Companions for your minis

[flamingstar]

iF you get a goat, make sure it is fixed, cause males have the worst stench. You are probably like me in my situation, you will get another one when the time is right. Goats are an excellent companion for all animals. We got our to go with our miniature pig, she passed away, now they are keeping our emu happy. Animals just like to be able to hang out with another animal. You should see the looks of passersby when they look in the field and see all snuggled up the two goats and the emu, funny. I like you would like to get two minis, just not in the cards right now. Weather it be money, or just finding the right one. A goat will be good, or a llama. JMO

 

[rabbitsfizz]

You are right about male goats, but an unfixed Billy would not make a suitable companion for anything, as far as I am concerned, they do a lot more than smell, believe me!!

I do not believe goats make good companions- given a choice goats like to live with other goats, and horses like to live with other horses, it is as simple as that.

Horses and goats, even Donkeys- do NOT speak the same language and it is never any better than making do.

A horse on it's own is a sad creature- personally I would hold off, if you cannot afford to keep two horses, until you can afford it, that way everyone will be happy.

 

[Warpony]

I LOVE goats... but not as companions for horses. every goat i have known who lived with horses ended up a tail nibbler. i will eventually have goats, but I will have them because *I* want them to be MY buddies, not to keep my horse company. I have seen some that do well with horses even with the tail and mane nibbling but the horses still seemed to much prefer the company of other horses.

Right now my colt is alone because my pony had to be put down in November and until i sell off the pony equipment I don't have money to get him a new friend. My neighbors have a QH mare who is within sight and conversation distance which is not ideal but is better then nothing. My ex husband offered me his neutered male goat but i refused despite the fact that he is a wonderful fellow (the goat not the ex) and it would be funny to say i "really got my ex's goat this time". Unless and until i can have a separate coop and fenced in area for the goat i won't be getting one (or two) not even a free one that would give me a funny story to tell.

Theoretically the goat might make a decent companion for him but I just firmly believe getting another horse will be the better choice for me and my horse. I have two horses I am considering (both pet quality registered mini horses, one a mare and one a gelding) and they want next to nothing for them. If you look around and are willing to take a pet quality or rescue horse, or perhaps a pony that is slightly taller then the mini you can probably find one to be his friend for little more then you would pay for a goat.

 

[Margaret]

Tee Hee, I have yet to see one of my Nigerian Dwarf goats nibbling on horse tails around here...in several years..

They mind their own business, and steer clear of the mini-horses out of respect..

Perhaps they are comfortable grazing side by side in the pasture together, but otherwise all the goats come running back to their little seperate sleeping quarters at the end of the day..

Someday I'll get a picture of them grazing together..

 

[Lil' Horse Lover]

I agree, you should adopt a mini horse or provide a foster home for one. There are many minis out there that are in need of good foster homes and forever homes too. Yes a goat is better then nothing but I would strongly recammend getting another mini horse or even a mini donkey (but I would recammend a mini horse over a mini donkey). Your mini would be much happier with another mini around. It doesn't even cost that much, you could get a pet quality gelding for next to nothing. Well whatever your decision is good luck! ~Anna~

 

[Rebecca]

I agree, you should adopt a mini horse or provide a foster home for one.

Thank you all, but REALLY, I am not ready for two minis right now. I am wondering what else is out there that would be a good companion.

: I know, another mini would be best, but right now that's not possible for me. Maybe I could foster one. But I need to know, WHAT ELSE IS AN OPTION????

:

 

[laughingllama75]

Hi,

Did you get the PM I sent you about goats?

Alicia

I agree, you should adopt a mini horse or provide a foster home for one.

Thank you all, but REALLY, I am not ready for two minis right now. I am wondering what else is out there that would be a good companion.

: I know, another mini would be best, but right now that's not possible for me. Maybe I could foster one. But I need to know, WHAT ELSE IS AN OPTION????

:

 

[Warpony]

Oh my gosh!!! SOOOO cute. I can't wait until I am set up to have goats again.

:

 

[Rebecca]

Hi,

Did you get the PM I sent you about goats?

