We are always looking for new ways to share information about our program with our followers! This past week Josh opened up his zoom meeting to the public to share some feedback from the students about their experience thus far in the Certification Program. This conversation is taken from the transcript of that zoom meeting from May 8, 2024.
Josh: Alright, great. OK, we’re going to try something different with the zoom meeting. We’re actually up here in Colorado teaching class, so we thought it would be fun to open the meeting to the public. We’re going to let each student talk to you guys, kind of tell you their experience about their first two weeks and their unbroken horses and their emotions and what they’re going through. So what we’re gonna do is pass the iPad around and allow you guys also to ask them any questions you’d like as they share their stories.
Hi guys. My name is Teresa Speer. I come from Missouri. I came here because I didn’t have training in Colt Starting. I have my degree in equine science and I knew that I enjoyed starting colts having started several of them. My friend Alicia, who’s here with me, she convinced me to come, which didn’t take much. Well, I got here and I’ve had many, many light bulb moments. I didn’t think once to start a colt on the ground with a bridle. I always started them with a halter, and that’s how I did my ground training. Once we started in with the bridle and got them softened up, got them moving off, you know we’ve done numerous things already in two weeks. Our first ride today was just short of amazing, just to see how supple they were, how soft, how easy it was and there was no fight. We did a lot, I mean, a LOT of groundwork. I know I calculated up this last three days 25 miles in the deep sand that we’ve done with the driving and ground work. And let me tell you, Josh has worked us and had us work those horses! It has been amazing just to see the process. There’s been a lot of emotions through everyone. It’s fun to watch everyone’s different horses and how they react and how to fix those horses because your horse may not have the same reaction as everyone else’s. It’s pretty cool seeing the different technique for the different horses and how to fix it and having that opportunity because your horse may be one way, another horse may be totally different. So, it’s been pretty cool to watch that and see those different changes and to watch the progression of everything. How short of time they can come along really is just neat. Does anybody have any questions?
Zoom Guest:
What type of bit did you use?
Teresa:
I started with mine in an O ring snaffle. We all start with the snaffle.
I’m Liam. I’m from southwest Montana. I am a horse trainer, cowboy, sometimes hand model to pay the bills when cowboying doesn’t work and I work for a nonprofit called Heroes and Horses. If you’re ever looking to donate to veteran organizations, call us, ask about us later and we’ll let you know. Anyway, I brought a totally unbroke Mustang down here that just got out of the Oregon herd last year and it’s been sitting in my back pasture. He lost his mind the first like 2 days and today he was perfect, soft with me riding on top of him. So let’s say the novel or not novel, but the new thing that I’m learning here as opposed to my typical way of doing things is a way of sustained, controlled emotions for the horse. Being able to raise those emotions and then drop them down quickly. Usually, I just blow them up and then jump on them afterwards and I say that’s good enough. The things we’re doing here of sustained manipulation of the horses emotions is definitely paying dividends. I mean that horse, I couldn’t touch it two weeks ago and we were riding it today. So big, big, big improvement, definitely a testament of the efficacy of the program.
Hey, guys. I’m Alisha. It’s nice to see some of you again. I know I saw some of you guys at some of the clinics last year. I did Accreditation last fall and I took my 10 year old mare. One of the things coming back to Certification class was trying to decide what horses I was going to take with me. So I brought my mare back again that went through Accreditation. It’s been kind of cool to see how all the groundwork and the ground driving, working on a lot of head control from the ground and a lot of stuff that we do in the saddle, but seeing it applied to the broke horses as well has been really helpful. We have 10 students here and each student brought two horses. You could bring a broke and an unbroke or you could bring 2 broke horses. I brought that mare of mine and then my unbroke that I brought is a 2 year old filly. I hadn’t saddled her or anything before we came. She’s been a lot of fun, been learning, really the importance of forward motion in training her. The coolest part has just been being able to see the same methods that are working on that 2 year old unbroke horse working with the other mustang that’s unbroken and Teresa’s three-year old that’s unbroke. Then also seeing it with the season broke horses and watching them get better. So if you guys are thinking about coming and you’re thinking like you might not have the right horses, I promise you do – just bring them and come!
Hey, I’m Paul and I’m from Bayfield, CO. What everybody said is absolutely true. I want to talk about the other benefit of being here – that you get to talk horses with nine other people that do different things with horses than you do, and there’s a whole lot that comes from that. Everybody here is trying to work together and to learn from each other and it’s absolutely amazing. The group that we have, I don’t know if they’re all like this, Josh, but this group is pretty awesome. We all get along. We all respect each other. We all work together. We all help each other. It’s a pretty amazing time. It’s a good facility. The instruction is great! I brought two young, green horses and I am amazed at what my little mare has done since I’ve been here. I’m absolutely dumbfounded and I did it! I don’t know what I’m doing but you know, Josh likes to say do this, do that and next thing I know the horse is doing what I asked him to do. It absolutely works, it definitely works. It’s a good time and I’m looking forward to the next two weeks for sure. You guys got any questions? You guys can ask me anything because, I mean, I’ll tell you!
