Beginner's Questions

[Ilovehorses123]

Hello everyone! Soon we are planning to buy pony for our children and I am interested in the question of transportation. So, are there any special trailers for the mini? We don't have a minivan or a truck, so we're thinking of buying just a trailer. Or do we just need to look for a small trailer for ordinary horses?!

 

[Kelly]

How tall will the pony be? If you get a trailer, would you then have to buy a truck? What do you plan to pull the trailer with? If you get a mini horse, I’d say forget the truck and trailer and get a cargo van!

https://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/threads/pony-express-van-conversion.139605/

 

[MaryFlora]

Kelly and some other folks here have successfully converted a van to serve as pony transport as well as family runabout sans pony. They look like so much fun and very practical!

We have a truck and 22’ stock trailer. It is a multi purpose trailer so is bigger than necessary. It was amazingly handy, however, when the oldest granddaughters and I were showing the minnies. It hauled 4 minnies up front and in the back we hauled the cart, harness, costumes, wardrobe, tack trunk, food (people and ponies), and all other paraphernalia.

The best advice I heard when initially looking for transport was to buy a trailer tall enough for an adult to stand up in, as you never know when you may need to handle something unexpected.

Congratulations in advance on your future pony and welcome to the world of small equine!☺

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I would not buy a trailer you cannot stand up in. Do you already have a pony in mind? Hope to hear more of your horse adventure.

 

[Willow Flats]

I pull a 14 ft. stock trailer with my Nissan Armada SUV.
I can fit a couple of minis in the front and a cart in the back and a cart on the back side of the trailer door. I had a regular straight load trailer before, but much prefer my stock trailer and so do my ponies because it is light and bright.

 

[LostandFound]

You can use a regular horse or stock trailer, you might have to take out the divider depending on how far down it goes and how tall the mini is. If you have something that can pull it already that is probably the easiest option. The mini trailers are nice if you are hauling a lot of minis often, but they might be harder to resell if you decide you want a bigger pony or a horse. Van is a great idea, but more expensive than a trailer. I also have liked the little hauler that goes in the back of the truck but they are as expensive as a trailer and you need a truck too.

 

[Dragon Hill]

If you don't have a truck or van, what are you planning to pull a trailer with? Besides the vehicle being strong enough to pull a trailer, it needs to weigh enough and have a long enough wheel base to safely stop a loaded trailer. Also, horse and stock trailers are equipped with electric brakes and the towing vehicle needs to be wired for them. All this might seem like overkill for a mini, but I've had to make an emergency stop more than once.

 

[Minimor]

Check the tow capacity of your vehicle before you buy a trailer. I drive a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk which is rated for towing 4500 lbs. You should never tow a trader which is right up to capacity; I have a 14 ft stock trailer (5 ft wide, 6'6" high) and can haul that with 2 or 3 ponies inside. I used to haul 6 ponies in this trailer when I drove an F150. I don't need to haul 6 any more, and I don't haul any great distance--and only on flat terrain, so my Jeep works well for me.

Try to go with a tandem axle trailer--it will be safer and giver a smoother ride, and will tow better too. One of the smaller, older 2 horse trailers will work well for hauling one or even 2 ponies.

 

[Abby P]

There are also the Euro style trailers which are designed differently, with less tongue weight and a different braking system, that are more safe to tow with a smaller vehicle. However, they are expensive to buy and hard to find used! But could be worth it if it allows you to avoid buying a larger/additional vehicle. I still wouldn't tow one of those with a smaller vehicle if I lived in a very windy area or in the mountains. The trailer is basically a large sail behind your vehicle so high winds can make it much more dangerous if you're hauling with a small vehicle.

A stock trailer with a center gate is really nice especially if you'll be hauling a cart as well as a pony. I used to have a 16' stock trailer with a center gate, it had a calf gate in the front stall, so it would be possible to unload a mini from the front without unloading whatever was in the back first. Also really versatile if you wanted to take a friend along, I could fit 3 big horses in there.

 

[rgsiiiya]

I would agree with all the advice above.
I'm enchanted with the van conversions that folks here have done . They all look totally cool!

We have 2 Minis. We found a 90's used 2-horse slant trailer in the local market that needed new wiring, lights, and some paint. But got it at a great price. I did all the work myself for around $500 total.
We took the divider out as it serves no purpose for our little guys.

The trailer has worked fantastic for us, and I've even taken "the boys" on a 1500-mile trip to go to horse school.
They loved it. Kept to their normal feeding routine and they did fantastic!

