Training - where to begin?

[QuiltinMom]

Well, some of you may have followed my story in this thread: We will be going in just a couple of days to pick up our first mini, eh, first horse EVER!!! We don't even know where to begin as far as training. We are comfortable with the needs of the horse to take care of it and provide the shelter, food, water, etc.

When we bring our first mare home she will be kept in a stall for the first several days other then walking her with a lead rope. I have read that you shouldn't just turn them out in a new pasture, that they may get scared and bolt. Also the pasture we have fenced off is currently grass (we have trimmed out all of the weeds and have cut the grass as short as the mower will mow it). We know that she can only go out for a short time each day. When she is out in the pasture we will keep her on a lead and walk her around.

This is where my questions begin........I want to make sure we don't develop any bad habits, her or us. We need to know how to walk her properly and the words to use to communicate with her. The current owners of her started working with her some so she is halter broke and walks very nicely. She will also back up. She has had a saddle on her, but I don't think she was ever ridden. That is about all I know.

I have a book called "Mini Manual for New Owners A Newly Revised and Updated Guide for the First Time Miniature Horse Owner". I also have "Train Your Miniature Horse to Drive". And I have ordered "Training and "Showing Your Miniature Horse in Halter Classes". This last one should arrive some time this week.

So, can you recommend somewhere I can learn the very, very basic "groundwork". I mean, like the sounds you make when trying to get your horse to move (kisses), etc. Are these standard across the country?

I know it would be best to find a mentor and we have tried. Most of our friends that have horses don't know much about Miniatures and don't show very much. I would like to buy some DVD's and watch them, but again, I don't know which one would be the very first one to start with. I also read in an older thread on this forum about Giddy Up Flix.com. That looks like it will be an invaluable resource to be able to rent the DVD's before purchasing them. THANKS to whomever posted about that!!!

So, in an effort of trying to be organized and ready where can you tell me to begin?

THANKS!!!

 

[Miniv]

Just some BASICS....

Horses are led on a person's right side normally. And she should walk with you at her shoulder with about a couple of feet between you.

(If she tries to crowd too close, give a poke with her finger and she should move away.)

I use the commands "Walk" and "Easy" to let a horse know they are pulling ahead. To stop: "Whoa" and you should come to a complete stop.

To encourage the horse to move, speed up, or to trot I make a clicking noise with my tongue and to trot I often will just say "Trot".

When a horse is being naughty my command is "QUIT"....I do not say "no" because it sounds too much like "Whoa".

And when she does something right, always praise her with "Good Girl!" and a pat or a scritch. Always end a session with a positive, no matter how small it is. That is a must.

 

[wingnut]

Do some googling with words like "horse, miniature horse, ground work, groundwork, training"

This should bring up some sites for you to read and maybe even some you tube videos.

I'd suggest working on establishing some basic command words. "Walk on", "Trot on", "Whoa", "Stay", "Back" and "Over" would be words I would work on. These commands will come in handy every day, whether you have a lead and halter on or not. And some of them will easily transition to other things like training for showing and driving.

I loved Giddyupflicks when I was member. This one by Pat Elder would be a great place to start:

http://www.giddyupflix.com/detail.php?id=1469

NATURAL TRAINING FOR MINIATURE HORSES: SESSION 1

 

[Ryan Johnson]

As a 35 yo adult that has had horses since the age of 8yo I am still learning

As my parents didn't have a lot of knowledge about horses , they actually sent me off for riding lessons. I got a lot out of it as it tought me the basics. How to brush a horse, how to pick out hooves correctly, worming and keeping track when the horse was due to be wormed next. It wasn't the Riding part that I valued the most as I grew up , it was the "basics" & how to care for a horse......

As Miniv also said, how to encourage the horse and to reward with a pat every time something good is done. But remember who is the boss. A horse is a very intelligent animal and some have been known to test their new riders/owners out

I also got a lot of books growing up, they were a regular item for me come birthdays and xmas. DVDs and the internet were not around back then - good thing for you now is that they are, you and "google" will become very good friends.

The best piece of advice that was given to me as a kid and I ended up learning from experience was " Don't get into the same pattern daily" I used to brush , work my pony , brush/hose him down then I would feed. The pony I had worked out fairly quickly that he would rather skip the riding part as he knew his feed was coming up shortly. Hence he spent more time trying to get a 9 yo out of the saddle cause he wanted his dinner.

