Paco Cavallo Farm - Training Tidbits

*Training Tidbits*
Training Tidbits #1 - Leading Your Foal to Water Starting your miniature foal to lead can be made a little easier using a "big horse" halter. Use this halter as you would a dog harness. You can run your lead rope through the holes provided in the halter and around under the tail. This usually cuts the "training to lead" time down to just a matter of a few minutes. Give verbal commands to the foal as you work with it. Using simple one-word commands such as stop, walk and trot are best. Use soft tones when giving the commands to the foal. Using the same (consistent) commands will also improve the speed in which the foal learns to respond to your instructions. Limit the training time for foals because they have a shorter attention span than older horses. Approximately five minutes of training three to five days per week is a great beginning. The duration and/or frequency can be increased as the foal becomes more aware of what they are being asked to do. Alice "Doc" Nelson, March 2002

Training Tidbits #2 - HANDling Your New Foal Handle your new foal with as much "hands on" as possible. This means touching the ears, the face and picking up the legs until you get minimal resistance. If you are there when the foal is born you can towel dry the foal as your first introduction. Scratch the foals butt and the chest - it'll love it! Speak to the foal in soft tones so that it gets used to your voice. The foal needs to learn early that you (or someone) will be touching them and that they should not be afraid. What better excuse to love on your new foals that being able to say "I'm training it!" with a little twinkle in your eye! Alice "Doc" Nelson, March 2002

Training Tidbits #3 - Plunging into Lunging When starting your miniature to lunge use the same word each time you take the horse out to the lunging area. This is a signal to the horse that this is "your" time and not theirs. For example, when you hook to start to lunge use the word "work" in a firm tone. This same tone and word used each time you start to work signals the horse that this is not "playtime". Repeat "work" several times during the exercise to reinforce the purpose for the lunging. This is also a good opportunity to introduce other commands such as walk, trot and stop if the horse has never been trained. For foals (under 1 year of age), limit the lunging period because they have a shorter attention span than older horses. Approximately five minutes of lunging in each direction for three to five days per week is a great beginning. The duration and/or frequency can be increased as the foal becomes more aware of what they are being asked to do. Alice "Doc" Nelson, March 2002

Training Tidbits #4 - Miniature Horse Capsule The miniature horse is not a true breed, contrary to what is mostly understood by the general public. The "mini" was "created" through downsizing using the Shetland, Welsh and Indonesian breed ponies bred with the smaller horse breeds such as the appaloosa, pinto, Morgan and Arabian in a manner much like the "American people" are descendants of Irish, English, European, African and other nationalities. The miniature horse has a couple of different starts. Number one, English royalty decided that a small horse would be more of a novelty for their children than the "common" pony, so the miniature horse was created. Number two, the miniature horse was bred and used for pulling the coal carts in the mines of West Virginia. The miniatures began to grow in popularity to the miniature horses we now know. We now have many types of the miniature, such as the "quarter horse" body type and the more refined "Arabian" type combined with the action of the Shetland pony. The miniature, for all intents and purposes, tends to be more like the large horse breed than paony. The pony breeds were used to bring the horse down in height. What truly makes the miniature different is their DNA structure which, as I mentioned, is the combination of the horse and pony breeds. There are several miniature horse registries that promote the miniature horse honorably. The registries include the American Miniature Horse Association (AMHA), American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR), World Class Miniature Horse Registry (WCMHR), and the Gold Seal Registry. These registries recognize the miniature and promote and support the miniature "breed" much like the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) for full-size quarter horses or the Pinto/Paint registry. The dwarf is actually not a miniature horse in the sense that they are bred that way on purpose. The rule of thumb is that there is approximately a one in ten chance of having a dwarf when breeding miniature horses. The dwarf is the result of a genetic misconnection. They are born with problems such as bad or malformed hooves, crooked legs, bad "bites" or offsetting teeth. Some dwarfs are not as severe but still have "oversized" heads, are much smaller in stature and sometimes do not live for very long. Dwarfs can happen in any horse breed or animal, including humans. The dwarfs are prone to medical problems, easily colic, and their hooves are almost always malformed in a manner that makes them grow uneven and are difficult to keep "balanced". Their lifespan is usually very short. There are, of course, dwarfs that live fairly well for up to ten or fifteen years. Again, this depends on how badly they are "dwarfed" and the level of care that they receive from birth. I have read about "miniature horses" being used for "seeing eye" purposes. The picture I have seen of one horse used for this purpose appears to be a dwarf rather than a miniature horse. The horse, unlike the dog, does not have the nature to stand and protect but rather to flee when threatened. Researching the origin and history of the horse proves that horses typically flee when threatened while a dog will stand and protect. The most common questions about the miniature horse are "What can you do with them?" and "Can you ride them?" To answer the first question, you can show them at sanctioned shows, they can be shown at "just for fun" shows sponsored by the registries mentioned above, and they can be trained to pull carts for show or pleasure. They can even be "harness raced" in sanctioned racing clubs like the Blue Ridge Miniature Racing Club based in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Miniatures can only bear about ten percent of their body weight on their backs. Remember, they do not wear shoes like large horses and they are not strong enough to handle weight on their backs. You have to consider the saddle as weight also. In the show ring, there are classes for obstacle and hunter/jumper where the handler runs alongside the horse guiding it over jumps and through designated obstacles. There are also various types of driving classes such as pleasure, roadster, country pleasure, open and others. Miniatures are also mistakenly used for just pets. They can be, of course, but keep in mind that you are still dealing with a horse only in a smaller package. Treat them accordingly, not tied out in the backyard and leaving them out there except when it is convenient to be handled or groomed. They need the same constant care that a big horse would with the only exceptions being the amount of space and food needed. All of the information in this article is based upon my opinions, experiences, and handling of the miniature horse for more than eight years. I am a miniature horse farrier that has done extensive work with hoof correction, therapy for damaged legs, cart trauma, abuse, and other abuse related problems. I have done research on my own and combined it with my own experiences. I have consulted with several veterinarians and experts in the field of horses. This article is designed to help inform and educate, to the best of my ability, the status of the miniature horse. Alice "Doc" Nelson, October 2004

