horsemanship Archives - Page 2 of 3

Lyons Legacy Latest – December 2023 Newsletter

Posted on January 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Kristen Bosgraf

The Holiday Season is upon us and we would like to take some time to reflect on this past year. Josh has been across the country conducting clinics in AZ, MO, KY, ND, CO, MI, PA, ME, NC, and FL! Some truly special people have come into our lives along the way, and for that we are so blessed. We have had riders of all ages show us amazing dedication to not only their horse’s continued education, but also their own. Thank you, each and every person who supported Lyons Legacy in 2023, and most especially, thank you to ALL of our host facilities!

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ON CLINICS!

Get your registration and deposit submitted by January 31, 2024 for any 2024 Josh Lyons clinic and receive our Lyons Legacy Trainers Clinic course from our Online Training program FREE
Make 2024 the year you improve your horsemanship and start to #ridelikealyons!

Josh will be participating in the 2024 Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair! You can read more about the fair and claim your FREE ticket in our blog titled Art of the Horseman 2024 Online Horse Fair. Click the picture to read more!

We have heard your feedback and will be making a few changes to the Zoom experience! You can expect to see a regularly scheduled day and time, twice a month, as well as a more focused, topic based conversation. Click the picture to learn more about the Lyons Legacy Online Training program!

Ready to pursue a career with horses? Join us in 2024 to earn your certification! We are excited to announce our Colorado programs will be held at Boon Ranch in Fort Morgan, CO. You can learn more about this location on our Colorado Campus page. We are still taking applications for these upcoming classes:

John & Josh Lyons Certification Program – April 29, 2024 – June 7, 2024
John & Josh Lyons Certification Program – Aug. 5, 2024 – Sept. 13, 2024
Josh Lyons Accreditation Program – Aug. 19, 2024 – Sept. 27, 2024

Remember, only our Colorado campus classes are eligible to receive Veterans Education Benefits. Classes are limited to just 10 students – don’t delay, enroll today!

Art of the Horseman 2024 Online Horse Fair

Posted on December 22, 2023December 22, 2023 by Kristen Bosgraf

What is Art of the Horseman?

The Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair is an online resource for horse enthusiasts to seek valuable knowledge from a wide variety of professionals in the comfort of their own home. Created by Jack and Paula Curtis, their goal was to make educational opportunities more accessible to the masses as they found over the years that a well-rounded education was essential. The line up of presenters includes trainers from all disciplines, veternarians, farriers, and much more!

In 2024, our own Josh Lyons will be included in the lineup! This is a great opportunity to get a taste of our Lyons Legacy Online Training Program as well as useful content from so many other great presenters. You can view the fair for 2 Days ONLY, January 29th and 30th, 2024 at 9:00 AM CST. There is so much information available, you may need or want more time to learn. The Art of the Horseman offers monthly and lifetime access as well! Take advantage of FREE ACCESS for two days only to get a taste of what this fair has to offer.

Unique Opportunity to Learn with John Lyons

Posted on December 18, 2023December 18, 2023 by Kristen Bosgraf

If working with John Lyons is on your bucket list – 2024 is your year! John is offering several opportunities to experience his conditioned response training system first hand.

Two Week Intensive in North Carolina

It’s not a clinic with 10 riders over 4 days and greatly varied rider levels. It’s an in-depth, detailed course in effectively changing your concepts in traditional training. Spend one on one time with possibly one of the best creative thinkers in training. This course will only accept three qualified riders to participate. Upon completion, you will receive a certificate of completion in recognition of your accomplishment!

The course starts on January 5, 2024. The cost is $10,000. Stalls are included. Bedding, feed and cleaning are not included. The course will be conducted out of Michael Lyons Horsemanship facility in Randleman, NC. Cabins are available at an additional charge of $750 for the two weeks.

CALL John Lyons directly at 970-366-2856 to inquire. Two spots currently open!

Did you know the following?

