#joshlyons

Ok… So I’ve been a stranger lately. I do apologize. I have always promised to be honest, true to who I am & what road I am walking down… I could not do it until this point because I did not know.

I started the Al Dunning Protege Program… But for the wrong reasons… I had something to prove. My ego was in full force…I wanted to make sure everyone knew that I am a legitimate trainer that I can do more than start horses & fix problems. (Like that was a bad thing??!) that I just had a baby & that WILL NOT slow me down. I am super human & am a prime example of someone with outstanding work ethic & I had super human powers… Lie… I had anxiety attacks, small meltdowns, freak outs… (Totally awkward and uncomfortable to admit!!) Whatever you want to call them. Let’s blame it on hormones (my Dr did) blame it on sleep deprivation …whatever you want It was a task I was trying to accomplish with the wrong motives… My ego to be exact! My horse was unhappy, I was unhappy… Even though I was passing the videos, we were not having fun. And what the hell is the point if we aren’t… Let me start somewhere else…

I have had a bad taste in my mouth about the word “natural horsemanship” for as long as I can remember. Because I don’t think what we do is in any way is natural for them. Natural is out in the wild with each other and no human interaction…. I think the people that market themselves as “natural” trainers are doing it to appease the people who have very good intentions. The people who genuinely want a pure relationship with their horses… The people who want to make their horses like them & who want to create a good foundation. Natural is running from predators & searching for food & water. Not banging on stall doors @ 6 am & knocking water troughs over… I will say the lives we provide for them might just be better than “natural”… The environment which we put them in & the tasks we ask them to perform are nothing close to what they would chose to do. This does NOT mean they can’t enjoy what we have planned for them. But do not insult them & try to market it as “natural”! I did the John/Josh Lyons Certification Program because I wanted a path to follow. I wanted a foundation to work from. A step by step layout of a direction to follow… I did get that and am so appreciative of the time I spent there. Then I wanted more… But what?! I LOVE CUTTING & WORKiNg COW HORSE!!!! Nothing in the world makes me feel like putting my hand down and cutting a cow or going down the fence full speed. Total disregard to all the things that could go wrong, just catch that cow!!!! Giving up all control & putting total trust in your horse to take care of you, no control of the cow, or of the situation. Something some people can only achieve sitting in the stall watching them eat. I would like to point out that is also one of my favorite things to do and is in no way an insult. But I hear so many people say they can be that relaxed & soothed by sitting and just being with them (again, not a bad thing or an insult) but less often you hear of their ability to achieve such a sensation while on their back in a performance setting. I crave the same sensation of relaxation after I’ve cut my cow & put my hand down. I want to be ok with getting out if their way, trusting what I’ve done up until that point was good enough to let them shine… I want that more than anything! Back to my story of where I’ve been. I stopped at “walk a turn around”… Section 2 out of three… I passed it, but my horse looked so miserable. So I stopped. He was spooking at everything & was on edge, he wasn’t enjoying what we were doing and I couldn’t make sense of that. I have spent the last month sitting on him, trail riding him, pushing a ball around, ponying horses off him & being a horse mom to him. Because I was at a loss at what to do to fix where we had gone. That being said I have come to some conclusions. If I really wanted to be a reining/reined cow horse trainer I would already be much further than I am. I am a driven person who goes after my passion. All this time I wanted to get away from the title “natural horsemanship” trainer and get me be know as a performance horse trainer. But I haven’t. And I needed to stop and ask myself why. I can feel when horses give it to me correctly, I know how to get a proper turn around & stop & roll back. I feel all of that. But when I think of that being my all day tasks I don’t feel right. I don’t want to haul to shows, I don’t want the pressure of clients who have horses too young to push pressuring me to push, when I know I shouldn’t. I don’t want my career to teeter on wether I win or not. I want to go show my own horses because I enjoy it. Maybe I don’t want to ruin what I love with turning it into something I HAVE to do!! Whoa…..

I want to keep showing to myself as my fun thing to do… Holy epiphany.

I want to help people enjoy their horses. I want to help people achieve their goals, no matter how “big” or “small” they may seem to me. That’s what I want to do everyday. I want to help people develop a better relationship with their horse, I want to help people who have lost all confidence in their partner, with real legitament fear… I want to help re balance their relationships! I have been much more clear minded about my focus now & am so excited about the ideas I have been having…

I WANT TO DEVELOP A PROGRAM THAT LETS PEOPLE ACHIVE THE SAME RELAXATION ON THE BACK OF THEIR HORSE AS THEY DO SITTING IN THEIR STALL WATCHING THEM EAT OR BRUSHING THEM, OR WATCHING THEM IN TURNOUT BEING A HORSE.

I want people to be that comfortable in the show ring, down the trail & doing everything in between.

There are some programs I have been putting together that will bring me & a great amount of people joy. I can’t wait. I am grateful for the clarity that has recently come to me. I feel like I am in the right path finally.

That being said I will now continue my Protege program in a better frame of mind.

To be continued… Haha…

I surrender to the journey… I will keep my intentions in my focus & remind myself to remain grateful for the path that is laid before me.

Phew! Now back to work!!