There are many different problems relating to float loading and every trainer has their own method of teaching horses to load on floats. I believe that if horse owners learn my Ten Step program, they will never have problems with float loading any horse.

Once the horse has learned the Ten Steps, he will be calm and submissive and will trust the owner/handler in a float loading situation. The owner/handler will have learned the skills and developed the confidence necessary for dealing with float loading, even when the horse is fearful or has learned that the horse float is a place to avoid.

Foals are very easy to handle on the day of their birth, as they are not aware of the danger around them. I have seen foals walk straight up to a dog and try to smell and play with it. The foal has no idea that the dog could hurt or even kill it.

As they grow, horses have a natural instinct to run away from something they are not sure of, they are flight animals. Flight is their way of solving the problem of fear. When the foal is being born I don't like to interfere too much.

John hosts regular one, two and sometimes three day Clinics all over Australia. When he is working away from home base he frequently allows a spare day or so on either side of a weekend Clinic to be available for private lessons.

We've found that people often want to spend some one-on-one time with John to consolidate what they have learned, and private lessons are a great way to do this.

We've been made to believe that we need to be higher in the pecking order which means we use body language to move the horse out of our space the same way a dominant horse moves his mate away from the feed bin.

When there are more than two horses at feed time, the second horse will challenge the third horse and so on. If you buy a mare to include into your herd, she will challenge your horses to be higher in the pecking order and this is not what a true lead mare is all about.