-40 different performance related benefits come from the hind quarters

-7 come from the shoulders

-3 come from the head, neck and mouth

-The head and neck are like a Christmas tree ornament; no wrong place to hang it but never use it for directional control, speed control, or to increase speed.

-Suppling or giving to the bit always takes out performance

-Softening of the mouth using the mouth is counterproductive and looses performance

-The mouth is never the part of the horse that is pulling on the bit.

-100% of every maneuver we do with the horse should involve the hindquarters first. Legs to control the hindquarters are ineffective 80% of the time. Therefore we just give up on using or involving the hind quarters

-99% plus riders use only the nose and mouth to guide and control their horse.

-The rider should be riding an 11” horse not a ten foot horse.

-The tail of the horse will teach the horse directional control 100% better and 50 times faster than the mouth

-The difference between aids. What controls direction what controls speed and what happens when we miss use or mix them up. What does what?

-99.9% of all riders can not effectively control the elevation of the horse’s head at any or all speeds. Nor the hind quarters or shoulders.

-What is the formula for increasing and improving performance?

-Overuse of our aids leads to more lack of control.

-We can greatly simplify our cue system while making it far more effective and teaching the horse much faster.

-Never ride an unbroke horse always ride a performance horse. Never warm up a horse.

-Goals are never distance

-Effectively eliminating working on negative behaviors while strengthening the bond and relationship with the horse.

-How can I get my horse to love being with me?

All of the above will be covered in-depth during the two week training program. Your investment in your learning will be repaid 1000 times over. This is not a clinic, it is an individual special course opening up a complete change in your training.

John Lyons Clinic Opportunities

Colorado Campus moves to Fort Morgan

Posted on December 13, 2023December 13, 2023 by Kristen Bosgraf

Big news – we are moving our Colorado campus from Grand Junction to Fort Morgan! The opportunity to take advantage of a private facility was too good to pass up. Boon Ranch is just 10 minutes outside of Fort Morgan, offering our students a wide variety of local accommodations and attractions. Additionally, there are some hookup options right on site for students that hope to utilize their LQ trailer or RV! Take a look at these amenities:

We feel so very blessed to embark on this new endeavor with Boon Ranch! Hosting our programs at a private facility gives our students an intimate environment where they can focus on their progression without feeling like they are on public display. Thank you Boon Ranch!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

NRHA Futurity News

Posted on November 30, 2023November 30, 2023 by Kristen Bosgraf

Max Morin at the NRHA Futurity

Nothing makes us prouder than seeing our graduates succeed! Max Morin completed both the Certification and Accreditation programs in addition to becoming the first Master Trainer representing the Lyons Legacy philosophy and training methods. He has focused his career on reining and found his calling! Max is currently competing in the NRHA Futurity in OKC with MAGNUM WIMPYS DREAM aka Rocco. Read more in the article as seen on the NRHA website:

The Stage is Set for Record-Breaking NRHA Futurity Finals!

Reiners brought the heat in their last chance to make it to the National Reining Horse Association Futurity finals. More entries and higher payouts brought the best out of 3-year-old reiners and their riders.

More than $2.9 million will be paid out, breaking the 2022 record for riders in Non Pro and Open divisions in the Jim Norick Coliseum.

Once again, the Level 4 Open exhibitors will be competing for an impressive $350,000 first-place prize during the MS Diamonds TX L4 Open Futurity Finals. The reserve champion will win a guaranteed $150,000, and third place will bank $100,000.

The CINCH Non Pro Level 4 is also lucrative, with the Champion leaving the Sooner State with $75,000, the Reserve winner earning $45,000, and third taking a cool $35,000.

Andrea Fappani Leads Field of Open Finalists on Inferno Thirty Five

A competitive field of 3-year-old horses and their riders tested their skills Nov. 29 in the Jim Norick Coliseum for the Level 4 Open Semi-Finals sponsored by Not Ruf At All, hoping to put together a second solid run that would earn them a trip to the MS Diamonds TX Level 4 Open Finals on Dec. 2. All day, scores kept going up and up, as riders added the semifinal scores to their first-round scores for composites that indicate consistency as well as fiery talent.

