As the topic title indicates unsure which of these little beasties would be a better fit as a companion to a full grown young horse. I have heard that some horses don’t like the mini’s and they might in fact be too “small” to hang out in a group of warmbloods. OR perhaps a small/medium pony better suited. I am familiar with ponies but not the mini’s per se…any thoughts guys? Thanks in advance
Minis can be adorable and super reasonable to keep, companions for the right horse, but not a young, rambunctious one. The mini will stand up on it’s hind legs to make itself appear bigger to fend off a larger horse, putting it in danger of rupturing their Achilles tendon. Happened to me so don’t be me. If the horse is older and more settled, they do great. I have 3 miniature horses and 2 miniature donkeys and have used them to keep various horses company. The current lot is in with my 16 year old Appaloosa gelding. They adore him. If young and rambunctious, a medium is a safer bet.
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remember minis are short… so additional fencing may be required (three minis = one horse but one mine=three horse in trouble they can cause)
Small ponies are usually available free, require little maintenance …and your farrier would be happier
we have them all
We have a mini (on the taller side of minis) that some of the younger horses adore. They run around and buck and groom each other. Sometimes we have gasp moments where it looks like the horse is going to gallop right over the mini, but they look out for each other. We only turn him out with ONE other horse at a time. If you are turning out with a herd of playful youngins then not sure if that is a great idea. To be honest, more horses that I’ve come across are terrified by children riding really small ponies in the same arena than of the riderless minis in a pasture. It really just depends on the horse.
I have Small, Medium & Large: 34" Mini, 13H Hackney Pony & 16H TWH.
Pony lived with 17H+ WB before I lost WB & added TWH.
Mini was the last added to the mix - a year ago this May.
I am fortunate they all get along superfine - mini currently shares a stall with TWH for feeding as his stall does not have access from the paddock as the other 2 do.
But I have found all 3 in one 12X12 stall & on occasion mini will bunk in with the pony.
They have free access to the other 2 stalls 24/7.
TWH is undisputed Boss of the “herd”, but pony & mini get along with the occasional minor dispute that is solved w/o damage to anyone. Some snakyneck, flattened ears & buttbiting, but nothing serious.
I offered to build a stand for my shoer (like a milking stand) for his ease in doing the mini, but he declined.
Shoer is in his 70s, but: his choice.
@clanter is right - I had to add 300’ of No-Climb to part of my fenceline where frost had heaved posts so mini could limbo under.
The 3 Amigos:
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here is the herd, the kids are not ours but the horses were
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and I have posted this before but those who are thinking about a mini really need to understand some of the stuff they can get into is unexplained
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My minis were the devil in a pony suit—give me a small/medium pony any day. 
They’re as bad as goats to contain, need their food carefully regulated (which goes out the window when they manage to lift the pasture gate off its hinges and make a beeline for the feed room), and often have tooth/mouth/hoof deformities that add thousands to regular annual care costs. And a lot of farriers will refuse to deal with the little buggers (with good reason).
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Agree with this.
Also, what I’ve noticed is that if you’re getting a companion for another horse, try to match the horse as much as possible with energy and dietary needs. I’ve seen good matches with horse/mini and bad matches with horse/mini. The good match was two quiet older geldings, both with dental issues. We were able to feed them separately since they both couldn’t eat hay and had their own auto feeders dropping down feed 5 times a day. Bad match was an older gelding with low energy and a young spunky mini mare. The gelding needs much more hay than the mini and the mini has turned into a blimp even with a muzzle. Their energy levels also don’t match so they stress each other out.
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I own minis and a pony. As much as I love my minis, neither one would be suitable as a companion. They need semi dry lots, perpetual diets and no climb fencing. They are also very defensive around large horses, my guess is they had been pushed around quite a bit by big horses at some point in their life. For a companion, my vote would be for a pony, preferably a larger stout one big enough to ride
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I would just get a larger ( 13+ hand) pony or small horse as a companion. While I have never had any issues with the small ponies we had when the kids were small, I think a small horse/ large pony is just easier and they don’t eat much.
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Your choice - both work.
I went for a small pony, 11.2h shetland x welsh. She’s the perfect companion for my horse. I stayed away from minis as they can have teeth problems and other genetic quirks. Ponies are adorable, I now have two. 
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I would go for a pony. I think it’s a better match as far as daily care goes, and I also like that the pony can have some usefulness either now or in the future (kids or grandkids?). My farrier would be unhappy if I brought a mini home. He already has told me my 12H’er better not ever need shoes or he might have one of his former apprentices do it. My herd is 12H, 13.1H, 14.3H & 15.3H. I can ride them all. I can lend the ponies out to Pony Club kids. I could give relative kids pony rides. If I were to pick just one size of pony in a situation like yours, I’d probably go for about 13 hands. Still small and probably an easy keeper, but big enough for most adults to have a ride on from time to time.
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I’d go small or med pony. Hackneys are easy keepers and super cheap and very smart. I find them easy but they aren’t for everyone. Loads of personality.
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Hackneys are easy keepers and super cheap and very smart.
and to drive :winkgrin:, so need cart and harness also
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I’ve always heard that a potential danger of large horse/mini combo is that the mini could seriously injure the larger horse by kicking it from the underside. Also, the mini’s head could be at just the right height to get plastered by a minor kick from the big horse. So I’d go pony.
That said, I think the most important things to consider are their personalities, and the size of your pasture.
Either could work (or not) in the right situation. Keep in mind that both can be prone to IR and other issues that could result in them not being able to live on grass.
Many years I boarded at a Paso Fino breeding barn. The owner decided to get into minis and there were several in the pasture with my horses and his Paso Fino mares.
I never got the idea that the big horses considered the minis as true horses, worthy of “conversation” or friendship.
Of course a lonely big horse will often settle with anything for companionship and if you just have one horse it may work out well.
But saying that I noticed that all the bigger horses considered ponies (at least ponies 12 hands +) as valid equines.
I’d go for the pony, not the mini.
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My last horse was suspicious of the neighbouring minis and didn’t enjoy them being near him. Currently we have a small pony as companion for my mare (and as my kid’s leadline pony) and it’s been such a good fit.
I think either could work but I vote pony over mini so that it’s closer in size to your horse (our two play together and groom each other, and my farrier would not be happy with anything smaller).
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The most important thing, in my opinion, is matching the turnout of the horse(s) the companion will be turned out with. My mini cannot be on pasture with my big horses…or at least, not for very long. Maybe an hour/day? I got her to be a companion to my TB for when we took the others off the property and they had to be separated - one on pasture, one in the dry lot. And when the other large horses were there, 3 on pasture, 1 on dry lot.
If there is no pasture, then I am not sure it would make a huge difference - but if there is, it’s a very big difference.
If I had a bunch of easy keeping WBs that had limited turnout I might choose an older pony with similar turnout needs. If I had a bunch of TBs with 24/7 grazing - I’d get a TB retiree.
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