# Keeping minis with full size horse



## Specialk (Sep 11, 2015)

Does anyone keep minis with a full size horse? I am thinking of getting a full size horse? Do I have to keep them separated? Some websites say yes and some say it's fine. I have worked with horses at a camp where they keep 30-40 horses of all sizes together including a tiny donkey.


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## LittleP (Sep 11, 2015)

My miniature is currently kept with 2 quarter horses in a large pasture. She has really bonded to one of the horses and I have noticed that the two biggies tend to be mindful of keeping their distance from Little P and each other when they feel like kicking.

I have read many things about miniatures being injured from being kicked by larger horses though. I guess it is up to how much risk you want to take and the individual horses involved.


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## Rocklone Miniature Horses (Sep 11, 2015)

I kept my two little ones (and my third little one for a few days) with my big horse. I knew him inside out though, and had him before the little ones. I knew he had never in his life lifted any leg to another horse or animal, not even an attacking dog. I had another horse for two months (loan that didn't work out) and she was with my little ones, but had been in a field for a year with minis so i knew she was okay with them.

I'm not against keeping them with biggies at all, you just have to be very specific in the horse and make sure it has been with small ones before or is at the least a total non-kicker, even if provoked.


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## FurstPlaceMiniatures (Sep 11, 2015)

Depends on all horses involved and the situation.

We have 3 turnout groups right now.

My 10yr old mini stud is on a dry lot solo. He's a jerk about food.

Then there's the 'bachelor herd,' 2 2 yr old mini geldings turned out together.

Then there's the mare band. My 13h pony, an ancient, matronly ex Amish draft mare, a 5 36" yr old mini mare, and her colt from this year. In that herd, the mini mare is dominant. The others are naturally very submissive horses. The draft doesn't move real fast and definitely wants to be a mommy. You know the crazy old lady at the grocery store that fawns over every baby, even strangers? That's her. She's adopted my pony filly.

This is the situation that works best for us. The mini mare and colt were being overly pestered by the two rowdy boys, the mini mare was attacking the mini stud unprovoked (she's super mom). And when her and the colt were turned out alone he would slip under the fence to get in with the draft and the pony, where he would be peacefully chilling wayyyyyy on the other side of the field with the 'big girls' and she would be freaking out, they picked their herd by default.

I almost think this is more natural, the draft has "her baby," the other mare has her baby, the rowdy colts are doing there thing, and the stud is only seperate because the mare doesn't like him one bit near her baby, just like it would be in nature


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## sfmini (Sep 11, 2015)

No, no, no.

Yes, people have kept minis with biggies, sometimes never a problem. BUT one day, they are running and playing and the biggie bucks and kicks and the mini is in the wrong place. Dead mini. Horse kick is head height.

If you want to risk it, go for it, but we would never do it. Our biggies go in one place, minis in another and NEVER mix.


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## chandab (Sep 11, 2015)

It apparently works for many people, but the day it doesn't work is usually tragic for the mini. I own one of my geldings because he was given to me after his mini buddy was killed in a pasture accident in a mixed size herd. It doesn't even have to be a malicious event that causes the tragedy, mini's are just at that height to get kicked in the head with a playful kick or even just a knock while running. They can be company enough for each other across a safe fence.


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## Rocklone Miniature Horses (Sep 11, 2015)

You could argue that a mare could kick a foal so foals can't be with mares. Same sort of sizes involved. My little ones got a lot of pleasure from my big ones and I felt they were more protected from the neighbors vicious dogs (my big lad would chase them away)


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## secuono (Sep 11, 2015)

Depends on the horses themselves.

Mine worked out, but it doesn't always stay well or start out well.

Pic of my 15+ H mare and a tiny 4mo old mini baby. Mare was very tolerant of her suckling and being a freshlybweaned pesky baby. So was my 13.2H gelding and other mini.


