SE Wisconsin Minis

 

Most miniatures are easily trained because they are so willing to please. Of course, they are shown in halter at shows where they often resemble miniature Arabians while they pose. Some have been trained to be guides for the handicapped. They can pull carts with you or your grandchildren and walk in parades while you listen to the oohs and aahs of children and adults alike. They can be trained to go through obstacle courses with and without a person. They can jump unbelievable heights compared to their size and pull wagons and carts in a variety of classes and yes, even sleighs for those brave enough to venture out in the snow. For those of you who appreciate dressage, here is an almost unbelievable video that is a must watch! http://www.dressur-design.de/inhalte/texte/english/horses/lancelot.php.   You just have to pick the thing that interests you most and “go for it”!

 

 

Of course in this cold, damp winter weather, unless you have a sleigh and a good driving horse or an indoor arena, what can you do? January in Wisconsin is the perfect time to plan and even start some training. My horses seem to get nearly as bored as I do in the winter time. So even if you’ve had your horse for a while, you might try some “together time” by just grooming him. Get him used to being tied in one spot for grooming. Get him to offer his feet to you willingly. It’s a good time to get those young ones used to the sound of the clippers without actually clipping. All of this is taught/trained by patience and simple repetition.

 

 

If you think you might like to show in halter classes, you could start in your own barn by walking and eventually trotting with your horse at your side. Don’t allow him to get behind or ahead of you. Practice stopping together by saying, “Whoa”and thinking 1, 2. Try to say whoa and stop your own body by stepping down with one foot on whoa and bringing the other up beside on 2 and then not moving. At first it may take a little tug on the lead chain to reinforce whoa but he will eventually begin to “read” your body language. Get him used to standing and staying in one spot without moving - gradually lengthening the time that he will stand. Once he’s gotten the idea of standing still, you can work on the posing or the arching of neck by offering a treat or using some other thing to get his attention so he’ll stretch to smell or touch it. You can also use the help of another person to be the “judge” and walk around you and your horse so he learns to give his attention to no one but you.

 

 

If you’d like to train your mini to do obstacles, that can be done in a barn aisle too. Nearly anything you can think of that’s not dangerous to you or your horse can become useful for training. Start with the simple task of a pivot by holding his head still while getting his rear to move around. At a show this pivot may be requested with the front feet inside a hula hoop or the hind feet inside while they move their front feet. A hula hoop can also be used at shows for him to stand inside and ground tie. A ground tie is practiced by giving a “whoa” cue, dropping the lead, and backing away a few steps. The secret is keeping their attention on you and lots of patience if he moves. The idea is to get him to stand while you are NOT holding the lead and then praise him. Again it is the repetition that is needed for him to understand what you want.

 

 

Another obstacle for indoors could be a rake or broom handle across the aisle. Start with it on the floor and have him walk over it. The object is to get him to walk over this without it hesitation and without stepping on or tripping over it. If you have the space and a pole that is bigger around than a handle, he will learn must faster. Backing is another must to learn and easy to teach in small spaces. You want him to back easily and straight. Once he can do this then you need to teach him to turn a corner backwards which is a combination of backing and pivoting which you’ve already taught him.

 

 

Scary objects are something that he will need to get use to having around or even on him. Use anything and everything because the key is his trust in you. The longer you work together the more you’ll find that no matter what you suddenly drop into his line of sight, he’ll look to you for a clue if he should move. At shows, I’ve seen plastic bags, bags with aluminum cans inside, stuffed animals, all put ON the horses back or to side pass over as an “obstacle”. Some of the more amusing ones were animated stuffed animals, beach umbrellas, and live animals.

 

 

Side passing is best taught after some of the other things have been taught and a relationship is established with your horse. The easiest way to teach a side pass is to hold his head facing a wall or fence and make him move away from you while saying “side” or waving your hand towards his rear (whatever works best for you). Just understand that the movements you make while training will eventually become the body language that he will remember and associate with the actions you want.

 

 

Your praise is usually the best reward that will keep him learning. For a young horse, like a child, the attention span is short so keep the practice to between 10 and 20 minutes at first. An older horse may give you his attention for an hour but you may not last that long. If you become impatient or upset end the session but do it on a positive note. Ask him to do something that he has learned already so you can praise him before you put him away.

 

 

Jumping really can’t be taught in a barn aisle but the foundation is laid when you get your horse to trust that you’ll never ask anything of him that will get him hurt. Also stepping over the pole and backing make him aware of where his feet should and shouldn’t go. Later you can use this as you slowly raise that pole up to make it a jump.

 

 

Now that you’ve taught him all this you may want to know what you can do with this information. I can’t emphasize enough that if your horse trusts you completely he’ll do almost anything you ask so these lessons can be used as a basis to go in many directions. I’ve had my horses in parades both walking and driving. They’ve done demonstrations at nursing homes where, of course, everyone wants to get up close and pet. Every year they go to a picnic for handicapped and give cart rides. We go to open and breed shows. Now when someone says, “What do you do with those little guys?” You can answer, “The only thing I can’t do is ride on their backs!”