We know you love your Minis...

[Willow Tree Miniatures]

TO LIVE AT MY HOUSE THESE ARE THE RULES...

YOU MUST BE CAUGHT EASILY, WITHOUT FOOD (WE DON'T WEAR HALTERS IN THE PASTURE)

YOU MUST WALK QUIETLY ONTO THE TRAILER

YOU MUST ACEEPT NEEDLES (VACCINES)

YOU MUST STAND TIED QUIETLY

YOU MUST GET YOUR FEET TRIMMED

YOU MUST NOT OVERLY PICK ON YOUR NEIGHBORS

YOU MUST NOT BE IN MY PERSONAL SPACE

YOU MUST WEAR A FLY MASK

YOU MUST RESPECT THE FENCING

YOU MUST ACCEPT THE CLIPPERS (I WILL SEDATE IF I NEED TO, THAT IS A TOUGH ONE)

NO ONE EVER KICKS OR BITES THE WARDEN!

AND TO BE HONEST, MOST OF MY "CHARGES" OBEY THESE COMMANDMENTS... I HAVE SOLD A HORSE BEFORE JUST BECAUSE I COULD NOT WALK UP TO IT AND PUT A HALTER ON, I DO NOT HAVE HELP WITH MY HORSES, JUST ME, AND I AM NOT GOING TO CHASE A HORSE ALL OVER MY PROPERTY... WHAT IF IT GOT OUT NEAR THE ROAD, JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE TO ME.

 

[DrivinTime]

For me it's the feed thing. I have one mini who is like a vacuum cleaner at feeding time. I swear I could put dog chow in his dish and he'd eat it up! He, of course, is the one on a diet. And then there's the Queen of the Barn, who "doesn't really care for anything just now, dear, and could you perhaps put me out on the lawn for a spot of grass, there's a good girl"... One day she'll eat all her grain, next day she won't touch a bite, and it makes me crazy with worry. (Yes, she is wormed regularly, teeth done, ulcer meds done, etc., etc., etc...) She's just the pickiest eater in the whole world! And of course she's a bit skinny, otherwise I wouldn't worry so much. She does whinny like a total hussy every time she sees me, because she wants "GRAAAAAASSS!" Talk about a one-track mind.

Otherwise, I love them and hug them and squeeze them and call them George!

 

[Mona]

What I absolutely HATE is the natural herd heirarchy/pecking order. I just HATE the way they can be sooooo mean to each other, and especially the newcomers to the herd. It makes me to sad, and so frustrated and angry to see it, especially knowing it is all a part of who/what they are, and I have to force myself to accept it.

 

[luv2ridesaddleseat]

When my just turned one year old colt, comes up behind me, bites me in the butt and runs the other way!! BRAT!!!!!!

 

[Marty]

Oh gee whiz where to start!

The uncatchables drive me nuts but I used clicker training to solve that one.

Calling them to come in from the pasture and nobody moves. They don't even look up or acknowledge me. They'd rather stay there and graze their lives away. I could stand out there and say "There is a big F5 tornado coming, hurry everyone!" and they would be like "lets just keep on grazing and ignore her and then maybe she'll shut up and go away"

Peeing. When they are in the barn, I walk in, everyone pees! Its like they say "ok, here she comes, one, two, three, PEE! " Do I look like a pee collector?

How about the ones that are filthy in the stall and poop all over it, not in one place or a corner? I have two that are especially bad at pooping everywhere, in every inch of the stall.

The biggy here is PAWING! A few of mine paw when they hear me coming with their breakfast or dinner; paw, paw, paw......that is something I cannot stand. When I work on one of them to stop it, then the next one starts it, so I work on that one, and the next one begins, and so on down the line. Some of them paw while eating the entire time. That does make me crazy.

 

[Candice]

Riverdance, You got my colt this year!! I had 2 of him last year. I don't miss that game!!

The things that get me are my mares and their own unique idiosyncricies that we all end up catering to. I have one mare that is very impatient and when dinner insn't arriving fast enough she starts her tantrums, head throwing, pacing, biitng her stall walls etc.. I have another mare that cruises the barn at dinner time to check the hay quality in her stall. If its not "up to snuff" she turns around and leaves. Because of this she is one of the ones we try to get in first.

yesterday I was walking thru the barn with a broom in my hand. My little darling yearling gelding had his buddy distract me and while I wasn't looking, he grabbed the bristles of the broom and gave that broom a good jerk, sending the handle flying into my face. That didn't feel good at all.

Young colts that like to get up behind you really sneaky and bite the crap out of you and then run, aren't my favorite things either. I bruise easily. I had 3 young colts here last year. I looked like I had been beaten severly. Not pretty. They're all happy little geldings now.

