Miniature Horsemanship - Kendra Gale

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08/25/2024

Do you have a horse who pulls on the bit or is super heavy in your hands?

Or maybe they don’t always feel “in control” and you aren’t able to stop them as readily as you’d like.

Conventional equestrian wisdom would tell you to get a “stronger” bit that your horse will have to “pay attention to” or “stay off of.”

But is that really the best thing to do?

The reasons that a horse might pull or ignore bit cues are generally boiled down to four reasons.

1️⃣ They’re uncomfortable with the bit.

Horses are “into pressure” animals, and pressure begets pressure. A bit that isn’t comfortable for them can definitely cause them to pull on it and get dull to more subtle communication. Every mouth is different and every horse has a preference, which is why there are so many bit options! In general though, Miniature Horses have thick tongues and low palates, so solid mouthpieces and tongue relief tend to be things to try, as well as checking that they have no dental concerns. That means that *changing* the bit might be helpful, but a *stronger* bit that’s even more uncomfortable for them could very easily make the problem worse.

2️⃣ They’re uncomfortable with the contact.

It’s surprisingly easy to get into a pulling match with your driving horse, and accidentally teach them that pulling on each other is the way that you communicate. Between trying to “hold” them into a frame, driver nerves and lack of trust, and just that same “into pressure” tendency that all equines share can add up to a horse who is super heavy and non-responsive to bit communication. A stronger bit could just exacerbate that problem too – instead, remember that light communication goes both ways and think about softening and clarifying your rein cues, and refining your communication on the long lines.

3️⃣ It’s a symptom of poor balance.

Many horses go through a stage in their training, when they’re just starting to advance from baby green basics to more consistent contact, where they become quite heavy in your hands. It’s just a symptom of them learning to carry themselves and the cart, as they use your hands to help them balance themselves. As above, avoid getting into a pulling contest and simply support them as you work on bending and building hind end strength and they will lighten up again with no difference in the bit at all.

4️⃣ They just don’t understand.

Anytime you’re not getting the response you wanted, the first thing to check is that your horse truly understands what you’re asking. Miniature Horses can be super accommodating – it’s easy to be fooled into thinking they understand, when really they’re just going along and have no idea what all that pulling on their mouth means anyway. And as always, adding more pressure to a cue the horse doesn’t understand doesn’t teach them anything – you might get a response, but not understanding, and it might not be the response you wanted. Before you go to a “stronger” bit (and remember that stronger actually means more painful) go back to basics and double check if your horse really understands things like “whoa.”

A bit doesn’t control a horse, their brain does. Training and clarifying communication is always going to more effective than a stronger bit.

Want to learn more about improving your driving? Here's the link to register for the Improving Your Miniature Driving Horse online course: https://classroom.miniaturehorsemanship.com/register/improving-miniature-driving-horse/

If you enjoyed this post, and would like to buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/miniaturehorse

08/22/2024

It’s a great policy to learn from everyone you can, but you do have to use your critical thinking. I’ve come across a few “red flags” that let me know this instructor isn’t going to be for me:

Dominant - If an instructor or clinician explains a horse’s behaviour by labeling them as dominant, it’s a sure sign that they’re not my kind of horse person. I don’t want to dominate my horse, I want them to be a partner, with a voice and a say in how we move forward. Any time I hear this, or, heaven forbid, the ubiquitous, “Show him who’s boss.” I know it’s not for me.

Gimmicks and Shortcuts - Touting the use of “tools” like draw reins, or saying you need to buy their training stick/long lines/halter that’s actually a nerve line/insert gimmick here. No thanks. Anything that’s going to create an artificial frame or movement, or give me control through pain, is not a shortcut I want to take.

Systems - Horses don’t follow rules, and every horse is an individual – you’ll notice, in my Groundwork Masterclass (link in bio!), the first thing you do is try and figure out your horse’s personality type, to help you see how to approach teaching them. Any trainer who sells a system that is supposed to work on every horse is a huge red flag to me. Some poor horses are going to be in for a very unpleasant situation, as their little square peg self is forced into the same round hole.

