Breaking minis at 2 for driving?

[funnybunny]

I'm with the others about not starting too early.

Of course, you should be doing all the things that you usually do with two year olds - grooming, leading, tying, manners (personal space), teaching "Whoa" and teaching clucking to step up. All regular management stuff.

Playing games with youngsters is fun also - beach balls, walking over tarps, seeing scary stuff. You can make it a game. No, not exactly like Parelli games, but just having fun with your minis.

Some round ring and lunge line work is fine, but don't overdo it. I've heard from big horse people that knees/joints can be ruined in a round ring if worked too much in a small ring as a youngster (tight turns). Of course, this is from BIG horse people.

PS Old horses learn just fine. In fact, they have longer attention spans and seem to enjoy a challenge of learning something new.

 

[SHANA]

My first mini I trained to drive as a 5 year old, the second my husband trained and she was 3, coming 4. I had a mini stud here that I did his ground work as a 2 year old but never did hitch him up, he was sold before I got to that point. I don't hitch them to a cart until they are at least 2 1/2 years old and then only lightly. My husband is working with his 2008 filly with just a leadrope on each side of her halter but he won't hitch her to a cart for a few years yet.

Though I did buy him another black mini that is similar in size to his driving mare, Dandy. She will be 3 this summer. He plans to start her this spring when it warms up. He badly wants a team hitch. I got him the 4 wheel wagon, the two black miniature horses that are similar in size, he just needs the single harness convertors or a team harness and to make a team pole for his wagon.

We also plan to train a few of our other minis to drive this summer(2 stallions and a few more mares if time permits).

 

[Reble]

It does make you think, if you want to have your horse ready for driving in the show, you have to start them earlier for them to be ready.

AMHA and AMHR do allow 3 year old's to drive.

 

[disneyhorse]

It does make you think, if you want to have your horse ready for driving in the show, you have to start them earlier for them to be ready.AMHA and AMHR do allow 3 year old's to drive.

Yes, three year olds can drive but there are ways that you can make the process as gentle as possible. I have had a Super G gelding, so obviously I wanted him as broke as possible by Nationals. Starting in October/November of his two year old year, we started putting on the harness to get used to it, and then some light ground driving in the arena. By December we were ground driving around the neighborhood. In January, we were starting to hook a little bit in the arena, interspersed with days ground driving around the neighborhood still (there are plenty of things you can do NOT in the shafts, teaching whoa/stand/back is extremely important, as well as wearing the check for a head set if you ARE driving AMHR shows). By February, we were in the cart a little bit more often... and by March we were ready for the show (our show season starts fairly early here, in March, for the minis). The first show or two was less to be "competitive" but more to put him through his paces. We did show all season long, and by Nationals he was very solid.

So it can be done, no need to be hooking at all in their two year old year.

Keep in mind that it DOES take several YEARS to get a consistent driving horse, so unless you are really going for those futurities WHY RUSH!?!

Andrea

 

[Minimor]

Actually you can start a horse early in its 3 year old year and still have it ready to drive at the shows that same year. If your show season starts real early then no, perhaps not--you either have to start it as a 2 year old or else wait for some of the later shows to show it in harness.

Anyone that wants to start a horse at two instead of three for this reason:

THERE WOULD BE THE RISK THAT THE HORSE WOULD NOT BE AN EASY GOER. WE HAVE FOUND THAT HORSES OVER THREE ARE HARDER TO TRAIN AND LESS LIKELY TO BE EASY TO HANDLE.

is probably trying to manhandle the horse into doing what they want. It is harder to manhandle a 3 year old than a 2 year old...but for proper training, no, I'd have to say that it isn't any harder. Mine get started as 3 or even 4 year olds and I don't find them at all difficult to train.

Look at it this way...it is just like breaking a big horse. Some peole start putting a saddle on and a bridle in their mouth as a late yearling, but don't start to break them until they are 2.

Actually a good many trainers do start riding horses before they are 2--around here the futurity horses are getting started under saddle (with rider up) at 18 months. 16 months in some cases. By the time the horse is shown in its 2 year old futurity, it's worn out. some trainers consider it the norm to be giving hock injections to their 2 year olds. What kind of shape is that horse going to be in by the time it is 10?
I don't object to starting some basic training on 2 year olds, in the fall of their 2 year old year. I don't even object to hitching them up a few times and driving them for a few minutes. To hitch them up and give them some intense training, no, I wouldn't go for that at all. You can do it, but that doesn't mean you should do it.