Mix it up to a degree but take your time, I would be working on the basics for the next 12 months, you need to develop that bond between "Horse & Rider/owner"

Best of luck to you, I can still remember the day I went to the aggistment that I hung out at all the time. I would "annoy " all the other kids for a ride on their ponies.

There was a little bay gelding in the front paddock shortly after my parents showed up, to let me know that he was all mine.

I will never forget it

 

[Max's Mom]

How exciting for you! Your friends who work with big horses will be helpful even if they don't have experience with miniatures. The same concepts apply. There are some specific health concerns for minis, but in general they are really just another horse breed, just smaller. Because they are smaller, they are typically easier to work with, and a great breed of horse to get started with. Enjoy!

 

[targetsmom]

How exciting!! One thing to remember is that you are always "training" a horse, no matter what you are doing with it.so you need to be consistent. There is a lot of basic information on our website under the 4-H section that should help you get started. http://www.ontargetminiatures.com/otm-4h.html

Please share pictures when you can and don't be afraid to ask more questions.

 

[AnnaC]

You have received lots of good advice here already. Without letting your new girl get on top of herself remember that she is in a new place and will need time to settle in and get used to the routine you will be following. One small step at a time, any new lessons should last approx a few minutes rather than with half hour sessions where you will possibly lose her interest! You can make use of all your walk on/trot/whoa/over's etc both in the stable and when out on walks - walking is a brilliant way of bonding with an animal. But at 6 yrs of age your little girl should be pretty well established in all her ground work, it will be just her needing to get used to you and your tone of voice so that she can understand what you are asking for.

What sort of life has she been living up until now - has she been stalled that much, is she used to living out most of the time, has she had grass or been on a dry lot, what has she been fed? If she has been spending most of her time outside, then keeping her confined in a stall for several days may well lead to her getting over-excited when you come to lead her out, even if you are doing short walks regularly. If you think about the amount of self exercise a horse will take given the chance, your little one will need walks of at least a hour, and at least twice a day, if you are going to stall her. If your paddock fencing is strong and safe I would let her out, at least through the day. Yes she may race around, possibly because she is excited at being somewhere new or just because she is looking for her friends, but she wont hurt herself and will soon settle down and be looking for a nibble of grass or hay.

Really excited for you - good luck!

 

[QuiltinMom]

Just some BASICS....

Horses are led on a person's right side normally. And she should walk with you at her shoulder with about a couple of feet between you.

(If she tries to crowd too close, give a poke with her finger and she should move away.)

I use the commands "Walk" and "Easy" to let a horse know they are pulling ahead. To stop: "Whoa" and you should come to a complete stop.

To encourage the horse to move, speed up, or to trot I make a clicking noise with my tongue and to trot I often will just say "Trot".

When a horse is being naughty my command is "QUIT"....I do not say "no" because it sounds too much like "Whoa".

And when she does something right, always praise her with "Good Girl!" and a pat or a scritch. Always end a session with a positive, no matter how small it is. That is a must.

THANKS!!! This is exactly the beginnings I am looking for. I like the "quit" command. I had never thought of that one. That will be a good one to use.

THANKS!!!

 

[QuiltinMom]

Do some googling with words like "horse, miniature horse, ground work, groundwork, training"

This should bring up some sites for you to read and maybe even some you tube videos.

I'd suggest working on establishing some basic command words. "Walk on", "Trot on", "Whoa", "Stay", "Back" and "Over" would be words I would work on. These commands will come in handy every day, whether you have a lead and halter on or not. And some of them will easily transition to other things like training for showing and driving.

I loved Giddyupflicks when I was member. This one by Pat Elder would be a great place to start:

http://www.giddyupflix.com/detail.php?id=1469

NATURAL TRAINING FOR MINIATURE HORSES: SESSION 1

And if I tell the horse "over" exactly what am I expecting her to do? Step over something or move over or what? Sorry, I am sure that is a very stupid question, but I have no idea.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

I can't really help as my first move when i get a new horse is to ALWAYS turn them out for a week or two immediately. I visit every day and let them get used to me in their environment, as being stalled and afraid is much worse for a horse.

 

[QuiltinMom]

How exciting!! One thing to remember is that you are always "training" a horse, no matter what you are doing with it.so you need to be consistent. There is a lot of basic information on our website under the 4-H section that should help you get started. http://www.ontargetminiatures.com/otm-4h.html

Please share pictures when you can and don't be afraid to ask more questions.

WOW!!!! That website is quite resourceful!!! Very basic info which is exactly what we need!!! May have to print off some of that for quick reference. I sure hope we can find someone local that we can use to help guide us. Even if we have our 7 year old join 4H she is not old enough to show animals.

