How long does it usually take to train a Mini to drive?

[NewToMini's]

I've got a mini mare (Miracle) that I'm training to drive. I've been ground driving her (not consistently) for a few months now, and she's slowly getting better. But I'm just starting to trot her.

When spring comes, I'll be working with her more regularly, probably 3-4 days of driving a week, and then 2-3 days of lunging or going for walks. How long can I expect it to take before she's ready to actually drag something? I haven't started using a bit yet, I'm not planning to until she's perfect at the walk and trot with just the halter, and I don't have any lines that are light enough to attach to a bit (I'm just using normal horse sized lead ropes clipped to her halter for now).

Also, do you teach horses to canter when you're ground driving them, or with the cart? Do you drive them in a large circle like you're lunging them to teach it?

I took her for a drive down the road earlier today. She did better than last time I tried driving her down the road, but she needs to get better at it. She gets a little upset when she hears the other horses calling for her and she's walking away from them, so she did throw a couple of fits (tossed her head and spun around), but other than that, she did great. I'll attach a picture I took from today.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Every horse is entirely different. I think my first took a lot longer because it was my first horse to train also, and she was 13 at the time. So i think it took me maybe 6 months..but like you i was not doing anything consistently. With my second one i started and i was more consistent and i think it took me about 2-3 months to cart (but he was too small really so we have not progressed any further)

Third one was i think about 6 or 7 sessions, which happened over a few weeks. I think 2 months max. But i was not consistent.

Fourth, i think took about two weeks lol but he had a solid long reining back ground so the "work" was already done so to speak.

Im a geat believer that the horses work better if they are not over loaded. I have all very calm horses and drivers and i think if they do something too much they get a bit sour to it, so in the case of driving where you want a really quiet horse, taking your time is the best option.

I can't tell from the pic if shes bitted (but i don't think she is?) I usually do maybe one or two sssions without the gear on (i.e. blinkers, bit, bridles and neck strap) but if they are generally not trying to kill themselves i put the gear on. They need to work in the gear before going near a cart, so i figure its best to do it from the start if they tolerate it.

 

[NewToMini's]

She's just wearing a halter in the pic. Sometimes I have her wear the bridle, to get used to the feeling of the bit (but I'm still driving her off of the halter when she wears the bit, at this point), but she's just wearing the halter in the picture. The bit distracts her from listening to me, and I wanted her full attention on the road, lol.

She's very easy to train, and she's really calm.

 

[NewToMini's]

The snaps on the leads are too heavy for me to feel comfortable attaching to the bit, so I need to get some Mini long lines before I can work her from the bit.

 

[Minimor]

I have some ready to hitch in two weeks--that is two weeks from starting to work. Others take longer--if they don't like noises behind them or if they don't "get" longlining as quickly or if they don't take to the bit as easy. Then it might be one to 2 months before I get to hitch them.

 

[Strangeaddiction]

I agree with Rocklone, it depends on the horse and the person training it (experience, etc.) on how long it will take to train a mini to drive. Don't put a time line on it just go with how quick or slow the horse takes to learn new things. My horse (avatar pic) took a while to get lunging but then was a breeze with everything else and didn't take long after that to understand. He was super easy and willing. It took 2-4 sessions just to get him to lunge to the right at first though.

I usually take my time getting them used to everything before hooking them I add one piece of new equipment each time, if they are unphased I move on. I usually get them working with every piece of the harness before hooking even though I may not use it for quite some time. I will put a check on them, loosely just to make sure they wont react to it and will be ok with it, even though I don't actually use the check until the horse knows how to carry themselves etc. I'll go through the same process every time i work them so it becomes repetition. Usually when I am getting ready to introduce the cart (at this point can lunge and ground drive walk trot both ways, change of direction at walk and trot, know whoa and back) I will work them and bring the cart over, jiggle it around, bump it all over them etc. until they are comfortable. Then I will set it in the shaft loops, put pressure on it, jiggle it around. I'll do that until they are unphased. Then the next time I wrap the wrap straps, jiggle it around. Next time I will have a halter on over their bridle and will have someone at the head while I hold the cart and we will walk them around with it until they are unphased. (I guess I should explain that I do each of these steps multiple sessions if needed. Sometimes it takes a horse 3 times of jiggling the cart on them until they are fully ok with it, some take once. That's what I mean by it.) Next step is someone at the head with halter and lead, I am ground driving until they are comfortable. Next, I am ground driving and holding the halter lead (I use the halter so that if they spook or skoot or something goes array i dont have to pull on the reins or bit.) Next I unclip the lead and just ground drive close. Next I am ground driving and then ask for a couple trot steps. I dont get in until they can walk, trot, whoa, change directions and they are like a pro. This is an abbreviated description and seems tedious but every mini I've started (knock on wood) has never had an issue or accident breaking them like this. Once you do all the work, usually you can just hop in and go! But every one takes a different amount of time.

