Halter Class is one of the most popular classes in Miniature Horse Training.
Training your horse won't be easy, in fact, it's hard work.
We put together a few tips that may become helpful for you.
First things first. Make sure your horse has learned to walk freely on the lead
and can stand square on command. Teach them slowly as young horses can only
learn a few steps at a time and it is easier in the long run to work on one
thing at a time.
The hardest part on training your horse is getting their neck to stretch and
their ears to perk. Treats work very well most of the time for the neck, but
sometimes you have to have something else to get ears perked. We discovered that
anything a horse isn't very familiar with will do the trick; whether it's two
hair scrunchies rubbing together or anything that makes noise.
Teaching your miniature horse to stretch its neck out while staying in position
will take time and patience, but it will work! The best way to start is to hold
your hand out with some treats so your horse can sniff at it, and all the while
they keep their feet in the right position. Give your miniature horse the treats
about a third of the time to let them know they did a good job. Otherwise, a
horse reaching for that treat that they know they won't get, often will just
poke their head forward if you don't teach them what it is that you want from
them.
While teaching your miniature horse to stretch its neck, make sure you don't
make the mistake of not being able to tell a stiff, "stretched" neck with a
horse that is using their whole body to lower their frame. You need to position
their weight over the shoulder and hip, then lengthen the neck and relax the
poll. That's it! Those are all the attributes of a true stretch that will
enhance your horse's conformation.
Step 1: Urge the horse towards you, allowing them to take one step forward. As
soon as they have their weight over their leading leg and are ready to take the
next step ask them to stop.
Step 2: The horse will instinctively pull up the other leg opposite the leading
leg followed by the rear leading leg and opposite rear leg - the horse will have
already lowered its frame in one to move forward.
Step 3: If the horse continues to hold its lower frame, reward it with a pat or
treat.
Step 4: In time and with much practice the horse will know that the treat or
rattle is not only to get their attention, but to perform a specific task.
Make sure to perform this position daily so it doesn't became a chore for your
horse, but a part of the daily schedule. Never make your horse hold a pose for
more than a few minutes at a time and be sure to reward them with pats and
treats.
Halter has got to be one of the hardest classes to train for. Though it may look
easy, it takes hours upon hours to get the correct set up in a horse, a nice
expression and just to get the horse to listen to you. The biggest thing is
having your horse set up and stand still. When I start out training a horse for
halter, the thing I want to teach them is to stand still. I don't want a horse
who is fidgeting around the ring. I think it looks quite unprofessional.
What you want to do, is start by teaching the horse to stand still. Pick an area
that you are comfortable working in. Walk your horse to the area, and then turn
around and give whatever cue you prefer to use and make your horse stop. I like
to say "Ho, Stand" myself. Once the horse is standing still, I repeat stand over
and over. If they move even a foot, I say "No" in a very stern voice and I back
them up 10-15 feet.
I will repeat this technique until my horse understands that "Stand" means to
stand still. Once your horse has mastered this, you are ready to set up.
Tell your horse to stand with the cue you have trained into them, and then comes
to tricky part. You will need to bend down and place your horses feet in the
correct "set up" position. It may take a while to figure out yourself just how
to set your horse up squarly and nicely. It really all depends on the body type
of the horse.
When your horses feet are in place, repeat stand over and over just as you had
when they were being taught to stand still.
This will take TIME and PATIENCE. For the next few weeks - depending on how fast
your horse learns - you will need to place your horses feet in the square
position and get them to understand that when you say "stand" that they are to
set themselves up.
After enough time, you will be able to trot your horse and the when you pull up
on the lead and say "stand" or the cue you desired, your horse will be able to
set themselves up.
Halter isn’t judged on how well you can set up your horse, but it does help. A
horse that is set up fast has more time to be looked at by the judge. Halter is
judged on conformation. A good judge will be able to see a horses conformation
in almost every situatution, but that is not always the case.
Judges Tip: At the last show I attended, I was in a halter class and Peanuts
feet were a little out of sync, so I bent down and placed them where I wanted
them to be. When the class was over the judge came over and talked to me. She
told me that a judge likes to see a horse that can set up all on their own, and
that its hinting at your horses conformation flaws if you set the feet by hand.
This may not be true for all judges, but for Nadine and Jerry Kesting of Kamelot
Miniatures, this is what they prefer.
Another thing to remember is ears. They should be perked forward. I can be
difficult to get the ears, but I suggest you make little noises, sprinkle dirt,
take a hat off your head, try anything you can - without being distracting to
other exhibitors. The horse should always be alert and be paying attention to
you.
To help practice for halter, take your horse out and stand him up like you would
in a class, and have him stand like that for 10 minutes or so. Make them back up
if they move. Remember, patience is a virtue! This is a hard thing to teach
them, and it will take time!
Credits
Article courtesy of Jamie Byrd Crickette Farm Miniatures and Online Training
Center.
Please click here
to visit her page for more wonderful tutorials.
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