The NRHA’s only Eight Million Dollar Rider, Andrea Fappani, rode Stephen Archer’s Inferno Thirty Five to the highest composite score of the Level 4 Open Semi-Finals, presented by Not Ruf At All, with a 443.5.

Inferno Thirty Five is a 2020 stallion sired by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Inferno Sixty Six and out of Madeof Pure Spangled by Star Spangled Whiz. Mary A. Jansma nominated the horse bred by Cardinal Hill Training Center. The horse already has $100,000 in lifetime earnings thanks to a win at The Invitational at the 100X Reining Classic.

Luca Fappani took the top spot in Levels 2 and 3 on Playing With Da Boys, a 2020 mare sired by NRHA Five Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of the Gunner mare My Berry Best Gun. Neiberger-Camp Partnership owns Playing With Da Boys, who already has earnings of more than $3,800 through the 100X Reining Classic. The composite score was 442, and Fappani will advance in Level 4 also.

In Level 1, Maxime Morin set the pace on his own horse Magnum Wimpys Dream, with a 437 composite. The 2020 stallion is sired by NRHA Nine Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream and out of Wimpys Little Lassie by Wimpys Little Step. He was bred and nominated by Henry Knox. The horse has $4,776 in earnings through the Southwest Reining Horse Association Futurity and the Warm Up 3 Futurity sponsored by Snipers Smoking Gun.

NRHA Seven Million Dollar Rider Shawn Flarida received the top composite score of 442.5 in Prime Time on Spooks Gotta Homerun, a 2020 stallion sired by Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of A Ruf Mistress by Lil Ruf Peppy. The horse was nominated by Tracy Cole and bred by Larry Weihing. He has lifetime earnings of more than $15,000 through the North American Reining Stakes Futurity and the High Roller Reining Classic Futurity.

Bubbles for Advancing to the Open Futurity Finals:

MS Diamonds TX Level 4 – 437

Level 3 – 433

Level 2 – 428

Level 1 – 419

Prime Time – 434.5 (with handicap)

Riders Advance from CINCH Non Pro Futurity Consolation

Although the NRHA CINCH Non Pro Futurity preliminary round concluded Monday, Nov. 27, riders who barely missed qualifying for the finals still had a chance to advance.

That’s because the CINCH Non Pro Futurity Consolation round gives entries that last chance needed to secure a spot in the Finals. In the consolation, the top five from each of the four Levels move on to Friday’s competition.

Topping the Level 4 were NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider Mandy McCutcheon and Stephanie Porath, tying with an impressive 218.5. McCutcheon rode Arylosa, a mare she owns with NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider and Owner Tom McCutcheon, nominated by Euro-Vets Inc., by Arlosa Whiz and out of Spooky Lil Chex, while Porath was aboard Gunna Prosper, a stallion she owns and nominated with her husband, Jackson Porath. The stallion is by NRHA Ten Million Dollar Sire Gunnatrashya and out of Whizen Starlight.

In the Level 3, it was Robert Peterson and TR Ice On Fire who claimed the lead with a 214. TR Ice On Fire is a gelding owned by Goose Creek Ranch LLC and nominated by Tamarack Ranch, by NRHA Million Dollar Sire SG Frozen Enterprize and out of Wallawhizagun.

The Level 2 lead was secured by Kristen Avila, riding A Spook In Hollywood, a horse she owns and nominated herself. The stallion is by NRHA Three Million Dollar Sire Hollywoodstinseltown and out of Lucky Lil Spook, for a score of 211.

Taking the Level 1 was Delacy Hubbard, aboard HF Freeze Brand, for a 214. HF Freeze Brand is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire SG Frozen Enterprize and out of HF Mobscar, nominated by Heritage Farms.

Bubbles to Advance out of CINCH Non Pro Futurity Consolation:

Level 4 – 215

Level 3 – 211

Level 2 – 209

Level 1 – 209

Draw positions for the finals will be decided during the Platinum Performance Draw Party at 8 a.m. Thursday in the Sale Arena.

