First I want to say a past due hi to all my friends, I have been getting lots of pms from my old forum buddies when I do post everyonce in a while & I want to let everyone know that although I dont have any more minis ( horses that is..I am now raising mini aussie pups) I am still reading posts here on a daily basis. Life has been good to me after I sold the farm, I am working for a vet & ( & think that this is my dream job) , traveling as much as I can & enjoying the time with my family & life in general.
One thing I want to mention is in the importance of each & every one of you in the breed. If you are not a member of a local club, join! It is usually a very small yearly membership fee & you can do so much for the club & the breed by attending seminars, shows & just meetings & learning from other members. They are the best resource for your questions. Dont just be a silent member, offer to help out & offer your home or farm for seminars & meetings! Even the old timers can learn something new from each other, even the newbies, as we all have something to contribute & every situation in life should be considered a learning experience. If you dont have a local club, consider starting one. You dont even have to be a sanctioned club by AMHA or AMHR ( which has rules, fees etc) you can start a mini club to have meetings & seminars to share your experiences with the minis ( sorta like the forum) & have a network of friends to help our & lean on at times. It is so much more fun to have people to share your love of the horses with, as most of you know, family is sometimes a little to close to action & finances to really understand the emotion that we feel for these horses. I remember crying on my best friends shoulder & having a shoulder to offer when she needed one that could really understand my feelings when I lost a foal, or something bad happened. She was also a great resource that I could go to when I was stumped. I am also proud to say that my farm turned out to be a great educational experience for my vet, who started off treating minis the same as large size horses & turned out to be an outstanding expert in minis, expecially in foaling after working with my farm. Too many vet dismiss miniatures as cheap little ponys & in my opinion, should treat every animal as a million dollar animal as long as the owner is willing to pay the bill. It is up to the owner to make their vet realize this, & to have the funds to back it up.
So remember, everyone out there, you are very important to the breed, no question is a wrong question, and what works for one person may not work for everyone, but you can be a great steward of the breed which is what everyone should strive for.
Debbie
( White Star Minis)
One thing I want to mention is in the importance of each & every one of you in the breed. If you are not a member of a local club, join! It is usually a very small yearly membership fee & you can do so much for the club & the breed by attending seminars, shows & just meetings & learning from other members. They are the best resource for your questions. Dont just be a silent member, offer to help out & offer your home or farm for seminars & meetings! Even the old timers can learn something new from each other, even the newbies, as we all have something to contribute & every situation in life should be considered a learning experience. If you dont have a local club, consider starting one. You dont even have to be a sanctioned club by AMHA or AMHR ( which has rules, fees etc) you can start a mini club to have meetings & seminars to share your experiences with the minis ( sorta like the forum) & have a network of friends to help our & lean on at times. It is so much more fun to have people to share your love of the horses with, as most of you know, family is sometimes a little to close to action & finances to really understand the emotion that we feel for these horses. I remember crying on my best friends shoulder & having a shoulder to offer when she needed one that could really understand my feelings when I lost a foal, or something bad happened. She was also a great resource that I could go to when I was stumped. I am also proud to say that my farm turned out to be a great educational experience for my vet, who started off treating minis the same as large size horses & turned out to be an outstanding expert in minis, expecially in foaling after working with my farm. Too many vet dismiss miniatures as cheap little ponys & in my opinion, should treat every animal as a million dollar animal as long as the owner is willing to pay the bill. It is up to the owner to make their vet realize this, & to have the funds to back it up.
So remember, everyone out there, you are very important to the breed, no question is a wrong question, and what works for one person may not work for everyone, but you can be a great steward of the breed which is what everyone should strive for.
Debbie
( White Star Minis)
