# Tips for training a mini for Halter Class!



## MiniHoofBeats (Feb 28, 2006)

Ok so I know the steps, need to get them to stand still first and then work on foot placement and posture etc. etc. but for you experienced trainers out there, what are your tricks that really work in teaching a young horse or a horse that hasn't been worked with yet, to stand for Halter classes??

How much time/how long do you work on just getting the horse to stand still?

Where do I go from there?

How do I keep their attention on me?

etc. etc. etc. thank you!!


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## MInx (Feb 28, 2006)

Here ya go hon, this might help. Good luck.

http://www.baaababyminis.1colony.com/whats_new.html

Maxine


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## Jetiki (Feb 28, 2006)

What I do is first I get them walking calmly next to me then I ask them to stand still for 5 seconds praise and walk off gradually increasing the time by only seconds to get them to the average length of a halter class. I usually work on this no longer than 5 or 10 mins in the early stages as they usually don't have that long of an attention span. I like my horses to set with a halter rather than placing their feet so I work on that once I have them understanding the word whoa and stand, asking them to move one foot or another with certain pulls on the halter. This is just how I do it, but I am not a "true" professional, it seems to work. One of my trainees took 2 reserve's in halter at the FL state Fair.

Karen


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## Sunny (Feb 28, 2006)

That's a very nice website that Maxine gave you the link for. Well presented, basic information that you will find very useful.

However, I really disagree with the opening sentence under Training for Halter: "Halter has got to be one of the easiest classes to train for." It's exactly the opposite, IMO. It takes a lot of attention to detail and a great deal of patience. No, I mean a GREAT deal of patience!!!! Teaching a horse to set up, especially just from cues on the halter, is very difficult but also very rewarding when you see the light come on and the horse says OOOOHHHHH, Now I know what you want!! And then there's knowing a bit about getting the horse in good physical condition by lungeing and/or driving. And knowing how to adjust your feed program for the increased work. I could go on and on, but I won't. (Lucky you.) It's just there is sooo much more to showing at halter than just setting up the horse and making it trot out.

It might not hurt to have a lesson or two if you have an experienced person near you.


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## mininik (Feb 28, 2006)

I agree with Judy. Halter is definitely NOT an "easy" class to train for if you do it right.




: You've got a PM, MiniHoofBeats.


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## Feather1414 (Feb 28, 2006)

MInx said:


> Here ya go hon, this might help. Good luck.
> 
> http://www.baaababyminis.1colony.com/whats_new.html
> 
> Maxine



Thank you Maxine, you beat me to it.



:


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## Feather1414 (Mar 1, 2006)

Sunny said:


> That's a very nice website that Maxine gave you the link for. Well presented, basic information that you will find very useful.
> 
> However, I really disagree with the opening sentence under Training for Halter: "Halter has got to be one of the easiest classes to train for." It's exactly the opposite, IMO. It takes a lot of attention to detail and a great deal of patience. No, I mean a GREAT deal of patience!!!! Teaching a horse to set up, especially just from cues on the halter, is very difficult but also very rewarding when you see the light come on and the horse says OOOOHHHHH, Now I know what you want!! And then there's knowing a bit about getting the horse in good physical condition by lungeing and/or driving. And knowing how to adjust your feed program for the increased work. I could go on and on, but I won't. (Lucky you.) It's just there is sooo much more to showing at halter than just setting up the horse and making it trot out.
> 
> It might not hurt to have a lesson or two if you have an experienced person near you.



I FULLY agree with you there.

I know its not an excuse, but its been SO long, and I have been so busy since I have done any real updating on that site. I went back and I took out almost all the halter information and replaced it. Please look it over again. Tell me what to change, add, ANYTHING. I am open to suggestions. I won't get mad - within reason. You are right though. Halter is a VERY difficult class. I created that website 2 years ago to help people get a basic idea of how to show and train a horse. Its not supposed to take a horse to national level. Just give them I guess what you could consider a heads up of what to do in the class, and how to get started.

If a person really wants to win, take the basics and give it a shot. However, watch what the pros are doing and create your own techniques and methods.


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## Miniv (Mar 1, 2006)

All great advice above....however, what I would love to know is the "trick" that trainers have to make the horse extend or arch the neck perfectly.

MA


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## mininik (Mar 1, 2006)

MA - It has a lot to do with R-E-S-P-E-C-T.



: You'll also notice those horses aren't leaning all over their handlers and will rock their weight back given the cue.


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## joylee123 (Mar 1, 2006)

MiniHoofBeats said:


> Ok so I know the steps, need to get them to stand still first and then work on foot placement and posture etc. etc. but for you experienced trainers out there, what are your tricks that really work in teaching a young horse or a horse that hasn't been worked with yet, to stand for Halter classes??
> 
> How much time/how long do you work on just getting the horse to stand still?
> 
> ...