Complete results, draws, schedules, and more can be found at NRHAFuturity.com.

Horse Trainer Highlight

Posted on November 16, 2023November 16, 2023 by Kristen Bosgraf

Breakthrough Horsemanship - Alisha Anderson

Alisha Anderson has two passions. Teaching – and horses!

Currently she’s on the road assisting with Josh Lyons clinics and traveling around the country. She has combined those passions into the career she hopes to follow for years to come.

Working with Josh happened ‘by the Grace of God’ and she’s thankful for the opportunity, she says. She graduated from the Josh Lyons Accreditation Program in 2023 and has plans to also complete the John & Josh Lyons Certification Program in April 2024.

While the Josh Lyons training helped Alisha hone her skills, she bought her first horse years before while serving in the Air Force and stationed in North Dakota. Her love of horses started as a youngster when she lived on a farm for a time. She took riding lessons even after her family moved off the farm and into an apartment. She said she worked on a dairy farm as a teenager and saved her money to help pay for the lessons.

Her goal has been a career centered around horses. She admits she’s still figuring it out. Her business, Breakthrough Horsemanship, offers travel lessons as well as horse training.

“I love teaching and I have a passion for that. I missed working with students,” she said about her time worked as an instructor in the Air Force. “I like what I’m doing now because I participate in clinics and private lessons – and I like the travel. From here it’s a matter of figuring out when and where.”

She credits her own love of learning and working with others to getting her where she is today.

“I attended clinics and did all I could to learn and network,” she said. “I enjoy teaching – and horses – and I enjoy putting the two together.”

Find out more about Josh Lyons clinics and their upcoming dates and locations at joshlyons.com

Spanish Cowhorse & Performance Horses - Angel Ramirez

Angel Ramirez is just 17 years old, but she’s already completed the Josh Lyons Accreditation Program, becoming the second generation in her family to do so.

And she knows what she wants for her future – continuing to operate the family ranch with the help of her sisters.

In the meantime, she is continuing her training and she loves competing.

“Josh Lyons has been a family friend for 20 years and my mom trained with him back in 2002,” she said. “It’s an awesome community to be around so it was a no brainer to be trained by him.”

Her family’s ranch is home to 400 cattle and it’s located in Montana, about 30 miles outside of Billings.

In addition to working on the ranch she competes in cow horse competitions like reining and cutting. Because she is under age 18 she competes in youth classes. She started out in rodeos, competing in barrels and pole bending. She competes in non-pro classes but would like to someday compete in pro circuits, too.

“My favorite event is the open roping,” she said. “I’ve been doing that since I was 13.”

“I just love competing and the horsemanship of it,” she added. “It’s a great community and there are some good jackpots, rider earnings and horse earnings.”

Her goal is to do both ranching and competing. But for now she’s home-schooled. Her favorite subject is history and she says she’s good at math. It’s not all about books, though. Depending on the day, she might spend the day fixing fencing or helping at neighboring ranches. She likes the routine because it keeps her on her toes.

Right now she’s working on training her youngest horse. She has several quarter horses: Abilene, Pecos, Buck and Star to name a few. She prefers Quarter Horses because of their grit, athleticism, and willingness to work.

“They’re solid,” she said.

She’s continuing her work with Josh Lyons, too, including a five-day clinic this month.

No Better Cat – AKA Boon

Posted on September 7, 2023February 7, 2024 by Kristen Bosgraf

It’s not every day a horse has its own social media account – but No Better Cat (aka Boon) sure does.

The 3-year-old, red roan colt who is a son of the great Bet Hesa Cat and raised by Purina animal nutrition has quite a following, too. Over 895 Facebook followers to be exact!

Boon has had a busy summer crisscrossing the country with trainer Josh Lyons putting on clinics and performing in horse shows.

“At Josh’s clinics he gets ridden sometimes all day yet he never skips a beat,” owner Elsabe Hausauer explains on the horse’s Facebook page. “I love that riders of all ages are riding him since he is a demo horse and he will ride according to their level, whether they are 5 years old or 80.”