Albeit, I already had a truck to pull it with.

One of my concerns with considering just getting a non-animal smaller trailer is that they are not designed with any light or ventilation. So you'll need to modify any such trailer to add rubber mats on the floor, possibly side-wall protection, windows/something for light, and windows/something that can be opened for ventilation.
And, you'll need to make sure it is not so high off the ground that it is hard for the mini/pony to get in/out of.

 

[arrelle]

I advise on a small, regular horse trailer - as long as you have something safe to pull it with, as others have said.

If this miniature is for your children, you may find they enjoy riding and eventually want a larger pony or a small horse. Would be nice to already have the capacity to move that rather that restarting the search in a few years.

I will say, as with everything else right now, trailers are currently at a premium. There are a few two horse bumper pulls listed online for $2,000 - $5,000. That would probably be the easiest and cheapest, depending on your set up currently.

 

[Dickel]

Hello everyone! Soon we are planning to buy pony for our children and I am interested in the question of transportation. So, are there any special trailers for the mini? We don't have a minivan or a truck, so we're thinking of buying just a trailer. Or do we just need to look for a small trailer for ordinary horses?!

I pulled a small single axle cargo trailer that is normally pulled with small cars to being a 34 inch mini horse from Tennessee back to Ohio next to the Michigan State line. It had a small vent in the roof. It was my son's new trailer so I put a cardboard gaylord box on a pallet with a door cut in the box. I put a cheap ratich strap around it to hold the door closed. I took a second box and fashioned a stall in the garage to quarantine him until I could get him to the vet. Here is the picture of the temporary stall. The boxes are what plastic material is shipped in. The door in the box is close to the garage door where the board can be seen about half way up. The door hinges by bending the cardboard.

 

[Ilovehorses123]

Thank you for all the answers and tips, as well as for so much useful information! It was interesting. I am grateful to you all. After reading it, I realized how many things I haven't thought about yet.

We have an Audi Q7, so if I have calculated correctly, we will be able to transport a small trailer with two axles.

And yes, indeed, there is a high probability that later my children will want to have a big horse, so I should take this into account now when choosing a trailer.

In general, at the age of 34, when your life has never been connected with horses before, it all seems like darkness

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Don't worry too much about what your children may want in the future. Just enjoy the little horse for now. He will teach you all so many things. I did not get my little horses until my late forties. I learned so much from them; I would have been a better parent if I had had my little horses earlier. Even if your children outgrow him, there are so many ways for you to continue to enjoy little equines!

 

[Standards Equine]

Back seat of my pickup... it's a supercrew cab and the seats fold up, I put down a tarp and put up the center console. I only have a 2-horse trailer so it gets tricky when I'm trying to haul 2 horses and take my donkey anywhere.

 

[Dickel]

The photo I posted is of Dandyboy born in 2013. This picture was taken in 2015. Dandyboy liked to ride with me in the pickup. I took him to work with me in the afternoon several times. He would walk around the factory until I would tie him outside so he could eat grass. He was another no respector of the electric fence. The chain you see on his halter would send him the signal not to go between the hot ropes. I worked and he remembered after about a month. He was another horse like Misty that thought he thought he should be with me when he desired. My workers liked to have him visit.

 

[rgsiiiya]

Don't worry too much about what your children may want in the future. Just enjoy the little horse for now. He will teach you all so many things. .... I would have been a better parent if I had had my little horses earlier. Even if your children outgrow him, there are so many ways for you to continue to enjoy little equines!

Could not have said it any better than that!!!!

 

[Dickel]

Don't worry too much about what your children may want in the future. Just enjoy the little horse for now. He will teach you all so many things. I did not get my little horses until my late forties. I learned so much from them; I would have been a better parent if I had had my little horses earlier. Even if your children outgrow him, there are so many ways for you to continue to enjoy little equines!

My wife has told me several times. (Quit trying to use horse training on me)

 

[MiniM@m@]

Don't worry too much about what your children may want in the future. Just enjoy the little horse for now. He will teach you all so many things. I did not get my little horses until my late forties. I learned so much from them; I would have been a better parent if I had had my little horses earlier. Even if your children outgrow him, there are so many ways for you to continue to enjoy little equines!

Love this! What I'm hoping for my kids. I plan on having my little guy Winston for the rest of his natural life, even when the kiddos are done!

 

[Ilovehorses123]

Don't worry too much about what your children may want in the future...

Yes, you're right, we need to be here and now and worry less about the future!