Potential owner with questions

[atomicfriday]

Hello everyone! My name is Shannon and I live in beautiful upstate South Carolina! I’ve had full size horses almost my entire life, and by no choice of my own have been horseless for the past five years. I now live on 25 acres, most of it is rugged mountainside but there is about an acre of fenced in area that wouldn’t take much work to repair into full working order. I also have a barn that wouldn’t require much in the way of constructing a stall either. My main question is what are the main differences I should be aware of as far as husbandry between full size horses and minis? Do I need to hire a carrier or can I learn to trim their hooves with a dremel myself? Any special dietary needs? I was definitely interested in having a cart, what is an acceptable weight and distance for an able bodied mini to pull? Would a goat be an acceptable buddy? I probably will come up with more questions but that’s it for now! Thank you in advance and I look forward to learning more

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Welcome to the forum Shannon.

There are plenty of owners that trim their own minis hooves. If you know what you are doing, you should be fine. I get the farrier to do mine when he does my TBs. Regarding a pasture mate, it really depends on the mini, some will get along fine, others wont. When your looking around for one, make that one of your questions.

Regarding a cart, check out the driving section here, im sure someone will help to point you in the right direction.

Cheers Ryan

 

[baybeka]

Hi Shannon!

I am also new to minis only 5yrs and loving every minute. I have 3 mares and 1 stallion.
I do have a farrier trim my little one's hooves, I have him on the schedule every 8 weeks works for us here.
A cart is a great idea, in the beginning, I had to learn everything and now I am quite comfortable hooking everything by myself LOL. I take my little mare on dirt roads here in my neighborhood and we go for a little over 1.5 hrs and it's amazing how well she does and I truly think she enjoys it. It's her job and she does it quite well. Cedar City UT has very low humidity and I am at 5600 ft in elevation. I also take my little ones on parades here in our town.
As far as diet, I feed alfalfa/grass and some grain, they don't eat as much as a normal horse of course, but mine they have a tendency of looking at feed and get chubby.. so be careful.
I do have a nanny goat as their friend and they all get along quite well.

Cheers!
Marco

 

[goatkisses]

Hi Shannon! I treat my minis the same way I treat full-sized horses with a few special considerations...

I've found the minis need to be watched carefully for metabolic issues and I also have my veterinarian team test for Cushings and insulin resistance every year, even if I don't see any outward signs of an issue. I've had IR sneak up on me with no outward signs. Some minis will have the need for more frequent dental work than a full-sized horse. It does depend on the horse, but I have one mini that doesn't need anything more than routine checks and another mini that needs work done every 6 to 8 months.

I prefer a farrier to do the trimming on my minis, because they have the same potential issues that full-sized horses do. My farrier is also able to keep track of any laminae issues with my IR horse.

My little friends get different diets due to their health concerns. The IR gelding gets a special low-sugar grain and supplements, no grass and a timothy hay fed in a hay net; the mare tends to get ulcers and is a picky eater; she gets Purina Strategy with gastric support, U7 ulcer support and Cool Calories. She also gets ProForce Fuel XTN, which is amazing for a wee mini, but if she doesn't get the extra calories and fat she loses weight. Sarah also gets some second cutting hay to tempt her appetite. My little mule gets a tiny portion of grain as a treat and free choice first cutting hay.

I've had to accommodate the minis with the diet paddock for the IR horse. Thankfully the mare and the mule can go out on my 2 acres with no issues.

I just love mini horses (and my little mule). They are such characters and I've found them to be great pals to have around. My mule and my gelding love scratches and hugs. The mare gives kisses with her soft muzzle.

 

[atomicfriday]

Thank you everyone for the responses! When I had my horses before I preferred to feed a ration balancer in place of a “real” feed and compensate with more hay. I do have a grassy area I could fence off via electric and move it around as needed, but the permanent fenced paddock has little grass and I would set up a manger with free choice hay. All things considered I would rather have a farrier trim the hooves, but I’m pretty far out there I don’t know that one would come all the way out for one little mini. I’m also willing to learn and don’t feel overwhelmed by the idea. Thank you for the photos Marco, your minis are beautiful! I will create a new post with more specific questions about carts and driving next .

I’ve been reaching out and trying to find contacts for breeders in my general area and haven’t had the best of luck. I’m in upstate S.C. close to western NC and willing to drive to certain areas of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky as well for the right horse. I prefer the larger of the minis, I’m not sure if this is a “thing” but in the event a prospect matures too tall for registration would this deduct some value? I am not terribly interested in showing and it wouldn’t matter much to me if the horse isn’t papered.

Also, do you typically use a full size horse or stock trailer for transport? I don’t own one so I would have to rent for a day.