Alicia

Yes, thank you VERY much, Alicia!

: It was very helpful, and I printed it out, to have close by. :bgrin I'm not so sure about the goats any more...kind of teetering on the edge between goat, or no-goat. :no:

:

THey cause lots of trouble, can't be fenced in, and spread parasites. That's not a good thing, as I have other pets as well that could end up getting lice/parasites. Not to mention the mini! So I am not really sure......Maybe fostering a mini is a good option for me.

:

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Another horse is really the only option if you want a happy horse- I have had Donkeys and Goats and believe me, given an option, the horses have nothing to do with either- and vice versa.

In fact I had to buy another Donkey to keep the first (adopted) one company as she was so lonely.

As soon as they saw one another they went straight off and stood in a bunch of stinging nettles and talked and talked and talked.

All the time she had been with the horses, Molly had only ever stood around on the fringes.

If your set up is such that you can house two horses- go for it.

If it isn't, I would wait.

 

[Rebecca]

Thanx! :aktion033: I'm sure I can figure SOMETHING out! We have ahuge, I mean H-U-G-E shed that is in beatiful condition that could easily be converted into 2 mini-sized stalls. I think I'm going with the fostering a mini!

:

 

[Warpony]

Thanx! :aktion033: I'm sure I can figure SOMETHING out! We have ahuge, I mean H-U-G-E shed that is in beatiful condition that could easily be converted into 2 mini-sized stalls. I think I'm going with the fostering a mini!

:

I think you will find that to be the best option. In my own experience taking care of a two horses isn't any more difficult or work intensive then taking care of a horse and a goat or a horse and a donkey. In some ways it is actually easier. You still have the same basic care/vet/feed issues to deal with and with something other then a second horse you also have to consider the fact that they require different sorts feed (usually).

But I would like to say i have never personally had any problem with goats causing parasite issues or lice issues in other animals and none of the people I know have had that issue either. Not saying it doesn't happen, just that I have personally never seen it. I think the risk is really slim as long as all of your animals are well cared for and kept wormed, etc like they should be anyway.

Goats can be real escape artists, though, which is reason number two why I won't have one in my horse pasture. No way would my fence keep it in.

 

[Margaret]

But I would like to say i have never personally had any problem with goats causing parasite issues or lice issues in other animals and none of the people I know have had that issue either. Not saying it doesn't happen, just that I have personally never seen it. I think the risk is really slim as long as all of your animals are well cared for and kept wormed, etc like they should be anyway.

I have to agree with Warpony on that one.. Never saw lice or parisites on my goats either..

They do need to be wormed every now and then,- just like the horses..

And although not often, every now and then, I will get a goat escapee, but they never go further than an eye shot from home, as they know where their food and comfort come from, and allways want back in..

I must say that I get as much enjoyment from my mini-goats as I do my mini- horses., but would allways choose the "same type companion"- for both as they are herd type animals, and prefer the company of their own kind.

:

 

[Mini Mouse]

Another horse is really the only option if you want a happy horse- I have had Donkeys and Goats and believe me, given an option, the horses have nothing to do with either- and vice versa.

In fact I had to buy another Donkey to keep the first (adopted) one company as she was so lonely.

As soon as they saw one another they went straight off and stood in a bunch of stinging nettles and talked and talked and talked.

All the time she had been with the horses, Molly had only ever stood around on the fringes.

If your set up is such that you can house two horses- go for it.

If it isn't, I would wait.

I have to agree with Rabbitsfizz on this. When I bought my first mini and was waiting for him to be wean, I just couldn't stand the thoughts of bringing him home alone after watching them interact with their siblings. So I bought one of his siblings too and am ever so glad I did. I think a lone mini is a very sad mini.

 

[runamuk]

When we got our first mini we could not afford the purchase price to buy two. We spent alot of time with him and he had a bunny in a hutch in his paddock right next to his stall. There were cows out back and horses down the road. I see no reason you MUST get a companion if you can dedicate the time to spend with the mini. We still have our gelding and he is the one I can count on to be gentle with non horsey people. He will pretty much do anything and go anywhere I ask him to. He now has his mare companion who has been with us for some time now as well BUT I have seen plenty of happy healthy well adjusted single horses.

