what to do with our pony farm?

[horse_apples]

My husband and I enjoy our mini ponies so much that we want to add to the herd. We've thought a lot about different directions we could go - we own a large barn and 10 acres, which attaches to my parents' 40 acres and have thought of making cart trails for mini cart rides and also riding trails for larger horses. We currently have 3 12'x12' stalls, with room for three more that size and only 1 is in use. We had some people boarding goats in the barn and didn't charge them. I didn't know that in my area people are PAYING to keep animals at other's barns - to the tune of $150-$300 per month. Hmmm..... so eventually one day we could take the route of having a boarding stable with round pens for training, trails for riding and more. We live adjacent on the other side to a popular wildlife area. My Dad is a machinist and incredibly crafty. He's already made goat carts and a cart for his Halflinger.

We also thought we'd like to breed horses to be kept as pets (for which we would aim to breed smaller sized horses) and advertise that some are trained to do light duty work such as hauling stones around the yard, pulling an amish style mower (the local amish families use mini ponies and these funny little mowing things to do their lawns!) just basically a small purpose other than being a pet - mostly just to aliveate the guilt of over spoiling the little beasts

They would be ponies who go to their new homes knowing how to pull a cart and the cart/attachments would be included. This is just one idea and a start to finding a direction/excuse for having a half dozen miniature horses. I wouldn't want to wantonly bring ponies into the world that wouldn't be able to find a loving, lifelong home. Of course I LOVE the idea someone posted on here of using a Mini to pull a wedding carriage!!

Through all my researching, I really love the Falabella and Falabella cross horses for their tiny petite nature and from what I've read they are playful horses as well. My old mare is in retirement although some people have suggested I get her bred if I have my other horse bred. The poor girl is 18 and has already had 5 foals at her previous home. Her daughter, who is 6 years old is an ornery but well behaved horse and she's very cute at 33" and we are curious as to if she will produce small foals when bred with a smaller stallion. A friend has offered to let us use her stallion who is a 29" paint. My young mare also has champion show ponies in her bloodlines - the shadow oak's paul bunyon line on her mother's side and the komokos little king supreme line on her father's side.

I know I've already asked half a dozen questions, but if I post a picture of my young mare, would anyone be able to tell me if she would make a good show horse or good to breed, whether to taller minis or a Falabella stud? I've been told by a few friends who have horses she would make a great show horse, but to me she looks a little chunky. Okay A LOT chunky and she's hairy like a grizzly bear right now - most of her silver went blackish except her little cowlicks on her rump. Maybe you can tell by pictures if she would make a good breeding mare. Her mother had 5 foals total and her original breeder said it was because she was a very good mother horse and has an exceptionally gentle personality. Mother horse is registered, Baby is not though both mom and dad were. I want to get paperwork on her if I can!

Here is Baby, the six year old mare:

she's giving me The Look here. I get The Look at lot for a few days every couple weeks

Here she is in action:

Here is Dolly, the mother and Queen Mare:

Any comments or suggestions welcome! Of course these girls are here to stay, forever!

 

[horse_apples]

i should mention in Dolly's pic it looks like you can see ribs, but it's actually a faint striping pattern that has been coming in with her winter hair. She's a butterball, believe me.

 

[osu_barrelracer]

I would not breed minis simply with the expectations of producing pets. There are so many minis out there with no homes because that is all they are, pet quality. Maybe you could instead look into rescuing or picking up cheap unwanted minis at sales and then training them and re-homing them.

As for starting a boarding stable, coming from someone who does operate one, find as many stables as you can around you, and go talk to them. Find out what is really involved. While it sounds easy enough, it really is a full time job, and there are sooooo many other complicated issues to deal with.

Good luck with whatever you do!

 

[ruffian]

I'm glad that you are enjoying the horses. I'd like to reply to a few of your questions/comments:

"Hmmm..... so eventually one day we could take the route of having a boarding stable with round pens for training, trails for riding and more."

There is a HUGE liability with boarding. First you should check with your insurance agent and find out what the costs for insuring such a business would be. Then make sure you want to be tied to the farm completely. Next I would get with a good lawyer to write up a good contract covering what happens if a boarder gets loose, gets hurt, or worst case dies. Or what happens if one of the owners gets hurt or doesn't pay the bill. Boarding can be much more of a headache than it's worth.

Since you are enjoying your horses, and have someone that can make carts, why not just train what you have, buy a few more if you want, and not worry about breeding? Right now there are a lot of nice horses that are going very cheaply, including top current bloodlines and show records.

Best of luck with whatever you choose to do!

 

[txminipinto]

I agree with everything OSU said. 1) breeding with the intent to produce "pets" is an irresponsible practice. There are plenty of pets out there with no homes already. 2) boarding/training stables are a full time job. Owners can be difficult to work with and if they come and go as they please on your property, you'll have issues with property damage, etc.

