can I just say that I’m really happy for the OP that she is getting a companion (whatever it turns out to be) for her horse; congratulations!! Assuming they get along this will make Misty’s life SO much better and happier!!
[QUOTE=Meredith Clark;4554283]
There are some cuties on this website!
I’d take Moka![/QUOTE]
Thanks for the website, I never have never heard of this place before now. You are right there are some cuties up for adoption!
[QUOTE=dmalbone;4554337]
I would personally (again… personally, I know there are plenty of debates about this) not put a mini that you care about with a horse. I have mini horses and although, yes, they are still horses, they are very fragile.Your horse is young and quite rambunctious from your stories. One wrong playful kick could kill a mini. No arguments… just my own personal experience. I would get a large pony or pasture ornament full sized horse. If you cannot afford another larger mouth to feed, maybe others can chime in on which “little” animals are fairly durable and resilient. :)[/QUOTE]
I did some research about mini horse’s and decide that you are right they are fragile, and while i don’t think Misty would intentionally hurt one, she is young and full of herself, so I will not consider a mini horse, i am now leaning toward mini donkey or adopting a pony from helping hands. I wanted to give you a quick update of hubby, since i put my foot down on this he seems fine with getting one, I told him a few days ago that if wanted to leave then leave if he wanted to stay then stay, but I am who I am, and have never changed, now since i have been looking for a mini he has suggested a full size horse so that we can ride together, but i am not sure of that, what do you think?
[QUOTE=SMF11;4554503]
What about a full size donkey, they aren’t very big!
I’ve never had mini donkeys or horses, so can’t comment.
If you end up getting a full size horse, given that there are SO many companion horses available, you can find one that a) the owner will take back if your circumstances change, and b) will pay for vet bills/shoeing/trimming. Take a look at the Giveaways section – there are lots of desperate people with older/unsound horses who would love a home for their horses. It could end up being a win-win kind of situation (less expensive for you, good home for a needy horse).
Best of luck![/QUOTE]
Thanks for the info, and i have started looking into adopting one, or if someone needed me to feed there horse, anything would do as long as Misty has a buddy…
[QUOTE=KellyS;4554572]
Mini donks are awesome companions. We got ours about 2 years ago as a companion and he is so entertaining. They are also pretty resilient (stay out of the way of trouble) and easy keepers.
Keep in mind that they have minds of their own and do tend to get attached to their companion (ours is attached to my yearling and he throws a little donkey fit when they are separated). They are also not terribly fond of dogs and small animals; ours climbed through our board fence to chase the neighbor’s dog after it came in the pasture. :eek:
We rehomed 2 mini donk jennies this summer and their new mom loves them (fellow COTHer!). We also have a very old standard donkey that needed a home and came to live with us this fall. Yeah, we get a lot of mileage out of ass jokes. 
Donkeys!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010558&id=1059684218&l=4ae91653b2[/QUOTE]
I wonder if I would have trouble out of the mini, while i take Misty out for a ride? Gosh i hope i would not have to get a companion for the companion!:eek:
[QUOTE=sdlbredfan;4555006]
One problem with mini donks is that they are extremely noisy. I would find their braying very annoying if I had to hear it on a daily or nightly basis. I boarded at a place that had one, and as cute a critter as she was, the noise drove me batty, even though I could and did turn the volume down on my hearing aids!
Jeanie[/QUOTE]
I live in a log house that has 10" solid logs, I can’t hear anything outside when i am inside, now when i in the yard and it wants to talk that’s another story, but i don’t think it would bother me…:lol:
[QUOTE=WaningMoon;4555212]
I have a mini donkey. He has been my mares only companion for 14 yrs. My mare was born in teh pasture with him. They are best of friends. He is very playful and brings much enjoyment to her. They have much more character than a mini pony. My donkey each day around 11am goes looking for a stick. He then takes it and playfully jabs my mare with it until she shows SOME type of reaction. When she does he gloats, just smiles, it gives him so much joy to annoy her that one time a day. He will keep it up until she gets a bit madder and gives him a little warning kick. She has over the yrs been plenty mad enough at him to have given him a REAL kick but has always been good with him. Yesterday(it is very cold here) we brought him into our cellar to do a Cleantrax treatment. The mare was some upset that her little guy was absent, she loves him. I can not suggest enough getting a mini donkey. He is not obnoxious with his braying, he only brays when we are approaching the barn at feed time.[/QUOTE]
What a sweet story, do you have pics, i would love to see them together…
[QUOTE=Waterwitch;4555279]
Our mini donk isn’t noisy at all. She is far less talkative than the horses in fact. When she does have something important to say there is some…er…volume there, but this doesn’t happen very often. She mostly uses her pre-braying donkey “squeak”, which is more conversational
Francesca has lived in our herd of Irish Draughts for over a decade, with no problems whatsoever.
