Companions for your minis
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Charlotte
Well-Known Member
Barn cats! Lots of barn cats.
: We have 7.....bottle babies, a rescue or two. Spayed and castrated which we think will keep us from having anymore, but then someone dumps another one. They love to sleep with the horses. But honestly, another mini is the best companion.
Charlotte
Charlotte
^T-bird89^
Well-Known Member
Well, naturally, another horse would be best, as horses are herd animals. However, if you cannot afford another, a small pygmy goat could work. A friend of ours had a single horse and a pygmy goat to keep her company and they did fine together. However, after he sold his horse and goat to us, and the horse had the company of other horses, she completely ignored her previous buddy even though the goat would constantly call to her and try to get her attention. So, if there is no possibility of getting another horse currently and there aren't others in sight, a goat could be enough for company, even if they don't really bond it would be better than nothing. We actually heard of a story where a full sized show horse bonded with a full sized boar :new_rofl: ...not on purpose, as the horse was supposed to bond with a goat for traveling to shows. Anyhow, it bonded with this giant pig and the owners had to trailer the pig everywhere the horse went in order to keep the horse relaxed or it would literally flip out. It sounded kind of funny to me. lol.
As for not being able to understand each other if they are different animal, i am not sure if that is true. I'm sure they can communicate somewhat with each other- otherwise how can they understand us and we understand when another animal is scared etc. However, my stud completely ignores the donkeys and won't even smeel them through the fence- just passes right on by and smells the other minis. However, he was very interest in saying hello to Eve, who is a mule. Its odd....so i have no idea how that works.
Good Luck
As for not being able to understand each other if they are different animal, i am not sure if that is true. I'm sure they can communicate somewhat with each other- otherwise how can they understand us and we understand when another animal is scared etc. However, my stud completely ignores the donkeys and won't even smeel them through the fence- just passes right on by and smells the other minis. However, he was very interest in saying hello to Eve, who is a mule. Its odd....so i have no idea how that works.
Good Luck
Do you think the mini would do alright if I spent LOTS of time with him/her????
Girrawheen
Well-Known Member
New Mini Owner
I added info about my Alpacas on page 1. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. :bgrin
I added info about my Alpacas on page 1. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. :bgrin
K
kaykay
Guest
Ive been reading this and holding back on posting. But I do think its important to think of all issues of a horse alone. i used to own a llama and she wanted nothing to do with the horses and they wanted nothing to do with her. A cat really isnt going to go out and spend time with a horse in the pasture or play with it.
I have found that horses kept alone (especially stallions) get aggressive and start to have a lot of behavior problems. Young horses kept alone have trouble meshing with horses when they get older as they havent learned the nuance of horse language. Brutus our current rescue has been kept alone for 2 years (since 6 months of age) He has no clue on how to act with other horses. We are slowly teaching him that he cant do horse behavior with humans and letting him watch the herd of horses across the way. The first day we brought him home he went crazy when he saw horses. He was sooo excited! Hopefully as his training (and he gets gelded) progresses we can slowly introduce him to being with other horses. Im hoping as he watches my herd interact he is picking up on the some of the subtle horse language.
I would never tell anyone that wasnt ready for a 2nd horse to buy one. But on the other hand I would never say that keeping a horse alone is a good thing. Can it be done? Absolutely. Is it what is best for the horse? That is what you will have to decide
I have found that horses kept alone (especially stallions) get aggressive and start to have a lot of behavior problems. Young horses kept alone have trouble meshing with horses when they get older as they havent learned the nuance of horse language. Brutus our current rescue has been kept alone for 2 years (since 6 months of age) He has no clue on how to act with other horses. We are slowly teaching him that he cant do horse behavior with humans and letting him watch the herd of horses across the way. The first day we brought him home he went crazy when he saw horses. He was sooo excited! Hopefully as his training (and he gets gelded) progresses we can slowly introduce him to being with other horses. Im hoping as he watches my herd interact he is picking up on the some of the subtle horse language.
I would never tell anyone that wasnt ready for a 2nd horse to buy one. But on the other hand I would never say that keeping a horse alone is a good thing. Can it be done? Absolutely. Is it what is best for the horse? That is what you will have to decide
CelticLady1
Member
Do you think the mini would do alright if I spent LOTS of time with him/her????
: Oh, by the way, anybody use llamas or alpacas??? :bgrin
Well, I'm a new mini owner, also, (I got mine in December), and I understand your concerns. I'm not in a position to have another mini, at least not now, so I worried alot about companionship for him, in the beginning. However, my best friend, (who has had horses for the last ten years), assured me he would be fine. So far, he seems to be alright. I am fortunate that I don't have to work, (outside the home :bgrin ), so I can pop out into the backyard whenever I want, even if it's just to scratch his neck, talk to him, or just watch him eat for awhile. Even now, I still sometimes worry, a little, about his not having eqine companionship, but he gets alot of attention from me, and I have three dogs that he gets along with, especially my Jack Russell/Rat Terrier mix. They play alot, together. My friend also brings over her mini, on occasion, to visit, which gets him all excited! While I realize that the ideal situation would be for him to be around others of his own kind, he seems to be reasonably content. And, as my friend pointed out to me, he is bonding with me much more quickly than he would if I had another horse, that he would, more than likely, prefer to bond with. So, if he wants attention, he doesn't have much choice, but to look to me for his companionship.