I think its great you have so much enthusiam! But breeding and operating an open barn, aren't always as fun or rewarding as they may seem to be!

 

[My2Minis]

You could pick up some unwanted minis that need homes, train them and sell them to new homes. A trained mini with a job is much more marketable, so you'd be helping the minis out.

 

[muffntuf]

I also believe that if you breed just for pet quality, you will keep flooding the market and we already have a huge influx of all breeds of horses. If you home miniatures to benefit their lives by teaching them a new skill, like driving, then allow them to go out to new homes, that is more desirable.

I like the idea of trails, etc. But you do have to think about whether you want to be tied down 24/7, 365 days a year, and insurance is a big deal, especially liability if someone should get hurt.

Gather your facts, both pro and con, and really do some soul searching before you decide a direction.

Good luck!

 

[MindyLee]

I too agree with the above. Pass on breeding for pets as there is way too many out there in need of a good home. Also look into the boarding thing also, it could turn into a nightmare, so watch out there.

On the other hand, if you buy minis that need a good home and you train them to be wonderful driving pets to resell. I give you 2 thumbs up there! And for your mare for showing, I think she's beautiful! And I think she would clean up nicely for the ring. I personally think you would do great in halter, and defently performance classes with her. GO FOR IT!!!

Good Luck in what ever you decide!

PS did I mention I love your mares!

I love blue roans! And remember your older post about their color...

 

[TheCaseFamily00]

You seem to have a real love for horses. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Ellen]

I think you have alot of good thoughts. And alot of the above postings have some good points. If you decide to breed one to experience it, go for it. If you decide to breed seriously, you will have alot of money invested in breeding stock. But again, up to you. Boarding is tough, but anything is possible with a good attitude. My friend runs a boarding barn. He provides turnout, a hot walker, warm room, stalls and indoor arena. He ONLY charges $75 per month. He doesn't brake even. But he loves it.

Another great idea, your carting trails, how wonderful. I belong to a small carting club and we are all ways looking for great places. I see hosting CDE's in your future!

Good Luck in whatever you decide and continue being such a great home for your girls. I love it!

 

[sfmini]

I agree with the others on the breeding and the boarding liability. I don't know where you are in Ohio but unless you are a reasonable distance from a fairly large city, you might have trouble getting boarders.

Then, I promise you will get that pain in the you know what kind of boarder. Dear Dobbin only eats this brand of grain, and this kind of hay, has to be personally watched when turned out, take his temp daily..... bla bla bla. Oh, and the boarder who very conveniently can't make it to the barn for the vet or blacksmith and will expect you to spend your time taking care of that.

As for showing, you mare looks like she could be a good performance horse, but not a halter horse. JMHO.

Taking in the horses that are dumped cheap at auction and training them would work, but don't plan on making money at it, not when double or triple registered well bred and trained horses are going cheap.

 

[dannigirl]

Just want to add that if you are hoping to make money breeding, training, showing horses, you are probably going to be VERY disappointed. You might make some money with the boarding idea, but even that has lots of costs and responsibilities. We do pony rides and have insurance. We have made it clear to the insurance company that we personally handle every horse and do not allow untrained people to handle them and we still pay $1000 for 1/2 million coverage. With a boarding facility, I am sure you will need more insurance and I cannot imagine the cost.

 

[Ellen]

As I said, I agree with what everyone is saying to the pros and cons. But. Lets face it. We all have tried it. That is how we know. LOL!

We bred Arabs. Showed and trained. Then the kids came along. So we showed minis. Built up our herd and bred and showed minis. Now we have a few minis left. But we are showing and now this seaon will be breeding and showing. I sold 24 well bred, double registered minis to invest in 12 quality shetlands. Some are AMHR/ASPC/PtHA and some are just ASPC and some ASPC/PtHA.

Lets face it. For the most part there is no money to be made in horses. We do it for love. So Horse Apples, do what you want to do!

If you need help. I am in Ohio too.

 

[Katiean]

Ok, I can see that this has been addressed. But, I am going to add my two cents worth. If you are going to breed, It costs just as much to raise a pet as it does a show quality horse. If you breed, it takes 3 years before a foal born on your property to be old enough to train to pull. If you are not wanting to deal with papers, then I would just buy cheap unwanted minis at auction. Bring them in and train them. That way you have usually under $100 invested in one of these unwanted minis and you can train them and sell them for your profit. While on the other hand and you breed these horses. You have the amount it cost for vet fees to get the foal here. Then you have the cost of feed for 3 years. This equals NO Profit.

