Cross Breeds - How do they break miniature horses??

How do they break miniature horses??

I've always wondered how they break those little miniatures to ride! Usually adults and experienced riders would train the average sized horse, but where minis can't cary the weight of a grown person it would mean that a 3 or 4 year old would have to ride it, right?? Well, no 3 or 4 year old can train a horse... just wondering if any of you knew? Thanks!

Public Comments

If they are large enough for a small child to ride (a 7 year old) then a small adult or accomplished teen will train it to ride. That means the Mini will weigh at least 250 pounds.
your not soupposed to break miniature horses. they are to small for any one to be riding anway and it is bad for there small bone structure. i have a friend that does mini horses in 4-h and she never breaks them cuzz its useless
with miniature cowboys
Usually a light weight rider is what is used. More minis are used for driving than riding. However the ones I have seen for riding, were trained by amish kids that had crazy glue on their butt.
NO! Do not break miniatures to ride- the only weight they should hold (when FULLY mature ONLY) is probably up to a three or SMALL four year old. However, I wouldn't recommend having the four year old train them, therefore there IS no way to train them, and therefore thye shouldn't be ridden.
mini ppl..haha j/k..I really dont think they ride minis do they?..maybe a lightweight younger person? lol
You can put a 50 pound bag of feed on the saddle,Also these horses are very easy to break I have one and i ride him with No halter,lead rope,saddle and etc I just tell him how to turn with his mane!!!
I have had miniatures since I was a child and I don't think that it is right for people to train them to ride. These horses are so small that they shouldn't have any weight on their backs. You have to remember that these horses are more of a novelty pet. If you want something to ride get a pony or a standard size horse.
I really don't think that they are meant to ride either...there are many things that you can do with them, I went to youtube and found all sorts of videos on how to show them...I had no idea..you can do trail, driving, jumping, halter, all sorts of things...I have a neat, very good registered paint mini stud that I bought for my aged Percheron (the one that used to go stand by the dog kennels to sleep....well, they are herd animals) and am thinking about playing with him a bit doing the different things...I think that might just be about as much fun as reading Mule's answers...Mule, you crack me up.
I broke my friends mini to ride last year. Working with minis is alot different than fullsized horses. They have different personalities. But the concepts are mostly the same. For this mini I first halter broke him and taught him to lunge. Then we moved on to ground driving. This got him used to a saddle/surcingle being on his back and cinched up as well as teaching him to respond to rein pressure. He also learned voice cues and how to speed up and slow down when asked. As far as breaking him, I was actually the first person on his back. Yes I'm a full grown adult, and not some small petite person, but before anyone flips out, let me explain how. I started just bareback and with the halter. I'd just stand over his back, and sort of sit down. The majority of my weight was still supported by my own legs, but I would gradually introduce him to more weight. As he got used to this, I would ask him to walk forward, using the same comands as if I were line driving. As he walked I would kinda walk with/over him. So he progressed, and I added the saddle and would again stand/sit over him and have him walk and back. Basically I made sure he was ok with someone being up on his back, supporting weight, and listening to a 'rider'. Once I was confident that he was completely ok with a 'rider'. I had a friend of mines daughter help me out. She's 8 years old, and a very talented rider. And she's also about as big around as a twig! So I set her on him, and let him support he weight. We started with me just leading him around, and then gradually moved into her riding on the lunge line, and then finally her riding him free. It didn't take much, mini's are very quick learners. And we also did this in very short sessions. She was never on the horse for more than 5 minutes once a week or so. The finally test came this christmas when the owner was able to put her 4 year old grandson on the mini and lead him around without a problem. So yes, mini's can be broke to ride safely by full grown people... just gotta be creative!
Honestly I have no idea...
it depends. i volunteer at a mini farm (hehe its fun =] ) and to train them to the bridle, we put them on long reins, and stand WAY back behind them and steer them until the get the hang of it, of course not all at once. but for the saddle, after theyre used to the bridle, we'll put a saddle on, and let them get used to that for a few days. after that, we have a 9 year old girl who's been around horses longer than me, put her foot in the stirrup, and out a LITTLE weight down in it, with me hanging on to the girl, and the owner holding onto the mini. since you dont train minis to jump or do flat classes or anything showy (unless theyre shetlands or really large minis) and we do that on both sides, and with a little more weight each time. eventually, still holding onto the girl and the pony, we let her mount, (no stirrups this time, so she doesnt get stuck if the pony takes off) and then we let him get used to that, then we have her ride him with us close by after a couple months. of course, these minis are being trained for pony rides and picture taking :)