Michael Lyons Horsemanship

Michael Lyons Horsemanship Helping riders build confident, willing horses through clarity and consistency. Clinics • Lessons • Training • Apprenticeships
📩 Message us to work with us
(2)

Michael dedicated his life to bettering the relationship between horse and rider. Together Michael and his wife Julia teach riders nationwide to better connect with their horse

Snipers Flashy Gun is gearing up for the cow clinic this weekend with his owner Katie Rigney Rohrig and then heading bac...
05/29/2026

Snipers Flashy Gun is gearing up for the cow clinic this weekend with his owner Katie Rigney Rohrig and then heading back home for her to enjoy!

We love watching these colts grow up into themselves and are so thankful for the trust Katie has put into us to help him along.

We wish them both the best of luck.

05/29/2026

Jacob demonstrating beautifully this morning what we discussed in our post about a Relaxed and Nice Topline in our horses.

Notice when the head comes up, it’s a lack of forward. So Jacob squeezes him back forward with this leg and lightly touches to the reins. We’ve not worked on this horse being low headed. We’ve worked on him having a relaxed topline, and lifted back and that’s where his head and neck fall.

Big shout out to Dr. Becky Scarlett for helping him through having some stickiness in his stifles! She’s got him feeling fantastic.

It takes the full picture, and we are thrilled with what this horse and Jacob are presenting!

PART ONE OF A HAPPY AND RELAXED TOPLINE One of the most common mistakes we see when people are searching for a lower, so...
05/29/2026

PART ONE OF A HAPPY AND RELAXED TOPLINE

One of the most common mistakes we see when people are searching for a lower, softer neck with a lifted and engaged topline is that they focus on the neck itself.

The reality is that a truly relaxed neck doesn’t start at the nose. It starts behind the saddle.

When a horse is moving correctly, the energy is generated from the hind end, travels up through the body, over the back, and then naturally falls out through the neck and poll. The neck is simply the end result of everything happening underneath it.

Think of the topline like a water hose.

The hind end creates the pressure. The energy flows forward through the horse’s body just like water through a hose.

But what happens if you put a kink in that hose?

Maybe the rib cage is braced.
Maybe the back is tight.
Maybe the shoulders are restricted.
Maybe the horse is being held together with the rider’s hands instead of connected through the body.

That energy has to go somewhere.

Just like water finding the weakest point in a hose, the pressure leaks out somewhere in the horse’s body. Often it leaks out through a high head, a stiff neck, a hollow back, rushing feet, pinned ears, tail swishing, or other forms of resistance.

Then many riders try to fix the symptom by pulling the neck down.

But the neck wasn’t the problem.

The body was.

Instead of asking, “How do I get his head lower?” try asking, “What is preventing the energy from flowing through his body?”

When the hind end is engaged, the rib cage is lifted, the back is soft, and the shoulders are free, you’ll often find the neck starts to fall into place on its own.

The goal isn’t to put the horse’s head somewhere.

The goal is to create a body that makes carrying the neck there the easiest option.

The neck is a reflection of the body.

Fix the body, and the neck usually follows.

Want to take your cow work to the next level? We have had 2 spaces open up for this clinic with Matheus Bento! Join us a...
05/26/2026

Want to take your cow work to the next level?
We have had 2 spaces open up for this clinic with Matheus Bento!
Join us as we work with LIVE cattle, and learn from one great horseman in the industry!

I know we are ready for it! Send me message if you'd like to join us!

Our 5 Day finished up great with a wonderful group of riders! We are thankful for every clinic and rider that comes out ...
05/26/2026

Our 5 Day finished up great with a wonderful group of riders! We are thankful for every clinic and rider that comes out to join us!
We hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day and remembered the reason for the day! 💜

I’m a bit late in posting, but so incredibly proud of our show team and how they did at the SERHS Ranch Show in Harriman...
05/21/2026

I’m a bit late in posting, but so incredibly proud of our show team and how they did at the SERHS Ranch Show in Harriman this month.

