New Mini Mom

[ParkerAlexx]

Hi guys!

I am picking up my first two mini's EVER on Sunday! I am traveling all the way to Dallas (from San Antonio) for one. I have been researching the little guys for a little while but having never owned one, am definitely nervous! I have owned horses for the past 5 years but every one says that they are completely different!

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Any DIY or hacks too!

I attached pictures of the babes !

Also, this is my first time to actually have an account on a forum. Be nice?

lol

 

[kevin27]

Welcome to the forum, and Best of Luck

on your new adventure!

 

[chandab]

They are still horses, so treat them as such.

They do have a few special considerations... Don't use Quest dewormer (any with active ingredient moxidectin), it has too low of a safety margin. Be extremely careful if you need to use bute, be certain of your mini's weight so you have the correct dosage (they experience side effects more readily than full-size horses). If you are used to full-size horses, their small feed portions can be difficult to accept (it looks like so little); they are easy to over feed. They still need the same routine vaccinations, farrier care and general health considerations. [it's recommended to space out their shots, instead of giving multiple shots on one day.]

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Welcome to the forum

Ask away at all the questions you may have , everyone is nice here and there are no attitudes allowed so everyone will be nice to you

 

[Jean_B]

Welcome!

I have had big horses in the past (had Quarter Horses and was a barrel racer from 1965 until 1990) and have had minis since 1991. There is NO difference between bigs and littles except for the items Chanda mentioned. Don't use Quest, and feed proportionally (taking into account the amount of exercise and individual metabolism). Vaccines (if killed vaccine) are the same whether a 200 pound mini or an 1800 pound Clyde. Wormers are by body weight, but most of them have a HUGE margin or error so don't freak out if you give a 600 pound dose to a 250 pound mini. They are still equines and need to be treated as such. Just like a big horse, if you let it get away with something "bad" 3 times, it becomes a learned behavior and you have a problem. Never tolerate pushing, crowding, crowhopping, nipping, etc., simply because they are little and cute. That 250 pound animal can do serious damage! (I had my knee replaced 20 years after being kicked in the knee by a ticked off 200 pound stallion, and yes, he learned that was NOT tolerated). Watch your minis closely, especially in winter, to make sure they are in "good flesh" because that winter hair can hide the fact that they are either obese or are skin and bones. (I take off my gloves every few days and dig through the hair to feel how they are doing.)

Good luck, and enjoy!

 

[7fluffyfriends]

Welcome and how exciting!

I love your minis........that deep liver chestnut (to my eyes) is such a rich color and the handsome creature standing under that Texas tree.......in the shade......so, who's the smart one?

What are their names? How old are they? What do you look forward to doing with your minis? Minis are certainly versatile and our little herd has provided a wonderful array of memories over the years. They are also

such a great little horses for virtually all ages and stages........youngster, teens, adults, very adult

!

Enjoy them and all of the great tips and advice you receive on this forum!

Stay cool!

 

[sundancer]

Welcome to the forum!!!! You will learn a lot here. Your babies look beautiful! Have fun with them and keep us informed!!!

Julie

Victory Pass Stable

Maine

 

[Cayuse]

Hello and congratulations on the new minis. Last year I got my first mini after having had large horses my entire life. I enjoyed the first one so much, I brought home another last month. The hardested thing I had to get used to was the feeding. I was a little heavy handed with the hay at first and of course he plumped out. I started weighing his hay and that solved the problem. I pretty much treat them like a big horse, insisting on good manners and boundaries. I find the boundary issues a little tough with one of them, but we are working on it and he is learning.Good luck with your new guys, they are very nice. Hope you have lots of fun with them!

 

[ParkerAlexx]

Thanks guys for all the welcomes!

The dark one is Dolly and the roany appy is Diesel.

Dolly is a year and a couple of months and Diesel is about 5! Poor Diesel is currently suffering from laminitis (you can see he is SO fat!) I am currently trying to get him in to see a vet so that I can figure out how to get a handle on his weight and his feet. (He was free. I have always known free animals to be problem animals haha!) I want to look into training Dolly as a therapy horse and maybe do the same with Diesel once he drops some weight. I wanted him to learn to carry a cart but I will, of course, need clearance from out vet.

I am so excited to be apart of this little community! It seems to be growing in my neck of the woods.

If any one who has experience with Laminitis has any advise, it is greatly appreciated at this time! I just want to make my poor boy more comfy!

The full sized horse pictured is 14hh! That is Dolly next to him. She is TINY!

 

[7fluffyfriends]

Well, Parker and Diesel should have good years ahead with you! Keep your camera handy!

