Lyons Equine Services

01/17/2024

Disassemble a western saddle with me:

01/08/2024

Check out the comparison image below:
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Is posture a fundamental factor in the clinical relevance of kissing spine?

This image is powerful! We can clearly see the effects of spinal posture on the proximity of the spinal processes!

But what we might not be aware of is just how much horses live in a “hollow back” posture!

This spinal posture is created by biomechanics, the functional link between the entire topline from the position of the head and neck to the position of the pelvic region.

But also this posture is perpetuated by horses living in a constant sympathetic state and many other factors of domestication, feeding, confinement, hoof balance and human interference on major proprioception centres!

Join Dr Neidhart and myself as we delve into understanding kissing spines

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/kissing-spines

Thanks to Tuskey Dressage for the image 🙌

01/06/2024

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
When Winter storms are in the forecast with reduced visibility, accessibility & events occurring such as power outages — we have a plan in place that makes those difficult times more bearable & manageable.
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We teach our professional apprentices this method of preparation that is an equine employer’s dream. We also teach our students who have horses at home & students who are keen on master equine husbandry. Below are some of our key points in our programs:

Power Surge: Unplug unnecessary electric items & opt for surge protection accessories. A power surge can destroy valuable equipment.
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Foot Traffic: Remove debris from aisle ways & high traffic areas to avoid injury in the dark.
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Overall Visibility: If you need to read instructions to prep grain for example, pre mix a couple days worth of grain, if not 1 or 2 meals with all additives, meds if fed, supplements etc.
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Accessibility: To improve efficiency in a non efficient situation, have essentials easily accessible - ie. hay, shavings mucking tools etc. Not only will it be faster to access items in the dark - it will be safer. A great example is to throw down a few bales of hay from the loft in advance of a storm.
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Snow Removal: prepare for the worst. What is the plan if nothing motorized will start? The plan is to plan ahead.
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WATER: A lot of small & large farms use well water - you may lose access to running water. Or water lines may freeze with hydro & heat. Get some buckets & lids and fill them up in advance. You will need to store them somewhere where they won’t freeze. Water is the most important prep.
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Equipment & Machinery: Park indoors or under a covered area. Tarp open motors & plug anything in etc.
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Feed: Be sure to have an excess supply of any feed if used. Feed stores may be unable to open without power.
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Equine Traction Control: If ice is present it becomes top priority to have horses outdoors able to move safely & access forage & water 24/7. Manure & used bedding makes for an effective & readily produced, available & inexpensive option for traction control.
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Emergency Accessibility: It’s important to be accessible should an emergency occur. It’s a meme in our community that horses have a way of falling ill at the absolute worst time. There’s also the thought to other emergency services such as fire & ambulance etc.

Share with your friends - so no one is stuck out in the cold with a hammer in one hand & a frozen water bucket in the other, with 12 more to go. 😭

AVAILABLE FOR CLINICS
Master Horsemanship | Master Husbandry | Design&Logistics

Lyons Equine Services offers top-notch horse training services and horsemanship clinics for riders of all levels. Trust our expert horse trainer to help you and your horse achieve your goals.

12/28/2023

A good sense of humor and patience are the perfect emotions to have while riding. Laughing off any challenges and being patient with yourself and your horse can make your time in the saddle enjoyable and rewarding. 🐴

12/24/2023

D e c k i n g t h e S t a l l s 2 0 2 3
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From our family to yours, two legged & four,
M e r r y C h r i s t m a s & H a p p y
H o l i d a y s
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Thank you to everyone who supported our small business this year. We appreciate each & every one of you.

12/18/2023

December 2023

11/24/2023

Good🌅Morning

11/22/2023

N o v e m b e r B l o g P u b l i s h e d !
• Follow the link below to check it out •

Have you ever struggled to find additional time in your busy schedule to keep your horse consistent? Noticing some backsliding as a result? We all do from time to time for a multitude of reasons — career, family, injury, illness, lack of confidence, vacations, poor footing conditions, weather & many, many more. We ran an experiment in real time that anyone who cares for their own horse could execute & the results might surprise you.

For more information on our professional services — inquiries can be directed to:
www.lyonsequineservices.com
[email protected]

Colborne, Ontario, Canada
By Appointment Only Please

BLOG:
Thoughts While the Water Trough Fills Vol. 5
https://lyonsequineservices.com/b-l-o-g/f/thoughts-while-the-water-trough-fills-vol-5

10/31/2023

B O O - P !
💀 🎃 👻
Happy Halloween

10/27/2023

🎯Bang On

It’s not uncommon for me to teach one lesson to a student and then, to never see her again. I say ‘her’ because it’s very rarely, in my neck of the woods, that men will take basic horsemanship lessons.

I may have thought that we got along well and that my teaching had been respectful and encouraging. I may have seen a distinct improvement in how the horse is working and the rapport between horse and rider from the lesson’s start, to its end. All this and yet, I know that this lesson will very likely be a one ‘n’ only.

