Brand spankin new to minis! Advice?

[Haley3k1]

I don't own any minis yet. I'm still in the research stage. But I've been getting lots of contradicting info from other websites so I decided to get advice from actual mini owners. I have a few acres of land that I want to put some miniature horses on. It's rather far from where I live so I wouldn't be able to go there everyday (making feeding grain twice a day n such impossible). I've heard minis left to free graze are prone to getting rather fat. I've also heard from someone in my area that they do fine on the type of grass we have and a bit of hay in the winter. Is there any feeding regimen that would allow me to keep them on the pasture without needing to be fed grain or other food everyday? Is it possible for me to own miniature horses like this or should I look into other animals.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Welcome from SE pa!

My first question would be...

what type of climate do you live in? Do you get very cold winters?

More important than being fed twice a day is what do you do about water? Is there a stream? I fill water buckets often. Horses cannot live without fresh clean water to drink.

Are you new to horses, big horses included?

I would never be comfortable with not seeing my minis daily, or at least someone seeing your horses daily on the days you cannot check themselves.them yourself.

Minis on pasture 24/7 is not always ideal, but depends on the horses and the pasture.

Goats are great pets too, but again... any critter to be considered needs water and can get themselves into trouble quickly. You would feel awful if your horse foundered or got cut and you didn't discover the problem for a couple of days. Or if you choose goats and they escaped and they ran off or got hit by a car.

Anyway... good topic, I am sure you will get lots of opinion here... Welcome and best wishes.

Ps I do not feed grain, I feed a pelleted supplement daily to my boys.

 

[BeeBopMini]

why would you want any kind of animal if you can't be with it everyday? its just not fair to the animal.

 

[Margo_C-T]

My question to you would be 'for what reason do you want to put miniature horses on your acreage'? If it is to utilize the grass,there are other grazing animals that would do as well and be more uncomplicated/simpler to keep. I have a near-lifetime of keeping and caring for horses, and I wouldn't be at all comfortable putting a herd out, alone, in a distant location...especially miniature horses, which are more likely to be at risk from roaming predators of all kinds, including human. Horses are in many ways rather fragile...there is always a certain risk of injury,or illness, such as colic, or laminitis/founder, on unlimited pasture...things which may be managed/dealt-with when there is an on-site caretaker, or if at the very least there is a responsible 'someone' who will be there every day to see and evaluate the entire herd's status. If you are thinking of doing this because you plan to breed them, please reconsider...when miniatures are ending up in rescue and/or headed for slaughter,more casual breeding is NOT called for.If it is for your own enjoyment, why not work it out to keep a couple where you CAN be around them daily, as being with them is the number one way for you to enjoy having them!

 

[Riverrose28]

Welcome from Southern Maryland, this is a tough one to answer, I certainly ony want to advice and not discourage your interest in these wonderful little horses. Different horses have different reactions to be on pasture. I currently have one of my guys in a grass field and he does just fine, but on the other hand I have a mare that will founder on grass if left on it for more then 15 minutes a day. So not much help there for that question. As Shorthorsemom said they do need freash clean water and in the winter that means breaking up the ice if in a cold climate, and in the summer keeping the water free of green goo, etc. Horses need shelter a run in will do. they also will need someone to check on them dailey. Maybe you could exchange use of some of your land to another horse owner in exchange for them checking the horses for you when they care for theirs. Just a thought. Perhaps you could keep them in a small maybe half acre at first just to see how they do on the grass, and add hay to their diet. Grain is not a neccesity unless they appear to be losing weight or you plan on showing or working them. Good luck.

 

[Haley3k1]

I live in texas, so cold winters and freezing water is not a problem. They would have a barn to walk into and get away from the heat, as well as plenty of trees. As for water I have large water troughs. I also plan on digging a small pond in the near future. I have plenty of experience working with and owning regular sized horses so I'm not completely new. And I would definitely have more than one if I did get them. They wouldn't get lonely if I weren't there everyday (if they're anything like some of my regular sized horses they'd much rather have the company of other horses than humans anyways lol). My reason for wanting miniature horses is because I absolutely adore horses, but the land isn't big enough for several standard sized horses and also because I'd love to have the new experience of owning these little guys. Anyways, thanks for all of your opinions!

 

[Max's Mom]

You're right in that they probably wouldn't be lonely if you had a small herd. They don't necessarily need you for company, but I do think any horse needs to be checked at least daily, and preferably more than once daily. What if one is injured? What if they get out? Any number of accidents can occur, and if left for days could prove deadly. If you live too far away to see them every day, I'd also wonder what you would do if one of your horses ends up needing extra care or has management issues that would require him/her to be handled more frequently.

Perhaps it makes sense to think about boarding with someone who is able to care for them every day? It is more expensive, to be sure, but it would provide them with the care they need even if you can't be there every day.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Now we have some good dialog going on... I wasn't sure what "brand spanking new" was going to mean. It can mean the person has never seen a horse before and wants minis for lawn mowers. I had many years of big horse experience and had a bad wreck and found my way to minis. I was brand spanking new to minis for a long time and I still ask questions to the sweet breeder who mentors all her new mini owners. Minis are a whole different ball game but I am very happy with my boys.

Maybe you could interest someone in doing a co ownership of minis and you could alternate days going out for care of them. Minis in some ways are tougher than biggies and then in other ways are much more fragile. The founder issue is one huge factor to consider. I have dry lots and a "pasturette" for very limited grazing and mostly I graze my guys while they wear muzzles and they still get fat.