 

[QuiltinMom]

What sort of life has she been living up until now - has she been stalled that much, is she used to living out most of the time, has she had grass or been on a dry lot, what has she been fed? If she has been spending most of her time outside, then keeping her confined in a stall for several days may well lead to her getting over-excited when you come to lead her out, even if you are doing short walks regularly. If you think about the amount of self exercise a horse will take given the chance, your little one will need walks of at least a hour, and at least twice a day, if you are going to stall her. If your paddock fencing is strong and safe I would let her out, at least through the day. Yes she may race around, possibly because she is excited at being somewhere new or just because she is looking for her friends, but she wont hurt herself and will soon settle down and be looking for a nibble of grass or hay.
Really excited for you - good luck!
She is currently in the family's back yard. She is kept on a dry lot with a mini donkey (yes he is gelded, we asked) She has primarily been fed hay, they don't feed her grain except in the winter. Most if not all of her time is outside.

The only reason we were planning on keeping her in the stall was for her to adjust to her new surroundings and to not graze on the grass too much. If we can allow her to be out in the pen then that would be our preference. We just want to do what is best for her and make our first experience the best it can be.

 

[paintponylvr]

Mary (OTM) - I haven't been out to your site in a while and hadn't realized how much info you'd added to it! WOW, that is so awesome that you've put that together that way. THANK YOU for sharing it with everyone - at no charge. YES, all this info is available "out there" but you've condensed it in a very concise and understandable way and made it all available to anyone free of charge.

QuiltinMom -

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MINIS and this forum!!

Please understand that not all 4H clubs are the same. When we arrived in NC, there were a few 4H horse clubs - but they'd "been at it awhile" and they DID NOT cover the basics for new comers (I didn't consider myself or our children newcomers, but we weren't "southerners" either and it was HARD to get accepted into the local clubs!). They always complained that they didn't have new members coming in - but they catered only to folks/children that were experienced, which discouraged the newcomers. The newcomers quickly went other directions and most often left the horse world altogether. As a part time instructor, I've been very upset that so many instructors out there don't want to teach the basics of horsemanship (handling/caring for the horse before riding or driving ever starts), but then again a lot of the folks around here that take lessons don't want to learn that. They'd rather pay someone else to do all the "getting ready" stuff and just arrive to take a lesson and/or ride/drive. Then they leave w/o taking care of the horse! I don't teach that way - and I compete with all the other things that kids and adults can do these days. I am no longer insured to teach/give lessons on our farm w/ our horses OR anyone else's. I simply couldn't afford the insurance when I wasn't giving enough lessons to justify the cost.

Iowa used to have many 4H clubs that are similar to Mary's - in that maybe a 7 yr old can't show - but they ARE allowed to learn and do many of the other projects with horse members that are available. Hopefully, your local one is one of those. Even miniature horses - for some reason I was under the impression that there were quite a number of them in IA. I know that there are several respectable farms and breeders out there!

AS to feeding and care - ask 10 owners in different parts of the country how they feed and you will get 10 different answers. You will also get different answers to the on-going training of your horse(s).

My care for ours is completely different than what has been stated by others so far. I do have some larger minis and Shetlands as well as 1 larger 1/2 shetland and 2 "full size" horses (one is considered a pony by height). Ours are on "pasture" - year round. They have access to free choice hay - coastal bermuda - in medium sized rolls. They were caught 2x daily to be fed - but current work situation means that most are only caught 1x daily to be fed. I have 4 in pens that are fed 2x daily (before work at 5 am, but simply can't feed 27 head at that time - we've worked it out). They still have hay free choice - just from small squares, not big round bales. Our barn is currently open - the 7 mares in that pasture use it more for a toilet than for anything else. They DO NOT stay in it when it rains - too much noise on the tin roof in most cases! The other pastures - they have trees they shelter under/in, and large round bales that they shelter against.

Since my feeding program requires that a horse get caught/tied up to be fed, even while quarantined/separated in a pen, they will be caught JUST SO THAT I KNOW I can catch them. If catching them is "iffy" - they DO wear a drag line. Some of my youngsters will go thru periods where they will wear a drag line even after being handled daily from day one. Ours wear collars and I've just gotten cattle ear tags w/ a paint type marker, so they each wear a name tag. Hopefully this will make the tags last longer than 1 month, LOL. Helps MUCH when I have family and others over to help care for them - since most folk say ours all "look the same - ugly tan ponies". Will get another bag of tags today and will mark each of their individual buckets (again)...