Well, I'm a new mini owner, also, (I got mine in December), and I understand your concerns. I'm not in a position to have another mini, at least not now, so I worried alot about companionship for him, in the beginning. However, my best friend, (who has had horses for the last ten years), assured me he would be fine. So far, he seems to be alright. I am fortunate that I don't have to work, (outside the home :bgrin ), so I can pop out into the backyard whenever I want, even if it's just to scratch his neck, talk to him, or just watch him eat for awhile. Even now, I still sometimes worry, a little, about his not having eqine companionship, but he gets alot of attention from me, and I have three dogs that he gets along with, especially my Jack Russell/Rat Terrier mix. They play alot, together. My friend also brings over her mini, on occasion, to visit, which gets him all excited! While I realize that the ideal situation would be for him to be around others of his own kind, he seems to be reasonably content. And, as my friend pointed out to me, he is bonding with me much more quickly than he would if I had another horse, that he would, more than likely, prefer to bond with. So, if he wants attention, he doesn't have much choice, but to look to me for his companionship.
T
Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too
Guest
It depends on what you mean by lots of time. The more time spent the better than using any companion animal to do the job however it is human nature to eventually spend less and less time once the newness of it all wears off unless you are truly one of the horse obsessed. I spend a minimum of 6 hours every week day and 12-14 Sat and Sun 365 days a year with mine but I have six to care for and two in training. Is it enough? IMO no but then I do have to sleep and work to support them sometimeDo you think the mini would do alright if I spent LOTS of time with him/her????: Oh, by the way, anybody use llamas or alpacas??? :bgrin
You may find that when you have any kind of livestock that vacations, family time and "me" time goes on the back burner more often than not. I keep mine in a herd situation with the minis and a semi herd situation with my full-sized mares but they all have each other's company when I'm not around to fill in the gaps and are better behaved because of it.
Kay brings up a good point that behavior issues may become a factor as well and that is something to keep in the back of your mind should you choose to keep the horse alone or with another animal not of it's own kind. However, I expect that some of these new mini owners will soon be back to the board with questions how to control biting, kicking and disrespectful behavior whether the companion issue has been addressed or not.
If you are considering llamas or alpacas it could be even worse for a new owner situation. As I said before then you will have an added learning curve for them as well as a mini. In some parts of the country they are much more expensive to buy than minis, still eat, still need vetting, still need attention and care. Any animal is going to have it's needs, there is no such thing as a no care animal. So if you can afford a llama or alpaca another mini would still be the better choice.
Perhaps you could join a local club and get to know some of the members. They might have a pasture ornament you could free lease as a companion. That way you would always have an out if your horse didn't get along with it and would only have to supply the basics. We found a free lease elderly pony gelding for my daughter's Welsh mare who remained with us for many years until he passed away. We had several more horses by that time so companionship was no longer an issue.
Girrawheen
Well-Known Member
kay kay raises a very good point here
I do not have a choice in regards to getting another mini at the present time and the Alpacas were already with us before I got my mini (so they are here to stay).
I do also believe that two different species of animal can communicate just like humans are able to communicate with horses etc however, I guess it is a matter of finding exactly the right combination of animals that "click" together.
Just like humans can often not get on with other humans, I feel the same can be said with horses or any animal. I am lucky in my situation that it "works" but if I were to have two totally different Alpacas from the ones I currently have, it may very well not work and I would be forced to deal with the situation.
This is just my opinion and it may or may not work for you New Mini Owner, but for now it has been a very positive experience for me personally.
Good luck.
I am concerned about this, as although my little man has his mum and the Alpacas as companions at the moment, his mum will be leaving our property in about two months from now once he has weaned.
I do not have a choice in regards to getting another mini at the present time and the Alpacas were already with us before I got my mini (so they are here to stay).
Luckily that is not a issue for me personally as my mini has bonded extremely well with the Alpacas, and them to him. They really are beautiful together and my mini often chooses to graze and or rest with them over his own mum in different areas of the paddock (so I believe that is saying something).
I do also believe that two different species of animal can communicate just like humans are able to communicate with horses etc however, I guess it is a matter of finding exactly the right combination of animals that "click" together.
Just like humans can often not get on with other humans, I feel the same can be said with horses or any animal. I am lucky in my situation that it "works" but if I were to have two totally different Alpacas from the ones I currently have, it may very well not work and I would be forced to deal with the situation.
This is just my opinion and it may or may not work for you New Mini Owner, but for now it has been a very positive experience for me personally.
Good luck.
Magic
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This sounds like an excellent idea, if at all possible. It sounds as if you have the room and financial resources for housing and feeding two animals of similar size (or larger) since you are considering llamas and alpacas and this would be ideal.
