How to Start a Career with Horses


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How to Start a Career with Horses

Horse Trainer Program by John Lyons

If a career in training horses - or teaching others to ride - is your idea of a dream job, then the best way to achieve that goal is to participate in certified training education programs such as John and Josh Lyons Certification Program and the Josh Lyons Accreditation Program.

Why should you seek a more formalized education program over an apprenticeship, or learning on your own through trial and error? Because training horses and riders isn’t just about you, explains John Lyons . You have a responsibility to learn the best practices and techniques available in order for you to produce the best, safest outcomes for the horses and riders you serve.

First, find a good teacher.
“Some trainers are great trainers, but they aren’t great teachers,” John Lyons said recently. “A lot of trainers have picked up a lot of what NOT to do.” He says an apprenticeship may seem like a good idea, but the drawback is that the trainer’s emphasis is often too narrow and you won’t get a wide range of skills to help you handle a wide range of horses.
Many apprentices find they are nothing more than hired hands – they spend a lot of time working (cleaning stalls, getting ready for shows) but they really aren’t learning very much.

Lyons recommends learning all you can about an instructor before committing to a program.
“Observe the program and clinician – how do they explain things, does the instructor fit your personality ? Are you comfortable with their style and are they open to questions or do they just criticize? And if you are taking a horse to a clinic, be comfortable in how the instructor is treating the horses and the people.”

Josh Lyons Horse Program Instructor

Get Into a Good Horse Trainer Program.
Clinics are good, Lyons said, because they offer an extended program that gives you time to cover a lot of information. At the same time, you’ll get a chance to practice what you’ve learned in front of an instructor who can give you feedback and even correct you as you go. “It takes time and focused effort to change your habits and change the horse,” John Lyons said. “You’ll come in with your own habits and they can be hard to break.

“The way you process information may be different from how others do, and you’ll have an instructor there to help you.”
In a defined program with set goals and outcomes, it’s true what they say – practice makes perfect. That’s how to get the most out of it, Lyons says.

It’s important to do your research when choosing a program to become a Horse Trainer. After observing instruction first hand, he suggests reaching out to people who have already completed the training program to find out what they gained and how it could have been improved, if at all.

There’s a benefit to learning with others.
You’ll find those who conduct clinics are truly engaged in teaching, Lyons said. And it helps to hear how classmates interpret what’s being taught.
“Listening to different people’s questions helps you get a clearer picture of what’s being taught,” Lyons said. “When you take a class with others, you’ll see some perform the exercise well, others only moderately well and still others, terrible – but the point is you will see it, and it will help you get a total picture.”

Learning with others about horses and how to become a better horse trainer

Taking part in a class also helps you make connections that can be important to your career down the line. Not only will you make connections with the other students in the class, but the instructor and the program can be a continued benefit throughout your career, offering advice and even additional training in the future.

You’ll never stop learning.
“Education absolutely does not end,” Lyons said. “You want to learn from someone who is continuing to learn – not from someone who is a know-it-all.”

He explained that good trainers are always looking for a better way – a better way to teach a technique and a simpler way - a less aggressive way – to teach a horse.
“It doesn’t mean we are doing it wrong,” he says of the process. “We just want to keep working to do it better.”

Find out more about the Lyons Legacy programs.
Lyons Legacy programs offer 3-day riding clinics and 5-day training clinics along with a Certification Program and an Accreditation Program, both of which are approved for GI Bill Benefits in Colorado. Under the Certification Program participants learn training techniques along with topics to help students launch a successful career covering topics such as Developing Leadership Skills, How to Set up Clinics and Developing Sponsor Relationships.
The Accreditation Program is geared to those trainers ready to take their careers “to the next level.” This program is geared to the training of higher level, performance-based horses and riders.

John and Josh Lyons Certified Horse Trainer

Online courses are also offered.
Upcoming in-person Lyons Legacy clinics include:
April 6-12 – 3 & 5 Day Performance Clinics in Bismarck, ND
May 1-June 9 – John & Josh Lyons Certification Program in Grand Junction, CO
May 15-19 – 5-Day Trainers Clinic in Grand Junction, CO
June 23-25 – 3-Day Riding Clinic in Hickory Corners, MI
Lyons Legacy offers clinics across the country each year. For a full listing of upcoming events, visit www. joshlyons.com/events.

Their website is joshlyons.com and you can find them on Facebook and other social media.
Josh Lyons has developed effective, easy to understand horse training methods used by riders and trainers around the world. Josh’s methods really work, for all the right reasons! The education of horses, riders, and trainers is ever evolving. Josh constantly improves his techniques, making it easier for both horse and rider.

He spends his days at horse training clinics, giving private instruction, and teaching at his equine events. Whether it be for clinics, the John and Josh Lyons Certification Program, the Josh Lyons Accreditation Program or performance training, Josh and Jana are in constant demand. The Certification and Accreditation programs are one of the world’s most sought after equine educational schools and have produced hundreds of certified trainers spread across 43 states and 6 countries.

Through Josh’s Horse Training Schools there now exists a unique and ever-expanding platform to help you train your own horse and enable every horse person to achieve a higher level of understanding than they ever thought possible.
Ask us questions...we would love to hear from you!
You can contact them by phone at 615-379-1056 or via email at info@lyonslegacy.com

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