 

[Fred]

We don't start horses until the fall of the 2 year old year. I have one gelding that COULD NOT be trained until he hit 5, as mentally he was not ready. He is one of the best driving horses around. The horse has to be mentally mature and like his job and it takes as long as it takes in order to make a safe happy driving horse. If a person wants a safe reliable driving horse they should expect to get what they pay for. I know a lot of people who want a "cheap" driving horse and expect the world and it ain't gonna happen. People who rush it or manhandle them I have no respect or time for. The horse should be your partner not your servant. Linda

 

[Fred]

We don't start horses until the fall of the 2 year old year. I have one gelding that COULD NOT be trained until he hit 5, as mentally he was not ready. He is one of the best driving horses around. The horse has to be mentally mature and like his job and it takes as long as it takes in order to make a safe happy driving horse. If a person wants a safe reliable driving horse they should expect to get what they pay for. I know a lot of people who want a "cheap" driving horse and expect the world and it ain't gonna happen. People who rush it or manhandle them I have no respect or time for. The horse should be your partner not your servant. Linda

 

[Ferrah]

I started my bigger and more mature gelding at ground driving as a long yearling, maybe 10 minutes at a time, a couple days a week. I gradually made the gorund driving longer. I did not start hitching him to the cart until he was 2 1/2. I put about a month of driving training with the cart, about 20 mins at a time for three to four days a week. After that, I didn't ground drive, or hitch him for about two months. Then I started again a month before show season. This method works really well for me when starting young riding horses, so I thought I would apply the same method to a driving horse and it seems to have served me well. They don't forget what they learned a few months earlier as lomg as the foundation training was laid correctly. Also I feel the time off is good for their minds and you have a fresher, happier horse when you start training again.

My other mini, on the other hand was a another story. He was physically mature enough at 2 1/2 to start driving, but he gave me lots of signs he wasn't mentally mature enough. There was quite a lot of rearing, backing up and bolting. Then is became obvious that I needed to back off, give him some time to mature mentally and try again. I could have forced the issue and eventually won the "battle" but I would have ended up with one unhappy horse, and likely an unsound one later down the road. Starting them too, early, or putting too much mental pressure early on, can ruin a horse for life. You really need to develop a feel for when to push, and when to back off and look at the bigger picture.

When I start any horse, driving or riding horse I always try and look at the bigger picture. My goal is to help the horse become a good, sound, sane older horse a horse that will be useful and happy well into his teens and beyond. If pushing them as a two year old, or even threee year old won't help me achieve that goal, I back off and give the horse a break and work on something more achieveable.

Once in awhile you will come accross a horse who has so much heart and give that they will often work beyong what their bodyis capable of. You also have to know when to stop with this kind of horse and give him a break for his own good.

I was always told a horse's back wasn't mature until well into their four year old year, and that their joints were not finished maturing until three or four. I always keep this mind and work my young horses lightly.

It's a complicated topic and everyone has a different opinion.

 

[White Socks Miniature]

I broke my girl to drive at 3. At her late 2's and into her 3rd year we were doing ground work. She was simple as pie to get going and she is the most sound minded driving horse, completely honest and I could not ask for better! she is truely a great driving horse.

I have a yearling colt and filly who are a day apart, and when it comes to thier training they are night and day! The colt, firstly, has to have "brain surgery" but secondly is too busy being a baby right now! All I am doing is teaching him proper ground manners and how to be a wonderful, polite mini in the equine population. My filly is very polite, very lady like and WANTS to be doing whatever you are doing with the other horses. So when I drive Deja in the ring I let her come in and she will, no joke, be right beside Deja stride for stride. I have a little mini surcingle that fits her so I put that on her when Deja and I drive. There is NO way that I will actually put her in a cart until her late twos or threes, and will be starting her ground training next year. But for now, the surcingle lets her have a "job" even if it is make believe!

Cheers

Masako

ETA - the surcingle is not attached to anything.

 

[susanne]

So when I drive Deja in the ring I let her come in and she will, no joke, be right beside Deja stride for stride.

White Socks, your filly sounds like my Scarlet's twin! She, too, matches Mingus stride for stride when we drive in the (cough, cough) arena, and has learned voice commands by copying him. One day I had unhitched Mingus and (my bad) had not yet put the cart away. I looked up from unharnessing, and there was Scarlet, standing in the shafts, telling me that she wanted to be a driving horse. Patience, little girl...

 

[krissy3]

I started mine at 4 ...by then he had found himself and a nice little trot from living on a lot of open land . It worked for me , But I plan to introduce a bit to my 2 year old this spring. I think it depends on the horse

 

[White Socks Miniature]

Susanne, That is too cute! Thats why I gave Hot Sox the surcingle, thinking that it will make her feel like a real driving horse! lol, the things they do! I think they need to have a "minis do the darndest things show."

 

[Reble]

I looked up from unharnessing, and there was Scarlet, standing in the shafts, telling me that she wanted to be a driving horse. Patience, little girl...

Scarlet, will sure not be afraid of the cart and shafts, too funny