john lyons magazine

From John Lyons Trainer Keith Hosman

Trailer Training Horses
A Downloadable Book

A sample from Day 5:

"Another version of this is the horse that does fine in the initial stages (say, during the ground training when there is no trailer) but falls apart when asked to load. (Or, the horse that loads to go on a trip, but then won't get back on to come home.) This is normal for the horse without a lot of experience and practice. We practice away from the trailer or under calm circumstances so that the horse is taught what is expected and so that we learn how to handle situations when they arise later. (Plus, the very act of practicing will improve the horse's ground manners and hand you more control.) If you find yourself with two extremes, (like a horse that works great away from the trailer, then falls apart when he sees it), then you need to simply "work your way up" to the trailer. Find ways to gradually build up to the stress the horse perceives when loading by asking a friend to make noise, wave a plastic bag, bring another horse near, etc. when practicing away from the trailer. Don't go from one extreme to the next, find grey zones to ease into it. The answer is the same for the horse that won't re-load when away. That horse, in particular, hasn't learned to load under any situation (duh) so follow the advice immediately preceding and over-practice exercises described on Days One and Two. Again, you'll need to practice these things under progressively more (manmade) stressful situations."

- Print out from home
- 5 Days, 5 chapters
- Learn at your own pace

Just $4.99

For more info:
this course | all courses

Available Downloads:
"Stop Bucking"
"Rein/Speed" (for Nervous Horse Owners)
"Round Pen First Steps"
"Trailer Training"