New mini owner!! Help!!!

[cutelilpony]

I have always wanted to own a couple of minis but have never had enough room until now. I have recently moved into a new house with a small paddock attached it is about 1/4 acre.

I have a few questions...

1.) How much grazing do they need?

2.) Should I get a mare/gelding/colt/filly?

3.) How many should I get?

4.) How much does it cost to keep, say two minis, per year?

5.) Any other advice would be hugely appreciated!

p.s: I am not new to horses, just minis

Thanks!!

 

[Performancemini]

You will find a lot of good advice here. You can find more general information under other headings too.

If you have had horses before that will help you some.

We have a few 1/4 acre size paddocks. They are fine, but you will find they will graze it down quickly. You may have to supplement with some hay throughout the year. I know we do.

Getting two is a good idea. After all, they are herd animals. I would bypass stallion/s. And if you purchase a colt, I would plan to geld it as soon as it was ready. Plus, you would need to keep it seperate from any fillies or mares. We love our geldings. Maybe look into getting two geldings.

Your costs will vary. Each part of the country and the weather conditions will vary the costs of hay. Your costs for veteranian care and probably hoof trimming will be the same as a large horse. You will need the same vaccinations and coggins work as for a large horse. Minis won't eat the same amount as a larger horse or pony though. So that is cost effective.

What part of the country are you in? I know others will ask. If there is someone nearby, they are sometimes glad to help you out. Keep us up to date on your mini search and doings!

And welcome from Northern Illinois!

 

[cutelilpony]

Thanks Performancemini!!

I live in the west coast of Ireland!

I was thinking about making a run and only let them out for a few hours each day (I would give them a haynet to snack on while in the pen) as the grass in the paddock is very lush and green and I don't want them to founder.

Would I be able to keep two on a 1/4 acre? I was having doubts earlier and wouldn't want to keep one on it's own!

Again thank you!!! :-D

 

[chandab]

I'm pretty sure there are a couple mini owners on the list from the UK, not sure which parts, so hopefully they'll chime in and help you more with expenses and such.

Your 1/4 acre should be fine for two minis for exercise and for awhile they'll have grass to graze, but its likely that they'll graze it bare in no time, so you'll need to supplement their diet with hay and possibly grain (or commercial pellets, not sure what's available there).

Welcome to the wonderful world of minis.

 

[poniesrule]

Welcome! I'm still a newbie as well, and you will find a lot of great information by searching the threads. I get totally lost reading everything and have learned soooo much! I keep 3 in a paddock about the same size, but they don't have any grazing. We have to make sure to exercise because they need more than they have room for. I have 2 geldings and a mare, & the boys are waaaayyy more laid back, it's an interesting herd dynamic. I would suggest seeing if you could get two that have lived together, because then at least you won't have to worry about them fighting and establishing a pecking order on their own, and also won't have to worry about exposing them to any "germs" the other may be carrying. The downside to this would be they may be too attached & have some separation issues. Best wishes!

 

[Marty]

They are a herd animal so you would need to get two. I think management would be difficult on 1/4 acre.

1/4 acre isn't much and they would have it down to dirt in a day or so, so you would need to feed hay daily and year round and a very good de-worming program in place.

You would also need a place for manure disposal and pick up the manure out of the paddock on a routine basis. You could divide that in half so when one side is shot, the other side can rest and recoup for a few weeks. It is do-able if its managed right.Best wishes to you.

 

[cutelilpony]

Thanks for the advice!

I have heard that horse manure makes an amazing fertilizer so I plan to give it to my mom (she loves gardening, grows all her own veg!).

I do plan to give them hay and grain, and I will divide it in half (obviously when I get the ponies).

I plan on getting two, but at the moment just getting the paddock back into tip top shape (there's quite a lot of briars that need to be removed).

Any advice on what type (like American miniature or falabella etc) to buy?

 

[cutelilpony]

Just curious but does anyone know of any good studs in the Uk or Ireland, was thinking about showing or driving but for now will be content with a couple of companions ;-)

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Whatever you decide to get ask to see the papers before you buy, make sure they are the correct papers for the horse you are buying and that they are in the sellers name and, if possible, check the registration number with the society BEFORE saying you will buy!! All too often people are "misled" (shall we say) and end up bitterly disappointed that they cannot do with their wee ones what they had intended to do. Whatever that intent is, a registered pony is worth more than an unregistered one, so keep that in mind. You should be able to get an unregistered pony for next to nothing or even an adoption fee form a rescue centre.

I too think 1/4 of an acre is pushing it, but you could just about do it. You will not be able to rely on your mother to take the muck though, there will be far too much as gardening, even keen gardening, is seasonal whereas horses poop all year round! So you will need to find an alternative means of disposal.

There are a number of breeders in Ireland, I resume you already know some of them, which area are you in?

Oh and welcome to the madhouse, good luck, you are going to need it!

You can PM me if you want names of studs....