Training Tidbits #5 - Teaching a Foal to Lead To me, this is the most crucial aspect to training the foal. I know there are various methods, but this is what I have found to work best for me: I start my foals wearing a halter at about three weeks of age. I start with lead line training at approximately two months of age. I wean my foals at roughly four months old. This has worked for me, so far, since it seems to give the mare time to recuperate from foaling, and the foal is usually eating well and is strong enough by then to be separated. I use a long lead line, in the beginning, so that I can wrap it around the foal's buttocks (sliding the lead underneath the tail), back around the foal's neck so that it results in a figure eight shape. By using the figure eight method you have enough control over the foal without causing undo stress. The figure eight involves starting with the snap end in your hand, running the loop around the foal's neck, crossing the back, loosely running it under the tail, and keeping the rest of the lead line in your hand. This pattern creates the figure eight shape of the lead line giving you a safe and secure method to lead the foal with. When the lead tightens you still have enough control to handle the foal or it's easy to just let go if you have a problem. I do not lead the foal in the halter, at all, in the beginning. When I put the mare and foal out for the day, I wrap this lead rope "around" the foal, holding it firmly without securing it in any way except in my hand. I put the mare on a lead rope, and just let them go out “together". It allows the foal to walk beside the mare, which is natural anyway. By doing it this way, you are not fighting the foal. It is going out with its mom, and it doesn't seem to feel as restricted because it is following the mare, without any force. After using this method for about a month, then I clip the lead on the mare, and one on the foal's halter, once again leading them out together. If the foal starts backing up with the lead line on, let it go backwards, do not tug and pull, thus "dragging" it. It seems, if the foal doesn't get this first initial, resistance from the handler, the pulling away or backing ceases quickly. By the time the foal is ready to be weaned it is leading properly, without a fight. This also seems to help later on with the use of cross ties for halter training in the show ring as well. Again, the pulling backwards, fighting action, is the instinct to flee from its "capture.” Some take to this easily and of course, there are some that fight it to the bitter end. The first reaction is to NOT pull or drag, or just plain insist that the horse do as expected. Just keep in mind not only that is this new to the foal but now the foal is going to have to start working. There is also another method for teaching the problem foal to lead. If a foal is more stubborn about cooperating with the method above, there is another method that seems to work. Clip the lead line to the halter, run the lead under the tail, and thread the remainder of the lead line through the ring of the halter under the chin. This gives you a little lead rope in hand. Slowly encourage the foal forward by tightening up on the lead. Sometimes this works easily, but occasionally it's necessary to insist the foal move forward by pulling more. By pulling the lead, it "pushes" on the buttocks and that is usually enough to encourage the foal to move forward. Remember, the foal has a short attention span, and it's better to have several short (5 - 10 minute) sessions, rather than to wear yourself and the foal out with sessions that are too long. This method usually takes a couple of days filled with patience but it will eventually work. Alice "Doc" Nelson, December 2005

Training Tidbits #6 - Imprinting Your Foal Imprinting should start from the moment the foal hits the ground. If you are fortunate enough to be there when the foals arrives then that's when "imprinting" should begin. Once the foal is up nursing and orientated, it's up to the handler to start. It has been my experience that “hands on” ASAP works the best. “Hands on” includes rubbing the foal's ears, face, legs, and body. Soft encouraging words with the handling also helps get the foal off to a better start. The foal seems to go through three stages. Stage one: The foal seems easy to handle for about the first day or even two. Stage two: Usually by day three, the foal seems to start reacting in a fearful way either by running behind or around the mare; anywhere away from the handler. My response to this is to give the foal a little space by not grabbing or reaching to constrain the foal. Provide encouraging words and allow the foal to approach you. This usually seems to last a few days to approximately a week. The constant encouragement and touching when the foal approaches starts the foal in understanding that the handler is in charge. Stage three: Once the foal starts to respond to the handler, it is time to fit the halter. I usually fit halters for the foal at around three weeks of age. The halter, in my opinion, should be left on for easier handling. I know that the opinion differs on this subject between leaving the halter on all the time or taking it off while in pasture. To me this is solely a judgment call by the handler. I leave mine on for easier handling and to help with training. I check my halters regularly for a proper fit, especially the foals, because they are growing. Checking halters is also another way of handling the foal and getting it used to having hands in and around the face. I have found that through imprinting I have calmer, more affectionate foals. I can go out into the pasture at anytime and they will come to me. I have never had to chase a foal when I want to work with it. Imprinting is critical. It will determine how the foal will react when mature and during further training. Remember, the horse is instinctually fearful; their first impulse is to run away. They were historically preyed upon animals. No matter what their DNA structure, whether it is horse or pony, the instinct is still the same. Alice "Doc" Nelson, December 2005