The satisfaction you get when you have produced your horse to win without ‘short-cuts’,just the old fashioned dedicated way is worth all the hard work. It is also proof that your horse is NATURALLY good enough as top,true ‘superstars’ are natural beauties. But EVERY miniature horse can be produced to reach its own full potential, naturally!
STEP ONE : Pre-show season:-
When you first bring in your miniature at the end of the winter, start even then to think about producing him or her for the new show season. A good start is to get a handler to stand the horse up in front of you. First have the handler stand the horse square but relaxed. Do not ask the horse to ‘pose’ or encourage him to arch his neck or even prick his ears forward yet. Just stand him straight so you can see him as he is at this stage from all angles.
Learn to really and honestly assess your own horse. Having a good “EYE’ for a horse ,or how a horse looks and should look, is in itself a great talent a sort of ‘gift’. BUT it can be learnt too with a lot of practice. Learn by watching a lot of really good producer’s horses, producer’s who you are sure are using only natural methods.
So when you first run your eye over your mini early in the year, look at him from every angle, look at him as a judge would, from up close, and then from far away.
Is he too fat? Too thin? Just right? Where does he need to be more muscled ? Has he got enough neck? Or is he ‘cresty’?Are his hindquarters nice and round? Or has he got a ‘sloping-away’ back-end resembling a ski slope?
Has he got a ‘bellied’ look, or is his tummy tight enough without appearing ‘herring gutted’? All these are points to look for. Know your horses strong points and his weaker ones. How is he moving,is he holding him self elegantly?
Now you can ask the handler to ‘stand him up’ as if he was being stood in front of a judge . The handler should have some ‘teaser’ in her hand to alert the horses attention, encourage him to naturally arch his neck and prick his ears. He shouldn't lean so far forward that his legs are back at an angle , he should keep his legs straight and correct.
So now you have looked at him both ‘relaxed’ and ‘posed’. This is something you need to repeat time and time again . Sometimes people don’t realise that they rarely even ‘look’ at their own horse, let alone give it a full assessment. Yet assessment needs to be almost daily if you are serious about winning in the show ring.
Once you can assess your horse properly and truthfully,you can begin to work out the best regime for him
Loose schooling is a good and fun exercise. We have a tiny, ultra light set of low jumps and we make grids down one side of our exercise paddock and school them loose down it. We also long rein them up and down a long bridle path. If a mini is weak behind some ‘hill’ work is a good plan, even if just up a slope in the field.
We don’t lunge our minis, and really wouldn’t recommend it before 2 to 3 years of age. But schooling them in-hand with a lunge whip in the other hand to just ‘tickle’ them behind encourages them to move forward freely. You should never have to drag your mini, he should move willingly along side you, flowing forward beautifully.
TOP PRODUCTION THE NATURAL WAY IS ACHIEVED BY:-Good feeding, good clipping, regular assessment, long reining, loose schooling, adequate rugging. In-hand training on hard and soft surfaces. Improving the hindquarters using a small sized leather strapper/bumper on the hindquarters. And keeping it all FUN for him too!
As inventors/founders of many titles, societies and shows, including some of the biggest such as MHOYS, (preceding the HOYS version by 5 years), we have a responsibility to see that top Miniature Horse showing in the UK and Ireland, as well as SHOWING THE MINIATURE HORSE AT ALL LEVELS, stays fun for the Minis AS WELL as fun for the owners. If a horse doesn’t enjoy showing because too much pressure is put on him, this will show in the ring.
The British/Irish led the way with the showing of equines of all sizes for more than a hundred years!. We have some of the best horses in the world of every size in the UK and Ireland. Over the centuries European equines have been exported to other continents where they didn’t occur as native breeds, including the miniature horse.
Show your minis with love and respect, and give them the best life you can, and they will adore you back!!
Thankyou for the input and advice on Natural Methods of Show production from the following:-
Janet Gooding - Breeder of International Champion Arabs and Miniatures plus AEMHS President.
The Arab Horse Society.
Author of MAD-ABOUT-MINIS -The Miniature Horse Book - (2010 copyright). AB Loffet.
Mrs Image Man - Show Horse Breeder/Trainer & AEMHS Chairman.
Several top breeders, trainers and owners in several countries including UK, Ireland,USA.
All agree that WELFARE MUST BE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE TO ALL EQUINE ORGANIZATIONS.
At the moment, unlike the Arab Society’s Shows, we don’t need DC’s to ‘police’ affiliated Mini shows to ensure there are no illegal, cruel and un-approved practices. For example at the UK affiliated Arab Horse Society Shows no horse can wear ANY form of collar or neck sweat or tail apparatus etc, or any ‘false aids’ anywhere on the showground at all, including the stables. The DC’s ‘police’ this as these are not approved of by The Arab Society.
The fact that we have not had to have any form of self-policing at our shows since 1994, is something we in the Miniature Horse industry should be extremely proud of. Please help us to make sure Miniature Shows will never need any form of Show Ground DCs, which is now the norm at all Arab Shows! Lets stay as we are, naturally!