The simple reason is that not everyone is ‘our people’. We all have our own goals.

This can be a hard lesson to learn but if we’re in the business of educating, learn it, we must. Everyone who is looking for a teacher is looking for something different. Most everyone who is teaching is offering similar information, with a unique delivery. A surprising number of people want to ride with a particular name and then, move on to ride with the next. Most of us just want to make the greatest strides in whatever time is availed us.

I’m a person who teaches little more than the basics. Over and over, again. I have spent my whole life with horses, polishing up fundamentals that I can remember first learning four, even five, decades ago. Some things that I pass along, I learned last week.

I’ve learned that maybe half of the people who call me and haul in for lessons, are finished after the first one. This used to bother me, until I realized that it was a thing. That the average beginning-to-intermediate rider craves going on to the higher levels quickly, while the advanced riders, naturally in the minority of people taking lessons, want to nail the basics until they become second nature. Until they become like breathing.

Until the fundamentals can be done with a maximum of feeling and a minimum of conscious thought.

Now, it’s true that the more advanced riders are generally always bringing on young or green horses. This keeps the same old, same old feeling ever fresh. When you are constantly in the realm of making the next good horse, there is very little time or opportunity to feel bored. I say, tired of doing the same little exercises? Show up in a strange arena on a spicy three-year-old!

Whenever we ride with a new teacher, there should be a lot of going back to basics. This means that the horse and rider who come ‘just to work on lead changes’ may well spend the entire hour working on rider position and body control. If this gets going in the right direction, we might spend time on improving bend, or relaxation of the horse, or acceptance of the bridle, or…

Often, their goal isn’t even on the menu that first day. It might be visited the next lesson later, or maybe—and this happened long ago, with my own teacher and a running fool of an off-track Thoroughbred—the next year!

Slowing things down isn’t a stalling tactic, meant to make your coach more money, nor is it usually an oversight. Those of us who teach this way tend to solve major problems with little fixes. We’re big on seeking the 1% improvement with each ride. One student, after being gently reminded of this, stopped dead in her tracks.

“You mean, I have to work on this, at least one hundred times?!” Surprisingly, she became a regular student.

I may ask you to spend a disappointing amount of time at the walk, just guiding the horse, shaping different parts of his body with your own. Maybe, we’ll seek sustained cantering without any contact whatsoever, until the horse learns how to handle his own body and speed control, without rider input. Until you learn to leave him alone. This fundamental step isn’t pretty, or graceful, and it has precious little to do with riding the horse ‘on the bit’.

When we’re peeling layers, it isn’t uncommon to have the feeling that we’re actually going backwards. Many times, things get a bit ugly before they get better.

As a naturally ‘feely’ rider, the geometry of riding in a school never fails to challenge me. Always trying to marry sensation with precision, I have never once schooled my horses and grown bored. Never once.

Long ago, I learned that the better my horse understands me, the better and safer we will be, out in the real world.

To my horse and me, this fundamental work represents the deposits in our joint account. We will draw upon them, time and again. I know, all too well, what happens should I make only withdrawals upon this same horse, for the sensitive personality who does nothing but mentally and physically demanding work, day after day, will soon start to come undone.

The longer we’ve ridden and the more we know—the more ‘expert’ we become, if we even dare breathe such a word—it seems the more we’ll crave revisiting our basics. The students who come back to me, year after year, tend to be those who have ridden for a long time, people who want to go back and make a study of their foundation. We ride, experiment, discuss. This is especially true with the same six or eight students who join me weekly to ride with our own trusted mentor. We know what’s coming. We hear his voice in our heads, before he speaks. We fine tune, we improve, we do it all again with the next young horse…

At first, riding is all about the destination. We want to arrive already, before we run out of time! By the end, we’re entirely immersed in the journey. Whether we’re opening a gate from the saddle, cantering to a lead change, or loading our horse in the trailer, it’s no longer enough for us that we can…

By going back to our basics, we can see to which point we are right and where, exactly, we begin to go wrong. Whatever our questions and answers, are we in full agreement, with full understanding? Are we simpatico? Are we correct? Are we soft?

📷 Ramblin’ Rose Creative.

10/27/2023

H o r s e s & H o m e s t e a d i n ‘
Autumn Stroll on the Farm: Hoards of Gourds!
2023

10/14/2023

👋
A u t u m n 2 0 2 3

09/14/2023

A l l T i e d U p

Tying is a fundamental skill that every horse should know — & will need throughout the course of their life regardless of their age, breed, discipline or level of fitness etc.

If taught correctly, the horse should be capable of straight tying, cross tying, high-line tying, ground tying etc.

This skill is “tied” to:

• T r a i n i n g - tying is taught first & foremost at the very foundation level of horsemanship at the halter starting phase. A lot of times if this connection is not made during halter starting, problems with tying down the road can & will occur. This skill however can always be revisited & reformed - it just may take longer as you will need to identify gaps in education (both in the horse & horseman) & address those gaps.

