How do you teach a mini to lie down?

[Contessa]

This is probably a dumb question but how do you get a mini to lie down? I am currently working with my 8 month old filly since she seems to be the most eager to learn some tricks. I sit in the middle of her deeply strawed stall and get her front legs under her (looks like she's praying) but she won't put her back end down! I don't won't to hurt her by pushing her over, so what do I do from here? Any tips would help me out.

 

[Sixstardanes]

A lil unconventional ...but this thread

http://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/index.php?showtopic=88142

describes how I taught our guy Saber to sit.

From a sit I can get him to lay down by moving his front legs one at a time a bit father away from his body.

He smoothly transitions into a lay doing this.

Its a bit backwards but it works for us.

 

[Contessa]

Oh gawd how cute! I don't think my hubby would appreciate the horse being in the house so I think I'll drag a bale of straw into her stall. It does make sense to sit first then lie down. I'll give it a try... Any more suggestions out there?

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Well, given that horses fold their forelegs to lie down and only sit in the process of getting up, I'd teach it the other way. If your filly will calmly kneel and hold the pose without any anxiety (she doesn't wait tensely for a chance to leap up) then you can use either a halter and lead or a carrot over her shoulder to bend her neck away from you and encourage her to simply flop over with her back to you. That's how the trick books I have say to do it.

Leia

 

[lilmiraclesfarm]

I've been thinking about teaching my own little colt to lay down. He seems to do it automatically. You rub him, he rubs you and then lays down on your feet. lol Please keep us updated *Pictures* on her Process. Good luck!

 

[wiccanz]

This is a helpful website if you want to teach tricks.

Imagine a Horse

Click on the Published Articles button - it describes how to teach some of the tricks. I used their method to teach my boy to rear, took about half an hour!

 

[Contessa]

Great idea! What is the name of the book you are using. It would be well worth the investment for me if I could find a good one. By the way, my filly LOVES carrots!

 

[jleonard]

I taught mine to lay down by teaching her to bow first. I stood on her right, draped the lead over her back from left to right, and looped it around her right front fetlock (not tied, just the two ends held together). I taught her to lift the leg by pulling on the rope and once she understood that, I bent her head in the oppisite direction of the lifted leg (to the left) until she was just unbalanced enough to drop to one knee. Once she was comfortable with bowing, I taught her to go all the way over by continuing to bend her neck and pressing her haunches gently away from her head (to the right). You can teach it in either direction of course, left/ right is just for clarification She learned what I wanted very quickly and now loves showing off her tricks for treats! She also likes having her belly scratched while she's down

Good luck with your little one!

 

[JaniceZ]

one of my friends horses loves to lie down. once while they were sitting in the field, her mare just lay down on top of her!!

from that point on it was easy. we would stretch out her front legs, and she would shift her weight back, one of us would hold the front legs, not pulling on them of cource, just touching them so she knew not to move them, if you so much as touched her hip she would gently lower herself down.

we tryied to train my mare this way, and were not sucessfull, so i guess it depends on the horse.