Your First Miniature.....

[LindaL]

I had just moved to the country with my one big horse and my daughter's pony (she was 40" tall). Some new friends of ours came by to see them and said they had a few Minis and were starting a Mini only 4-H club. I was like..."What's a Mini?" This was back in 1994. My big horse was going blind and I had retired him from showing and the pony had just lost a foal (we bought her bred but did not know it til a month before she foaled...a red bag which I knew NOTHING about). One day I saw an ad in the paper "Fancy unique black and white Mini pinto colt"...and ended up buying him! His name was "Paradise Acres Little Britches" ("LB")and he was a 6 mo. old colt registered with AMHR. The next year, I started showing at AMHR and Pinto shows with him...knowing nothing about showing at halter! (I grew up with big horses that I showed showmanship, trail, english and western pleasure/equitation). Back in 1995, there were almost no B sized stallions around (no one WANTED a B stallion ...smaller was "better"...and he matured to 36.5") But, I kept him as a stallion and he won ALL of his open and color classes. He was a GORGEOUS boy and quickly became my "heart" horse.

We bought other Minis and started showing and breeding AMHA horses, so we gelded "LB" and he was our pasture pet.

In 2005, I had dispersed my whole herd and he was the last to go...Didn't want to sell him, but I had "no choice". He died of an unknown cause 3 months later.

"LB" was the start of my love for the Miniature Horse and especially the B sized horses! I have pics of him, but need to scan them...will post one later.

~Funny little tidbit...I actually owned a Mini way back in 1976, but everyone called her a "pony" and I was a teenager, so I didn't know any different...her name was Trixie and she was a little brat...lol If I turned my back to her, she bit my butt!

{She was actually my sister's "pony", but she wasn't interested in horses at all, so basically she was "mine".) Here is a pic of Trixie with my big horse. This was before I knew better than to keep Minis and big horses pastured together.~

Edited to add pics...I have better ones, but they are still packed somewhere in a box...

He was marked EXACTLY the same way on both sides...and had dreamy blue eyes!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Rabbit's dam, Kitty, would haver been my first real Miniature.

She was 29" tall to the withers and she was a tiny little female dog, all her days!

That was ....um....not sure to be honest, Rabbit is 32 and Kitty was three and a half when he was born (accidentally bred) so I guess it is over 35 years ago.

I only ever showed her once and she HATED it walked round the ring as if I was taking her to her own funeral.

She had the most gorgeous head I have ever seen (and I bred Arabs at the time) and, although her body succumbed to the result of having foals, as do we all, I kept the picture of her, clipped, as a yearling, sky blue with jet black legs and mane and tail, in my head when I looked at her, so she was forever beautiful, to me.

I had her mother as well, who was also gorgeous- I had found them in a herd of grotty Shetlands- nasty little fat stubby legged ginger things with bad temperaments, and they stood out like unicorns in a cattle field!

I brought them all home, but Kitty was always my favourite.

 

[Deb O.]

As a kid I had Ponies until I was about 11 or 12. The shetland that stood out for me back then was Blueberry. He was probably about 48 inches at his withers and a silver dapple. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of him. But HossCrazy's first mini is almost identical to him in coloring except he had a dark mane and tail. I used to love riding him for hours a day. In fact, when I'd be riding him in this open field by our house people used to stop and watch me and tell me that we should barrel race in the rodeo together. I loved that pony so very much and it broke my heart one year after I hadn't ridden him enough in the winter and my dad said he was too "spirited" for me to ride in the spring and sold him despite my protests. I have thought of him often over the years and always hoped he had a good life with his new family and knew how much I truly loved him. After him I refused to get another pony though my father tried to replace him. Cause I just couldn't replace him, he was my buddy.

It was over 30 years later when I met Linda, that I was to get back into horses/ponies. This time minis

. We bought Guiness from a friend in Minnesota. And we had decided not to get anymore til we got him home to Oregon. But just before nationals in 2009, Linda showed me video and pics of this gelding "Snowberry Farm's Jet Set" and said the owners were willing to work with us and bring him to nationals. He was and is a beautiful boy with great movement. So, I caved in and said yes, go for it. Little did I know that this gelding she just had to have was going to be "my" first mini. When we met at nationals, he and I bonded immediately. He's michigan bred top and bottom and greying out just like his daddy Michigan's Sharp as a Tack aka sharpie. He and I have bonded so deeply that Linda calls him a "mama's boy". lol. And will live out his days as my show gelding and eventual pasture pet.