 

[jventresca]

I agree with Rocklone that each horse is different. Most horses I've trained take 2 months. Some have taken much longer. One mare that I put off hooking to a cart because she was older and flighty turned out to be one of the nicest driving horses I've trained. A stallion that I didn't think would drive at all because he hated ground driving and wearing a harness, loved to drive! One horse refused to work in blinkers. Another wouldn't drive without them. Being consistent helps a lot.

When you say your girl gets distracted by the bit I wonder what bit you're using. I like to start horses with a Mullen Mouth snaffle. It's a curved bar that allows room for the tongue. I usually wrap the mouthpiece with Sealtex, a latex bandage that sticks to itself. This helps if the horse doesn't like the feel of metal in his mouth. In my opinion jointed bits can allow the horse to "play" so they're less willing to listen. When the horse has advanced in their training I usually switch to a French Link snaffle because I feel I have better communication. But it depends on the horse.

You mention your girl spinning around while ground driving. I suggest you run your lines through a dee ring on your surcingle at the middle of her body. Then, when she tries to turn around you can hold her in place with the lines. The trick is to be ready and hold the lines down around her butt. I like to use a harness saddle for training. The I run the lines through the tugs, making sure to secure the tugs with the overgirth first.

You may want to try using two lunge lines. The snaps are usually smaller, so lighter. If you use nylon lines please be sure to wear gloves and never wrap the lines around your hands or fingers!

With very green horses I use a side check to start. I attach it loosely just to keep them from putting their head all the way down. I compete in ADS driving events so I don't normally use a check at all on experienced horses.

Just my two cents!

 

[NewToMini's]

She's the first horse I've trained, so I don't have a lot of experience.

I'm using a regular driving bit. Thickish mouthpiece, one joint, metal snaffle.

I put the lines through the lowest hole in the surcingle, and try to use the lines to keep her from spinning, but I don't always notice that she's going to spin in time to get the rope down around her butt to stop her. I normally walk directly behind her, but I guess if I walked to the side, I could keep the rope down around her butt so I could stop her from spinning.

And I only have 1 lunge line, and both the rope itself and the snap are heavy.

 

[Champ]

I know you are asking how long it should take to train a mini to drive but I have a question, if you don't have any driving experience or know how to harness a horse or the parts of a harness and the purpose of each part, then I'd like to make the suggestion of working with a trainer to help you with training your mini and learning how to harness, etc.. I want you and your mini to both be safe and have a lot of fun driving times together in the future and I think getting help will make this happen.

 

[NewToMini's]

I occasionally work at a riding stable in exchange for riding time, and I helped to train a couple of her horses to drive. So I learned how to ground drive and harness a horse, and if I need help, I know I can ask her

 

[paintponylvr]

and because I've seen quite a number of driving wrecks (especially with minis and smaller ponies), I add a lot more steps and since I work alone and am not a pro-trainer, I generally take longer to get them going and solid before being hooked to the cart. That doesn't include the training for show ring or dressage driving (which starts on the ground, especially w/ minis and small ponies and takes much longer).

I have gotten some going in as little as 30 days on the ones we've raised - they were handled by my family and i from the day they were born and grew up having various ropes and equipment put on them and over them. When harnessed it was a non-event (except I currently use mostly farm harness and some need to get used to the constant jangling sounds the work chains make).

It can take months if they were purchased and haven't had the type of ground handling manners and training I like OR I am not able to be consistent in their training and handling. I have a "crop" of 3 & 4 yr old youngsters (OMG where did the time go?) that haven't had nearly the handling that the year previous babies and youngsters did. I figure that they will take longer as they need to learn some of the basics and get solid/good at it before we even go on to ground driving - much less hooking to the cart.