This is a larger 1/2 shetland mare w/ her name tag, it's upside down. Most of our collars are braided from recycled haystring or from paracord. You can see our feed room and a "tack rack" (the cattle panel fence around the feed area) behind Flower's head... You might consider keeping your hay strings from your hay. A 7yr old can learn to braid a simple 3 strand or 4 strand "rope" that can be used for a multitude of things around your place. Works best if you cut the strings at the knot... Our children used this as a learning project that they then "taught" at a 4H meeting and with the number of critters we have - we constantly use up these bits!

Here is a pic of the mares, at feeding time, in a different paddock before being moved back into the barn pasture. Bit and Stuffy are both wearing fly masks - to protect their eyes from the flys/gnats that bother the both of them so much. If you look close, you will note the braided hay string ties they are each tied with.

Here is a picture of a group of ours eating at a round bale together and a pic of the way I try to do round bales now to prevent waste! Notice that we don't have lush pasture. That is a $20 hay ring! As long as I've had/used cattle panels for fencing, it had never occurred to me/us to do this that way - I learned it from a book about goats. I've traded my horse and cattle hay rings for hay - great use for me!

I've shared my own love of equine with our 3 daughters and a non-horsey hubby. The girls started handling and riding minis/shetlands at the tender ages of 5 yrs, 32 months and 22 months of age in June 1995. My non-horsey hubby CAN tell most of our ponies apart and can catch/pet most of them as well (not all) - though he is not wanting to become a horse person. Our daughters are now 24 (with 2 grand daughters), 22 & just turned 21 - they aren't active with the horses at this time - but can still ride and drive. Occasionally, the grand daughters are out to learn a little - though not at the intensity that our daughters were "immersed" in horse care/riding!

Sierra's 1st ride w/ 5 yr old Skye leading the 3 yr old pony for the leadline pics and then Sierra riding a neighbors' horse Nov 2012.

 

[paintponylvr]

Here are some more pics of our daughters learning and then doing ... Oi - I need to make this pic smaller, sorry! Madira (aka - 'Dira) is 4.5 yrs old - the mini has just turned 5 yrs old. The 2nd pic - 'Dira is 18 and so is Bell (for her 1st hitch)... The harness on Bell is predominantly recycled, braided hay string that I did. I don't have any pics of Dira after this with the horses/ponies right now.

and the oldest, Skye, was shown leading AJ in the previous post. Then during a riding lesson with a "real instructor" not mom - and then with working with a Shetland mare from the ground - this one is a "wild one" from a farm in Iowa...

and a pic our our grand daughters before we take the ponies out for a drive with the wagon.

Again, welcome to the world of miniature horses and enjoy all the time your family spends learning together about this new world!!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

If she has never been out on her own and has never been on her own you may find she is not that happy and this could cause her to act differently. There is no reason she cannot go out, even straight away, I think it would be more natural than putting her in a stall where she can see nothing and (in her mind at least) is trapped. You do need to become a two horse family as quickly as you can, horses are herd animals and they do not normally do well on their own. People will tell you of exceptions to this, but they are just that, exceptions, and I have never had a horse on it's own that did well. If you have mowed the grass then I would let her out, at least for a while. Mine are out 24/7 and they never come to harm

 

[Marsha Cassada]

A simple thing to do when haltering is to put on the halter, a gentle scratch and tell her she is a good girl, remove the halter and walk away. Do this as often as you can. Don't give up until she is haltered. If she runs away from you in the pen, I like to use my whip or arms and calmly ask her to keep moving until she stops and lets me approach. Then a hand on her shoulder to let her feel contact. Don't go in to try and catch if you don't have time to follow through.

I like to take my new horses on walks. Do not let her eat while on lead. This is a terrible habit that you will wish you never started!

I lead on both sides, one side going and the other coming home. Walking nicely with you is very important. I carry a dressage whip, as it is a good length to use. I call it my "arm extender", using it to cue . You can tap the rump if she lags, cue the chest if she gets ahead, or reach her other side to brush off a fly. You can use the handle to cue her shoulder over if she gets too close in your space.

Be careful putting too much pressure on the nose or the poll with the halter. Jerking on the halter too hard can do damage. A steady pressure, then quickly releasing when she does what she's asked is the best. If you ask her to come toward you, use a steady pressure then when she takes one step quickly release and praise. Ask for just one step at a time.

