Minis?

[Smallquestions12345]

Speak to me of minis — good, bad, and ugly.

I’ve pretty much exclusively owned OTTBs(so I know super smart, lovable, and high maintenance) but have recently been approached to see if I would be interested in adopting mini triplets.

I have the land (large shed like structure with mats and shavings that can be closed in the winter with a sliding door, plus an 1 acre “pasture” for them—Light grass—Virginia this is not.). Have hay supplier in place/understand the need for quality low nsc ration balancer. I love the idea of having these little guys and feel to competent care for them, based on my experience with the standard sized models.

But, I don’t know what I don’t know — so for those of you mini experts, any advice/encouragement/caution?

[luvmyhackney]

As long as you have proper fencing, not much grass, and prepared for little minions with huge personalities, go for it.

[2DogsFarm]

What @luvmyhackney said.
Nobody has told minis that 39"(height limit for minis) isn’t equal to 18h

Hoping your trio has been handled, as unfortunately some are treated like toys & not as the equines they are.
Visual of the LittleGuy syndrome:

[clanter]

From my experience three miniatures equal one horse in food consumption but rate at least three times the mischief level. We have three miniatures along with the four horses,

Even our city’s animal control ordinance equates a ratio of three small animals equals one large when counting the number of animals allowed.

[JB]

@Smallquestions12345

understand the need for quality low nsc ration balance

The hay will be the biggest issue, that needs to be lower NSC hay, or you may be soaking it year-round. Even with the little bit of grass and grazing time, you may need muzzles. Not all do.

Keep in mind that 1 acre with 3 minis won’t have grass long if they’re on it full time, so consider sectioning it off, with 1/2 to maybe 2/3 of it as pasture, the other part being part of the shed, with a gate between.

[MunchingonHay]

The closer the brain is to the ground; the easier it is for the devil to influence.

They are fun, but be prepared for naughtiness.

Are you going to learn to drive or do you just want them as pasture puffs/money burners?

Personally, I think pygmy goats are more fun and entertaining and could use the acre you have. Or get a donkey!

[treebeard]

I’ve had five minis and a mini mule and I adore them. Mine were all special needs in one way or another and they are all gone now, except for my mare and my mule.

After 40 years of working with all breeds of large horses I was astounded at the persistence of my minis to push through things. Most horses if they encounter resistance will back off. Not my minis! I put up a stall guard and then watched in astonishment when my Nigel approached it, considered it and then began to climb through it. I was making my way towards him when he accomplished his mission. No more stall guards after that.

My most special needs mini pushed through the narrowest of stall openings. Something nothing should have been able to get through - he did. Many grey hairs on me.

Here is one of my favorite photos, when my mule was new here and still couldn’t be touched therefore his halter was still on. Mokey, third from left, and Nozzy, on the right are now sadly deceased.

[colorfan]

Minis will never need to be locked in a shed in winter. I have been told they have the same number of hairs that a big horse has just squeezed onto the smaller body. lol
The only time my mini got cold was in the spring once she had mostly shed and we got some wet snow mixed rain. Otherwise, she was happy as can be in whatever temp or wind was happening.
I used to plow a trail through the field for riding, the snow was high enough one year I couldn’t see her running through the trail.
I weighed her hay for a long time, she weighed about 350lbs (30") that is not much hay, sooo easy to overfeed.

[colorfan]

Resist the urge to treat them like large dogs. They have a horse brain and need to be treated like a horse. No matter how cute and cuddly they look. :))

[cayuse]

Even a little bit of grass may be too much so you may need an available dry lot to put them in for part of the day. Dental issues are common with minis and can get expensive fast (big teeth crammed into not much room and difficult to access). And vet bills are just the same for the wee ones as the big ones, I know that sounds obvious but some people forget that part.

[treebeard]

@colorfan

Resist the urge to treat them like large dogs. They have a horse brain and need to be treated like a horse. No matter how cute and cuddly they look. :))

This is so true…

[stargzng386]

My mini is double the work of my ottb and just as expensive if not more. She’s also sassy as hell and was a challenge to train. Cute yes, would I get another one? No. She’s also soooooo much more work than my goats.

[cayuse]

Same here. I’m not sure I’d get another. Both of mine are very high maintenance. One is my heart horse, but even so I have to think long and hard about another.

[sparkygrace]

My experience is based on having one very old mini. He is 26 and has Cushings disease. Managing him is not very hard. He has his own small grass paddock along with a large stall and run. He wears a grazing muzzle during the spring and fall when the grass is rich. I clip most of his coat in late spring. He gets 1/2 Prascend pill in the morning.

Right now, I suspect he has problems with his teeth. The vet removed a tooth in February and will come out again to recheck. He has lost a lot of weight. Feeding him is my only challenge. The Prascend kills his appetite. I try different soaked foods, which he eats for a while and then stops. He is a robust grazer, though.

When he goes, I will get a younger mini as a companion for my horse. I have the set-up for one and find them easy.

[luvmyhackney]

@stargzng386

My mini is double the work of my ottb and just as expensive if not more. She’s also sassy as hell and was a challenge to train. Cute yes, would I get another one? No. She’s also soooooo much more work than my goats.

I have a pony not a mini, but I find him super easy to manage and 100% easier than my goats. My goats aren’t hard but I’m constantly making sure they have the right minerals, copper bulus are given, worming, wethers so making sure the calcium levels are low enough. Different world than horse care.

[RMJacobs]

I feel that ponies are probably a little easier to manage than minis, because their teeth aren’t nearly as crowded. My ponies did fine with a yearly float, no teeth pulled or surgeries. My Hackney pony was small, light boned and refined looking, yet his teeth looked proportionate to his size. My larger grade pony wore the same size bit as my Paint mare.

[treebeard]

My Sweet Sarah has a sow mouth, which hasn’t affected her too badly over the years, but she does need regular checking of her mouth and dental at least once a year and when she was younger, every six to eight months. She has to chew in an odd way because of the malformation of her face and mouth.

She’s still as cute as the dickens.

[stargzng386]

My goats are on a mineral bar and get hay in winter pasture in spring, summer and fall. I’ve never had to deworm if they’re not kidding. I split my acre in half so I rotational graze. They require less barn cleaning and no poop cleaning out of the pasture. I vaccinate myself. They only cost me the cost of hay but 2-3 flakes feeds 7 goats while a single pony eats the same.

My mini is insulin resistant has anhidrosis and an old coffin bone fracture. The IR causes some funky skin issues and she struggles to maintain her body temperature in winter. I have to pick her stall daily, she needs a dry lot and low sugar hay. Add in dentist, vet though no vaccines because they make her colic. Just my experience I could have 15 goats for the same labor as one pony. She’s also 8 so not old at all.

[chestnutmarebeware]

Be sure to confirm that there is a local farrier that will work on them beforehand. Many won’t, between the tiny size and often-ill (or nonexistent) manners.

[2DogsFarm]

My farrier works with his son.
They tagteam the mini. One does fronts, the other hinds.
So nobody is bent over for too long.
I did offer to build something like a milking stand for them