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## amysue (Sep 12, 2015)

Totally an individual case basis. I had two minis together get into a fight and one killed the other but that doesn't mean that I keep every horse separate. I do not put stallions together and I do not put little ones out with my Belgian because he likes to chase things, although he does fine with calves. Some of them do fine, others fight. Sometimes it isn't even that they do not get along, it is just the size difference that becomes a problem. If they all get along you may get away with it. It is recommended that you set up a "refuge" area for the minis out with big horses. Put 4 poles in the ground in a square and hang a top rail high enough for the minis to get under but not the big horse. If you feed the minis in there and the big one outside of there you can avoid a lot of squabbles that usually occur over food. The safest bet would be to just let them share a fence line. That way they can socialize but not fight. It can all change with just one introduction or exit from the herd, take one horse out to work or throw a different one out and the whole herd dynamic changes. I have bigger ones out with smaller ones at home, but that particular dynamic works. I do not put client's minis out with my bigger ones as I fear that when one is taken out for work, a squabble might break out and i do not want to risk injury. I usually refrain from selling minis to people with a big horse for companions most of the time out of fear for everyone's safety. We have acquired a few minis from people who got a mini as a companion but their saddle horse essentially played soccer with the mini so they had to re home them. Better you build a separate corral to be on the safe side.


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## MiniNHF (Sep 14, 2015)

I kept my stallion with my 28yr old 16:2 had Appendix and they got along great. The only marks I saw were on my big horses head and neck because apparently my stallion was always trying to get him to play by jumping on him lol When my big horse passed my stallion was very upset even with them only being together for a year so they obviously formed a close bond.


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## Max's Mom (Sep 14, 2015)

As you can already see, there's lots of different opinons on this. Long ago and for a number of years, my mini was kept with biggies and there were never any problems. It never occurred to me to worry about it. But I would never do it now. This can be a challenge because he is boarded, and I don't always have the control I'd like.

My feeling is that it is fine until it isn't, and you can never undo the one tragic event that you thought would never happen. I'd rather err on safety for the mini. I realize that isn't always possible, but if you have a choice, a shared fence line seems a lot more wise.


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## paintponylvr (Sep 15, 2015)

And myself and some other folks in this area - the minis (or smaller equine) have been the cause of euthanizing "biggies" due to aggressive attacks breaking legs that weren't repairable.

That said, I don't have true minis (under 34") other than some of our weanlings and it's been VERY rare to turn weanlings out with the larger horses once we moved to a property that we did or needed to separate the "littles" from the "bigs".

Keep in mind that there are also individual personalities. There are just as many small equine whom don't get along as there are big equine and that has to be accounted for as well. Our pastures have "changed" off and on due to that aspect - I've never kept all the pastures the same week after week, month after month or year after year.

I do now try to keep the boys together and have the "Sr mares" and the "Jr mares" together in different paddocks. BUT have some issues right now with a few of the "Jr mares" - So will be getting up some fencing in an area hadn't planned on fencing yet so that we can go back to free feeding alfalfa pellets to get them back to where they should be in weight before true cold weather hits us. Also, we've had foals at an odd time for us (several haven't arrived yet) and they will be weaned in that same paddock with the 2 yr old fillies and will also be on free feed alfalfa pellets as well.

Last night, the 39" 4 yr old stallion was beating up on the 13.1 hh gelding pretty heavily. It was at feeding time and it mostly consisted of driving him out of the spaces he wanted, but I did keep an eye on it while I was out in each individual area. But then again, usually the stallion goes right into his own pen - last night he didn't (and neither did the two geldings he was chasing around). None of the three ate - I no longer play the "corner and chase" game - each of these ponies knows the feed drill and have for years. Usually the boys are the BEST - they go stand at their gates and/or their buckets and they are the first to be fed and then turned back out. NOT LAST NIGHT...






Figured it was due to the changing weather and the HUGE drop in barometric pressure yesterday afternoon. It hit 90* + yesterday, then dropped to 45* as of 0530 this morning... With the rain last week, the sand sprouted some type of grass they've all gone crazy on it, plus the boys have 10 round bales in their pasture, none are underweight or even extra light anymore - so missing a meal sure won't "kill" them...


