Horse Whisper Teaches Skill To Others

Horse Whisper Teaches Skill To Others 30-2-9 When Larry Surrett whispers to a horse, it listens. "I can train a horse to do anything physically possible, whether to jump in a pickup as it drives away or lay down and play dead when you point at it and say bang," says Surrett. Not only does he train horses, but for the past 11 years he has taught their owners as well. The $3,600 course at his Minnesota Horse Training Academy is an intensive education, regardless of a horseman's background. "I had one 74-year-old man tell me he learned more in two days than he had in a life time of working with horses," says Surrett. He tells of one young woman who came to class with a freshly purchased $700 horse and trained it in class. A week after the class, she sold it for $5,000. "She not only paid for the class and then some, she now has the knowledge to train hundreds more," says Surrett. "That has happened many times." The three-week program is repeated from May through October in Minnesota and will also be held in January, February and March in Florida. Students are responsible for their own food during the academy. They can stay in a dormitory on the grounds, use RV hookups on the grounds, or make other arrangements. "I have had students stay at the nearby casino hotel for the entire three weeks," recalls Surrett. Surrett says he learned his trade working with horses and horse trainers. The key to training, he says, is to see things the way horses do. During the course, a student trains a horse (his own or one provided by Surrett) in the basics. The student learns how to train the horse in neck reining, backing-up, sliding stop, controlled and free lunging, bitting and flexing. Students also learn how to desensitize horses to gunfire, ATV's and other distractions. The horse is also taught to stop when a rider falls from a saddle and stand while being mounted or when hoofs are trimmed. They also learn how to teach tricks and how to correct horse behavior such as kicking, rearing, bucking and shying. The training program is almost as diverse as the people attending. "Some people who take the course are professional horse trainers who want to be better, and others just want to connect with their horse," says Surrett. "I have had unbelievable success stories, including one gal who made $36,000 her first year after the course. She trained horses on the side while staying home with kids." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Minnesota Horse Training Academy, 1253 210th Ave., Ogilvie, Minn. 56358 (ph 320 272-4199; mntrainingacademy@hotmail. com; www.mnhorsetrainingacademy .com).

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