Mini School: Train Your Miniature Horse to be All He Can be

Turn your pint-size package into a head-turning performer! The first book of its kind for Mini lovers, Mini School takes the training and conditioning of Minis as seriously as that of their full-size cousins.  With real, honest-to-goodness in-hand work that promises a relaxed, supple body and collected frame as well as obedience, you're given the tools to transform your cuddly companion into a sleek, well-muscled athlete and a talented entertainer. You'll find valuable information on:  How Minis learn, with discussion of both 'learning through association' and 'learning through success', and ways to manage factors that impact your Mini's ability to absorb new lessons  Work on the longe line, long lines, and long reins, with special instruction on the proper use of side-reins and whip cues  Popular tricks loved by audiences and Minis alike — bowing, kneeling, sitting, lying down, and rearing, to name a few  Lateral work, including leg-yield, shoulder-in, haunches-in, and half-pass  Dressage movements in-hand, such as pirouettes, piaffe, passage, and levade Conditioning through interval training and cross-training, featuring canter work, driving, cavalletti, and jumping gymnastics  Plus a dictionary of voice commands and tips on how to use them.

Table of Contents:
Foreword from the AMHA Foreword by Manfred Holzel Preface: Why Minis are so Much Fun So, What's a Mini Care and Nutrition Tack and Turnout Principles of Training How Minis Learn Longeing and Long-Lining Trick Training Dressage Movements Driving A Primer on In-Hand Work It's Showtime Voice Commands Problem Solving Index

About the Author :
Sabine Ellinger and her Miniature Appaloosa, Lancelot, are known throughout Europe and Australia for their in-hand performances at shows and equine events. Audiences love their pas-de-deux with famous dressage riders.

Review :
If miniatures are your passion then this one's for you! ... possibly the first book of its kind for the increasing band of miniature horse owners. It's filled with ideas and instructions for training and working the little ones with groundwork, long-reining, lungeing and driving - doing all the movements that the bigger ponies do but on a smaller scale.  I think this book fills a gap in the market. Lots of people have minis Shetlands, Falabellas and other miniatures just as companions for bigger horses, but as this book shows there s lots of training to be done with these pint-size ponies in their own right. All aspects are covered, from care and nutrition to breeding, and from dressage movements to teaching tricks. All of this information is available elsewhere, but this is a comprehensive summary of everything you need to know, all in one place. I have two elderly Shetlands who are no longer ridden, but I'll be trying some of the gentler in hand techniques from this book to keep them interested and fitter.  Your Miniature Horse can be just as accomplished as his larger cousins, minus the saddle. Achieve suppleness, collection and obedience in your Mini through interval training and cross-training consisting of driving and in-hand work. From lateral movements to pirouettes and fun tricks, Mini School shows how your Mini can do it all.