 

[sihri]

My husband and I enjoy our mini ponies so much that we want to add to the herd. We've thought a lot about different directions we could go - we own a large barn and 10 acres, which attaches to my parents' 40 acres and have thought of making cart trails for mini cart rides and also riding trails for larger horses. We currently have 3 12'x12' stalls, with room for three more that size and only 1 is in use. We had some people boarding goats in the barn and didn't charge them. I didn't know that in my area people are PAYING to keep animals at other's barns - to the tune of $150-$300 per month. Hmmm..... so eventually one day we could take the route of having a boarding stable with round pens for training, trails for riding and more. We live adjacent on the other side to a popular wildlife area. My Dad is a machinist and incredibly crafty. He's already made goat carts and a cart for his Halflinger.
We also thought we'd like to breed horses to be kept as pets (for which we would aim to breed smaller sized horses) and advertise that some are trained to do light duty work such as hauling stones around the yard, pulling an amish style mower (the local amish families use mini ponies and these funny little mowing things to do their lawns!) just basically a small purpose other than being a pet - mostly just to aliveate the guilt of over spoiling the little beasts

They would be ponies who go to their new homes knowing how to pull a cart and the cart/attachments would be included. This is just one idea and a start to finding a direction/excuse for having a half dozen miniature horses. I wouldn't want to wantonly bring ponies into the world that wouldn't be able to find a loving, lifelong home. Of course I LOVE the idea someone posted on here of using a Mini to pull a wedding carriage!!

Through all my researching, I really love the Falabella and Falabella cross horses for their tiny petite nature and from what I've read they are playful horses as well. My old mare is in retirement although some people have suggested I get her bred if I have my other horse bred. The poor girl is 18 and has already had 5 foals at her previous home. Her daughter, who is 6 years old is an ornery but well behaved horse and she's very cute at 33" and we are curious as to if she will produce small foals when bred with a smaller stallion. A friend has offered to let us use her stallion who is a 29" paint. My young mare also has champion show ponies in her bloodlines - the shadow oak's paul bunyon line on her mother's side and the komokos little king supreme line on her father's side.

I know I've already asked half a dozen questions, but if I post a picture of my young mare, would anyone be able to tell me if she would make a good show horse or good to breed, whether to taller minis or a Falabella stud? I've been told by a few friends who have horses she would make a great show horse, but to me she looks a little chunky. Okay A LOT chunky and she's hairy like a grizzly bear right now - most of her silver went blackish except her little cowlicks on her rump. Maybe you can tell by pictures if she would make a good breeding mare. Her mother had 5 foals total and her original breeder said it was because she was a very good mother horse and has an exceptionally gentle personality. Mother horse is registered, Baby is not though both mom and dad were. I want to get paperwork on her if I can!

Here is Baby, the six year old mare:

she's giving me The Look here. I get The Look at lot for a few days every couple weeks

Here she is in action:

Here is Dolly, the mother and Queen Mare:

Any comments or suggestions welcome! Of course these girls are here to stay, forever!

Although I am new to minis but I've worked on arabian/morgan and standardbred breeding farm. I also started an arabian breeding farm of my own and after investing $$$$$ gave up as my older mare (1975-2009) could not carry a foal. The farm where I purchaced my mini mare (amber) from does exactly what other posts are recommending and seem to be sucessful. They had eight miniture mares until I bought amber. Previously they had 5 miniture horses which were all sold. They have a 4H group that works with the minis as well as other horses (riding ,driving and handling) with supervision of course. Which I feel is a wonderful Idea. when I was in 4H it was only horse care, riding and showing. They also host horse shows and a year end gymkana. good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

[disneyhorse]

I love everyone's advice to buy/adopt unwanted minis and ponies for the purpose of rehabbing and training them! That would be a win-win situation rather than just breeding "pets" to contribute to the already flooded market.

I bet there are auctions around there where little horses are dumped all the time, if you really start to look.

Since you have such a wonderful property and farm, that would be great!

Andrea

 

[horse_apples]

Thank you for all your helpful replies. I think you've all got a great idea about teaching "an old horse a new trick" and making an unwanted pony into a desirable pet. Even if it ends up being my pet

We don't want to make a bunch of money off the horses, but we want to do something with them. So far I really like the idea of taking in unwanted horses. I was thinking last night a 1 person chariot style cart would be awfully cute. As far as breeding goes, I start to read about horse birthing and it's a bit scary to me when I read of all the scenerios that could play out badly. I would HATE anything to happen to my girls!!!

 

[sfmini]

Depending where you are in Ohio there are many horse auctions where you can find cheap minis.

Also, Ohio has some wonderful rail trails where you can go trail driving for fun. We are in Central Ohio and go to Danville to the railtrail there. Wonderful trail!

 

[tagalong]

My friend runs a boarding barn. He provides turnout, a hot walker, warm room, stalls and indoor arena. He ONLY charges $75 per month.

That seems very low/odd...are you sure you did not leave a 2 or 3 or 4 off the front of the 75?

I do not even know of simple pasture board that is only $75 a month...

 

[TheCaseFamily00]

My grandma charges 100.00 a month,hay included. She grains 2x a day,helps hold for vet,farrier appts. if you can't be there.They have tons of pasture and trails to ride on. That's for big horses.