Respect - While respect doesn’t sound like a bad thing, in my experience it usually means the same thing as “dominant.” It’s always, “he needs to respect your space” or “your horse has to respect you” – which is all a slippery slope back to, “show him who’s boss.” Unless they’re talking about respecting our horse, and listening to what they tell us, I don’t want to hear about respect.

Why? - If someone suggests a course of action to you, regarding training, or equipment, or feeding, or really any aspect of horsemanship, and can’t tell you WHY then that might be the biggest red flag of all. Understand the why, and you’ll do right by your horse.

Did I miss any? What makes you uncomfortable when you’re listening to a new instructor? What tells you that this approach isn’t going to be right for you?

08/17/2024

Clean and tucked into his jammies, all ready to spend the weekend at the 117th Priddis & Millarville Fair! If you're attending, come say hello, and if you've never been, I definitely recommend you check it out - there is something for everyone at this fun old-fashioned fair!

08/16/2024

Cognitive dissonance occurs when one’s ideas, beliefs, or behaviors are contradictory—when a person learns new information that challenges a deeply held belief.

It’s uncomfortable, and instinctively we try to fix it for ourselves, usually by finding a way to reject the new information. That’s the easy option, even if it’s not necessarily the one that’s going to be the most beneficial for us. Usually, that uncomfortable feeling that makes us want to dismiss the information that contradicts with what we’ve previously known to be true is going to prevent us from learning something that could truly benefit us.

I had a terrible impression of clicker training in horses.

I grew up in the horse world, so I’d heard my whole life the firmly held belief that you shouldn’t hand feed horses, and training using treats wasn’t “real training”.

My first impressions were not good – a crazy horse who would pay no attention to the handler (something I now know is defined as “over threshold” and not the fault of the methodology), and a cookie monster beast of a horse who wouldn’t pay attention to anything but begging for treats. I used that as evidence to reject learning more about this new training approach that conflicted with my previously held beliefs.

It would have been a lot easier and more comfortable to continue doing things the way I’d always done them, using negative reinforcement and positive punishment, relying solely on pressure to get my horses to do what I want.

I’m so glad I worked through the cognitive dissonance to start on this journey. It’s been hugely rewarding, both for myself and my horses, and I’ve been able to accomplish so much in my training and my understanding of how horses learn, all thanks to making this leap to something that challenged what I thought I knew.

Next time you are exposed to new information that makes you uncomfortable, really think about why that is. If it’s because it’s challenging something you’ve always believed to be true, maybe that discomfort is trying to tell you it’s time to learn something new.

Don’t let cognitive dissonance make you dismiss something you’ll get so much out of embracing.

08/14/2024

“It’s not the tools that matter, it’s the harshness of the hands that use them.”

Have you heard that? I know I have, and it’s not wrong. Almost anything can be used harshly, after all, even the most benign of tools.

The thing is, it’s usually said by someone who is using a tool that is designed to be harsh, in an effort to justify their choice.

The choices we make as far as which tools to use is as important as the way we choose to use them. Sure, we can say we’re being soft and kind, but when the tools themselves are designed to use force or pain to function, then even choosing to use them at all is saying something about the kind of horse person you want to be.

For example, rope halters and other “control” training halters are designed to apply pressure to nerves on the horse’s head. I think that sometimes we forget to truly understand that another way to say that is that they inflict pain in order to be effective.

I choose not to use a rope halter, or a stick for my groundwork training, because they are unnecessary but also because that’s not the relationship I want to have with my horses, one where they do what I ask to avoid the threat of pain or fear. Instead, my tools are a treat pouch and a target.

I choose not to use draw reins, or martingales and overchecks, or flip flops or weights or any other device, to force my driving horse’s movement and posture to where I think it should be. Instead I use gymnastic exercises, time and patience to help the horse learn to carry themselves, and work to their own best advantage, because I want to work with my horse, not against them.

I don’t expect everyone to make the same choices I do – everyone’s journey is different and I made different choices throughout my life with horses, and I’ll make different choices again in the future.

But if you really consider the tools you use and the affect they have on your horse before you use them, you’ll be much more effective in their use, no matter what tool you choose.

08/11/2024

Horses can’t learn anything if they’re scared.

