Halter Breaking a Challenging Miniature Horse or Mule
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- Halter Training without a Halter
After having to use a halter and leadrope to get Bentley to his new home with me, and get him gelded, he'd decided that a) a halter was no fun, and b) a halter was for, at best, bracing against, and at worst, for dragging me around the farm.
So instead of using a stronger aversive tool like a rope halter, chain or other "control" halter, I took the halter off so he had nothing to pull against.
Without the halter to put him on the defensive or cause him to brace, he was much more interested in learning what I was trying to teach him. And once he'd learned how to "lead", and stand, and pick up his feet, and back, and sidepass, and all sorts of other things at liberty, I was able to add the halter back in without a problem.
And now it's an approach to troubleshooting I use on a regular basis. Things aren't going well? Let's take off the leadrope, and see if that helps! Removing that crutch makes me a much better trainer for my horses. (And mule lol)
I hope this gives you some ideas for your horses - have fun! And if you're brand new to training using food rewards, check out my Introduction to Positive Reinforcement online course to get you started on the right foot! ❤
classroom.mini...
This is a great video. I have a mini donkey that hates his halter
Thank you for this video. We have taken on a miniature mule but he has some problems due to having homes with lack of knowledge and neglect. The last time he was caught to be brought to us they used the hose pipe across the field to make a loop and caught him like that and then put a collar on him. So as you can understand he’s not too keen about having a head collar on. He is very friendly coming up to us for treats but he is very aggressive with our goats and dogs. This is the main problem rather than halter a training because I run a go walking business. I’m not sure how to train that one out of him. It may be because his last Home he was very bored in a small area and there were just pygmy goats around for entertainment. We will have a go at training him liberty.
What a beautiful mule. Thanks for this video, it's very helpful info!
A wonderful and educational video, well done. I love how willingly Bentley is to work with you. I can always tell your mini's enjoy working with you and it shows how well your style of training works on these little guys. Oh, and my favorite part of the video starts at 2:53 or so, when an unseen young juvenile raven starts talking to you, wanting some treats for himself probably. ha Yes, its me, the raven lady in Cool, CA.
Do you professionally train?
What is your favorite treat for your minis? I recently got a bag off Amazon, which she likes, but just curious. Should we do a mixture of ones or stick to the same treat flavor? We’re new to horses! Just got our first mini a few days ago. 💕 Thank you for your advice and this video!
You don't need to use a "treat" for rewards - any food that your horse likes will work! Hay pellets are a comment training reward, or even some of their usual grain ration. I usually use Masterfeed Krunch, which is a kibble type complete feed. Sometimes
it can be good to have a couple options available - you can use the lower value "normal" food reward for most of your training, and something they highly value as a "jackpot reward" either when they've done something extra awesome or at the end of the session. Congrats on your new addition!
.
What do I do if the horse won't take treats? I just got an 11 month old colt. He has a halter, but all he does is run if you get near him or tries to kick or bite. He won't accept treats. He's wild
Aww, he sounds so scared, poor little man. Do you have other horses as well? Letting him see you interact with a calm horse would be a good first step, even better if he could also live with a calm horse to help him feel safe. When you do spend time with him, I'd start in protective contact, that is, on the other side of the fence, so he feels safer. Just start by waiting for him to look at you, and toss a treat where he can reach it and then back away until he eats it. Stick at that stage for as long as you need to, until he is much less fearful of you on the outside of the fence (maybe even sitting on the ground to give him confidence) and give him a chance to associate you with the treats. Make sure he always has hay to much on as well - we don't want him to feel like he HAS to take the treats, but that he's comfortable enough (and they're yummy enough!) that he WANTS to. Once he gets more confident interacting with you through the fence, you can start having him take the treat from your hand, still with the fence between you, and start teaching the same leading position, so that he already has the basics of communication with you before you ever step into the pen with him, which will go a long way towards giving him confidence.
@@MiniatureHorsemanship Yes, I've been using another Mini as my "ambassador horse" LOL I've been letting him (Prince) watch me and the other horse (Shorty) interact for a while, giving him treats, pets and smooches. I've also recently turned them out in the pasture together and they are buddies now. Prince has finally started taking treats from me, but is still so very skittish. I'll just have to be patient with him. I think he's gotten more confidence from being around Shorty
Do you sale miniature mules