Hi there. Another good way to start, especially if you want to set up by halter and not hand setting is to start by backing the horse til his back feet are side by side where you want them. Let him know that's what you're asking. go for a walk and stop and back him again till his back feet are set, I always say back foot, back foot, as I am introducing this. Once he's got that down, pull alittle with the line to move his front end. Don't worry to much at first if the front legs don't match up. Place your hand on his wither and gently move him off balance (example; you are standing on your horses left side facing his side, his right foot is in proper position but his left foot, closet to you, is too far back, place your hand on his wither and gently, slowly, push

him away, his foot should move forward. You can also guide the foot with your toe just under the fetlock as you are doing this. It's the way we train large horses as well and works great. But it takes alot of praise, repetition and dedication. Once he understands that's what you want, tell him ho and quietly walk around him. praise him if he stands still, growl at him and reset if he doesn't.

I always que my horse when I'm going to walk and expect him to move out too. Practice whatever noise or body movement you are going to use for that que so he doesen't try to walk off as you are moving around to stay out of the judges way. Also, once all this has been accomplished you can start baiting to get the neck. If you have some one with a video cam, it really helps you to see what you are doing and the best set for you particular horses conformation. Another thing I always do is when you practice Halter.... use your show halter. The horse will recognise the difference and come to know that that halter is for work. Sorry to be so long winded :bgrin Hope this helps


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## kaykay (Mar 1, 2006)

the biggest mistake i made when i first started was not training the horse basics first before training for halter. Number one they should be trained to tie and stand quietly. If you train that first half the battle is won. Learning to tie and stand quiet first makes for a horse that will stand quietly and not move when training for halter. Also the horse should know whoa and know how to lead properly FIRST. Then work on standing for halter.


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## MiniHoofBeats (Mar 1, 2006)

I want to thank everyone here for your wonderful advice!! I will keep all this information on hand and I will start practicing with my three mini's real soon and let you all know how it goes! =) One of my mini's is already trained and she does very well getting back into that "mode" but I do want to keep her mind fresh on the halter class!

The other two are where the work will need to come...If I start them in a week do you think they would be ready for their first class by the end of May?? I suppose it all depends on how much I work with them and how much they learn per lesson!

Ok so another question, so I should back the horse up until both hind legs are in place, then work on front legs..I don't understand yet the part about putting my hand on their withers to get them to move a front foot..so if I push them off balance, they should bring that particular foot FORWARD, not back? what happens if they move the foot back instead of forward?

Anyone know how to re-train a mini for praise? I will admit the last 6 months i've really been babying one of my mini's and she now expects a treat for everything she does! How do I train her off the treats and onto just good verbal praise or a pat or ???

Thanks for all your help everyone, Halter is the class I someday hope to really excel in and I sure have a loooong way to go yet =)


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## Ferrah (Mar 1, 2006)

Set the hind legs first. I always start training them to set by working only with the hind legs. Once they are good at setting the hind legs I start setting the front legs. I will set the hind legs first, and then start asking them to set their front legs. When you first start your horse will probably move their hind legs. Just set their hind legs again, and start over. It can get really frustrating. Make sure though, that every time your horse does what you asked it to do, you release the pressure on the lead rope, and praise and give hima rub on the neck like there is no tomorrow. I found that by rewarding the horse for doing *less* he was actually much more willing to try for me and he seemed to learn more quickly because the lesson was a positive experience.

Sometimes you will have a horse who is very heavy on the shank and won't move a foot when you push him back, they just over flex their neck instead of moving. I call these horses "rubber necks". I solved this problem by asking them to move backwards with the shank. If they don't respond I walk into them like I am going to walk right over them. This usually causes them to back right on up. As soon as they take a step backwards I praise them and start over. Pretty soon they get the idea and you will be able to move them just with the shank. Some of them become so responsive all I have to do is take a small step toward them and they will start moving a foot.

Before all of this though, the horse has to learn whoa. I start by stopping the horse and saying whoa. I don't worry about where his feet are. I let him stand for ten seconds. If he moves his body in those ten seconds, put him back where he was and wait five seconds this time. If he can wait five seconds without moving, praise him and walk him in a large circle. Then stop again, say whoa, wait a few seconds and walk off again. Gradually increase the amount of time y our horse can stand and not move his body until you can stand there for a long time. Sometimes especially in large showmanship classes, your horse will have to stand still until you and him are both bored silly.

