Newbie Needs Advice From Oregon

[SignofWater]

Hello Everyone!

My name is Cheryl and I'm from Oregon. I am very new to miniatures. I have two horses that are older in there middle teens, Appy and a Quarter Horse.

I been wanting a mini or small pony to train for carting for a long time. My husband surprise me yesterday with a Miniature Appy Colt. He's a yearling. I have never had a horse this young before. He is halter broke, walks okay on lead can be pushy at times. He also is a biter. They must of hand fed him a lot or something. I never own a horse that bites. I need advise on this... the best way to correct this problem. I am getting him gelded. I'm not ready for a stallion.

I also need some information on feeding him. Does he need any type a grain or supplements for a growing colt. He's 15 mos. old. Like I said before never own a horse this young before , they been always older.

I'm thinking getting him registered on a hardship ( AMHR ) right now ( if I measure him right ) he stands 33" .

Here's a picture of him. He looks pretty bad in the picture. He been running his little legs off and was sweated up, plus to me seems he might be a little wormy. He's still has some of his winter coat. He name him " LaKota "

 

[chandab]

Welcome.

You've come to the right place, you'll find pretty much everything you need to minis, right here on the forum. In general, minis are just like full-size horses; you should treat them the same and expect the same manners from them; only a few differences, they eat less, be very careful if you must use Bute and don't use Quest (moxidectin) dewormer.

As to the biting, its mostly a young colt issue (the gelding will help some, and lots of training); some say don't, but I just pop them on the mouth when they try to bite me, its worked for me (if you search the forum you'll find lots of threads with lots of information on biting). [There is a search box near the upper right corner of every page.]

He should probably be on a growth formula feed for this year and possibly into next year. Every brand has a growth or mare/foal formula, so you should be able to find one that will work for you. Just like full-size horses, they should be fed based on their weight, and the feed should be fed by weight not cups or scoops (I usually find a scoop/cup that holds the amount I want to feed and use that).

 

[SignofWater]

Thanks so Much! I'll look through the searche threads and Probably be asking more questions as they come up.

 

[Mareish Mom]

Just wanted to say he's very cute!

 

[Carolyn R]

Welcome! As stated, the male hormones will cause them to be a bit of an arse but that is no excuse for proper manners. The other owner may have not done anything wrong and may not have hand fed him treats, mini's are very smart and because people tend to let their guards down since they are small, they will test you, and each time they get away with something, they will push it farther and farther, as with any horse, but people are somewhat timid about correcting a mini, they wont break if they are put in their place, I promise. Pair that with a you horse that is intact with hormones raging, it can escalate very quickly. Gelding, discipline, and consistency will go far.

Welcome again, watch out they are addicting.

 

[Mima Acres]

Hello from Washington!

Congrats on your new colt he's so cute. I got my first mini last October and she had a foal 4 weeks ago, a little colt! This is my first time having a young horse also and I want to make sure I do everything right and he has good manners! I have to admit it is hard because they are so little, fuzzy and cute! I've usually had great luck doing searches on any questions I have. Like someone said gelding him will help. I hope to have Smokey gelded as soon as possible! Anyways have fun with him and I think you'll love all the helpful information you find here

 

[SignofWater]

Thanks You all for the warm welcomes and the advice.

I work with him today. He did pretty good. Was able to pick up all four feet, got him to realize some I'm not going to put up with his biting or swinging his butt around. His look was " priceless "..lol I guess the owners who had him before let him get away with some things. Then I ended it on a good note by leading him around and letting him munch on some nice grass.

Tomorrow we will see what he remember..lol