I have been doing all of the minis' feet since I first got one, in 1984. About 6 years before that, I got so frustrated with not being able to find a decent farrier around the little AZ town where we then lived, I'd gotten a really good book, studied it carefully(and I'd been paying attention to how my horses were being shod for YEARS), bought some tools, and then trimmed and shod him myself, a couple of times. So-when I got the minis, I already had a basis.
My best advice is to learn ALL you can first, then, buy GOOD tools! For years, I struggled to do a decent job with those 10' Diamonds that are "sold" as mini hoof nippers, but are really nail(as in, horseshoe nail)nippers-I bought my first pair at AMHA Nationals in '91, where they were being touted as being mini hoof nippers. About three years ago, I FINALLY got smart, and bought a pair of DS 12" nippers, from Centaur. They weren't cheap, but are worth every penny! Same goes for a GOOD hoof knife! I use one of those short rasps-easier to use. There are better quality rasps, but I haven't found 'top of the line' to be as important in the rasp as in the other tools. By all means, wear gloves-and if you do very many, a leather apron(I bought a hay apron; if you were actually shoeing, a genuine farrier's apron would be vital!) is an important safety feature, as hoof knives *can*slip! Be conservative in your approach; you can always take off a bit more, but you cannot put it back, if the horse is sore and/or bleeding!!