In halter classes you can hand set a horse. I start by setting the hind legs with the shank. Once I got them good I may get nit picky and actually hand set the hind legs, especially if the horse has a tendancy to stick a hind toe out. If your horse rests a back leg, or won't put weight on on of his hind legs (a common problem) grab the tail and gently pull it toward the side you want him to put weight on. This usually causes him to shift weight to the foot. I try to set the front legs with the shank. I have found most horses usually tend to set up a bit stretched, so I may use my hands to set his fronts as well. If your horse won't put down his front foot, give a little pull on his withers pulling the horse toward the side you want him to put weight on. Make sure you practice this at home, some horses need practice having their tail grabbed. Try not to hand set your horse when the judge is examining your horse, you will get in the way of their examination. Some people use their toe and push on the horse's front feet to get them to move a toe, but I don't like doing this as some horses will sort of flick their feet away, and it doesn't look good.

Grtting expression from your horse in a halter class is probably one of the most difficult parts. Try a variety of small objects. A candy wrapper, fine tooth comb, mint mouth spray. Practice at home to see what gets the best reponse from your horse. Once you have found it, stop praciticng with that item at home. If you over drill with your expression item, your horse will eventually stop looking. If you use a treat to get expression, make sure that after the lesson you give them the snack, or they will stop looking for it. Don't ask your horse for expression until the judge is nearly finished examining the horse next to yours. I will start asking for expression as soon as the judge moves on to my horse. I will ask once more or twice more for expression from the horse, then stop. Don't over do it.


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## susanne (Mar 1, 2006)

I'm going to ditto what kaykay said, but add a few exclamation marks

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The FIRST thing that they need to know is that "whoa" is not open for negotiation -- it must be absolute.Like kaykay,r Iput the cart before the horse, as it were, and focused on setting up before the whoa was solid. As a resukt, Mingus would set up fine, but in the excitement of the show ring he would dance, fidget, and worse.

This year I have a whole new attitude:

speak softly and carry a big "WHOA"

....and a large "BACK" if he doesn't whoa. It's working.

I'm still a newbie at this...no pretense at even being called a trainer of any sort! But a couple of things have worked (or are working) for me:

clicker training -- it speeds up the learning curve and clarifies communication dramatically.

catch them doing something right and reward it -- build on what they already know. Mingus is a born show-off and will strike a pose out in the corral if he thinks someone is looking, LOL! I started rewarding him for what he was already doing and built from there.


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## nootka (Mar 1, 2006)

Like susanne said, "Whoa" is your biggest battle.

kaykay's post was also very direct and simple. If your horse does not a: understand whoa/stand, b: understand your PERSONAL SPACE and respect it, c: allow you to handle them unconditionally (this usually entails setting a hoof or perhaps placing a hand over the hips and pushing around to get them to set their weight, and d: back, you are going to be very challenged in the halter ring.

With these basics, that a horse should know anyway, you can muddle through and work on exhibiting your horse to its fullest potential.

Once you have these, then you can fine tune it to your horse's best advantage.

Another plus is of course to have them able to walk and trot on a lead that is longer rather than shorter, so you can be out of the way of the evaluation and the horse is able to move freely and show themselves.

Many horses get full of themselves at shows and do things they normally wouldn't, and so you may not know how steep the hill is until you get there and know what you need to work on.

Clicker training, hands down, was my best discovery as it stops the "mugging" for treats and the inadvertent nipping since they know what they have to do to earn the click/treat.

And don't overtrain. Work on the basis maybe two to three times per week, and that's it. As you approach the show, slow it down to one time per week, or I stop altogether on most of them (other than weanies). Instead, take the horse out for a walk and reinforce the personal space during.

Happy training!

Liz M.


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## Ginia (Mar 2, 2006)

Bump


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## Sandee (Mar 2, 2006)

MiniHoofBeats said:


> ........
> 
> ..I don't understand yet the part about putting my hand on their withers to get them to move a front foot..so if I push them off balance, they should bring that particular foot FORWARD, not back? what happens if they move the foot back instead of forward?
> 
> ...


After you gotten to the place where they stand and stay with the back feet in place, one way to get the front feet positioned is to ask them to move off to the side (instead of pulling forward) with a slight tug on the halter. Ask for a slight move to the opposite side of the front foot that is behind. That should get them to bring the foot forward without moving the back.

It takes lots of patience. Short lessons according to their age. Lots of praise when they get it right.

Good luck.


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## MiniHoofBeats (Mar 2, 2006)

Nootka,

Thanks very much for adding in to not work them more than 2-3 times per week, I really thought they were supposed to be worked with on a daily basis but 2 to 3 times a week is a good thing to know!!

Also thanks for the comment on when I find something they'll pay attention to, to not overuse it so they get bored of it, and to give them the treat after practice if they respond to the treat, so they don't learn that they're just responding for nothing.

Thanks everyone! These are great tips to know and I appreciate all your tips!!!


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