Recently Boon participated with Josh Lyons in the horse’s very first reining show. The duo followed up a clinic in New Hampshire with a horse show in Pennsylvania, finishing with two second place finishes and one fourth place.

“I am missing this little dude – he is one tough little horse,” Hausauer said in a post early this summer. “He is currently travelling all over the US learning and growing … Love that he can handle the pressure mentally and physically very well! Thank you Lyons family!”

Hausauer is a North Dakota AQHA Professional Horsewoman whose lifelong passion for horses has led to her family owning a ranch and offering training services, horsemanship clinics and private lessons.

She says Boon’s easy going disposition makes him one of the easiest horses she’s ever worked with. She also plans on standing him to the public for breeding purposes in 2024 and she’s pretty excited about it, writing, “Can’t wait to see his foals and their trainability, athleticism and disposition!” Her goal was to own a stallion that is not only well bred but who is also tough physically and mentally under pressure.

“He is beautiful and rides so nice … Josh is doing an incredible job with him, I feel truly blessed! Not only for Boon to get trained but for me to also keep growing in my horsemanship journey and learning so much from Josh along the way,” Hausauer said.

“I have truly found a friendship with Josh, Jana and their sons that will last a lifetime.”

Information about No Better Cat (Boon) , go to No Better Cat and find out more about Hausauer at www.themuddybootranch.com

For breeding contract information, check out Boon’s page on our website!

Photography: Sheila King and Elaina Eppinger Photography
Flyer: Allyson Johannessen

Fall Clinics with John Lyons

Posted on August 16, 2023August 16, 2023 by Kristen Bosgraf

If riding with John Lyons is on your bucket list – here is your chance! John will be conducting several clinics this fall and they are limited to just 9 riders. As always, auditors can also attend and learn from the sidelines. Cost for riders is $900, cost for auditors is $45 per day. Shoulder, hip and head control made easy – so you enjoy riding and are safer as well. Clinics run from 9am until 5pm and have an hour and a half lunch break. Day one of the clinics always starts with a rider meeting on foot before getting horses out to ride. These events will be shared on the Josh Lyons/Lyons Legacy Facebook page and are as follows:

September 14 – 17, 2023 – Woodloch Stable, Hugo MN
Call Bill and Ingvill Ramberg to reserve riding spot at 651-796-8179

September 28 – October 1, 2023 – Hardy Farms, Howell MI
Jolene Deyoung 810-569-4640 info@hardysfarm.com

October 5 – 8, 2023 – Copper Rise Ranch, Springport IN
Call Mike & Melinda Garrish 765-524-1383 to reserve a riding spot. melindagerrish@gmail.com

October 12 -15, 2023 – Cook Forest Camp Grounds, Clarion PA
To reserve riding spots call John Lyons at 970-366-2856
To reserve camping and stalls call Ray and Terrie Smith 814-226-5985

October 19 – 22, 2023 – Birchtown Stables, Forest City, PA
Michelle Eccles host and John & Josh Lyons certified Trainer. 570-267-5918. Email meccles1027@hotmail.com. CLINIC IS FULL. Observers welcome $45 per day – contact the host for more information.

November 2 – 5, 2023 – Long Island, NY
Sonny Garguilo Host, & Friend 516-790-8367
CLINIC IS FULL. Observers welcome. $45 per day – contact the host for more information.

November 9 – 12, 2023 – Long Island, NY
Sonny Garguilo Host, & Friend 516-790-8367
CLINIC IS FULL. Observers welcome. $45 per day – contact the host for more information.

November 16 – 19, 2023 – Rose Hill Ranch, Naples, NY
Jack Minteer Host 585-506-7740. Email. Rosehillranch1@gmail.com

Intensive Horse Training Workshops in Scottsdale, AZ!