Highly recommend the mini donk experience.[/QUOTE]
I love hearing about these mini donkeys, they sound perfect for me, but I have a question, will i have to keep the hooves trimmed the same as a horse?
[QUOTE=CatOnLap;4555280]
before you go getting a mini donk, please read this thread:
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=235983
it made me laugh…and decide that a mini donk was probably never going to live here.[/QUOTE]
That made me laugh as well, they seemed to get bored easy don’t they? This worries me a little because this horse is very smart, and i do mean VERY SMART, what will i do if they gang up and cause mayhem?
[QUOTE=PRS;4555315]
I have a mini donkey and he is the funniest little character! He is entertaining, yes he brays but not nearly as much as he did before we gelded him. Personally I love to hear him bray, it makes me smile every time. He considers my 26 year old mare “his woman” but he is really a play mate for my 7 year old gelding. They are so funny together, they play and chase each other. I simply cannot leave a blanket or halter on either one them though because the other will latch on and shred it. My husband had some 8’ corrugated 6" inch plastic drain pipe for a project he was working on. After being left within reach of the donkey for a couple of days it became a “donkey toy”. The donkey picks it up and chases the horses and the dog with it. It looks like a large black noodle in his mouth. He also picks up a stick and drags it along the woven wire fence to make a “clackity, clackity” sound. I’ve seen him walking back and forth dragging the stick along the fence. Funny fellow. Also, he need not be useless! I trained my little donkey to pull a cart and I’ve used him for entertainment at kid’s birthday parties and parades and since my husband won’t ride a horse but will drive a cart he goes on trail rides too!
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2147055120080191555INOxnI
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2811482740080191555slYqAL
I paid only $200 for my little donkey and have gotten way more than that back in entertainment value from the “Ass” jokes alone.[/QUOTE]
That is the cutest photo i have ever seen, he is adorable, and you have him trained so well. After reading your post and researching mini donks, i think that is what i should get for Misty, do you have advice on the sex, male or female?
[QUOTE=Paddys Mom;4555469]
My Hector also uses a stick or a feed pan to chase the pony. He brays loudly when food is late or when someone pulls in the driveway. He whispers when I am preparing the food. He pulls a cart nice and slow. I never fear a run away situation with him. :lol:
He is very low maintenance. I have the blacksmith check his feet every time, but they haven’t needed trimmed in months.
He follows me around while I clean the paddock and backs up to me slowly so I can scratch his rump. He is super suspicious of new things. A new bucket, a steaming hot mash, or a new mounting block are all cause for a snorting head-tilting investigation.
He does not care when I remove the rest of his herd. I think he likes his alone time.
He gets fat on air so I had to get creative at feeding time.
Maybe COTH can help you with a Christmas Donkey. ;)[/QUOTE]
OK I want a Christmas Donkey, the more i read, the more i know this is what i should get, one reason is for Misty to have her companion and the second reason is i can spoil a Donkey rotten, which is what i love to do with all my animal’s, I have secretly wanted a mini donkey for awhile, so now i just need to find one. Thanks…
[QUOTE=WaningMoon;4555820]
OH, geez, yah, late with dinner, HOW did I ever forget that. Yes, if I am one minute late going out there he does start right in with the braying and it does not stop until I go out. I will now always want a donkey around, but they live so long I probably have the only one I will ever have. Ive had him for 15 yrs now and he was just a babe when I got him, at one. HE is cute too.http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p235/Born2Bloom/horses/jakeonwayhome-1.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p235/Born2Bloom/horses/08fall-dillen-winter-horses160.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p235/Born2Bloom/echo/jenenes-autumn-horse239.jpg[/QUOTE]
Your pics look like a postcard, beautiful and crazy cute! who would not want one of these guy’s.