LC Narcissist Mob and Harlie Blue
🥇Open High Point Champion for the weekend
🥇Youth High Point Champion for the weekend
🥇 and top placings in their Rail, Ranch Reining (hitting their goal of a 73 score), Ranch Riding, Ranchmanship, Horsemanship, and Cow work to pull this off

Lewis N Sparks and Kynsli Faircloth
🥈 Rookie High Point Reserve Champion for the weekend.
🥉3rd Novice Youth overall for the weekend
🥇 and top placings in Horsemanship, Ranch Reining (scoring a 72.5), Ranch Riding and Ranchmanship

HA Luigi rode for Barbie and Daisy Patterson
🥉in Ranch Riding for Daisy
Daisy had her first show in western and with a new horse switching over from English, and successfully rode in Horsemanship, Ranch Riding, Ranchmanship, and Ranch Trail!
We can’t wait to see this team grow together!

Barbie placed
🥉 in Amatuer Ranch Reining
Good Placings in Amateur Ranch Riding and Horsemanship

HK RockinSteadywhiz and Mallory Melville
🥈Green Non - Pro High Point Reserve Champion for the weekend
🥇 Wins in Horsemanship, Ranch reining, Ranch Riding, Ranchmanship, and Conformation
This was Annie’s first show and their first time together as a team, so we are more than thrilled.

Boons Metallic Dawn with Jacob Geiser for owner Kristi Cattrell
🥇 Green Open High Point Champion for the weekend
🥇Ranch Cutting and good placings in Horsemanship, Ranch Riding, and Herdwork

Smart Bettin Chic with Michael Lyons for owner Nancy Brown
🥇Green Open w/j/l ranch riding
4th Green Open Boxing
Placings in Horsemanship and Ranch Riding
Showed in several classes for the first and enjoying bringing along our first home raised young one and taking her into the show pen

Woody Be Amazing with Michael Lyons for owner Sharon Timmons
🥇 Open Herdwork
🥉Ranch Boxing
🥉Horsemanship
🥉Ranch Trail
Placings in Ranch Reining, Ranchmanship

With Sharon Timmons
🥉Amateur Ranch Trail
Good Placings in Ranch Reining, Ranchmanship, Ranch Boxing

Gunners Nite Out with Brittney Nelson
4th Green Non- Pro Ranch Riding
5th Amateur Ranch Riding
And some good schooling runs to set this team up for a successful next show.

I continue to be the proudest of our riders and their growth as they learn to pilot their horses through the pen. We have such dedicated, and talented horsemen and women that truly love and care for their equines just as they deserve! Every one of these riders is proof that good horsemanship does indeed show up and succeed in the pen.

And we are off! The 5 Day Horsemanship Retreat is underway and we are having loads of fun laughing and learning with thi...
05/20/2026

And we are off!
The 5 Day Horsemanship Retreat is underway and we are having loads of fun laughing and learning with this group of horses and riders!

Enjoy a few of the photos of the morning doing ground work. ☺️

One of the biggest misconceptions with young horses is that we’re looking for perfection.We’re not.We’re looking for wil...
05/16/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions with young horses is that we’re looking for perfection.

We’re not.
We’re looking for willingness. Curiosity. Recovery. Try.

A young horse that can think through pressure, soften mentally, and come back to you after uncertainty will usually outlast raw talent alone.

That’s why so much of what we do with these babies has very little to do with “training tricks” and everything to do with building a mind that stays connected to people.

Foundation isn’t flashy… but it shows up later in everything.
The stop. The softness. The confidence. The lead changes. The rideability.

What’s one trait you value MOST in a young horse?

Talent?
Mindset?
Trainability?
Athleticism?
Curiosity?

For us… willingness and the ability to mentally come back to center are high on the list.

Enjoy some of the photos from our little yearling photoshoot after their training session yesterday.

✅ Great conformation ✅ AQHA/APHA ✅ Beautiful movement, with a floaty trot! ✅ Small, and gorgeous head! ✅ Solid breeding ...
05/14/2026

✅ Great conformation
✅ AQHA/APHA
✅ Beautiful movement, with a floaty trot!
✅ Small, and gorgeous head!
✅ Solid breeding to back him up!

Don’t miss out on this guy. We just LOVE him, but with how many we have and breeding/foaling season costing way over the norm, we have to let go of some sooner than we normally do.

Vegas truly is an awesome ranch/reiner or all around prospect. He’s been easy to handle, kind personality and his movement makes us all 🤤.

All of our home grown babies come with a discounted start package for when it comes time… if you so choose to use it.
He will be halter broke, have had his feet done, and well handled/loved from the very beginning!

Address

5396 Old Walker Mill Road
Randleman, NC
27317

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Michael Lyons Horsemanship posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share