We know you love your Minis...

[Field-of-Dreams]

Mine: escapees.

We have several fields: the back fields are either cattle panel and/or woven wire. The front open mare field is post and board on two sides and high tensile on two sides. Stallion field is all post and board. Mama and baby field is post and board and cattle panel.

I have a gelding who manages to make/find a hole in the fence. ALL THE TIME. He's in a fence made of CATTLE PANEL. He either knocks the staples out and pulls it off the fence, or goes under it. He was out yesterday, I can NOT figure out where he's getting through! Fortunately, it just goes to our back field that we don't use, but still!

The mares like to visit the neighbors next door. He has high tensile wire that they go right through. We've tried hot wire in the spaces, but the soil here is too sandy and dry for it to work. He won't let us put up woven/cattle panel ( and since his horses are much more expensive than ours, and he tolerates the visitors, we let it go) I've tightened his fence, and so far I haven't had any escapees there. It was the littler girls who left. And the one place that doesn't boarder his fence we put up woven and they haven't gotten out at all. Whew!

Plus, the mares like to rub their necks on the fence boards ( we have post and board along the driveway and paddocks) - either breaking them or popping them off the posts.

I came home twice in one weekend with mares in the driveway!

So, what corks YOUR wires???

Lucy

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Clipping. Lord, I hate clipping!!

People have asked if, with Kody hurt, I want to get another mini and my answer is "not really." I want another riding horse but the thought of trying to get two minis clipped and ready for each show is enough to make me scream. I wouldn't mind for CDE's as there is NO requirement to clip before those unless you want to, but I couldn't stand trying to do the mini shows with more than one. It would drive me nuts!

I want a horse I can just neaten the fetlocks, ears, and whiskers on and go. And the effect might last more than a week before vanishing into shagginess and pig hair!

I can do my Arab once at end of the spring and he looks neat all year, but if I let Kody go more than a week he's a scruffball.

Leia

 

[Sixstardanes]

My lil bother is just that...

that darned puffy forelock.

No mater how much its undercut, no matter how clean I try to keep Saber that thing just poofs out wildly.

Other than that Saber is a wonder.

 

[txminipinto]

I think they are a little dull. That's not always a bad thing though! But then again, I'm comparing them to the shetlands who seem to spit fire at times!

The biggest thing I can't stand about minis is that in general, it seems that mini owners treat them like oversize dogs allowing them to do what they want when they want and rubbing and invading personal space. That is a huge pet peeve of mine and I usually end up having to correct that behavior. They are still horses even though they are short.

My favorite thing is they usually don't eat very much!

 

[Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance]

Not mini realated but water buckets. I HATE doing water buckets.

I LOVE everythign else, clipping, mucking stalls/paddocks, training but not water buckets

 

[TripleDstables]

I hate having to bend over for them! With a bad back, it gets hard to take care of them. I'm thinking of making a little platform with a ramp just to bring them up to waist level while I clip/groom them so I won't have to sell them!

I also don't like how their manes seem so much thicker. My stud's mane weighs his neck over to one side, I always have to thin it.

Feet. Their feet are so tiny, and so hard to trim. I find it hard to buy horses without seeing them first, since quality feet are one of the most important things to me.

I hate how people buy them "just because they are cute" and never teach them any manners. There is a girl who has an unregistered mini (about 36"-38") that she complains all the time how she bites rears and kicks. Teach your horse some darn manners! Said girl wants to breed her.

To my stud!

Other than that... Love them.

 

[SaddleTrail]

ShotGun is my first mini and so far he has been my dream. IF I really had to say something bad, is I have the same problem with my back and he is my walking horse. So I like him bathed and clean. IT is soooo hard for me to bath him, not because of him but my own limitations. We have the red clay dirt and he is always so dirty and dusty. He looks more like a red roan then a black and white paint or grey.