Last but not least I have a little mare here that loves water so much that she has no qualms about climbing into the water tub and will splash and dirty that tub as many times as I will fill it because I have nothing else at all to do!!!

 

[candycar]

Two things that really bother me,

1. Flies on my girls. I am very dilligent about keeping them off.

2. Wood chewing! I hate it!!! I have tried EVERYTHING except muzzle and metal covers on all wood. My little termites are relentless! The only "good" thing is they tend to do it mostly only in spring and fall.

Other than those 2 things, I love every hair and minute spent with my girls.

 

[loveminis]

I'm with Mona, when "the boss" is mean to other one. I hate that.

 

[Annabellarose]

Neat thread! I have really enjoyed reading everyone's responses.

Several of you have already mentioned the lack of good ground manners. I bought a mare last Fall that is wonderful, but she had the worst manners on the lead! She would take you for a drag, literally. I am still working with her on this issue. She is so smart and she is trying so hard for me, but old habits are hard to break. She is 8 this year and I am sure that she has been dragging people her entire life. When I ask her to move forward she will charge ahead of me and I will correct her and you can literally see the wheels turning in her head and she's like, "Oh, right, I'm supposed to walk beside her, not drag her."

I decided that I was going to switch to Miniature Horses when I got older and I didn't consider all of the bending over! OW! Deteriorating vertebrae runs in my family and I am already feeling it. However, having to lug less bags of feed and bales of hay for their needs is great!

Do any of you sit on a stool to groom your Miniature Horses? I was sitting in a camp chair the other day while I was brushing out, braiding, and wrapping my pregnant mare's tail and my non-horsey husband walked out to the barn to visit us and he said that he should get me a mechanic's stool for grooming and clipping. WHAT A GREAT IDEA, RIGHT!? Sometimes a non-horsey prospective on "this horse life" is handy!

They have to help with everything - cleaning stalls (knocking over muck buckets, chewing on manure fork), watering (standing on the hose), putting up anything like fencing (getting in the way, taking down what you just put up, reaching into pockets...)... It is as if they don't think you know how to do anything right!! Now Target and all the big horses I ever had weren't like that - they all figured I knew what I was doing.

I can't tell that my Miniature Horses are any different than my "big" horses in this respect; everybody is a pest here.

What really gets me is geldings who feel that your toes need to be played with when they are in flip flops. Whenever I'm just bounceing around not really working I'll wear flip flops. Well you can not go near my gelding without him taking his tickley big nose and rubbing every single toe on each foot. I really think he gets a riot out of seeing me dance. lol He's got this toe radar.

My Quarter Horse mare has toe-dar! I am a HUGE flip flop fan and I wear flip flops CONSTANTLY and if I approach her or she approaches me she immediately drops her head and goes for my toes. She fondles and sometimes she licks my toes. I know that you are not supposed to wear flip flops around horses and I do not suggest this, but I have been stepped on so many times both in boots and in flip flops and I can't really tell the difference (unless the horse is shod, ouch!).

Young colts that like to get up behind you really sneaky and bite the crap out of you and then run...[snip] They're all happy little geldings now.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! So, you "bit" them back? Funny.

 

[Riverdance]

Do any of you sit on a stool to groom your Miniature Horses? I was sitting in a camp chair the other day while I was brushing out, braiding, and wrapping my pregnant mare's tail and my non-horsey husband walked out to the barn to visit us and he said that he should get me a mechanic's stool for grooming and clipping. WHAT A GREAT IDEA, RIGHT!? Sometimes a non-horsey prospective on "this horse life" is handy!

I use a Mechanic's stool. It is on wheels and I use it for everything. Clipping hoof care, anything that requires me to be down low. I too do not like bending over for any lenght of time.

I have one more pet peeve. The drop dead gorgeous ones that shout World top 10 or better. Who do not like to show. Set them up, play with them ask for the ears, nope they pin them back, time and time again. Or, they will show all summer long, then get to the AMHA Worlds and refuse to show. Gotta love them!

 

[LittleRibbie]

I have to agree, the hard to catch ones are royal little pains but luckily mine are very treat oriented and didnt take long to have them coming right over but occasionally they do turn into little deaf stinkers!!

Fidgity horses that will not stand still when rinsing!!! Fine w/the washing but when it takes forever to rinse the BLUE shampoo off THAT drives me bonkers!!

Mona makes a good point about behavior...my horses all seem to get along fine...just once in awhile a little pushing away during hay...but not too extreme. My littlest 27" just never seems to bond w/anyone...always picks the hay pile the furthest away, never seems to go under the shelter...just stands outside the door, doesnt take part in any mutual horsey grooming shes just sort of a wall flower. The other horses just seem to ignore her and it just makes me sad...just wish they would let her join in the games...almost like rudolf!!