• S a f e t y - if the horse does not fully understand what is expected of them while tying they run many risks resulting in avoidable injury including but not limited to: feeling stuck & panicking, getting caught up, injury resulting from pulling & much more. Example: speak to your body worker & they will be able to tell you how common pole related pain & injury occurs as a result of horses pulling back while tied. Unfortunately it’s a lot more common than one may think.

• R o u t i n e - skills like tying are best practiced routinely & intentionally. The best time to practice a fundamental skill is not at the time of ex*****on, but intentionally in the weeks prior to ex*****on. Example: don’t expect to teach your horse to stand tied for the farrier the day before he or she is scheduled to work on your horse.

• C o n v e n i e n c e - this skill is utilized everyday with your horse & it is likely that the occurrence of convenient tying may outweigh riding for example: your horse needs to stand tied twice (tacking & untacking) for every one ride. Other examples: grooming, tacking/untacking, bathing, doctoring, trailering, general waiting, braiding, clipping, vetting, farrier work, body work, saddle fitting, therapeutic work etc. etc.

• M i n d s e t - beware of “good” & “good enough” when it comes to fundamental foundational skills: only a horse with a quiet mind will tie quietly. This skill also has a way of trickling out into everything you do with your horse. Example: it’s the difference between riding a horse with a quiet mind vs a horse with an unsettled mind.

Tying is taught in a variety of ways these days & you may become overwhelmed with the different advice, & resulting outcomes, you receive depending on who you interact with. What we’ve learned over the years is that when in doubt listen to your horse - & the only thing that holds more weight than advice, is success based experience.

www.lyonsequineservices.com
[email protected]

09/05/2023

P s s s t , H a v e y o u h e a r d ?

Moving forward into the Fall, as many of our clients already know — we will be starting a short hiatus in order to regroup & also refocus on furthering our own education to continue to provide the top-notch services that you all have come to expect from us. We are on a unique pursuit for additional education in order to expand & grow. When the time is right, we will be excited to announce a valuable brand new service we’ll be offering that is at the forefront of the modern equine industry. This will be a limitless addition to the pursuit of success for our clients — both two legged & four!

We want to take a moment to thank all of our clients that showed us outstanding support during the 2023 season. It has been an absolute pleasure to provide our services to each & every one of you. Inspiration is contagious & we get as much out of experiencing success with you & your horses as you tell us that you do — Thank you again!

We will still be available for inquiries & active online & on our business’ socials - but it will be limited in comparison to our regular operation. Thank you for your patience as we move forward & grow. We look forward to reconnecting with you in the Spring of 2024 upon announcing our official return to regular operations.

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”
-Socrates

09/02/2023

Wishing you all a safe & happy Labour Day weekend!

08/30/2023

A u g u s t Q & A S u b m i s s i o n :
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What are the most important things when it comes to owning & caring for horses at home?

For better or worse, humans have a profound impact on horses & that’s true since domestication. Sometimes we have a tendency to over complicate matters with our horses. About 99% of the time it seems to come from a really genuine place that means well — but sometimes misses the mark all together & really muddies the waters for our beloved equine companions.

This is a GREAT question & I’m going to keep it extremely simple on a foundation level of what —
e v e r y s i n g l e horse needs, regardless of age, breed, discipline, training level, history, location etc. etc. —

For a well rounded horse physically, mentally & emotionally provide the —
“Four Fundamental F’s”:

Forage, Friends, Freshwater & Freedom
Don’t over complicate it.

08/29/2023

check out this side-by-side
C O M P A R I S O N
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Finding, identifying & utilizing the horse & rider’s central axis — regardless of discipline — is the only way to accomplish the following under saddle:
- Correct Equitation
- Confidence
- Pliable Seat
- Balance in Motion
- Straightness
- Stability
- Collection
- Cause Zero Pain in Horse & Rider
- Prolong the Life of your Horse Under Saddle
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There are a few different, oftentimes unintentional, reasons why you & your horse may find your collective central axis elusive: ill fitting saddle (for both horse &/or rider), incorrect rider positioning, weak core strength, poor balance or crookedness to name just a few. The issue can also be a combination of a few causes.
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Professional’s Tip: At first, your natural positioning is much easier to identify visually as opposed to relying on feel alone, especially while in motion. Try videoing your rides to assist you in identifying any core issues within your riding. Need more help?
www.lyonsequineservices.com

08/28/2023

🎓
C o n s i s t e n c y = S u c c e s s
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If the Devil lives in the details — horses & effective horse people thrive in good basics & a solid foundation. It’s not always the most exciting work to an outsider or bystander — but down the road it leads to absolutely exciting & achievable milestones that previously seemed unattainable.
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These two are a shining example of how starting at the beginning with a humble goal, filling in the blanks along the way & a can do positive attitude — can transport you & your horse into a new reality of possibilities. It’s been an absolute pleasure working along side these two, watching them develop a deep relationship & connection both on the ground & in the saddle.
www.lyonsequineservices.com