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## MiniNHF (Sep 15, 2015)

And we never threw my big guy right out with my stallion especially since he had never been around a mini but since he use to babysit our weanlings I had a feeling they would be okay. We put them both in separate paddocks and let them say high through the fence line etc for at least a week and when we transferred him in they were fine.


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## rockin r (Sep 23, 2015)

I keep mine separated. I don't want to take the risk.


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## REO (Sep 25, 2015)

NO NEVER. I'm not going to type out (too many) all of the real stories of maiming and death for the mini horses done by people's old sweet would never hurt a fly big horses.



Even playing or an accident will hurt or kill a mini. People that think it's fine will do it anyway. It just makes me sad

As for me, I've refused to sell minis to people who I knew (by asking) planned to put the mini in with their big horses. Not worth the risk. Minis find enough things to get hurt on as it is


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## rabbitsfizz (Sep 26, 2015)

It is fine right up to the moment when it is not fine. It has NOTHING to do with the temperament of the big horse, they can be the very best of friends and a fly kick will kill the little buddy. If you have got away with it for 100 years, well done, I am happy for you. But, tomorrow, you may well go down and find a Mini with a broken leg or a friendly kick in the ear that has killed them.

It is NOT a risk I would ever, ever take.


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## chandab (Sep 26, 2015)

rabbitsfizz said:


> It is fine right up to the moment when it is not fine. It has NOTHING to do with the temperament of the big horse, they can be the very best of friends and a fly kick will kill the little buddy. If you have got away with it for 100 years, well done, I am happy for you. But, tomorrow, you may well go down and find a Mini with a broken leg or a friendly kick in the ear that has killed them.
> 
> It is NOT a risk I would ever, ever take.


Yep, just happened this week to someone on the FB group, their mini had to be put down due to a broken leg (right at the hock).


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## susanne (Sep 30, 2015)

Some people leave halters on in the pasture and say "nothing has ever happened to us".

Other people ride horses and allow their children to ride without wearing helmets and say "nothing has ever happened to us".

Still others drive in cars without seatbelts and say "nothing has ever happened to us".

You will hear of many people keeping their minis with full-sized horses and saying "nothing has ever happened to us". If you are confident your luck will hold out, that is your choice, but I love my horses too much to take that chance, no matter how remote.

(And yes, I keep our weanling in a separate area from our adult minis.)


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## KLJcowgirl (Oct 7, 2015)

My QH and Mini are in separate pens, but I will turn my Mini out to pasture with the big guy for about an hour or so. They are always out together when I or someone else can keep an eye on them. I completely understand though not ever wanting them together. They did have a little squabble when I first got my mini that made me a touch nervous, my QH bit at the mini and she backed up at him and kicked, but two guesses as to who runs the pasture now



I come out to find cow-licks all over my mini while she's stalled, so if you feel like you shouldn't pasture them together, don't worry, they will get enough interaction and grooming in through the fence. I just say weigh your risks and do what feels right to you.


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## Rocklone Miniature Horses (Oct 7, 2015)

Everything is fine until it isn't. Another mini can boot them in the eye and they will loose it. I have known a mini stallion to kill another mini cause it would not quit, and many big horses hurt the other. Its all about knowing and trusting your animals.


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## always learning (Oct 8, 2015)

I bought my mini after a knee injury (when I realized I was not going to be able to train the 40", 3yr old colt I'd bought as a weanling, who still needed a lot of ground-driving ). Molly was a yearling they'd bought from a sale, then decided to stay with larger horses. She had been pastured with the larger horses when I bought her. Jack (a 36" donkey gelding) had been pastured with my colt (until I sold the colt), they had gotten along fine, Danny being the Alpha. Well, it happened that Jack was tied when Molly spooked and jerked the lead-rope from my hand and ran up next to him. He was only 3" taller than her, but he grabbed her by the middle of her crest and lifted her front about a foot off the floor before I got there. Fortunately he didn"t break the skin, I guess he wanted to be the Alpha, or didn't want her near where he might get fed. Anyway, it just goes to show you that the unexpected happens.


