How to Teach Miniature Horses to Pull Carts

Training a horse to pull a cart can easily be done with time, patience and repetition. Because miniature horses may have a more stubborn temperament, more persistence will be needed. Teaching a miniature horse to pull a cart should only take a week to 10 days. To make your miniature an pro at pulling carts, repeat the pulling exercises on a weekly basis. Also, miniature horses are smaller than ponies, so well-fitted equipment is necessary.

Things You'll Need

  • Miniature-size harness
  • Miniature-size bridle
  • 2 lunge lines
  • Quick hitch cart
  • 2 extra people to help
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Instructions

  1. Ground Breaking a Miniature Horse

    • 1

      Work patiently with your miniature horse to walk in a halter and lead rope, stand in cross-ties, and accept a saddle and bridle. This could take more than a month.

    • 2

      Fit the harness by placing the surcingle just behind the horses withers, which is located at the bottom of the horses neck where his mane ends.Tighten the girth slowly, making sure to get it tight enough that the surcingle won't slip. The crupper should wrap under the horse's tail and be tight enough that the surcingle won't ride forward as the horse moves. Turn your miniature horse loose in the stall for an hour or so with the harness on to get used to the pressure of the new apparatus.

    • 3

      Adjust the bridle to fit your miniature horse once she is used to her harness. Work to fit the bridle to the miniature horse, making it snug on the horse's head. Fit the bit in the mouth so that there are one or two wrinkles on the edge of her mouth. Allow the horse to get used to the bridle by turning her loose in an arena for a couple of hours while wearing the bridle.

    • 4

      Start driving the miniature horse after a few days in the stall with the harness and bridle. Run the lines through the harness and attach the lines to the harness. Have one person attach a lunge line to the right side of the bit, and have another person attach a lunge line to the left side of the bit. Have these two leaders walk your miniature horse forward, with you behind him with the lines and a whip in hand.

    • 5

      Cluck to ask your miniature horse to go forward as your two assistants start to lead her forward, and even include a gently swat with the whip if necessary. Once she starts moving forward, start asking her to turn right and have your assistant on the right encourage it. Then try left. As your miniature horse starts to figure out the commands, your assistants can become less and less involved and start to drop behind and to the side of the horse.

    • 6

      Line drive your miniature horse, which is the process of using the assistants with lunge lines, for about a week, 20 minutes at a time on a daily basis. If the miniature horse decides to go up in the air, your assistants are there to help ask him with the lunge lines to come back down and allow you to stay stationary.

    • 7

      Hook your miniature horse to the cart when he is line driving with ease. With your assistants using their lines, hook the miniature horse to the cart. Ask him to move forward.

    • 8

      Drive your miniature horse with the cart the first couple of times using one assistant and a lunge line. Then after a few more times, you should be fine to go on your own. Practice often - at least two or three times per week.