Fear prevents them from understanding, learning, remembering. Fear only lets them react.

That means you might appear to have gotten what you wanted – the horse went over the tarp, or pulled the cart, or got in the trailer – but if they were reacting out of fear, they didn’t really learn it and understand it.

They could be afraid of the training tools, a new piece of equipment, a new environment, or even of their trainer, but regardless of the source of the fear, their training isn’t going to be as effective as it would be with a calm, comfortable, relaxed horse.

When a horse is afraid, he won’t remember what you were trying to teach him, but will remember the fear. The next time he’s around that training tool, or that trailer, or that cart, all the fear will be there, but little or nothing of what you were working so hard to each him.

Take the time to make sure your horse is comfortable and relaxed during any training. Give them time to think, and make sure they know when they’re on the right track. Teach them baby steps towards a skill, instead of jumping in at the deep end.

Go slow, and you’ll get there a whole lot faster.

08/09/2024

Your horse doesn’t owe you anything.

We put a lot on our horses. Our hopes and dreams. The time and money that we’ve invested in their purchase, training, vet bills, feed, farrier, equipment and show fees.

But our horse doesn’t owe us anything.

Our goals aren’t their goals. They don’t care if we win a championship, they just want to eat grass with their friends, and if you’ve done your training right, play fun games with their human too.

They don’t know what we paid for them, or how much the entry fee was. If we didn’t get our money’s worth, that has nothing to do with the horse themselves. They are what they are, and they deserve the same standard of care no matter what some human decides they are “worth”.

Horses put up with so much from us. They’re willing to participate in all the silly things we come up with for them to do. They tolerate our bad days and temper tantrums, our poor timing and questionable training skills. They make every day we’re lucky enough to spend with them so much better.

Our horses don’t owe us anything, but they give us so much.

08/01/2024

Miniature foals are small. It’s easy to grab them and get a halter on them. It’s easy to drag them from point a to point b.

But we can do better than that.

First of all, an approach of “get the halter on and let them figure out they can’t get away” isn’t building very good early experiences with training or with humans. These first skills they learn can impact their willingness to engage and participate in future training for their entire lives.

Second, they CAN get hurt. Many years ago we had a yearling spook while trying to take his halter off, flip over backwards, hit his head and die. A baby foal flopping around at the end of a lead rope definitely can get injured.

In case it’s helpful, here’s what I do.

I don’t start right away. Babies need to learn horse things first. And then they need to learn that I am super fun for scratching and snuggles. Until baby is willing to walk up to me for scratches nearly every time I crouch down in his vicinity, he’s not ready to start halter training.

I make full use of a routine. That is, every day I lead the mare out to the pasture, and every night back to her stall and the baby follows along. If you don’t bring your mare and foal in at night, you could easily create this routine by leading the mare on a daily walk around the pasture. But starting halter training works so much smoother when baby already knows where you’re going and mommy is an active participant.

There have been studies that show that foals seeing their dam being calm about routine handling is more effective than actually handling the foal in the first weeks of life. This routine ahead of halter training will make a big difference.

I usually start haltering them to go out to pasture when they turn too independent and no longer follow mommy, and instead go zooming off around the farm and I have to stand there in the gate and wait for 10 minutes til they decide to come back. 😉 This varies depending on the foal, but usually anywhere from 2-6 weeks of age. I see no reason to halter them prior to 2 weeks of age. They need to be babies first before trying to learn anything but “humans aren’t scary”.

I put the halter on in the midst of a snuggle session in the stall. I may have to gently hold them at first, but usually very quickly they figure out that halter on means they’re headed outside for playtime and they stand quietly.

I use a long, 10’ lead. If possible, have one person lead the mare and another the foal, but I am usually on my own with both and it works that way too. The goal is not to LEAD the foal at first, but simply to allow him to follow the mare and get used to the idea that you are now attached to each other. Do your very best to avoid any pressure on the leadrope, unless necessary to keep baby safe. If you do end up in a tug of war (you probably will at some point, despite your best efforts), then as soon as baby is standing safely release the pressure on the lead. We don’t need to WIN the tug of war – in this case, winning means a loose lead rope. We want to avoid teaching baby to pull at all costs. I don’t pull on you, you don’t pull on me, that’s the name of the game.

