Even if you bought your Miniature Horse as a pet, your horse still needs to learn basic ground manners and training. The small size of a miniature horse can be deceiving, because even though they are small, they are very strong and can hurt a person if not properly trained. By training your Miniature Horse basic ground manners, you can have a more enjoyable relationship with your horse and lay the foundation for future training such as driving.
One of the most basic things to teach your Miniature Horse is to give to pressure. The key to being successful when training a Miniature Horse is to always be patient and consistent.
Start the training by putting a halter and lead rope on your Miniature Horse, then put the horse in a stall or enclosed area. Do not leave the horse unsupervised. Watch from outside the stall and let the horse move around. The horse will eventually step on the lead rope putting pressure on themselves. Eventually, the horse will then learn to relive the pressure by stepping off of the rope. Once you horse has this part down proceed to the next training step.
Tie the horse to a tie down in a safe place free from distractions. The best tie downs are made of rubber and have some give to them. When tying a horse it is very important to tie them short and not have any lead ropes dangling or the horse could get a leg caught in the lead rope. Untrained horses will fight being tied by pawing the ground and pulling on the tie down. Pull up a chair a good bit of distance from the horse and just observe. Initially training sessions should be kept short and then lengthened as the horse gets better. For the first session tie the horse for approximately 15 minutes. If the horse is pawing and pulling ignore the horse completely. Eventually the horse will get tired and stand still. As soon as you see that happen praise the horse and untie him to end the session. It is important to always end training sessions on a good note.
For the next session, leave the horse tied 30 to 45 minutes. Again do not speak or pet the horse while it is pulling or pawing at the tie. You want to completely ignore bad behavior and only reward good behavior. Your Miniature Horse will learn quickly that they only get attention when they stand tied quietly. This will also teach the horse patience.
Once your Miniature Horse is able to stand tied, it is time to work on leading skills. Because the horse is already trained to give to pressure, teaching the Miniature Horse to properly lead should be very quick and easy. Standing on the left of your horse use the voice command to “walk” and walk forward. The head of your miniature should be at your shoulder. Do not grip the lead under the horse’s chin with what is called the “death grip.” By constantly holding a horse tight under the chin, you are putting constant pressure on the horses head. This will cause the horse to fight you to try to relieve the pressure. The lead should be held in the right hand about 10 inches down from the horses chin. The slack should be held in your left hand. If your Miniature Horse refuses to walk forward, make the horse circle around. Eventually the Miniature will tire of walking in a circle and walk forward. If the horse tries to jump ahead of you put immediate pressure on the horse by popping the lead, followed by immediately releasing the pressure. The horse must learn to walk quietly by your side without running ahead or crowding your space. If the Miniature does try to crowd you, put your right arm out touching the horse’s shoulder to maintain the proper distance.
Next practice the command “whoa” When you say whoa the horse should immediately stop. Whoa means stop immediately; not slow down and take one more step. As soon as you give the command, put quick pressure on the halter to make the horse stop. If you practice this and are consistent, your horse should automatically whoa whenever the voice command is given. The whoa command is probably one of the more important voice commands to train a Miniature Horse. In certain situations, a horse trained to whoa could save their own life or the life of the owner.