 

[shorthorsemom]

I have small "pasturettes" (small pastures) and it does ok for my two geldings enough that during spring I have to use a muzzle for turnout. I have two smallish areas for grazing and two drylots attached to one that I can separate as needed to get my boys off the pasture. My second fenced in area can be for grazing and for training. My guys stay fat on air and I must watch any grazing and even with my pastures being smaller there is plenty of room for running and for some reason I have no problem with growing too much grass and still have to mow but I think that is because I use switching and my lots have time to get a break. I provide very fine plain grass hay year round and a pelleted supplement and I dry lot my guys at night year round for peace of mind and ease of checking on them after dark.

Until the grass is eaten down you have to watch for founder as many minis will over eat if not used to grazing even when eating just a small area down quickly.

I prefer geldings myself. Geldings are great to start with in my opinion.

Two is a great number. When I had three it was too much for me and none of them got enough attention... when I only had one he was very sad and lost his "spark" in his eyes, it was easier financially and I thought he wouldn't mind since I had goats, but I was surprised how much he missed our other boy. After 5 months with all being miserable including me, I got my other boy back and things are back to normal. . My two seems to be my magic number for me, I can brush them with a brush in each hand and lead them together on walks.

It is amazing how much poop two can generate as I learned this winter when I cannot get my manure out to the field and I have poo piled everywhere, so poop management is very important to consider. I scoop poops in my small pasture and remove as much as I can. My two boys fill a large wheel barrow every day. I use shavings and pelleted shavings for bedding. I am lucky we have a large farm and I can easily take the manure out to the field for removal (except for this beastly winter). If you just leave them to the 1/4 acre all by itself it wont take long for it to be either dirt or mud or both with poop mixed in if you don't give the paddock a break like I do with rotation and diligent clean up.

You will need some sort of shelter too.

It would be a great idea if you can find somebody locally with minis to mentor you. I had horse experience but not mini experience but was lucky to find a breeder that mentored me through the whole miniature horse transformation and she has become a great friend too over the last few years.

Minis are a bit different than biggies for quite a few things, but easier for new folks that have horse experience to step into the wonderful world of minis. best wishes.

 

[shorthorsemom]

ps, cost depends on your area and availability of hay etc. I am in eastern US. Farrier costs should be figured in if you don't do your own trimming... My farrier charges $35 each (same as big horses) and I get them done about every 8-10 weeks except in winter when hooves don't grow so fast. Shots are same cost as for big horses. Also my vet charges same for dental floating as big horses. Gelding for my guys cost about $250 to $300 each. I do not vaccinate every year, some folks do. I float every other year unless driving and then I float yearly. My hay this winter was $5.75 for each small bale. Last year I paid $8.00 a bale delivered. One bale lasts me about 2 days during winter, especially this brutal winter when all pasture was covered in ice and snow and I was totally feeding hay and all my gates got frozen to the ground and we are rouging it in just a paddock for now praying for better weather.

I buy a pelleted supplement and it lasts me a few months as I only feed about 2 cups per day per mini during winter and its cost is about $27 for a couple of months worth. I buy quiescence for my guys due to the weight issue (get fat on air) and it costs about $27 for 2 months supply.

Weather is quite a factor in expenses for us.

hope this helps

Ps, I use a run in shed for my guys... I bed it with shavings that cost close to $7 for pellets and $7 for shavings and I use one bag of each aprox each two weeks, more often if it is horrible wet and snow. I just took a mountain of wet bedding out of my flooded run in shed that I bedded a week ago.

 

[cutelilpony]

I have small "pasturettes" (small pastures) and it does ok for my two geldings enough that during spring I have to use a muzzle for turnout. I have two smallish areas for grazing and two drylots attached to one that I can separate as needed to get my boys off the pasture. My second fenced in area can be for grazing and for training. My guys stay fat on air and I must watch any grazing and even with my pastures being smaller there is plenty of room for running and for some reason I have no problem with growing too much grass and still have to mow but I think that is because I use switching and my lots have time to get a break. I provide very fine plain grass hay year round and a pelleted supplement and I dry lot my guys at night year round for peace of mind and ease of checking on them after dark.

Until the grass is eaten down you have to watch for founder as many minis will over eat if not used to grazing even when eating just a small area down quickly.

I prefer geldings myself. Geldings are great to start with in my opinion.

Two is a great number. When I had three it was too much for me and none of them got enough attention... when I only had one he was very sad and lost his "spark" in his eyes, it was easier financially and I thought he wouldn't mind since I had goats, but I was surprised how much he missed our other boy. After 5 months with all being miserable including me, I got my other boy back and things are back to normal. . My two seems to be my magic number for me, I can brush them with a brush in each hand and lead them together on walks.

It is amazing how much poop two can generate as I learned this winter when I cannot get my manure out to the field and I have poo piled everywhere, so poop management is very important to consider. I scoop poops in my small pasture and remove as much as I can. My two boys fill a large wheel barrow every day. I use shavings and pelleted shavings for bedding. I am lucky we have a large farm and I can easily take the manure out to the field for removal (except for this beastly winter). If you just leave them to the 1/4 acre all by itself it wont take long for it to be either dirt or mud or both with poop mixed in if you don't give the paddock a break like I do with rotation and diligent clean up.

You will need some sort of shelter too.

