Creating A Solid Steering Foundation with Bud Lyon (Part 2)

Creating A Solid Steering Foundation with Bud Lyon (Part 2)

The cornerstones of reining are circles, spins, rundowns and sliding stops. Those are the fun maneuvers, but without solid fundamentals that include responsive steering and guiding, a horse loses its ability to perform.

The horse can only run a pattern, somewhat like a mouse learning to run a maze. Throw a new turn in the maze, and the mouse fails to get the cheese. 

Reining trainer Bud Lyon realized his horses, as well as other seasoned reiners from different programs, lacked a solid understanding of rein pressure and responsive steering when he shifted from reining patterns to ranch riding.

In this Learning Curve three-part series, Lyons explains why he believes laying a foundation is important, how he assesses a horse’s understanding of steering and how it all ties together in the show pen.

Here in Part Two, he tells how he lays a foundation on his horses. Previously, in Part One, he explained how he first assesses a horse’s understanding of steering.

READ PART 2