If baby stops, I stop. Wait a few seconds, he’ll probably start walking again, if not, walk the mare a tiny bit (don’t let her get far away though, we want calm baby, not frantic to get back to mommy baby!) If he doesn’t move, since I already have established “come to me for scratches” I’ll crouch down and call him over for a snuggle and reset.

Gates are a challenge, and where baby is most likely to get hurt bouncing off a fencepost if they do panic and pull back. Be cautious and remember that the more you try to control the baby, the more likely things are to go wrong. Give him space as much as possible, give him time, and offer him lots of scratches when he does come to you and mommy on the other side of the gate.

Getting the halter off without the handy barrier of his bedtime stall can also be a challenge. Again, I do my best to avoid manhandling him to do so. I get down on my knees and scratch my way to the halter buckle, and if he jumps or wiggles I allow him to move away and start over. Initially it can take four or five tries and a lot of patience, but it will get easier and easier, and taking your time in the early stages is definitely worth it!

I love the routine of haltering daily for turnout as halter training, because then it quickly just becomes a thing that happens every day. I do my best to maintain my “don’t pull on the baby” rule, as I never want to teach them to pull against halter pressure, and instead simply learn that we are moving places together as a team. As they get more confident, I’ll even use this turning out time to start teaching trotting on the halter (much easier with mom still along too!)

With consistent routine, lots of patience and no pressure or pulling, before you know it, you’ll have a baby who leads with you confidently!

07/27/2024

Humans are fixers. We look for where the problem is, and find solutions.

Traditional horsemanship is like this. We wait for the horse to make a “mistake” and then fix it. We call it correction, but really, it’s punishment.

We punish the things we don’t want to see, and don’t punish the things we do want to see, which means our horses are behaving in the way we want simply to avoid the consequences of not doing so.

It also keeps us hyperfocused on the bad, the misbehavior, the things we don’t want.

For me, that’s been the biggest benefit of switching my training to an emphasis on positive reinforcement: now I look for the good.

From a practical standpoint, my horses learn more quickly and are much more motivated to learn and perform because they clearly understand the communication and know when they’ve gotten the right answer.

But training this way has also trained me to look for the good, instead of focusing on the bad, and that’s made time spent with my horses more fun for ME too!

It’s exhausting and frustrating to focus on the challenges all the time. Shifting my outlook to find the good, the small efforts, and steps in the right direction has been a gamechanger in so many ways.

If you’d like to learn how to use rewards, instead of pressure, to train your Miniature Horse, my Introduction to Positive Reinforcement online course will give you the knowledge and tools to get started on the right foot!

07/24/2024

Famous Olympians aren’t the only equestrians who ever use abusive methods.

Unfortunately, it’s endemic in the horse industry, and our little (pun intended) corner of the horse world isn’t immune.

Generations of “show him who’s boss” and “the horse doesn’t get to say no” and easy access to tools designed to control through fear and pain, means that all of us, as a community, are more likely to MAKE our horse do what we want, instead of teaching them how to do it comfortably and in a way they find reinforcing and enjoyable.

And add any sort of competitive environment, and the problem just multiplies. Just because a trainer does a lot of winning, it doesn’t mean they’re always doing what’s best for the horses – in fact, it often is the opposite.

There’s a lot of discourse right now about the latest scandal involving a high profile equestrian. But instead of offering an opinion on that situation, let’s all look at our own horses, our own training techniques, and think about how WE could do better.

We aren’t (hopefully) whipping horses to get them to do what we want, but most of us have something that we don’t currently have the skills to do without resorting to techniques that aren’t best for the welfare of the horses we claim to love.

There is always a better way, one without any fear or pain or confusion for our horses.

We can ALL do better, and I challenge you today to start making a change for the better – for the good of your horse, and the good of all horses.

07/16/2024

There are only two reasons that a horse is ever aggressive to a human.

1️⃣ They’re in pain and aren’t able to communicate that in any other way.

2️⃣ They are afraid, or were afraid once and learned that aggression made the scary human go away.

That’s it.