Do you have coyotes or dogs around? You would need really good fences. Even with my great fences and gates, I had something either human or horse take my gate off the hinge and my guys escaped one night. Very scary looking out in my yard and seeing an empty pasture. Should have listened when the dog barked and told me something was up. It took me 3 hours until 2 am to find them and they had traveled quite a distance in that time running like crazy. I remember that dark night leading them home with flashlights across the fields.

I think of all the trouble my guys have gotten into over the years.

Since you have had horse experience, I wont go over all the "you need a farrier and vet" information... There are some farriers that won't trim minis because they don't like crouching that low.

I can see a mini possibly wandering into a small pond and getting into trouble real fast with the mud and sinking and drowning. Some are really short... mine are a little taller... 32 and 34 inches at the shoulder.

take care.. hang tough, sometimes you might not hear what you want to hear from folks, but I can promise you that folks answer quite honestly and bluntly and in my opinion, that is a good thing.. gives you all kinds of perspective and gets you thinking of all kinds of stuff you never thought of before

.. PS... I have family in Texas. I went to Baylor in Waco.

 

[MajorClementine]

IMO horses are not a good animal to have if you (or someone else) are not going to be seeing them at least once a day. Horses like to injure themselves or get sick and they forget to drop you a text about it. There is nothing worse than stopping by after not seeing your horses for a couple of days and finding a 2 day old injury swollen and full of flies.

Like others have said, maybe you can find someone close by who would help you look after them. Feed them and check them over visually ya know. I would highly suggest finding a few rescue minis if you mostly want pets. There are a lot of minis out there that would feel like they hit the lottery to be put in a nice pasture with someone to check on them. Be warned though, these little guys are highly addicting. I really enjoy my riding horse but I had no idea just how much I would love having minis. I may never own another full size horse again after Comic passes away...

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Welcome ,

Being from Australia I couldn't let any of my horses/minis just "graze".

We have a seriously high sugar content in our grass here. Critical when the first sun hits after winter and the same when the first rains hit after hot summers.

As others have said on here, they do need daily attention and I agree with Margo, if you need something for grazing purposes only then there would be other animals better suited to your requirements.

best of luck

 

[HGFarm]

Welcome from sunny Arizona!

I have to agree... I would never have horses some place where no one was there, and where they were not checking on at least twice a day. I could make a huge horror list of things that could happen.

Yes, Minis also do get fat, which is not good for other health reasons. They don't need grain either if they are just standing around.

I would probably rethink putting horses out on an unattended pasture to mow grass... and think maybe more along the line of sheep or something else- but any livestock is a 'job' and needs to be checked on.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

I live in texas, so cold winters and freezing water is not a problem. They would have a barn to walk into and get away from the heat, as well as plenty of trees. As for water I have large water troughs. I also plan on digging a small pond in the near future. I have plenty of experience working with and owning regular sized horses so I'm not completely new. And I would definitely have more than one if I did get them. They wouldn't get lonely if I weren't there everyday (if they're anything like some of my regular sized horses they'd much rather have the company of other horses than humans anyways lol). My reason for wanting miniature horses is because I absolutely adore horses, but the land isn't big enough for several standard sized horses and also because I'd love to have the new experience of owning these little guys. Anyways, thanks for all of your opinions!

Where in Texas, though? I live up by Fort Worth and it very much DOES freeze, and freeze solid. We had a few days there last year where all the outside water taps froze ( and we have FIVE!) as did all the tubs and tanks.

I, too, would be hesitant about not having someone there checking every day.

 

[shorthorsemom]

And large water troughs might be too big for minis. I had a big water trough from when I had biggie horses and I sold it and I use buckets now because they drink better when the water is fresh. Minis need plenty of fresh clean water so they drink good or they colic or impact from being too dry. I use heated bucket in the winter because I HATE breaking ice. I used to use a submerged water heater to keep the trough thawed but one boy I had would take it out of the tank by the cord. He also "bobbed for apples" and would pull the plug and let out all the water and then bang and put his foot in the trough and dirty it all up when it was empty and he wanted water..

I love my minis, I enjoy having them in my back yard, I visit them all day long and they are so tame and sweet and well behaved because they are handled so much. My farrier says that so many minis are spoiled rotten pasture ornaments and are brats to work on,,, so much so, that my horses are the only ones he does in his practice because mine are so well behaved and mannerly. It was a nice compliment I treasure. I treat my minis like biggies, I expect the same amount of cooperation and respect and my vets love my boys too because they are so easy to handle.

I bet you can find someone to share and do miniature horses with you and you two can take turns with the care. Miniature horses are very rewarding. I love them, they are addictive. I think you can find a way to handle and care for them every day. If you have a small herd, just remember this...handling and care takes time.. even brushing and bathing and feeding is multiplied by how many you have. I discovered that I simply could not handle three. I tried because my reasoning was that if I was cart driving one, the other would have a "buddy" and wouldn't run the fence and go crazy when his buddy left. Instead, I found that I just didn't have enough time to deal with three and all were feeling the pinch of my inability to properly care for three. Also with three, one was always left out.. two against one scenario. Now with my two boys, I have time to bathe, brush manes and tails, check feet, do fly spray, feed and exercise. When one of these boys is gone, I will shop for one more and keep my number to two. I learned that one horse doesn't work at all for me, he was so lonely, so for my situation here, two is my magic number. I tried three horses two different times and each time, had to make the tough decision to find another home for one. I also tried one horse, and I missed my boy so much and was so happy that I could get him back.

anyway... rambling, but hoping to give you information to relate to and not seem like somebody who is lecturing, but rather giving you first hand information I have experienced myself.

take care.