By the way, my husband also has a diesel and it also has '4 on the floor' and a leather seat !

As far as the laminitis, yes we have had experience with that with our BLM mustang who passed away at the age of 25, a little over a year ago.

When the laminitis flared up about 10 years ago, the vet's opinion was that it stemmed from both weight and a thyroid issue for which he was treated. The vet took x-rays of Comanches feet and read them at our local hospital to confirm where his feet 'were'. After that, he scheduled an appt with a farrier that specialized in damaged feet to help Comanche get back on a better path. There were also meds involved for a period of time, but that was so long ago now that I just don't remember all the details. Comanche was not to go on pasture, period and very little grain and with that being oats. So, for a period of about three months, Comanche was on a strict frequent routine of trimming and diet. After that period, we all were able to relax and enjoy more years with our good horse. We were sure grateful for the great veterinary support.

Maybe today, there would be a different protocol, but that was our experience!

Good luck with your herd!

 

[Jean_B]

Until you have a vet look at his feet to see if any rotation of the coffin bone, etc., absolutely no grass, no grain, feed only grass hay with no alfalfa (preferably stuff that was cut "old" and not a lot of nutritional value). If he is "ouchy" on his feet, bute paste will help take down the inflamation. HOWEVER - bute can cause stomach ulcers in minis, so give a minimal dose and only often enough to allow him to walk without pain. There is a product called "Gastro Guard" that helps keep ulcers at bay if he needs to be on a longer regemine of Bute, A good farrier with experience on how to trim to alleviate pain will be your best bet. Good luck!

 

[Ryan Johnson]

I couldnt agree more with the above

 

[ParkerAlexx]

As of right now, I have him on a really short, mostly dead grass paddock with half of a flake of alfalfa in the morning. He does go out in the afternoon on nicer grass so I will probably hold off on that. He has a grazing muzzle on the way. Would you recommend keeping him on coastal hay only? How much a day would you say? I have been told many different things. What do you think about soaking the hay?
I have sand in his stall and he'll lay and stand on that quite a bit. Its definitely been helpful in making him more comfortable.

 

[Cayuse]

I'll say yes to soaking the hay. It will lower the sugar content. I soak mine about an hour or two in a bucket making sure all the hay in fully covered by water. I would get a farrier or vet out to evaluate his feet so you know exactly what course of action to take. The vet could draw blood to see if he might have some problems contributing to the feet issues like Insulin Resistance or Cushings. Good luck with him, he is handsome.

 

[Jean_B]

No alfalfa ever for a horse that is prone to founder for the rest of his life. If your grass hay is cut "old" (a few weeks past prime), there really is no problem with giving him as much as he wants. Take him away from ALL grass or grazing until you have had him evaluated by a veterinarian and/or farrier who is experienced in treating founder.

 

[ParkerAlexx]

No alfalfa ever for a horse that is prone to founder for the rest of his life. If your grass hay is cut "old" (a few weeks past prime), there really is no problem with giving him as much as he wants. Take him away from ALL grass or grazing until you have had him evaluated by a veterinarian and/or farrier who is experienced in treating founder.

What about treats?

We're seeing the vet Saturday but I am already trying to work with him and Dolly and I didn't know if I could give him treats like carrots, apples, etc.

 

[ParkerAlexx]

I'll say yes to soaking the hay. It will lower the sugar content. I soak mine about an hour or two in a bucket making sure all the hay in fully covered by water. I would get a farrier or vet out to evaluate his feet so you know exactly what course of action to take. The vet could draw blood to see if he might have some problems contributing to the feet issues like Insulin Resistance or Cushings. Good luck with him, he is handsome.

Thank you! He is such a sweet heart but is crabby right now because of his pain.

 

[Cayuse]

Celerey, Celery??(did I spell that right?) is a really good treat. It has no sugar or calories. Mine love it. It took a couple of tries to get them to take a bite but once they did, YUM! I would stay away from the carrots and apples for now until the vet evaluates.

 

[ParkerAlexx]

Ahhh, smart! I will stop and buy some of that one the way home.

Hopefully, he'll like it !

 

[Jean_B]

Anything sweet (apples etc.) right now is not a good thing. NO grain either!! You need to stop thinking of your minis as pets like a dog or cat. Many of the things people give horses are not good for them, but they put human emotion on their horses and think if it tastes good, my horse will like me better....horses don't have the same types of emotions as humans. They are horses, with unique tummies. I NEVER treat my horses...it only causes them to consider you a source of good tasting stuff, and can lead to nipping if you are not very careful.