As for goats......I like them..as long as they live at someone elses house :bgrin :bgrin main considerations are they can be difficult to contain, they frequently chew on manes and tails, and there is the horn issue be sure to get one that was disbudded properly or you could have spurs grow back. Nubians are huge but typically pretty gentle if handled alot. Also make sure you can feed seperately as goats and horses require different nutrition and goats can be greedy.

We had a pygmy goat that was dumped at our place he was a pain in the rear cute but a pain. I had sheep and my mini horses lived with the sheep and they all got along fine but again we had mane and tail chewing issues with the youngsters and diet issues with feeding (horse feed can kill sheep).

Mini donkey's are excellent companions and my geldings first friend was a mini donk they loved each other and often went to work together so it was an excellent arrangement. You might talk to a few goat breeders about various breeds as all have their quirks and there are quite a few breeds to choose from. Of course my mini also has lived with full sized horses in the past as well. In fact one of his good bud's was a 15.3 hand thoroughbred my gelding is a whopping 31 inches they were the best of friends.

OH have fun and enjoy your new horse

:

 

[Warpony]

And although not often, every now and then, I will get a goat escapee, but they never go further than an eye shot from home, as they know where their food and comfort come from, and allways want back in..

same here. My goat never wandered far and was always in eye shot of the barn.... the only problem being that Sarahgoatkins favorite place in eye shot from home was on top of my ex husbands brand new truck! *chuckle* and if the truck wasn't home she would wander to the big house (we were working as caretakers for a vice prez of General Motors at the time) and climb up on top of their cars. Trust me, having the wife of a vice president of general motors wake you up at 5 am to have you come get your goat off the top of her $200,000 car is NOT how you want to wake up. It is funny as heck now but at the time I was more then a little horrified. Thankfully nancy was an animal lover and she laughed about it. Goat feet can do horrible things to automobile paint jobs, lol. I very quickly figured out what kind of fence I needed to keep the little climber properly confined, and she got locked in a stall at night instead of left at pasture with a run in after that in order to prevent repeat performances.

 

[Rebecca]

So, from what I hear, goats are uncontainable, am I right??? :bgrin I'm going with 2 minis, I think...

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[Warpony]

So, from what I hear, goats are uncontainable, am I right???

hehehe, no that isn't even close to true, you just have to know how to keep them in, is all. And sometimes you have to wait for them to find the weak points in the fence and show them to you so you can plug up the holes.

The thing is, my first exposure to goats was at a friends house. her mom had a lot of goats that she kept in a single strand electric fence with no problem!!! I have NO idea how she managed to keep them from getting out, but I was never that lucky about keeping them where they belong.

 

[Margaret]

Ditto here. My goats love it here, and the only time I have had a break out is when my senior doe was in a strong heat,- and found a spot in the fence that she was able to sneek through to the neighbors boy goat on the other side. :lol:

Sad for her,... he was a weather..

:

It actually is a challenge to out smart them,- as far as escaping,.. and we have managed to do so with smarter fencing techniques.

:

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

When we got our first mini we could not afford the purchase price to buy two. We spent alot of time with him and he had a bunny in a hutch in his paddock right next to his stall. There were cows out back and horses down the road. I see no reason you MUST get a companion if you can dedicate the time to spend with the mini. We still have our gelding and he is the one I can count on to be gentle with non horsey people. He will pretty much do anything and go anywhere I ask him to. He now has his mare companion who has been with us for some time now as well BUT I have seen plenty of happy healthy well adjusted single horses.

I totally agree there are horses all over this country that are single horses and are just fine and happy healthy and well adjusted. It might not be the best situation for a baby but even then some might be fine.

It never cost me the same to feed our Neubian goat as a mini and she loved them they were always playing with the horses

I think getting one horse and seeing if you are ok with the time, responsibility and money then look at getting 2 you surely dont have to rush into a purchase as big and life changing as a horse (or 2) quickly.

I am sure you will enjoy your new horse cant wait to see pics!