm-12:30pm Coliseum (Warm room) Versatile Horse & Rider Competition -Competitor's meeting (with officials -Judge) Thursday, November 10th 1:30pm-3:00pm Mallary South Arena Creating a Calm, Willing & Happy Trail Horse Thursday, November 10th 4:45pm-6:45pm Coliseum Versatile Horse & Rider Competition -Qualifying Round I (Judge) Friday, November 11th 1:00pm-2:30pm Mallary South Arena Managing the Spooky Horse: Exercises to Help Your Horse Safely Overcome Its Fear Friday, November 11th 4:45pm-6:45pm Coliseum Versatile Horse & Rider Competition -Qualifying Round II (Judge) Horseman’s Yankee Pedlar Booth Saturday 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Saturday, November 12th 1:30pm-3:00pm Mallary South Arena The Best Start for the Unbroke Horse: Beginning the Horse’s Training Saturday, November 12th 5:00pm-6:45pm Coliseum Experience John Lyons in 4D With A Total Makeover: Reigniting Your Passion for Your Horse Sunday, November 13th 9:15am-11:00am Coliseum Versatile Horse & Rider Competition -Championship Round (Judge) Sunday, November 13th 11:30am-1:00pm Mallary South Arena Speed Control: 10 Exercises to Help You Gain Better Control of Your Horse’s Speed & Direction Sunday, November 13th 3:30pm-5:00pm Mallary South Arena Overcoming Problems & Gaining Your Horse’s Respect: Solutions for Barn & Buddy Sour, Directional Control & Other Behaviors
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