And neither of those reasons are going to be solved by answering their aggression with more aggression.

If they’re reacting aggressively out of pain and are punished, then they’re going to be fearful and be even more aggressive.

If they’re reacting aggressively out of fear and are punished, then they’re going to be even MORE fearful and potentially MORE aggressive.

There is always another way, we just have to keep ourselves safe, don’t allow our own fear response to control how we react, and think the situation through with logic instead of emotion.

While we may never know exactly why our horse is being aggressive, our goal needs to be to give the horse the confidence that they no longer need to defend themselves, and teach them an alternative behaviour we’d prefer that they find more reinforcing.

That might mean changing our management system – we could feed the horse in a slow feed net so feeding is less of a high intensity time and maybe they won’t be so anxious.

That might mean teaching a non-compatible behaviour – if they earn a treat for touching a target, they’re going to choose to touch the target and earn a treat rather than kick.

That might mean doing a better job of catching the tiny signs that they’re uncomfortable and giving them space, and supervising children around them until the children also recognize the signs their horse is uncomfortable and give them space.

That might mean working with them in protective contact (through a fence) for a while, to keep you safe and give them confidence.

Every horse is an individual and every situation is different, so there is no “one size fits all” solution, but if we listen to our horse, help them gain confidence and teach them more productive behaviours, we can build a positive relationship.

Be creative, listen to your horse, and think outside the punishment box. You’ll build a much stronger, more rewarding relationship with your horse!

07/15/2024

Happy National I Love Horses Day!

07/10/2024

“If you always make things easy for your horses, they won’t be resilient.”

This is one of the common arguments against using a positive reinforcement based approach to training. If you don’t make things tough for your horses in training, how will they ever handle the real world?

Last week we took four horses into the Stampede Parade who had never done it before.

Sparkle was the youngest.

She’d never been in a parade, or had a bath, or seen a balloon, or met a full sized horse, or seen a bicycle or motorbike, or heard hundreds of people shouting YAHOO while ringing their cowbells.

But she did have a history of exploring new things and earning reinforcements for her choices. She understands that activities with her humans are fun and rewarding. And she knows that her humans will keep her safe.

She had no reason to think anything was scary, because nothing in her world had ever been scary. And if she was curious or cautious about anything, we told her she was good and gave her a treat, and she knew it was okay.

She watched Frankie duck around a manhole cover rather than walk over it, and so she started out doing the same. But as the parade went on, my friend Amanda (who was leading her through the parade and did an awesome job making sure it was a positive experience for her) noticed she was paying close attention to the manhole covers, exploring them until she decided that she could walk over them after all. Even in that very stimulating environment, she wasn’t just reacting, she was using her brain and figuring things out.

Sparkle is 4 years old, and until this week, hadn’t left the farm since she was 2 weeks old. I would say the Calgary Stampede Parade, with over 100 entries, 700 horses, and over 300,000 spectators, plus skyscrapers, TV cameras, and loudspeakers, is probably one of the scariest things you could ask a horse to do.

And Sparkle – who’s training has all been reward based, since she was born – handled it like an old pro.

She is resilient, not because she’s had to deal with being scared as part of her training, but because she never has.

07/09/2024

Did you spot Frankie, the cover model from Positively Different, in the Calgary Stampede Parade? It's okay if you didn't, after all he was disguised as a cowboy! 😜

07/07/2024

Stampede Parade 2024

07/01/2024

With a busy morning at the local Canada Day parade, I nearly forgot to remind you that the 25% off coupon code for the Improving Your Miniature Driving Horse online course is expiring today! Coupon code: SUMMERDRIVE

(Photo from a few years ago, on a sunny Canada Day! This year's photos are in my stories!)

06/28/2024

The Improving Your Miniature Driving Horse online course will take you through the concepts you need to understand to help your driving horse be the best they can be.

Each module covers a new topic, with a teaching video, a demonstration video (with side and driver views) and a printable pdf that explains the concept and how you can use it to improve your skills, in simple, easy to follow terms. You’ll also get exercises to work through to help you solidify your understanding of the concepts, polish your skills, and truly help your driving horse reach their potential.

