I'm new to the forum, though I've been here and there on it over the last couple of months. This topic is what finally got me to sign up as I also have a mare due in April. She's my first mini. Her name is TBD Sweet Lady Rosie O’Grady. I call her Sadie. Her papers say she's 37 inches, though she is a little taller. I bred her to a 32.5 inch son of Little Kings Russian Revelation for a smaller foal to show, drive, and love to death.
From what I've been able to find out, she's a maiden mare. My mom gave her to me, because she was too much for my mom. I was just going to sell her, but my then 2yo son fell head over heals in love with her. She is now 13 yo, and panics if hooked up to a cart. She used to be driven, but she had a horrible experience and will require lots of slow work with her to get her back to doing it. She is just a pet to us and I adore her.
The woman that had her before my mom had two studs, but never bred her the five years she had her due to the fact that she didn't like her temperament either. In that regards, I have a stall with constant turnout, and I let her out just about every time she asks. She became a saint for me until she got pregnant. She never bit, kicked, or bucked. Three weeks after being bred, she tried to kick the tar out of me and later my car. She bucked my son off and bites often. It's crazy. Her coat color also changed even though she had already shed totally out... She went from a chestnut to a liver chestnut. She has turned back into a chestnut. She has turned back into a saint. I will really have to watch out for her when the baby is born of being too protective.
I used to think that minis were a waste, a complete waste. However, I had trained my Arab to drive and my mom had bought a mini to drive. I thought she was crazy. I don't anymore. I prefer to drive the mini as they are slower and I feel safer. I am very aware that they are as strong as an ox and not to take their size for granted. My mom still has that mini and I even drove him on Saturday.
I am now TOTALLY hooked on a mini! My husband says four is my limit. I've even thought of giving up the big horse entirely and staying with a mini. I've had the Arab for ten years since she was weaned, so it won't actually happen, but the thought often goes through my mind. Minis are SOOOO satisfying!
