Hauling a mini in an SUV?

[Sarahlw1]

I’m considering purchasing a miniature horse. I’ve had Thoroughbreds my whole life up until I graduated, and have been just taking lessons for the time being. However, hosting pony parties is a very lucrative business in my area (literally, you lead a few kids around on a pony that knows a trick or two and the parents shell out $400 bucks), and I’ve always wanted a mini, so now I’m seriously considering it.

HOWEVER… I do not own a pick-up truck, or fancy mini-horse trailer. I drive a Honda Element. I read a similar thread on here from about a year ago where people commented they’d hauled plenty of minis in their vans or suvs, but no one really mentioned how they deal with clean-up. This is a car I drive regularly, and I’m sure tarping the back would make manure clean-up easier, but what about urine? If a mini bladder can let loose even a fraction of what a full-sized horse does, I feel like a tarp would not do much to keep it from flowing through my whole car. Anyone have any tips or recommendations? If not, this might be the one thing that kills my mini dream.

[flashwhitelock]

[QUOTE=Sarahlw1;7978978]
I’m considering purchasing a miniature horse. I’ve had Thoroughbreds my whole life up until I graduated, and have been just taking lessons for the time being. However, hosting pony parties is a very lucrative business in my area (literally, you lead a few kids around on a pony that knows a trick or two and the parents shell out $400 bucks), and I’ve always wanted a mini, so now I’m seriously considering it.

HOWEVER… I do not own a pick-up truck, or fancy mini-horse trailer. I drive a Honda Element. I read a similar thread on here from about a year ago where people commented they’d hauled plenty of minis in their vans or suvs, but no one really mentioned how they deal with clean-up. This is a car I drive regularly, and I’m sure tarping the back would make manure clean-up easier, but what about urine? If a mini bladder can let loose even a fraction of what a full-sized horse does, I feel like a tarp would not do much to keep it from flowing through my whole car. Anyone have any tips or recommendations? If not, this might be the one thing that kills my mini dream. :/[/QUOTE]

heavy plastic like they use under tents with very heavy canvas on top. Canvas is wetted slightly with a sponge on the bottom to keep it from moving. Seen it done, yes it really worked.

[SarahandSam]

There was a mini at my barn named Honda because he arrived in a Honda Element.

[maunder]

My mini, Mokey, was transported in a friend’s Honda CRV. He was a doll about it but I wouldn’t do it again.

Way too much could go wrong. All of my minis came to my farm in the former owner’s mini van that had no windows. This is a better option, but still not ideal. If the horse panics or kicks out there would be quite a disaster. Thankfully all three minis transported this way were very calm about the whole thing.

[Pennywell_Bay]

I am certain there are success stories, but I would not. So much can go wrong and cause serious bodily harm to you, the mini and other innocent people. Perhaps the owners can help arrange something. This is extremely dangerous, IMO.

[Desert_Topaz]

I know mini people transport their minis in mini vans and suvs all the time. But, it’s really not safe. Think physics.

You would have an unrestrained 250 lb weight sitting in your vehicle. If you crash into something those 250 pounds are going to keep going… The Center for Pet Safety (which tests dog restraints) has a video somewhere (can’t find it right now) with their 55 lb test dog hitting the back of a seat and breaks it in half and that’s about 200 lbs lighter than a mini horse.

[HealingHeart]

Can you use a mini for kids rides? Aren’t they to small to carry weight?

[kookicat]

Don’t.

An unbelted rear seat passanger will hit the front seat with 30-60 times their body weight. That means an average weight human can/will kill the person in front of them. Now picture that with a pony weighing more than most people. If you have to brake suddenly, it’s not going to end well for any of you.

[Calamber]

Besides the obvious safety problems of a pony in an SUV, there is more to running Pony Parties than just a pony and a way to get it there. Liability insurance for your business for one thing and I think your method of transport for the pony would be an issue for them and your auto policy holder.

[Pennywell_Bay]

As I client I’d send you away if you showed up with a mini in an SUV. I’d expect a professional to present themselves like one and have the proper equipment.

[ryansgirl]

Sure lots of people do it but no way in hell would I. A mini in a crash turns into a 250 lb flying object and that is a recipe for disaster. :no:

[roseymare]

http://www.kustomkrates.com/products/single_dog_crates/SingleDogCrates.shtml

You could have a custom crate built.

[roseymare]

Most of the minis I have seen in SUV/mini vans have been in large dog crates. I didn’t assume the op meant loose.

[GoForAGallop]

Okay, first, you are driving a car, not an SUV.

What has not even been considered is that your car only has a payload of 600lbs. (Compare that to an actual SUV, like a Suburban, which has a payload of almost 2000lbs. Or even a Rav4, at 1000lbs.)

So after adding in your full tank of gas (~100lbs), yourself, the pony at 250-300lbs, and possibly even an assistant (most pony parties I’ve seen have a leader and a support person), props, etc, you are pushing your vehicle over it’s capacity.

Which, sure, people do all the time. But you will wear your car out much faster (transmission, brakes, etc), and you could be in big, big trouble if you get into an accident and that can be pointed to as a cause.

So, there’s that.

Plus I’ll echo what the other person said above, about asking for a refund if someone showed up with a pony in the back of a car. Unprofessional.