I dont have access to heated water so I lay the hose out to warm up and rinse him really good. Right now thats the best I can do.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I agree with the escape artist!!!! I have a yearling filly that loves to break out of her stall in the barn and literally destroys everything in the barn! I come in to find she has put stuff in the other horses stalls like plastic bags and then there is sawdust all over from her dumping the new bags and it is just a horrible disaster that I then have to clean up!....filly is now outside with the broodmares

.

All of my minis are super friendly and surround me when I go out in the pasture with them, wanting treats or scratched. However there is always at least one that decides if it sees a halter in my hand that I am not going to catch it no matter what! I literally follow them around for hours if I dont have anyone to help me until they finally get tired or else I manage to get them in a corner. I am really persistant and if a horse doesnt want to get caught I keep at it to until I get them otherwise they think they have won.

Those are really the only things that aggravate me on a daily basis.

 

[Maxi'sMinis]

Dominant mares that don't get along with anyone. For theirs and others safety they have to be kept separate from the herd.

They horde the food and can do harm to those that don't move fast enough. At least mine seems to like having no competition and actually likes being alone.

I proved that it wasn't a genetic disposition. My dominant mare produced a very loving and affectionate filly that loves everyone (horses too). I did handle her a lot as a foal and weaned her before she started picking up the behavior.

 

[AppyLover2]

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.

 

[love_casper]

driving horses that only know blinders and have never seen breeching.

oh and how when you don't clip them they are pretty much fuzzy August through May.

 

[Becky]

Today, it's a stallion that doesn't want to breed an in heat mare. It's actually been going on for several days. I'm coaxing him into breeding - but barely!

 

[LAZY J MINIS]

WHAT GETS ME THE MOST IS PEOPLE ASKINF WHAT ARE THEY GOOD FOR AND WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THEM. I DON'T MIND CHASING FEEDING MUCKING WATERING JUST DON'T ASK ME WHAT ARE THEY GOOD FOR. THE BEST PART IS THE SPOILING OF THEM AND LISTENING TO THE TRAINER GRUMBLE AT ME FOR DOING SO. I LOVE MY MINI'S.

 

[REO]

That they go inside to poop & pee but stand outside when it's raining!

They wait until you're bent down trimming their hind hooves when they raise their tails and......

PFFFFFFT!!!

PEW!

 

[Maxi'sMinis]

RE0 your a riot.......

 

[targetsmom]

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.

 

[lilmiraclesfarm]

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.

 

[mydaddysjag]

I hate that neither of my horses will potty outside of their stall. Not a bid deal until your at a show and they wont stand still because they've got to potty so bad, and there is no time to run them back to their stall.

 

[user 488]

I can do my Arab once at end of the spring and he looks neat all year, but if I let Kody go more than a week he's a scruffball.

That sized it up for me. My horses never get haircoats like a mini what so ever. Mind you I said HAIR not FUR! Mini's have fur.......lots and lots of fur. My Arabs have hair. Even the broodmares have much tighter coats even in winter. But we are talking Florida and Texas here. I guess I just prefer my horses look like horses and not yaks.

I'm such a clipper freak to begin with and all that fur just made me nuts.

BTW Leia, I just noticed you said Kody was hurt? What's wrong? I must have missed something but I have been away off and on the last few months.

 

[Riverdance]

The foals who will not follow their dams. :arg! :arg! :arg! But we have had this discussion before about the colts.

They will not follow mom out of the paddock areas to the pasture, mom comes running back for them, circles them and runs back out. Colt goes the other way. I go after colt. Mom comes back, colt goes the other way, a chase is on, finally he goes out to pasture.

Time to come in, all dams and foals come in, so does his dam, not him!!! Go out to get him, his mom goes out to get him, runs around him and back to paddock. He stays in pasture, runs the other way. :arg! :arg! :arg!

I go get the gattor and chase him back to paddock.

Tomorrow is aother day, same place same time, same thing. :arg! :arg! :arg!

Pray bait!!!