 

[wingnut]

I haven't read any replies yet. Figure that's an easy question to answer. What drives me crazy about them is that they always go into their stall to pee. They can be out for hours (they're never closed in their stalls) but as soon as they get in the stalls the waterworks start. Drives me up the walls.

Wow! This newbie horse owner, let alone mini owner, thought this was a quirk that only HER yearling filly did. So it's a mini thing? Interesting.

 

[wingnut]

They have to help with everything - cleaning stalls (knocking over muck buckets, chewing on manure fork), watering (standing on the hose), putting up anything like fencing (getting in the way, taking down what you just put up, reaching into pockets...).... It is as if they don't think you know how to do anything right!! Now Target and all the big horses I ever had weren't like that - they all figured I knew what I was doing.

This is a great thread....my yearling does this too! I'm guess we have some more work to do about personal space and manners

 

[targetsmom]

OK, I'll tell you my secret about getting them not to pee in the stalls. I make a "pee spot" of deep shavings OUTSIDE the stall. Choose the spot wisely and make the bedding deeper than in the stall. Of course, my big horse is better about this than the minis, but his pee spot is bigger too! Of course, you still have to clean it eventually....

 

[Performancemini]

Yes to clipping! Every spring

aaaaghh! time to clip

and the blades, oil, and wash you go through

! Also, finding halters to fit each individual mini. It seems every head is so different. Got an A that can where some of the big B's halters. He doesn't have a big head! (It's usually the crownpiece length). And I feel bad for the farrier sometimes; occasionally he rasps his knuckles instead of the hoof

(poor guy).

 

[JWC sr.]

About the only thing I hate about mini's is the lack of instinct to get the baby out of the bag. The majority of them just not move fast enough to help the foals get out of the bag. I bet it is in the 60% range as far as those that don't. So a lot of live born babies never make it to the first breath and people lose them.

:arg!

That took a lot of getting used to as we had never seen it in any of the other breeds we worked with over the years.

We try and let nature run its course, but with these guys sometimes we have to intervene.

But then again it is a small price to pay for the bundles of joy that result. It also gives us a chance to imprint the babies as soon as possible, which is a good thing.

 

[Hosscrazy]

All of the above ring true! I'm not a fan of clipping but I also hate the shedding part - there is hair everywhere! It's not a lot of fun when they pee in their stalls, especially right after I've put in fresh shavings, run around acting silly when I want to halter them, knocking things over, getting into everything and anything (have you ever tried to work on a stall with tools with a mini around)?! But again, it's these little things that crack me up, too!

Liz R.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

What a fun thread to read, even when the answers were on the serious side.

I also hate the shedding part - there is hair everywhere! Liz R.

I can REALLY identify with this. Mine begin shedding the wool, that I swear doubles their size each winter, in March and it is no where near warm enough to clip until late April (and thats pushing it) so I eat hair for 2 months straight. More if I don't clip everyone and I usually only clip the horses I'm planning to show. My other big peeve is the filly who always washes her feet in the fresh water. As soon as I scrub out a communal waterer she rushes to wash all the dirt and whatever else is on there off her front feet. I end up dumping it out and starting again

Its really bad when the ground is muddy, then the water gets really dirty.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

About the only thing I hate about mini's is the lack of instinct to get the baby out of the bag. The majority of them just not move fast enough to help the foals get out of the bag. I bet it is in the 60% range as far as those that don't. So a lot of live born babies never make it to the first breath and people lose them.

:arg!

This is why I let my mares foal in a herd environment when possible. I have noticed that if there are other horses around, the mare gets up and takes care of the foal faster rather than laying around relaxing afterwards. I cant always be there, although I try pretty hard they just always have them between checks so I like to know that my mares are going to get to their babies asap just in case!

 

[End Level Farms]

I have a couple...........

the first is fighting with vet's about the value of my minis. I have had THREE different vets say ohh just put it down its a miniature horse you can go out and buy another one for $500 bucks and treating this one is going to be into the THOUSANDS. IF IM PAYING WHY DOES IT MATTER WHAT ITS WORTH.

Second is dealing with people who want to treat them like dogs and then wonder why I dont want to let them touch mine.

Horse related hates are the RUBBING ON EVERYTHING and the escaping. Though I have that mostly under control much to the dismay of my mares. Who are beyond mad about the hot wire on everything.

I have page wire and boarded fields and paddocks and there are 4 strands of hot wire on EVERYTHING. And we keep the weeds mowed so the hot wire has quite a BITE.