Doing it once or twice to move the pony to different barns over the course of ownership? Sure. As a part of a business model? No thanks.

[Sticky_Situation]

OP, I don’t think you have considered all that would be involved with doing “pony parties” … You seem to think you’ll be raking in the cash with no overhead.

First of all, as many have said, a mini is going to be too small for all but the very youngest kids. Asking a mini to carry around a bunch of 8 or 9 year olds is not fair to the mini … Not to mention some of the kids’ feet might be dragging on the ground.

Second, how many pony parties do really think you will get hired for at that price? I’m sure there are parents out there that would be willing to pay that, but I doubt if you’ll be doing one every weekend … I think you would be lucky to even do enough to offset the cost of keeping the mini.

Third, the professionalism thing. I doubt if all that many people will recommend your services to their neighbors if instead of a pony in a trailer, you show up with a 36-inch tall mini in back of a car.

Fourth, liability is a concern. I’m no law expert, but I would think that even if parents signed some sort of waiver, you would probably still need insurance.

If you want a mini horse because you want it for yourself as a pet/to show/to keep another horse or pony company, that is one thing (and you could probably find someone with a trailer to bring it home for you) … But if you’re getting one thinking that you will be getting rich off of pony parties hosted from the back of a Honda Element, I think you are in for a rude awakening.

[Frog_Pond]

What Sticky Situation said. But, as a person with a Honda Element and a mini, I will add my two cents on specifically why this is a bad idea.

Lots of people think the Element can be hosed out – this is not true. It looks all tough and plasticky, but it’s far from waterproof, or pee proof. It’s just a tougher than usual SUV with good plastics, but it can be cracked, and there’s the usual wiring underneath. The floor can’t support 200 lbs on hooves unless you build a complete subfloor to cover the seat attachment loops, the spare tire area, etc. If you were to pay through the nose to have someone build a stall that you could bolt to the frame – uh, maybe. But, I’ve seen really nice custom vans modified for mini transport that involved far less retrofitting than an Element would. My mini rides in a gooseneck 2 horse and still needs to be carefully monitored! He’d pulverize the Element :eek:

[S1969]

Bad idea…all of it. Pony rides on a mini…? Not recommended. My mini is 34" at the shoulder. She could probably be sat on by a 3 or 4 year old without hurting her, but even that could be a problem. However, I wouldn’t dream of putting someone else’s little kid on her back - she still weighs about 300lbs, and could seriously injure a child without a lot of effort. (I’ve seen her rear before - she is needle phobic - it’s scary enough all by herself). She’s not broke to ride - few minis are, because of their size. So you can’t really be sure that the kids would be safe.

Your liability insurance would have to be huge to cover yourself in case of injury to a child - who, by definition (young child attendee at a party) would have no ability to knowingly accept the risk. It can’t possibly be worth it for the $300 bucks you might make occasionally. Not to mention the money necessary for feeding, farrier, vet care…etc. I find it hard to believe you would actually make anything at all.

And then the transportation – I’d love to know exactly how you plan to get the mini in the car. After the first time, it might never get in again…and good luck trying to lift a 300lb mini. Bad idea. Not to mention, why would you want a mini to poop in your car??

[Field_of_Dreams_Mini]

I also don’t recommend getting a Mini to do pony rides. You could only do VERY small children. My biggest guy probably weighs about 350lbs. He’s 35" tall. And definitely wouldn’t fit in a small SUV like what you have. Basic rule of thumb is that they can carry 20% of their weight. I don’t go that high, I do 10-15%. So for Sunny, that’s about 50lbs. So my way to decide is if I can pick the child up with one arm, s/he can ride.

But what do you do when you’re at a party and the child is BEGGING you for a ride, but is too big? I had that once when I had a riding mini. Literally BEGGING. I hate being a meanie, but no.

Now none of my guys are saddle broken so I don’t have an issue. I do take kids for cart rides, though.

[FatCatFarm]

A friend of mine does “Pony Parties” with her minis. She started out with one, then got two and now has several, including two miniature donkeys she got from me, nigerian dwarf goats, chickens, bunnies and a mini pig. She can bring a combination of them to a party for additional fees. She only lets very tiny children ride on the minis and now has true ponies for that. The minis are very cutely dressed up with ribbons and even tutus. Tres adorables! She lets the kids finger paint on the minis with appropriate paints, supervised of course and then offers other craft projects. She’s really done a fantastic job with her pony parties. First she operated out of her back yard in an upscale neighborhood north of Atlanta, then got a small horse trailer, and started taking them places. She then bought a small acreage in a nearby horsey area (Alpharetta) and hosts parties and summer camps there in addition to taking various cast members out and about. Here’s the website: http://www.raisinsranch.com/

But in answer to your original question, I agree with the other poster who said they would be dubious about someone who showed up with a mini in the back of their Honda Element, in a crate or not.

[arlosmine]

A small, one horse trailer may be a safer alternative. I don’t know what the towing capacity of the Honda is, but a tiny one-horse doesn’t weigh much. I’d at least explore that route.
Of you are really serious about the pony party thing, sell the honda and invest in a real mini-van which you can customize to eliminate glass/floor strength/containment issues.