Zoom Guest:
How old is your horse?
Paul:
I have one that’s three and one that’s four.
Zoom Guest:
OK. And this is the first time that you’re breaking both of them?
Paul:
No, they were both green broke, had 30 rides at 30 days on them, and then I let them out to winter pasture, didn’t touch them at all. Didn’t put a saddle on them and brought them here as rough as I could possibly bring them.
Zoom Guest:
And now they’re all tacked up and ready to go?
Paul:
They’re awesome. I mean, absolutely stellar just the things they can do. Remember, we’re being taught and so it’s not like we didn’t spend the last two weeks just working on our horses. We’re watching, we’re learning, we’re learning techniques and but for the amount of hours that we’ve spent with these guys, it’s absolutely amazing the progress that they’ve made. It’s beyond my wildest dreams, sincerely and I have a little pack string that I run and I’m just amazed at the things I’m going to go home and do with those with what I’ve learned.
Well, I’m from Michigan and I came to better my horsemanship and to learn how to break a colt. It’s been super fun for sure! We’ve had our struggles, definitely, and it’s so worth it. I highly recommend it. One of my favorite parts is probably just watching the horses grow. It’s so cool that I’m like learning with them. I’ve had so many light bulb moments since I came here! The horses I have, I brought a broke horse and am leasing an unbroke horse. I didn’t even know the unbroke before I came, and I already know her probably as much as I do my broke. It’s really cool to do all the exercises and learn so much with them. I love it so definitely glad I came. Also, at 12 years old, I’m the youngest person that’s ever attended the Lyons Legacy program and it’s really fun because I feel very included with everything. I know everyone’s a lot older than me but I I definitely appreciate that I’m included in everything and I’m learning just as much as they are. The first ride today was really cool, I loved it!
Hi, I’m Lori Nelson. I’m from North Dakota and I’m just going to talk about Ava a little bit. She’s been amazing and she’s keeping up with all of us, so we’re really proud of what she’s doing. I came just wanting to fill in a lot of holes in my horse training and have learned so much. Josh is an amazing teacher. He answers all of our questions, goes through everything! I’ve had so many light bulb moments with both of my horses I brought too. I think Liam was talking about the emotional control and that was a big light bulb! Like bringing your horse up and then letting them come back down and finding the softness through the the release. Sometimes we have to put a lot of pressure on the horses and that was really huge for me. I have just learned a lot and it’s an amazing group of people. It’s fun to see the work ethic and the professionalism that everybody and Josh has. So I’d highly recommend it if you ever get a chance!
Hi everyone, my name is Katie. I’m also from North Dakota. I came here with Lori. It’s been like everyone said, the group of people we have is amazing and it’s fun to watch everybody go through the journey. If you feel like you’re kind of in a tough spot when you look around everyone’s there and everyone’s willing to help you out. I’m a therapeutic riding instructor and we’ve been wanting to long line our horses for a long time because there’s a lot better movement and impulsion from the hind end, which is the therapeutic part of horses. So, I’m excited! I know that wasn’t an objective of this course, but it’s an added bonus that we’re going to go home and work on that with all of our horses, and it’s really going to help our humans that we help too.
My name is James. I’m originally from out west here, but I did a military tour and live in Kentucky now. So, I had the opportunity to be able to come here and learn from Josh and the Lyons Legacy. I’ve known about these guys for many, many, many years and what I’ve been so intrigued by was on the performance side. I’ve grown up around horses but in my profession, I got away from them. I’m really interested in the performance side and being able to develop myself, even though I’m getting a little older in age. This particular program, with the colt starting, Josh has definitely got an answer for every problem, especially with this number of students, there’s always something that arises and he always has a solution through his method, and it’s tried and true! We’ve got a diversified group of folks in experience levels and definitely in horse levels. I brought two not finished horses, but they’re green broke horses. It’s helped them doing going back to the basics and bringing them back up. It’s definitely something you should look into if you get the chance and I feel honored just to be able to work with these guys, Josh, his boy, Troy, and the rest of the Legacy family.
My name is Justyn. I’m from Syracuse, NY, and I came out here just because I was desperate for an opportunity. I’ve been working in barn management for four years and was just dying to do something to take the next step. I came out here and it’s been like I’m already planning what I want to do when I get back home. I’ve learned so much. I’m so excited! The amount of doors that I feel like are going to be opened for me is just remarkable.
I’m Chance and I’m from the east Eastern Shore of Maryland. I’ve learned a ton here about stealing rides and kind of making sure there’s no holes. In the training with horses and stuff I’ve learned about reading the horses emotions a lot better and handling my own to correct them.
Some of the things that are amazing about the class, and every class is different, but everybody always has the same common denominator. They have a love for horses. They have a desire to build a business or take their horsemanship to another level. The greatest thing about that is when a group of people get together with the same common goal. It’s pretty hard not to get along! Everybody asks, is every group like this? No, not necessarily, every group is special, unique. With a group that’s important because one bad chain can really disrupt the class and we don’t have that in this group. It’s just a great group of people. All are willing to help, everybody’s willing to work and the work ethic is unbelievable.
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