It would be a great idea if you can find somebody locally with minis to mentor you. I had horse experience but not mini experience but was lucky to find a breeder that mentored me through the whole miniature horse transformation and she has become a great friend too over the last few years.

Minis are a bit different than biggies for quite a few things, but easier for new folks that have horse experience to step into the wonderful world of minis. best wishes.

Thank you for your advice, it's been a great help!

I will use some of their poop for gardening (both for me and my parents) but will probably remove the rest. I will definitely do daily poop scooping!

I like the idea of fencing the paddock in half and giving the other half time to rest, as I think they would enjoy some grass(but not too much!)

I was hoping that my father might build a shelter

and a drylot at the bottom of the paddock (once we've cleared the brambles) to keep them off the pasture.

I've found some pretty good studs around ireland but will keep up my search! ;-)

I've been researching for costs etc. and have one teensy question:

Do minis need rugs?, I was going to buy them anyway, just in case but right now am trying to soak up all the info I can! :-D

Thanks!!

 

[cutelilpony]

Thanks for the break down of costs, you don't know how helpful all this info has been!

I think trimming over here is about 10-15 euros not sure how much that is in dollars(never was good at math!)

We don't get much snow around here only rain, lots and lots of rain! and it doesn't get very cold either(or warm for that matter)!

 

[chandab]

Most of the time, minis do not need rugs; but if you get a lot of rain, it might be wise to invest in a rain proof rug if you can find one (only necessary if its cold and rainy at the same time, warm rain usually isn't much of a problem). Some don't seem to be smart enough to go in their shelter to get out of the rain.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I don't blanket but we do get breaks from the rain so my guys aren't soaked all the time. Just like biggies if they are wet all the time you will have to watch for rain rot.

I noticed my guys take the shelter for most rains. When I had three minis somebody was always left out of the shelter and if I put my hay rack up against the fence for convenience for me they would take turns trapping each other up against the fence. Same with the shelter, they liked playing the trapping game until I modified the shelter wider door opening and now they are quite happy sharing. If they can trap each other and bully they will, if they have an escape option they will eat together and play nice and they don't even try the trapping game.

My guys get winter hair like you wouldn't believe. I prefer all natural when possible and I do trace clip a bit to help if the weather gets too warm before they finish shedding. My boys hair is shinier and prettier if they shed naturally, but when I was driving it was too much a pain to get my one boy dry and his hair got all sticky so he got a trace clip. Right now I am not driving though.

What I have is two smaller paddocks for dry lot that can be opened for more room between the two of them and then a longer smallish pasture for grazing and running. Everything connects so I can open all the gates for additional running space so they can get up to a full gallop and not be turning all the time. My gates are super wide too and they are hooked up so they will open all the way up and I can chain them flat against the fence wire. It works well for when I have to get them separated so I can mow the field too. I had a goat rack modified for a feeder that captures fines and lets them eat with their heads down and slows them down a bit so they can't just pull the hay all over the ground and stomp all over it.

I probably feed about 4 flakes of hay a day, two each, 6 flakes if it is brutal cold, they need it. I only ever use small bales.

and for a worming warning... don't ever worm minis with Moxydectin wormer.

The weight tape conversion for estimating weight on minis is a bit different than using a full sized horse tape measure.

Also, your moms garden will probably have enough poo after a week or so and then you will need to have your poo hauled away.

That's all I can think of right now.

The mini market is pretty depressed right now for babies and sales and breeding is really complicated and can be difficult, hats off to the breeders who breed minis. Not something I could do or want to do, but I would suggest not getting into breeding and stallion mare combinations for starters for your minis. I would either go with geldings or mares, or one of each and if you do get a stallion I would consider gelding and remember they have to be separated from mares for several months after gelding. If you can get one already gelded that is best.

Hope this all helps. Trying to think of all the awesome things I was told when I went from big horses to minis. best wishes. You are smart to poll this forum. You will get many different opinions all of which are terrific and you will need to figure out what works best for your personal situation. take care.

 

[REO]

WELCOME!!!!!

 

[bevann]

My advice to any new potential owner(before buying)is to make sure there is a farrier and a vet in your area who will take care of Minis.Some are not familiar with Minis and either will not work on them or don't know much about their care or think they are a joke.They quickly learn how much money we Mini owners are willing to spend on our critters.Lots of good advice on here.Welcome.

 

[cutelilpony]

Thanks!

Usually here it is either freezing and wet or warm and wet (although it was nice and warm today!).

I prefer geldings myself to though mares are cute too. I came across a lady (she also owns a mini stud) who makes custom made rugs for minis at good prices so I will get good waterproof ones!

It's been very exciting so far, everyone has been really welcoming and tons of amazing advice!

Thanks, again! :-D

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Welcome

you will receive some wonderful advice on here.

A lot of what I was going to mention to you has already been said. Make sure you have a good farrier and I would highly recommend having a vet check done or at least have someone that can have a thorough look over anything that you are potentially interested in buying. It will give you a great understanding and make you aware of any problems that the mini may of had, that you or the owner your buying it off was not aware of. It will also make you aware of problems you may be faced with.

Best of luck & don't forget to post some pics when you do decide you have found one to buy.

Cheers Ryan