That said, I sold a weanling filly to a lady, it was her first miniature and at the time her only miniature. She was a stay-at-home mom at the time and spent lots of time with the filly and they bonded very strongly, and she also had two dogs that spent a lot of time at the fence with the filly, and played with her when she was turned out in the yard (which was daily). The filly didn't get to have horse companions until she was three years old. She WAS ecstatic when she got her new friends though.
IMO horses *can* do fine with cats, dogs, people, etc, as their primary companiions, but I would also hope that they would eventually be able to have a horse companion as well.
Warpony
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this is an issue I have been having with Sparrow since Jamie died. With me being his only playmate he has tried to treat me like a horse and I have had to be very strict with him. I'm also concerned about him "forgetting" how to speak horse as he was only 7 months old when Jamie died. I wanted to get him a friend right away because it was never my intention to keep a single horse but until this pony equipment sells I don't have much other choice. I just hope the chatting he does over the fence rows with the neighbors mare is enough to keep him "speaking horse" fluently.
Without another horse to help teach him manners I've found I have to be very firm with him at times to remind him I expect him to be respectful of me... Much more so then I ever had to be when he had his "big brother" out there making him behave.
I dont know if was metionened yet so I will step up and go for it -- When I got my mini (comanachee) I had pgymy goats, but after couple of months i felt bad and found him a lil companion that spoke horse --- then ___I (read Idiot here LOL) went out and let someone talk me into a donkey -- Size isnt the problem and they get along wonderful. BUT I walked out one morn and Comanchee had a half a tail and his compaion Angel Had NO TAIL :new_shocked: Yesterday I walked out and seen the donk had took to nibbling on Manes!!!! :no: I love them all
: but sometimes ya just want to shoot the donk!
:
SuziB
Well-Known Member
More minis!
SuziB
SuziB
Yey! :aktion033: My problems are solved at last!!!! :bgrin My neighbors own an older horse that also needs a buddy, so they (since they are so very kind people) have agreed that we should keep the 2 together, meaning at least where they can see each other. The paddock they have (one of the paddocks, that is) is easily seen and about 40-50 feet from my house! I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before! 
My mini will now be a happy boy/girl, and when I get him/her, I will surely post pictures on a different topic!
: Thank you all for the help!
:
My mini will now be a happy boy/girl, and when I get him/her, I will surely post pictures on a different topic!
laughingllama75
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:aktion033: :aktion033: :aktion033: Hooray for you and your mini!!!!
Alicia
Alicia
Warpony
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this is an excellent solution!!!Yey! :aktion033: My problems are solved at last!!!! :bgrin My neighbors own an older horse that also needs a buddy, so they (since they are so very kind people) have agreed that we should keep the 2 together, meaning at least where they can see each other. The paddock they have (one of the paddocks, that is) is easily seen and about 40-50 feet from my house! I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before!: Thank you all for the help!:
In fact it is basically what I am doing right now, my little guy is in sight and sound distance of my neighbors horse and while he really would rather have a friend he can trade scratches with having her close by seems to give him something to do and someone to chat with. His favorite pass time is trotting along the fence showing off and trying to impress her. She doesn't seem at all impressed with him, though. hehe.
Thank you for encouragement and advice!!! I am so happy and excited now that everything is pretty much set! I've already started shopping, and I'm working on the stall right now!!! YIPPEE!!! :bgrin It's going to work out, the mini will be happy, and that's the point, I wouldn't want an unhappy mini! I can t wait until April!!!!!!! :aktion033: :aktion033: :aktion033: :aktion033:
Warpony
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that is the hardest part, waiting, hehehe. I bought mine when he was 4 weeks old and had to wait until he was weaned to bring him home. That was the longest three months of my life.
Oh that's wonderful news!
I have been going through exactly the same dilemma. I have been worrying about my little colt and some company for him. There is a 37 inch black gelding right at my back fence, backing onto Bailey's paddock. The owner came walking over yesterday to introduce himself and I suggested the two horses 'play together' once they get to know each other through the fence.
This little black gelding 'Dasher' has a wonderful nature and I'm hoping he can teach Bailey some 'big boy manners' once I get him home. WE are thinking of building a gate between the two properties to make moving them from paddock to paddock easier.
Like you, I am excited about finding him a buddy. The answers were right under our noses!
It's so hard waiting and waiting for your horse. Do you get to go and spend anytime bonding with him now? It's really important to build up a relationship with him I believe.
Good luck, I am so happy for you. :aktion033:
I have been going through exactly the same dilemma. I have been worrying about my little colt and some company for him. There is a 37 inch black gelding right at my back fence, backing onto Bailey's paddock. The owner came walking over yesterday to introduce himself and I suggested the two horses 'play together' once they get to know each other through the fence.
This little black gelding 'Dasher' has a wonderful nature and I'm hoping he can teach Bailey some 'big boy manners' once I get him home. WE are thinking of building a gate between the two properties to make moving them from paddock to paddock easier.
Like you, I am excited about finding him a buddy. The answers were right under our noses!
It's so hard waiting and waiting for your horse. Do you get to go and spend anytime bonding with him now? It's really important to build up a relationship with him I believe.
Good luck, I am so happy for you. :aktion033:
