QuestionHello, We have three mini horses, ages 2 our stud, 4 our gelding, and 5 my female. What I am trying to figure out, is what items do I need to properly train them to pull a cart or whatnot. When we got them in Nov. They were worked with on pulling carts. However, my opinion is they could have used more work, and its been awhile eitherway that Im sure they would benefit in more training. I am new to mini's and would like to find out what more I can do to work with them. Any advice would be grateful. Thank you, Christina
AnswerHi Christina, good questions! To begin with I start training my kids as yearlings to do in hand stuff. I prepare them to be obedient for the later cart training so they mind and when they do get hitched they know everything from the ground. The age to start hooking them up and expecting them to pull you I feel is 3 years old. They can be started earlier getting them hooked and ground driven but in my opinion they are not ready mentally or physically to pull before that age. The miniature horse people tend to push them too hard too soon as far as driving goes. They are little and therefore easy to bully into what you want them to do. But it doesn't make it right. That said,and realize this is only my opinon. I would suggest you have a surcingle to work with ,side reins for future head setting,a nice well made work type harness and then when you decide about showing you will need a nice show harness. My preference of carts are those with wood shafts. I don't use metal pipe carts even for training. The reason being is metal shafts don't break if the horse is in trouble. I have been driving ponies,horses,and minis for 21 years or better. I am a dressage person both driven and riden so I am a bit jaded in my thinking but the main thing in driving which I have learned over the years is safety first whatever the size. I start my yearlings doing obstacle stuff first with much patience. They are so smart but can be so stubborn too. Good books on smallhorse.com Toni Leland has a good training book I recommend it. Get them really trusting you and having fun with the obstacle stuff first then proceed from there to wearing a bit.I just take a cheapy snaffle attach to their halters from a hook or I use baling twine. Leave it on about 15 minutes for a week and they are pretty much used to it by then. Once they are happy with a bit I start to teach them to lunge. I lunge with the bit but attach line to halter not bit! Teach the commands verbally until they walk trot and whoa. Make sure to teach it so they don't stop and face you when they stop. Once this is down pat you can start with the ground driving in a syrcingle. Stateline has one I believe for minis or one of the mini catalogs. They have cruppers which is great gets them used to that part too. I use long lines at least 16 foot or better. So when I begin I first lunge to get some of the beans out and do this with bridle and syrcingle on. Then start in a circle like lunging with the long lines. Just walk off to the side of them and urge them forward so they are making their circle around you but you are off to the side a bit controlling the reins attached now to the bit. Takes a bit for them to get it but when it comes they are almost ready to start trotting the circle. So get them moving off into the circle with many stops and then flip your long lines and do the other way. This goes on a few weeks until they know the lesson well. If you have an arena the next is just sending them forward along the wall. Will confuse them at first and remember you are the eyes. They cannot see to the sides with the blinders so keep them off the wall a few feet. You need to use a whip in case they stop confused can just tap the saddle part or a reminder tap to go forward. The whip as I am sure you know is an aid not a punishment. So take them down the wall walk trot stop stand ect. Use the words try not to use the reins much words are better. Take deep into corners. Use your voice a lot remember your voice and whip now become what would be your seat and hands if you were riding. After the wall work for a week or whatever time it takes to get them totally grounded in this lesson, start crisscrossing the diagonal across arena or pasture. Do large circles change directions ect. I always throw in backing last. It is hard for a harness horse to master. Balance and trust in you are issues here. So slowly on a wall ask for a back. Give a little pull on the reins and ask back. It is best to have a helper in front at this point to teach this as you don't want to pull hard on the mouth still looking for verbal commands. Backing is a command that should be taught on the ground for in hand obstacles standing in front of the horse ask for the back and push the chest while taking a step towards the horse. Ir they don't move use butt end of whip and push until a step is taken then lavish praise. So once they have the concept and the word makes it much easier to teach the back in harness. Anyway work on the backing say the word a gentle pull and if no response then say the word again a pull on the reins at the same time you tap with the whip. Still no response helper will need to prod with the end of whip while you continue with the word and gentle half halt pulls.Once you have all this kindergarden stuff as I call it down you are ready for the rest of the steps. This part of training can take anywhere from 2 months up depends on horse. Don't rush any of it. End each lesson on a positive note lots of praise and treats. The next step is putting the cart shafts in the shaft holders
Do not attach horse to cart, Helper holds one of the sharts and walks along with horse on his side while you handle the reins. You can first have helper go beside you with cart up close to horse walking around for a bit making it rattle ect bumping a bit against horse see how he reacts. If after a bit it appears to be not an issue then put shafts in loops and start walking around turning so shafts tighten and bump against see how that goes for a few lessons. Once horse is comfy with that then attach cart to horse with a helper. you ground drive behind same thing with helper except helper now just walks beside for safety in case of a blow up. Once you are ground driving with cart attached nothing weird going on get in helper at horses head to catch if something happens. I would do a few lessons this way then you are on your own. I took you through basics as if you know nothing. Hope I didn't bore you too much. Get Doris Gantons book beginning driving and the one that small horse carries. Don't rush it the best show or pleasure driving horses are those taken slowly each lesson learned well and safe is my motto. I have several national and one international champions pinto and they are a pleasure to drive and own. I would take the horses that were broke to cart and run them through kindergarden too. But if they seem to know all the steps go through it faster and get hitched off you go. Driving is one of my mad passions so please if you run into a glitch email me at miniwhinne.gmail.com privately if you like. Let me know how it does and good luck.Training is fun. Sometimes frustrating but rewarding. Melissa
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