Get a roadmap of exercises and learn the concepts to continue improving your driving horse for the rest of their career, all for the cost of just four private lessons.

Register by July 1st using coupon code SUMMERDRIVE and you'll get 25% plus access to a live Zoom Q&A for personalized feedback for your driving horse!

06/27/2024

Timing is an important ingredient of effective communication with our horses - here's some tips on improving the timing of your cues to make things easier for your driving horse!

We can get so wrapped up in expecting our driving horses to respond instantly, that we forget that a) abrupt changes of gait usually aren’t the prettiest changes of gait, and b) when we’re talking about a Miniature Horse pulling an adult driver, it can be unfair to expect immediate responses without a little heads up first.

From Whoa to Go

Imagine your horse is standing there like a good beastie, snoozing a bit, while you await the placings in the class, or chat with your friends, or wait your turn.

It’s time to move, so your first move is to tap your horse with the whip. I’m not saying you whack him – of course you don’t. But if he’s gone from relaxed standing and snoozing to a whip touch that means MOVE YOUR FEET NOW then it’s probably a pretty rude awakening and he’s going to jump, lunge forward, slip depending on the footing, and finally regain his balance and walk off, likely feeling a little uncertain and nervous with the sudden change in situation.

Instead, what if we simply took the very small amount of time it would take to pick up the reins, take some gentle contact, stay your horse’s name, and give a verbal cue “And WALK”. The result would be the same – your horse walks off. But from his point of view, it was a much more pleasant experience, with no surprises, and he’s balanced and ready to pick up another gait right away … say a pretty trot to go pick up your ribbon for example!

Transitions Matter

Next scenario: you’re driving in the show ring at a walk, and a trot is called for by the announcer, or you’re in a dressage test and the letter is coming up where you need to make a transition to the trot.

You could use sudden clucks and/or a whip tap to chase your horse into the trot. You’ll get the trot, but it might not be pretty, and it will probably take a few strides (or more than a few) to get your trot built into something you’re proud of.

Or, you can let your horse know what’s coming, and they’ll be able to rebalance and respond promptly and be ready for a higher level of performance right away.

Help them rebalance for the transition by checking in with your contact, breath, and say And TROT! – the rein cue, breath and “and” tell them that something is coming, and TROT tells them what to do next. Give them a second to step into the trot, and if you don’t get it right away, then you can follow up with a cluck or whip cue as needed. With repetition, you won’t need to follow up with anything, as they’ll be balanced and ready when you say TROT, much more willing to step into the new gait and ready to show a quality trot right out of the transition. And if you’re in that dressage test, you can start your cue sequence wherever you need to for your horse’s level of training, to get that trot exactly when his nose crosses the letter.

By helping your horse prepare for the trot, instead of suddenly chasing them into it, you’ll have a much better trot and a much happier horse.

Go to Whoa

One more example: You need to stop. Whether you’re coming up into the lineup at the end of your class at the big registry show, or halting at X at the end of your dressage test, a good whoa is a good whoa.

Often we see people stop so abruptly that their horse’s mouth pops open, they stop dead with legs splayed as they try to rock into the weight of the cart and stop it – harder when they’re in the show ring and probably don’t have breeching on. It was a prompt whoa, sure, but was it pretty? Or pleasant for your horse?

When we’re driving a Miniature Horse, the cart and driver routinely weighs as much as they do. They can handle that, sure, but why not make it as easy on them as we can? Not to mention prettier!

Same thing, let’s warn them. As you’re coming up to where you’d like to halt, start by giving a big slow breath (horses communicate with their breath a lot, so they’re very in tune with it – learn more about breath communication at the link below), then a very drawn out aaaaannd and finally tell them whoa. With a little practice, you won’t need to do more with your hands than support them as they stop, which means you won’t be accidentally pulling them off balance. With a little warning they’ll be able to rebalance and slow the forward momentum of both themselves and the cart and be able to stop smoothly and in balance.

Communicating to our horse what’s coming is not only going to improve your horse’s performance, but it’s going to do wonders for their confidence and your relationship with your driving horse!