Due to some issues I have (conditioning, age, knees/ankles), mine learn to ground drive by doing lots of circles, figure 8s and serpentines before we go down the road. I utilize "lounging" when introducing them to pulling a single tree, a tire on the ground, a single shaft against their side and two shafts on their sides. I've found it easiest to introduce a cart by having an extra person to handle the cart while I ground drive. The youngsters also spend time tied in an area near where we are able to drive and I work other driving ponies around them and some of our foals (3 - 2010 babies, both of the 2 - 2012 fillies; none of the 4 - 3 yr olds) went out with their dams while she was being driven - single (logging or cart), pair (farm forecart or wagon) & 3 abreast to farm equipment (disk, chain link drag).

I find that I like introducing a bit while they are eating. Their teeth need to be checked (more than likely several of the youngsters this year need teeth floats BEFORE biting) and they learn to pick up and hold the bit while also learning they can do something while the equipment I require them to wear is on them.

If you need driving lines, balancing side reins, regular side reins or checks - you can easily make them from less expensive cording or rope. If you braid, you can utilize the haystring that comes off of of hay bales (if you get haystring).

I have many on-line photo albums of a friend and I going to a draft horse trainer for lessons 1x week from April thru November getting our first shetlands going and then going on and training a lot of our own ponies. I will be adding albums as we start working ponies this year...

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

I think sometimes the horses spin because they get confused and know they can spin. My mare took so long cause of the spinning thing, but with nothing to stop her she would spin rather than go forward. Shes my best driver now for speed and trotting. She has never tried to spin in the cart once, not that she can.

 

[NewToMini's]

Yeah, she used to spin all the time, just because she was confused because I was walking behind her and she wasn't used to it. It was quite frustrating, lol, but as soon as she 'got it' she was much better. Now she only spins if she wants to get back to her filly when we're on the road, or if I ask her to go somewhere scary (like across the ditch in the pasture).

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

I would say that is napping and its being enabled by the lack of actual control (cause you can't really control what they do when you're so far from the head)

Is there anyone who can walk at the head and when she tries to do that they can correct her and give you control back?

 

[NewToMini's]

None of my family knows anything about horses, and I don't think they'd be very enthusiastic about helping me train XD

When I took her out last time, I did figure out that I can use my dressage whip on one side to keep her from spinning, and my hand on the other side. I have to tap her a little, though (hopefully she'll get better with more work).

And if I ask her to trot, she doesn't do it. But I'm a bit hesitant to use trotting to keep her from spinning.

 

[avalonacres.barefoot]

Training it definitely different for every horse. I got my miniature horse Marty when he was 10 months old and he was never handled. When he was about 1 year old I started ground training including the beginnings of ground driving. After he was 2 years old I starting teaching him proper ground driving. He just turned 3 years old March 12th and I got a cart and harness for his birthday. I had him in the harness and cart that day for the first time and he pulled if very well with no issues. The next day I took him on a short drive up he road and back. Also I use a halter not a bridle because he dosen't need it. I would consider him a special case because he is pretty much bombproof and I've done all this training. I would say the usual amount of time to train is 2-3 weeks ground driving and about a week working with the cart before you actually have the horse pull you around. *Also I want to say that I know he is young but he is only doing light work until he is 4 years old.*

 

[jeanniecogan]

when i start my horses (ive trained 3 horses and 3 minis). i start out walking them around using verbal commands, walk, whoa especially. if they don't walk out with me they get a good correction with a sharp jerk on the lead rope. on whoa i give them two steps after the verbal command then they get the same jerk. i do this until they do as requested right away. every time. also helps with leading . when ground driving when i say whoa i take 2 steps and stop, that makes them run into the bit and they teach themselves to whoa on command.

when you are training you are training, not mean, but just like raising a kid, say what you mean and mean what you say.

another important item that hasn't been already brought up. They are smart little beggers and get bored quickly, so dont dilly dally too much. don't rush either. hope you are having fun.

 

[jeanniecogan]

whoops, when leading them and teaching verbal commands i also teach the words i am going to use for turning left or right.