Getting Ready to Jump Into Driving... Now, what else can I do with my mini?

[minirocky]

I purchased this Biothane harness:

and purchased this cart in black with a copper seat (will see it in 4-6 weeks!):

from here: http://www.gscart.com/minihorse2836.htm

So, I am officially driving my mini after two years of just rambling on and putting it off! I have a competent horse trainer who has multiple WGC with their horses in pleasure driving that will help me hitch him, though he was originally supposed to be broke to drive.

So, I am also looking into other things to do with him. I saw some of the threads where they are disc harrowing and running around pulling things. And I want to do more than have him cart my behind around. I want him to help me pick up rocks and sticks around the pasture, maybe move manure around to the pile, and anything else thought about. I love the idea of attaching him to a harrow and using him to disc the field and help me with my parent's gardening. But searches aren't turning up much, please help me!

I hope that my cart and harness look okay. Right now I'm getting in contact with a Mattes dealer to see about getting a nice sheepskin pad to go under the tree. I LOVE their stuff. Anything else you can help me with would be amazing! I am just so excited to be driving him and want to make sure I look into everything else to make my farm "mini powered!"

 

[Rhondaalaska]

I like your cart. It is so much fun to drive our little ones.

Have fun on your new adventure together.

I don't have any experiance with the other things but I am sure others can help you.

 

[izmepeggy]

You need to talk to Paula (paintponylvr). She does all kinds of work with her ponies..She is AMAZING!!! She's my hero..hehehe..But don't tell her..

Maybe she will see this and chime in..Where in Ky are you??? I'm in the Louisville area.

 

[minirocky]

Thanks so much! If she doesn't chime in, I'll have to go find her, haha.

I am located in Winchester, so not too far!

 

[Renolizzie]

I agree, Paula aka paintponylover is my hero, too.

She gets out and does things with her little horses like discing and all kinds of stuff.

 

[horsenarounnd]

Check out www.ruralheritage.com. Rural Heritage is a magazine published on Iowa that covers all types of draft horses and the things people do with them. A while ago they ran an article on using minis for working around a small farm, just like what you're talking about. Good information on what's available and how the author put things together. Have fun.

 

[izmepeggy]

Thanks so much! If she doesn't chime in, I'll have to go find her, haha.

I am located in Winchester, so not too far!

No your not!! I messaged Paula, and she will blow you away with all the things she does..

 

[minirocky]

Thanks so much! And yes, I am How cool to find someone not too far from me!

 

[izmepeggy]

Thanks so much! And yes, I am How cool to find someone not too far from me!

And your right there near Lexington where they have the National drive.

 

[minirocky]

Too cool. I know they have some driving events. Is that at the Horse Park? I love going there and showing.

 

[izmepeggy]

Too cool. I know they have some driving events. Is that at the Horse Park? I love going there and showing.

Check it out!!! http://www.nationaldrive.net/

 

[minirocky]

My friend drove in it. I want to go one day!

 

[paintponylvr]

I'm here tonight! However, I'm not the only one who "uses" there minis and ponies to "work the farm". The Bryants (Illinois) use their minis to pull a mower that Hal had custom refitted for them to pull. The pair that they showed in ... 2011? pulled the hay wagon first - it was loaded very tall w/ small square bales. Used a tractor to pull the baler - he says that's just easier right now since no real hay equipment is made for smaller equine... Wa-Full Farm used to have thier ponies pull a real hay wagon - pulling hay out to the cattle during the winter - in dry pasture and in snow. I think both HappyAppy and StudioWW have used sleds of sorts to pull manure, rocks and stuff around their farms. There was also another guy out of the NE (Maine, MA or maybe NY or PA - not sure - will have to find both some posts we did back and forth on this forum and also private emails... His little mini really BUCKLED down to PULL a log - a BIG one.

I, too, recommend Rural Heritage... Some of my projects came from Rural Heritage.

As to what you can do with your mini - move brush, move logs, move hay, move feed. Plow (can be pretty hard work! - I don't do this yet), disk, harrow, pull a sprayer (either directly or behind a cart - your GS cart may have a way to attach very lite/small implements), pull a manure spreader, pull a seeder (yes, lay down seed in your pasture that the minis eat on), pull a sled on the sand or grass or snow (you get snow, we get ice that no-one here in NC knows how to deal with and is very dangerous to the ponies/minis). I've heard of and seen different manure "cart" arrangements - everything from a small wagon on wheels to a "stone boat" (YES, that is what they are called), to what I did when I had nothing else - I used a "cattle panel" cut maybe in 1/2 and put up to 3 32 gallon trash cans full of dry manure and strapped so that they didn't tip over or off the "drag". That was work - but it was good - for me, for the ponies and for our environment (farm).

You can find the posts via the names of the folks that I mentioned (not sure that Wa-Full Farm posts here on this forum) rather than by subject... I know that my posts aren't always "tagged" with good tags... And my titles don't always directly "Name" the activity,

 

[happy appy]

I have had my minis drag the ring and pastures with harrows. They do a great job! We also pull wagons for sap collection in the spring. Brush clearing after storms last year.

 

[paintponylvr]

To see pics of our ponies working - go here - PurplePaintPony's Gallery .

You can scroll thru various albums and see what and how we did our training.

 

[minirocky]

So excited, thanks for posting!! I am so excited. I would love to have him drag a manure spreader!!! And brush and rocks, and a seeder. I can't wait to have a mini powered farm.

 

[izmepeggy]

See I told you..lol..This is really a great forum..I just wish we all lived next door to each other..hehehe.Tina has been to the National Drive..I had planned on going but, you know what they say.." If you want to make God laugh,just make plans."..hehehe..Well,He had other plans for me.I just started driving last year..Broke my Mini to drive and I haven't stopped since..And the people from this forum plus my mentor Bob Samuels Sr. got me well on my way with their wonderful advice and encouragment.I now have 2 to drive and no one to drive with..lol..Maybe that's a good thing..But I'm going to the National Drive this year if I have to hitchhike with one of my Minis..lol..Or drive there with one of them.hehehe..I wonder how long it would take a Mini to drive about 82 miles??

edit: Here is also a great driving forum on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/385590874896051/

 

[happy appy]

At the national Drive you can request to be with certain people or horse size. Myself and a few friends always request to be together. It is great fun!

 

[Casey0Lee]

I have enjoyed reading this... I never thought about all the "around the farm" stuff!! Having my mini take the pile of manure out instead of having to wheel borrow it would be awesome ! LOL

My parents do a ton of gardening and chicken farming... maybe I can teach them to use her too.

Interesting read and I/m heading to look at Paint's photos!

 

[paintponylvr]

Here's a couple of pics that aren't in the gallery I gave you...

pulling the cattle panel drag w/ "manure tubs". I had 2 small arabs and a shetland stallion in one paddock - every day I picked the paddock and filled trashcans which sat outside the pen. Over the weekend, I'd have a pony pull them to the back so that I could dump them in a compost heap.

I think these pics were taken after I'd dumped the tubs, as we are headed back...

This pic shows a load going back to the compost pile. I think this one is one at the beginning. I should be further back and have some contact on the lines. Good thing she's not a run-away type of mare... You can see how I did my "hook up" rigging.