More tips to improve your communication with your driving horse here - and use coupon code SUMMERDRIVE to get 25% if you register by July 1st!

https://classroom.miniaturehorsemanship.com/register/improving-miniature-driving-horse/

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Videos

Happy National I Love Horses Day!

Stampede Parade 2024!

How to show your Miniature Horse's teeth to the judge.

Play. This is Zoom (he’s the tall one) and his full brother, Vodka (the little one). Zoom was 11 months old and not yet gelded, Vodka was 4 years old, and they spent a good chunk of every day playing like this. They do still, and they're 3 and 7 years old now! When this is how horses (especially male horses, gelded or not) play with each other, it isn’t surprising that sometimes they try to initiate the same sort of games with their human. You can see how this would feel like “aggression” or “dominance” to a human! But knowing that it’s play can really change our response. We absolutely can explain to our babies that reaching over to bite our leg while we’re leading or rearing up at us isn’t a game we like to play, without hitting them or making them afraid of us. These early experiences with humans will shape how they feel about people their whole lives. Our instinct, when our horse does something we consider “bad” is to punish with hitting or sudden movements. But in this case, that’s very similar to the game they’re trying to initiate. Bopping them on the nose or shoving them away often makes them MORE likely to repeat the behaviour as they’ll think you’re playing along with their super fun rough and tumble game. So what DOES help? 1. Get your baby an equine friend. The number one way to see less play behaviours directed your way is to give them a playmate who actually likes those games. 2. Ignore what you don’t want to see repeated as much as possible. Keep yourself safe, if your youngster has really gotten in the habit, then interacting with them through a fence can make it much easier to simply step out of reach when they start with behaviour you don’t like. 3. Teach non-compatible behaviours and make them highly rewarding. They can’t chew on you if they’re learning to touch a target, or you’re reinforcing them for keeping their nose away from you. 4. Keep sessions short. Youngsters have a very short attent

I have Miniature Horses ....

Nothing like a few tricks to make feeding horses in a late March snowstorm a bit more fun! If you want to have more fun with your Miniature Horses, build a stronger relationship and better line of communication, then trick training is a great way to do that! Only two more days before the Trick Trainin Bootcamp! Join me starting April 1st to learn how to teach your horse 10 tricks in 30 days! classroom.miniaturehorsemanship.com/tricks

Trick Training Bootcamp

New Trick Training Course Announcement! In the 9 years since I started teaching online courses, the most popular request for a new course has always been Trick Training! I've done some webinars on the topic, but never a full course ... UNTIL NOW! ⭐Trick Training Bootcamp ⭐ 10 Tricks 🐎 30 Days April 2024 classroom.miniaturehorsemanship.com/tricks

Bentley got his Advanced Trick Title! We're going to have some work to do now, to try for his Expert Title next! If you're interested in trick training, I'll be announcing a brand new course very soon! Stay tuned!

Bentley is now an officially titled Novice Trick Mule! Onto the Intermediate tricks next!

Happy New Year! 🥳 What fun are you planning with your Miniature Horse in 2024?

The stockings were hung, one for each tiny equine, and of course the goats too! But one name is missing - can you guess who?

For International Horse Day, here's all of them that I get to enjoy every day, from oldest (31) to youngest (1)!

When Jamie's feet got sore this fall, I immediately called my vet to run bloodwork for metabolic issues. In my experience, they rarely founder without an underlying metabolic issue. Sure enough, Jamie's bloodwork was off the scale for ACTH, and her Insulin and Glucose were also elevated - the vet said she had Cushings, Insulin Resistance, AND Equine Metabolic Sydrome. This was the first sign that anything was wrong with her - she had appeared to be her usual happy and healthy self right up until she started showing signs of laminitis, with no change in her diet or routine and a low sugar diet. But look at her now! She is on Prascend, her ACTH is back to normal, and her other values are dropping. And she is clearly feeling just fine, she gives me quite a show most days at feeding times! Thank you, as always, to Burwash Equine Services for keeping all our special horses healthy and happy, and especially for getting "worth her weight in gold" Jamie back to her old self! And if you have a horse who ever founders, but especially without any obvious reason, definitely talk to your vet about metabolic bloodwork and medication - it makes such a huge difference in their quality of life!