 

[topnotchminis]

I purchased my first miniature in 2007. I had seen his picture on a website and new I had to have him. He was my first horse. I had ridden Quarter horses for years, but living in Florida was not able to have one. When we moved to Kentucky we new we wanted to get horses, but thought we would start off small. After we purchased MCA Buck Suede we new he needed friends and quickly added 3 more. Now we have 7 miniatures and love them. I now will always have minis in my life

Here is Buck as a baby( the picture I saw that I loved)

and a picture from last year

 

[a mini dream come true]

I purchased my first miniature in 2007. I had seen his picture on a website and new I had to have him. He was my first horse. I had ridden Quarter horses for years, but living in Florida was not able to have one. When we moved to Kentucky we new we wanted to get horses, but thought we would start off small. After we purchased MCA Buck Suede we new he needed friends and quickly added 3 more. Now we have 7 miniatures and love them. I now will always have minis in my life

Here is Buck as a baby( the picture I saw that I loved)

and a picture from last year

I remember this picture. When i saw it I thought to myself "He is very special" and now I know why.

Loved the pic then and love it now. Thanks for sharing

 

[~Dan]

Although I technically have 2 first miniatures, there is one I truly view as my own, Polly.

Polly is a 38" silver bay mare with lots of attitude, a lots of mane!!

All my life I had dreamed of and wanted horses. Big ones, small ones, I did,'t care, a horse, was a horse, was a horse, to me back then. Then in 2007 my dad was diagnosed with cancer and he knew I had always wanted horses of my own, so he told me I could start shopping for a horse. BUT it had to be a mini or pony, as we could not fit the Arabians or Morgans I had always loved or ridden or worked with since I was a child on our postage stamp acre and a qaurter property, but hey! It was a horse and I was on cloud nine!

In February 2008 I not only joined LB, but also started to look for horses in our area for sale. I found a local breeders website and fell in love with one of the horses on her sales page. I liked the ladies leopard appaloosa AMHA/AMHR stallion, but had no need for a horse I would never breed, and would have to tack on extra money to the $2500 dollar price tag because he would have to be gelded. But Polly, Polly stood out. And only $500!! I called the owner and it turned out the mare was not hers, but her friends who was advertising on her website. So we got Polly's actual owners phone number and called, I so hoped "my" mare was still available! She was!! We set up an appointment to go see her. I still vividly remember driving past the farm (ended up turning around when we verified the address)and looking down from the road to the paddock filled with horses. When we pulled in the drive, the owner took us down to the paddock gate and that's when I saw her. A liver chestnut mini gelding was standing in front of her as they both drank from the water tank. As I stood and watched the two contrasting coat colors, suddenly Polly lifted her head and looked at me. I still remember it like it was yesterday, her light brown head wearing a dark leather halter, her long forelock extending 3/4s of the way down her face, he slightly arched tail. She was beautiful. I chose her right there, in my mind, as the love of my equine life. The owners daughter lead the beautiful mare by the halter to the stable to get a blue cotton lead rope. Suddenly, I was holding the lead to "my" first horse as she grazed on the fresh spring grass on the driveway. Whatever the owners and my dad talked about I can not remember, just "my" beautiful horse standing next to me. This was early April. She and her son were mine by April 16, 2008, 4 weeks after I first saw her picture. Sure I bought both horses as a package deal, but I fell in love with Polly instantly, and only later, decided to buy her matching yearling son too. I love them both so much and they are my reason for living, but Polly, will always be my "heart horse".

So today, almost 4 years, broken fences, frozen buckets, kicks, bites, almost broken noses, rounding up horses in the lightening, and walking colicky ponies in sub zero snow storms and pouring rain, I still have them both, and would never change any day of it.

This is the picture I "bought" Polly from...

And here is one from this past summer taken on my phone from this past summer showing both horses grazing on the lawn, Polly and Little Titan

...

I have some nice ones of Polly, and then some of both horses, playing in the snow from last winter on my camera which I will post later, but I figure these will suffice for now

I love reading everyone's stories, keep em' coming!!

Dan.

 

[topnotchminis]

I remember this picture. When i saw it I thought to myself "He is very special" and now I know why.

Loved the pic then and love it now. Thanks for sharing

Thank you! He is very special to me

 

[AnnaC]

I'm so enjoying this topic - so many wonderful stories and so many wonderful 'friends' to see in the pictures.

Having been involved with big horses from my early teens, I found and fell in love with minis in the late 1980's. At the beginning of the 1990's I had a couple of minis at livery with me and decided to get started with my own little ones. So in 1992 I purchased a blanket spotted stallion, Tyro Spot Patch (some of you will have his offspring way back in their pedigrees as quite a few of his foals were exported to the US before I got him). Of course I also purchased mares for him and I loved them all, but he was always my Special boy and would happily leave his little herd of mares to join me and walk alongside me when I entered his field.

