It is extraordinary to see a horse set eyes on a horsebox and immediately break into a sweat, start pacing and refuse to go near the ramp. Then to watch the same horse walk into the same horsebox a little while later as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

That's the story of Viva in a nutshell. Nowadays, after three short boxing sessions, Viva loads like a machine. Point him at the ramp and let go, he walks in straight and stays there as calm as if the box was his stable.
The man who persuaded him that horseboxes aren't dungeons of horror is Malan du Toit, sometimes called South Africa's horse whisperer. His story started out having nothing at all to do with horses.
In fact, Malan was a full-time dominie, interested in matters of the proverbial flock, not the herd. But then his wife - a keen rider who kept horses of her own - fell pregnant with their first child. That left Malan to care for the horses. Which is where it all started.
"I had been doing obedience training with rotweillers at the time," Malan recalled. "My first rottie was a male with a very strong character, and I learned a lot from him. Then I got Zarp, my first horse. He was an absolute wreck: scared, nervous - not a well-adjusted horse.
"I tried to do things the conventional way, but it didn't work. He'd bolt through the fence of the lunge ring - that sort of thing. Then someone told me about John Lyons in the US, and that opened up a whole new world of working with a horse's mind. At first I used Zarp as a guinea pig; later he became a demonstration horse."
Basically there's not much difference between Malan's methods and those of Monty Roberts. In both, join-up features prominently. But Roberts hadn't published any of his books at the time Malan was fumbling with rotweiller-training tactics. "I wish I'd known about Monty Roberts then, it would have saved so much time."


Malan, like other trainers using alternative methods, has had his share of sceptics. That's why, when HQ decided to run a story on the 'horse preacher', we chose three very different horses as case studies. And the proof of his claims was plain to see.

VIVa - the horse that wouldn't box

		There was no doubt Viva, an eightyear-old Thoroughbred off the track, was unhappy about horseboxes. "Boxing is the most unnatural thing for a horse, because it's used to wide open spaces," said Malan. "The most important thing with boxing is to give yourself time. It's no use hitching up the box the day before a show to see if the horse will load. If it won't, you have no leeway. And horseboxes can be death traps for horses and people, so take the time and be prepared."
		The first session did not start at the ramp. It began in the lunge ring with join-up, to give Malan a chance to 'probe the horse's state of mind. "You want to establish a teacher-student relationship right from the beginning. It must be clear who's in charge, and that you do by simulating dominant leadership behaviour." Viva joined up very quickly, first cocking an ear and immediately licking and chewing. 'That it happened so fast shows me that the horse lacks confidence," Malan explained. "Here's where your dominant behaviour is important. The horse must have confidence in you, otherwise it doesn't give a damn whether you exist or not."
		Malan then began work with a pressure halter, using a long rope to teach the horse to follow the pressure rather than pull against it. Viva, highly sensitive to pressure, went straight up at first.
		With patient instruction Viva learned to follow the pull on the rope (a basic exercise Malan uses in the early phases of working with every horse.) Each time he wanted a reaction from the horse, he made a kissing sound. Other than that, he was completely quiet. "It's no use talking to a horse - it doesn't understand your language. But it can learn that the kissing means 'do something'," he told HQ.
		Malan then picked up a schooling stick to teach Viva to move away from the stick. At no time did he hit the horse - there's no violence or anger in his methods - he merely tapped lightly on the hindquarters, irritating Viva until he stepped away. With the correct response, he immediately stopped tapping. "It's the same system you use with a pressure halter: pressure, release, reward. When the horse obeys/submits, you release the pressure or stop the tapping, and that's the reward." Malan, obviously fond of horses, stopped for many mini-breaks during which he stroked the horse. These breathers, which may last as little as 30 seconds are essential, and help the horse stay relaxed.
		The next step was to use the same pressure, release method in front of the horsebox. Immediately Viva launched evasive tactics and reared up. Lightning-quick Malan reacted by slapping the schooling stick against the front boots. The loud crack surprised the horse, and he dropped down to stand on all fours as he should.
		Viva also tried bucking and kicking out to avoid the pressure. But Malan kept tapping with the schooling stick until the horse moved in the right direction. Then the tapping stopped, and the horse received a gentle hand on his forehead.
		Than Malan started tapping again until Viva moved forward..
		Within a few minutes, Viva was up the ramp and in the horsebox. Success! And with minimal stress to the horse, no shouting, beating, no drugs, just a simple set of rules that Viva learned quickly.

The session was not over, however. Viva at first was uneasy in the box, and backed out straight away. He then started rearing and bucking before moving into the box again. Malan kept on with the same system, patiently
loading and unloading the horse, until he was sufficiently comfortable in the box for the ramp to be opened and closed.
Malan suggested two more short sessions to Viva's owner, as reinforcement and to make sure the horse didn't have any other problems, such as claustrophobia or travel sickness.

The next time HQ saw Viva was about a month later. His owner was holding his halter with her left hand; in the right hand a schooling stick. She turned Viva in front of the ramp a couple of times, tapping his quarters with the stick, then pointed him at the ramp and let go. He walked straight in. One horse whose mind was definitely changed.

Pepi - bites to defend herself

Following the success with Viva we asked Malan to take a look at Pepi, a 13-year-old rescue pony. "Pepi bites," explained the pony's owner. "She's a super pony once you're on her, but on the ground she feels very threatened. My eight-year-old daughter is mad about her, but she's been bitten black and blue." "In both horses and humans touching is a sign of affection," Malan replied. "But with Pepi, touching means to her that she must defend herself."

"She's much better than when she arrived six months ago. You could hardly go near her then," said Pepi's owner.
Malan nodded, then continued, "At some stage Pepi must learn that touching means affection. But I have to put up parameters. I have to show her that r can understand her reactions, but that they are not acceptable."
Malan began to work with Pepi in the ring doing join-up. Pepi's body language was vastly different to that of Viva, and instead of instantly going into flight mode she wanted to stand her ground and defend herself. "One of the main difficulties with abused horses is that they are so desensitized they can't use their flight instincts," Malan said, tossing the rope at her to get her moving away.
"I'm doing join-up first to establish a relationship in which I'm the teacher and she's the student," he explained.
He then picked up a mop, and began some desensitizing exercises, putting the mop in places where Pepi was most likely to object. At first Pepi put her ears back very unhappily. But Malan kept the mop there until she relaxed and stopped putting her ears back.

After the basics, Malan asked Pepi to be angry with him, touching her in the girth area. Pepi immediately tried to sink her teeth into Malan's thigh. Instantly he reprimanded her for it - not by hitting the pony; but by tossing the rope at her, making his kissing sound and showing dominant body language.