John Lyons' Riding Manual Overview...

The Riding Manual is a unique educational source. You will find detailed lesson plans – 18 in all. When the groundwork is done and you are ready to ride, this is a resource that is designed to help you move on to the next level in your training progression. For the already trained horse or one that has been started under saddle, you will find that this manual and its lesson format will help to continue to develop and refined skills in your horse’s performance.

This publication is new - Spring of 2004.

What you will find in this manual is a detailed lesson plan and then video (DVD format) to compliment the written instruction. It is extremely important that you read and study the written material. This will help you to understand fully what you are going to view in the video portion. The video demonstrations are done on trained horses. You will see a step-by-step progression of each lesson. Using trained horses gives you a visual picture of what is expected for each step before you move on.


The lessons in this publication are divided into five Sections (sorry – not sold separately). Below you will see the breakdown of the sections.

Section 1 - Training Essentials
It is the philosophy and the principles behind the exercises that will give you the success that you are looking for. You will find the following important information in the manual:

Are you ready to ride? Is your horse ready to be ridden?; What Gives?; The Release/The Reward; Communication; What is Light?; Your Concentration – Focus on Control; Start Looking and Start Asking; The Reins – What signals do they send?; Hand placement; Hand speed; Cues and Priorities; Collection; Transitions; What parts do you work with the most; Attributes of the horse; Take the groundwork to riding; Training progression; Develop your own lesson plan; Equipment

Section 2 – Lessons 1 - 4
The Bridle – Teaching the Language of the Bridle to Establish Control; Connect the Rein to the Hip – From a Standstill; Go Forward Cue and Connect the Rein to the Hip; Connect the Rein to the Shoulders

Section 3 – Lessons 5 - 8
Calm Down Cue – The Demand Cue; Emotional Training; “New” Saddling Lesson; First Mounting

Section 4 – Lessons 9 - 13
Getting the Horse to Walk Off – While Carrying the Rider Using the Bridle; Teaching the “Go Forward” Cue with Your Legs; Perfect Shoulder Movement – While Riding; Straight, Collected Stops and Backing Up; Directional Control – Serpentine Exercise

 Section 5 – Lessons 14 - 18
The Collected Trot; Three Step Exercise; Crossing Obstacles; Lead Preparation – Hips In; The Collected Canter

Inside you will also find:

• A Teaching Preparation page that contains these particulars: an overview of the lesson; what the observable response will be; equipment needed; and additional important points.
• A Lesson Plan - a detailed, step-by-step lesson with pictures and diagrams.
• A DVD segment – a demonstration and further explanation of the lesson.
• Lastly, there is a Check Sheet to record your progress for the day.

Sections not sold separately
NY residents pay % sales tax
Free T-Shirt with the purchase manual
See below about price matching**

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