Posted on October 7, 2022April 21, 2023 by Kristen Bosgraf

Attending a workshop with Josh Lyons is an incredible way to improve your horsemanship and your relationship with your horse. Workshops are designed to meet the needs of each individual rider – no student is overlooked or gets lost in a “production line”. Our small class size allows everyone to find SUCCESS!!!

During the course of 3-Day Workshops you can expect that both horse and rider will learn foundation exercises, lessons, and principals covered in the conditioned response program offered at Lyons Legacy. Riders will first and foremost learn to effectively control their horse. No matter if you have been horseback for years or rode a horse years ago, all riders have the same common goal: to improve the level of control they have in regards to the horse they are riding. Lyons Legacy is here to help you reach that goal and take your horsemanship to the next level.

The cost of our 3- Day Workshop is $900 per horse and rider. Auditors (Fence sitters) are always welcome for $25 per day.

5-Day workshops are 1 Week of totally immersive hands-on instruction. The instructor will utilize the see
one, do one, and teach one training methodology. Instruction and demonstrations will be given
during the morning and afternoon sessions. The riders will then train on their horse to perform
the exercises. Small class sizes allow coaching and evaluation to build your skills in a fun,
supportive setting.

The cost of our 5- Day Workshop is $1250 per horse and rider. Auditors (Fence sitters) are always welcome for $25 per day.

Check out our EVENTS page to find a clinic or get signed up!

Straight Talk from Students – The Accreditation Program

Posted on September 23, 2022April 21, 2023 by Kristen Bosgraf

Troy Chappell and April Scarbrough are classmates in Josh Lyons’ accreditation program. But that’s not all they have in common.

Both have had successful careers in the past – Troy as a farmer in North Dakota, April as an active duty Marine – and both now hope to start a new career training horses and helping others in the process.

“I’ve downsized and I figured I’d retire and do something I enjoy,” Troy said. “As a farmer I had horses and I’ve done tons and tons of trail riding but as I age I want to do more than just ride – I want to teach.”

Troy, 59, said he’s helped people in the past, privately, but never as a business. That’s what he wants to change with Lyons’ help.

“This program is just the best,” he said. “Josh makes you feel like family – there’s no pressure. He really helps you tune in to what you want to do.”

One technique that sticks with him is a technique that helps the horse – and rider – let go of unwanted stress. He describes taking the horse in slow, small circles and then slowly increasing speed and moving in bigger circles.

“It raises their emotions up and down … it helps to control the horse’s emotions,” he said. “There are tons of exercises to control parts of the horse’s body – it’s kind of complex, but we break it down and put it together.

“I’m just here to better myself,” Troy said. “A horse is never really finished, and as a horseman, you never stop learning – it’s kind of a lifelong thing.”

The accreditation program is a four-week, hands on course. Trainers learn to control every aspect of a horse’s performance. The program offers targeted training techniques aimed at training higher level horses and riders.

These students say the program is about the horse, but it’s about the trainer too. They say no horseman – or horse woman – is the same – you take what works for you and leave the rest.

April retired from the marines a over a year ago. At 43, she hopes to become an equine therapeutic riding instructor.

“I looked at the qualifications for an equine therapeutic riding instructor and I realized my riding was lacking,” she said. “My brother had horses and I rode as a little girl – trail rides and wagons. As an adult I tried barrel racing and also practiced dressage. But I knew I wanted to learn more.”

She knew early on the Lyons program was different.

“I’ve learned more in two weeks than I did in all the years before,” she said. “There are definitely differing skill levels, but there’s no judgement here. I’m the least experienced but it’s no big deal.”

April wants to team up with a non-profit to help treat women suffering from trauma, specifically military sexual trauma, which refers to experiences of sexual assault or sexual harassment that a Veteran experiences during military service.

“The VA has counseling and therapy but no specific activity to get them off the couch and out of their heads.”

She also pointed to the Lyons organizations use of the GI Bill® Benefits as another factor that drew her to the Lyons program.

These benefits help qualified veterans pay for college, graduate school or training programs.

“I’ve been very grateful for that,” she said.

Tag: horsemanship