Unfortunately he was not well (not ill, but just not quite right and the vets never found anything wrong) during his 21st year and became infertile, just when I had sold the last of all his offprings except for one daughter, because I thought he had many years left.

I had him pts in the Autumn of the next year as I felt that his quality of life had gone for some reason and he was ready to leave. His remaining daughter continues to give me daughters and now grand-daughters so his line continues in a small way.

Patch in the early Spring of his 22nd year - not quite lost the last of his winter coat!

 

[AnnaC]

Thank you Diane. I had actually seen him a couple of years before and 'visited' him several times during those two years. I fell in love and couldn't believe it when he came up for sale - just had to have him! The day I went to collect him was just beyond wonderment for me and I can still remember every moment of it - I was actually trembling with nervous excitement, poor boy must have thought me such a pleb!

 

[shadelady]

OK I will join in as well. I am sure Anna knows who this will be

. Our first Miniature arrived 15 yrs ago as a present for my OH who had fallen for ' those little horses' when we saw them at a show. El Pampero is a purebred Falabella stallion who came here as a yearling and excelled our wildest dreams both as a showhorse and a friend. He has won both as a Miniature and in open classes ( against all types and sizes of horse and pony)and is definately our 'heart'

horse. He is a real gentleman in all ways and was still winning

back in the summer of this year !

 

[AnnaC]

Oh yes Sharon - he is a very Special Boy and one that I have always admired from amongst all your other lovely chips.

 

[supaspot]

This is the picture I "bought" Polly from...

i can see why you fell in love with her ..she really does have something about her

 

[RescueMini]

She is beautiful! This picture reminded me a lot of Lulu and when I first got her.

 

[Lil Timber Buck]

My friend was looking for a great horse with lots of experience and I was looking to sell one that fit the bill. We started getting together talking about horses and she decided to get a mini for her son to ride now that she finally had a good horse to ride. She bought "Stormy" who turned out to be great with her son, a great riding mare and a good companion for my horse that I sold her. Not too long after she got Stormy, she told me that the little mare was expecting. She washoping for a little filly. When it came out colt, she said she wouldn't be able to keep him. I immediately jumped at the opportunity to have this little guy. Timber is our first mini. He is just a joy and is sooo smart and loving. It totally opens a whole new mini-horse world to us and I can't wait to explore it!!

 

[Lil Timber Buck]

Wow she is fantastic!

 

[~Dan]

Thanks you guys!! Polly and her son (Titan) are truly once in a lifetime horses

Shadelady, your horse is very beautiful!!

And Lil' Timber Buck, your boy is also very striking, buckskin pinto has always been one of my favorite colors!

Dan.

 

[RescueMini]

Lil Timber Buck, I am just in love with your foal!

(Oh, and I edited my post on Lulu and posted pictures of her.)

 

[shadelady]

Thanks you guys!! Polly and her son (Titan) are truly once in a lifetime horses

Shadelady, your horse is very beautiful!!

And Lil' Timber Buck, your boy is also very striking, buckskin pinto has always been one of my favorite colors!

Dan.

Thank you Dan. We love him.If you take a look at our website there are a lot more pics of him

 

[Forever Farm]

I blame my daughter- it's all her fault

I had grown up with big horses, first the family Arabians, then HUnter Jumpers when I got into my teenage years. The last full sized horse I had was my Paint gelding, and while my daughter would ride him from time to time, she was terrified of riding by herself after some bad experiences with some naughty ponies. We were at a horse show, and a friend of mine had brought along her mini and cart for the kids to drive around. My daughter was hooked, and said she HAD to have a mini. Thus began the search for her mini.

Into our lives came Shadowlands Widow Maker- 28 inches of black tobiano attitude. He had his own ideas of what he was going to do, and set about making sure his humans were trained properly. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't do for my daughter, on his terms, of course, but that little horse looked after my daughter in and out of the show ring.

Sadly, we lost him two years ago back in June, and there's a huge hole in our hearts that just can't be filled. We have Widow Maker's full sister, and his dam as well, along with a stunning half brother, but they can't and shouldn't take his place.

 

[SammyL]

When I first set eyes on Blue, I was 13. He was just under three months old. He came home with me in the back of our van when he was three months old. He was gelded as soon as he dropped. Haha! He will turn 9 years old this coming May, and I just turned 22. It's hard to believe we have been together that long! He is a hard keeper, and kind of a pain sometimes, but I wouldn't change him for the world.

I wouldn't have him without his wonderful breeder, and my amazing parents. I can't thank them enough.

I have six miniatures total now. I love each and every one of them more than anything possible. They truly are my "heart herd" and I hope we can all grow old together.

(But, my first boy will always have a special place in my heart... our bond runs deep.)