Body language is important for horses. Cultivate your confidence so your horse will feel you can be trusted to be the leader.

Six is a wonderful age!

Looking forward to hearing about your adventures.

 

[QuiltinMom]

Thank you Paintponylvr for all of your info and photos. I love to look at everyone's photos. I enjoy the photos of the horses, but I also enjoy looking around in the backgrounds to see what everyone else is doing to keep their horse areas organized. I especially love seeing the photos of the little one's riding the horses. There is something so beautiful about that.

 

[QuiltinMom]

If she has never been out on her own and has never been on her own you may find she is not that happy and this could cause her to act differently. There is no reason she cannot go out, even straight away, I think it would be more natural than putting her in a stall where she can see nothing and (in her mind at least) is trapped. You do need to become a two horse family as quickly as you can, horses are herd animals and they do not normally do well on their own. People will tell you of exceptions to this, but they are just that, exceptions, and I have never had a horse on it's own that did well. If you have mowed the grass then I would let her out, at least for a while. Mine are out 24/7 and they never come to harm

I don't know if she has ever been on her own or not. I thought that I had read somewhere that it was recommended that they be in their stalls for a couple of days while they adjust to their new surroundings. I appreciate having another opinion, though, and we will play it by ear and see how she handles the new environment. I love your statement "You do need to become a two horse family as quickly as you can". This sounds like a grand excuse to get another one!!! Actually, we are looking at a stallion (we will have him gelded before getting him or shortly thereafter) that is a show horse and it already trained to drive. I think he would be a good addition as he would be able to teach us so much. Plus we would have someone ready to drive now. I think the weanling that we have looked at will be ready in a couple of weeks also.

By not letting her out we are just trying to protect her. We don't want her to over eat on the grass, since she has been kept on a dry lot, and bloat or whatever the horse term is. (sorry, can't keep all of these terms straight).

A simple thing to do when haltering is to put on the halter, a gentle scratch and tell her she is a good girl, remove the halter and walk away. Do this as often as you can. Don't give up until she is haltered. If she runs away from you in the pen, I like to use my whip or arms and calmly ask her to keep moving until she stops and lets me approach. Then a hand on her shoulder to let her feel contact. Don't go in to try and catch if you don't have time to follow through.

I like to take my new horses on walks. Do not let her eat while on lead. This is a terrible habit that you will wish you never started!

I lead on both sides, one side going and the other coming home. Walking nicely with you is very important. I carry a dressage whip, as it is a good length to use. I call it my "arm extender", using it to cue . You can tap the rump if she lags, cue the chest if she gets ahead, or reach her other side to brush off a fly. You can use the handle to cue her shoulder over if she gets too close in your space.

Be careful putting too much pressure on the nose or the poll with the halter. Jerking on the halter too hard can do damage. A steady pressure, then quickly releasing when she does what she's asked is the best. If you ask her to come toward you, use a steady pressure then when she takes one step quickly release and praise. Ask for just one step at a time.

Body language is important for horses. Cultivate your confidence so your horse will feel you can be trusted to be the leader.

Six is a wonderful age!

Looking forward to hearing about your adventures.

THANKS so much for your input. I like the idea of her not eating while on the lead. That is something that would be a good thing to start right from the beginning.

We are listening and learning so much from all of you and appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge. We know we have a long way to go, but are looking forward to our journey.

 

[QuiltinMom]

OK, I can't contain it any longer.

I went today and picked up our first mare. I would put a photo of her here, but I don't know how. Going to have to go and research how to attach a photo. Guess I will have to keep all of you in suspense..........

Got it!!!

She is fine with us putting her halter on. She walks away a little bit when we want to put a lead rope on, but gives in easily. She didn't want to go in her stall the first time we tried it, but the second time she walked right in. She doesn't mind the cats. She is curious about the chickens and has some interest in our dogs (Boxers that were barking at her and being obnoxious and she just looked at them). I turned her loose in the "dry lot" (still has grass in it) and she was quite content with walking around and eating constantly for an hour or so. She wasn't overly excited or crazy when I got her home (after a 3 1/2 hour ride home).

She let me brush out her mane and her tail. She seemed to love being brushed from head to toe. She didn't seem to mind me touching her anywhere. She even lifted her foot when I tried just to see what she might think. She seems content to be here and we hope she is. She is here to stay and we hope to bring her a friend or two real soon.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

She is Lovely , wishing you many happy years with her

I also have a boxer that loves to bark at my minis as well.