[QUOTE=PRS;4556228]
FYI…the jennets tend to be quieter and sweeter natured than the jacks. Geldings do tend to be quieter and less aggressive than intact jacks. They are also the bigger clowns. I have friends that have jennets and they don’t do any of the stuff my Hank does. They don’t tote stuff around, or bray as much, or make such pests of themselves, but on the flip side they are not nearly as entertaining either! I wouldn’t trade my gelded jack for a jennet for anything. While donkeys are not as fragile as a mini horse they are not indistructable either. While Hank doesn’t NEED and feed he does get a tiny amount of 12% pellets when I’m feeding the horses just because I can’t leave him out. They are not as prone to colic or founder but can suffer from either one or both. A few months ago when my donkey got an abcess the vet told me not to give him bute. He said that donkeys are very different from horses when it comes to medications and he warned me that donkeys have been known to have some serious side effects with bute. I’ve owned Hank for about 3 years now and haven’t had to have his feet trimmed but just a few times…but some donkeys suffer from slipper foot and have to have their feet trimmed just as regularly as a horse or their feet will curl up. A donkey is more likely to stop eating when he has had enough than a horse though. Donkeys tend to be more sensible than horses. My donkey is lots smarter than any horse I’ve ever had. If I had to choose between a mini horse or a donkey to have just as a pet I’d pick the donkey…lots more character. :lol:[/QUOTE]
What do you give a sick donkey? the reason i ask is i am in a remote place, and need to know how to take care of him, and have meds on hand.
[QUOTE=BestHorses;4556265]
I’ve had mini-donkeys and will probably not get them again. The jack we had was obnoxious - chased all the horses, chewed their tails and brayed at the drop of a hat. Some people like the “watch dog” factor that a donkey might bray every time someone drives in. He brayed at least 10 times a day. And it was loud. Now that I have neighbors close by, I wouldn’t want to have that noise. The jennys we had were quieter and didn’t bray as much.
The donkeys were easier keepers than the horses, but did require regular trims like a horse. Some farriers do not like to work on minis, so keep that in mind. And their systems are different than a horse’s and not all vets know about their needs. When we had them there was no internet so there was no easy way to look up information on them and our vet just kind of winged it. :eek:
My mom has mini horses now in with full-sized horses and for the most part they stay in separate little herds. One of the mini mares was attacked by a full-sized gelding and nearly died from the injuries so you have to careful with who you put together.
I think for my next companion I will just go with a smaller horse/large pony that can be trail ridden by guests. It will be another mouth but one that’s useful to me. :)[/QUOTE]
Good Info, alot to think about here, i just want to make the right decision…Thanks:)
[QUOTE=asterix;4556359]
can I just say that I’m really happy for the OP that she is getting a companion (whatever it turns out to be) for her horse; congratulations!! Assuming they get along this will make Misty’s life SO much better and happier!![/QUOTE]
THANK YOU!!
Yahoo! Good for you !! Have fun. And if they gang up, maybe they will gang up for the good rather than mayhem. You never know 
[QUOTE=Chall;4556711]
Yahoo! Good for you !! Have fun. And if they gang up, maybe they will gang up for the good rather than mayhem. You never know ;)[/QUOTE]
I hope it will be for the Good, because this filly acts like the way everyone says their mini donkeys act, when i give her water she wants to drink from the hose, she gets angry if i don’t give her an apple with her food, and she neigh’s at me every time i open the door, and when when back out of our driveway this horse will chase our truck every time, just like a dog. Yesterday during a blizzard, we were walking the dog and she trotted beside us on a lead line, something has gotta give here, she out thinks me every time i turn around, she is not mean, just…oh what word am i looking for, I will just say people friendly!:eek:
It would be nice if you and your hubby could ride together… or you and who ever might come to visit your farm, but you’re right. Horses can get very dependent on each other.
Like you said, I had to get a companion for my companion!
Oh wait… and then the companion became a riding horse so now I have to get ANOTHER companion for when that one and the original horse goes out riding together…
Basically one needed horse has ended me with 3 going on 4 :eek:
I’ve never had a donkey but if they don’t get as attached then maybe that’s for the best!
Ditto the Shetland
[QUOTE=deltawave;4555236]
Personally I would look for a Shetland, one of the traditional, tough, sturdy ones. Minis are so darn delicate.[/QUOTE]
I would do any kind of horse over any kind of donkey.
I would also do a Shetland versus a teeny Mini.
We got a small Shetland as a companion to level out our small herd dynamics. She is just perfect!
She lives out 24/7 with the rest of the gang: A Belgian Draft, Morgan, and NSH
See? Good luck and have fun finding the right equid!
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk150/elaineshickman/misc/DSC01727.jpg
LOL, yep… I have my horse who needs a buddy. He’s old and had an awful stifle injury so I’m getting a young horse to start and bring up again and to keep him company. Well… then when that horse is off at shows my older horse will be lonely again. So get a 3rd, right? DH started taking lessons a ways back and liked it and said he would like to ride again one day. Wait… when we’re off riding together or at a show, originally old guy is still lonely. I think 4 is the magic number lol.