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## Carly Rae (Oct 8, 2015)

In my opinion it just depends on the horse.

In the next few years I plan on buying my own horse to ride (after I get lessons) I am not sure if I will keep mine all together. We had a 16hh mare called Sunshine with our minis for around 2 and a half years and they hated to be parted from each other our mare was very laid back (as long as you weren't riding her) she had lived with 2 sheep most her life anyway so its probably why she loved our minis company.

Here is all mine together when it was raining, our little mini foal Pickles used to run underneath our mare and everything, Sunshine used to protect them it was pretty cute


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## rabbitsfizz (Oct 10, 2015)

Yes I have seen pictures like that before. Unfortunately I also have first hand experience of exactly what will happen in a pen and shed that small if the big horse spooks. Accidents can happen any time, but a mini in with a BH is an accident that can easily be avoided and is only waiting to happen. If you can cope with coming down and finding your mini with a burst diaphragm, stone cold dead on the floor or a broken leg so you must hold him/her to be PTS, OK, go ahead! Me, I am not about to ever take this sort of risk again. After all, you can _probably_ get away with walking down the freeway, chances are the cars will do their best to avoid you, but it is not something anyone would advise you to do.......


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## Minimor (Oct 10, 2015)

Anyone who has Minis and plans to get a big horse (or if you have a big horse and plan to get Minis) - should not ever plan in advance that they will keep the two different sizes together. In fact you should plan NOT to keep them together--because it does very much depend on the big horse.

I had a Morgan mare who lived with an American Shetland filly. The filly was a silver bay weanling who was not supposed to be in with the Morgan, but she ducked under a fence rail & got into the mare's corral and they just took to each other. I wasn't thrilled with them being together but we left them be for quite some time. I never saw that mare show any aggression toward the pony. One time a Mini mare got in with that same Morgan. The mini was failrly similar in color to the pony, and not all that much smaller. That Morgan HATED the Mini. She would have killed her if she was able to catch/corner her.

Had another Morgan mare that lived with a mini gelding for a winter. They got along great. The Morgan wasn't 100% sound and wasn't into running and bucking & acting silly. The mini gelding was a laid back fellow who didn't bother the mare. I wouldn't have put any other Mini in with her because some of them are very picky little fellows and if someone started picking at the mare & irritated her too much I did not trust her not to kick.

I had a 34" gelding get out with the Morgan geldings one time. The 16.1 hh gelding chose to chase the Mini--he could not catch him, which was probably for the best!

If you are planning to have the two sizes on your property, you should plan for separate paddocks and not count on having them all together in one happy herd. You might find that the big horses get along fine with the Minis, but you could just as easily find that they cannot live together at all. They do not even have to be together for a Mini to be hurt or killed by a big horse--there are people who have had a big horse reach over the fence and grab the Mini by the crest of its neck and pick it up off the ground--seriously injuring (killing in at least one case I know of) the mini.

If you do keep the horses all together, you must realize that it works only as long as it works--you may very well go out sometime to find that the Mini has been kicked and has a broken leg, or broken jaw, or perhaps a fractured skull. Yes, one Mini may very easily injure another Mini--there is always a risk with horses--but the Mini has a much better chance when the kick is delivered by another horse of its own size than if the kick comes from a full size horse. Personally I have refused a sale to someone who wanted a Mini to be kept with their big horses.

Also remember--just because it works for your neighbor or your Facebook friend or a forum acquaintence to keep their Minis in with big horses it in no way means that your Mini will be safe with your big horse. That is a very important thing to keep in mind.


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## Rocklone Miniature Horses (Oct 10, 2015)

Minimor said:


> Also remember--just because it works for your neighbor or your Facebook friend or a forum acquaintence to keep their Minis in with big horses it in no way means that your Mini will be safe with your big horse. That is a very important thing to keep in mind.


This a million times.

I'm very much in the boat of trying them cause i know how happy my herd had been with two big horses, and a friend has two minis and one horse, so it CAN work but it 100% depends on the horse. My old TB would NOT tolerate minis he would die lol


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