does size matter

[denielle johns]

does the height matter when showing minis at the 4h level? I have been told the smaller the better and I was told the taller ones are better. I would think conformation not size wins. We are looking for a baby to do 4h production with but who knows we may end up doing breed shows as well. I am not into selling to upgrade so I want this buy to be with us forever and dont want to make any mistakes. However we have AQHA show horses and 6 horses over the age of 25 that do need special care, so I cant spend alot on a mini. so we are searching the auctions and rescues till we find our baby. Any opinions and tips on what we should be looking for?

 

[mydaddysjag]

I showed 4H until I aged out. In 2007 I had the PA state champion yearling gelding, and he was 35" as a yearling. Many people told me the little ones were all the judges placed, but those people happened to be the competition, and were showing the small A sized horses. I think they just wanted to get under my skin. What state do you live in?

 

[chandab]

Where you live will have some bearing on size and such, as some areas don't have shows for both registeries, so you'll want to find out which registry has shows in your area (you might be lucky and your area has both, where I live its AMHR only and they are quite a distance from me). If you let us know what state you live, someone will know if there are registry shows in your area. If you are looking for a mini for a production project, you might not be able to go with a rescue, as most rescues have a no breeding clause. [Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you mean by production.] If I misunderstand what you mean by production and you won't be using the mini for breeding purposes, then perhaps Chances Miniature Horse Rescue (CMHR) will have a mini available that fits your needs/wants.

http://www.chancesminihorserescue.org/index.htm

Personally, I like the B-size minis (34-38"), so have mostly AMHR registered minis. I do have one small stallion and I'm looking to get a couple smaller mares for him, I just love the little booger.

 

[mydaddysjag]

Production in 4H is like a halter class, but they only go up to 3 years old. Its not breeding of the actual horse your showing, just the "production" of raising it up from a baby. When I showed production, you were required to keep very detailed records of your horse expences, daily time grooming, exercizing, and caring for, training logs, etc. I do believe chances has a colt who would do very very well at the 4H level, but I dont think hes registered (I considered scooping him up for my little cousin to show 4H, but then had a large unexpected vet bill, and financially, I just cant take another on right now)

 

[Tremor]

In my experience showing the judges in my area (older QH lovers) want a miniature that look like a horse. They HATE miniatures. So more confo than anything else.

I personally like B-class miniatures because for me they're easier to handle. I won Reserve Grand Champion with my B-Class yearling gelding. Its never been done by a miniature before either!

 

[denielle johns]

Where you live will have some bearing on size and such, as some areas don't have shows for both registeries, so you'll want to find out which registry has shows in your area (you might be lucky and your area has both, where I live its AMHR only and they are quite a distance from me). If you let us know what state you live, someone will know if there are registry shows in your area. If you are looking for a mini for a production project, you might not be able to go with a rescue, as most rescues have a no breeding clause. [Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you mean by production.] If I misunderstand what you mean by production and you won't be using the mini for breeding purposes, then perhaps Chances Miniature Horse Rescue (CMHR) will have a mini available that fits your needs/wants.

http://www.chancesmi...e.org/index.htm

Personally, I like the B-size minis (34-38"), so have mostly AMHR registered minis. I do have one small stallion and I'm looking to get a couple smaller mares for him, I just love the little booger.

 

[denielle johns]

No we wont be breeding. production is babies raised by the 4h kids, it just has to be under the age of 3. we wanted a weanling so the kids could be a large part of its training.

 

[Riverrose28]

We have been showing in 4-H since 1986, three generations of us. My Grandson and daughter just went to the last show of the circiut yesterday. We show "A" and "B" size minis at these shows and they do very well even under quarter horse judges. For three years in a row my Grandsons gelding has been high point conformation horse competeing against all breeds out of 7 conformation classes. This year his gelding is on the top again, and his mare should top out in the top five, points haven't been posted yet for yesterdays show. Our yearling is going to be Champion in the 2 and under division shown by my daughter, as she won't stand still for my grandson. Last year at our tri-county fair my Grandsons gelding was Champion of Champions, so cute to see him showing in the middle of a 16 hand gelding and large quarter mare. Our Tri-county fair is this coming weekend. We are in Maryland, where are you?

 

[denielle johns]

We have been showing in 4-H since 1986, three generations of us. My Grandson and daughter just went to the last show of the circiut yesterday. We show "A" and "B" size minis at these shows and they do very well even under quarter horse judges. For three years in a row my Grandsons gelding has been high point conformation horse competeing against all breeds out of 7 conformation classes. This year his gelding is on the top again, and his mare should top out in the top five, points haven't been posted yet for yesterdays show. Our yearling is going to be Champion in the 2 and under division shown by my daughter, as she won't stand still for my grandson. Last year at our tri-county fair my Grandsons gelding was Champion of Champions, so cute to see him showing in the middle of a 16 hand gelding and large quarter mare. Our Tri-county fair is this coming weekend. We are in Maryland, where are you?

 

[denielle johns]

We are in PA about 40 miles east of pittsburgh

 

[Sandee]

You've gotten good advice here. Check around your state or just go to the AMHR & A sites on the web to see what shows are in your state. Quite often it's one or the other. Very few states are lucky enough to have both registries with shows in their area. If you are thinking about moving into breed shows after 4H that will affect your choice. It's been my experience that many of the large horse judges will pick minis that look more like big horses. Each to their own and the judges are getting better at judging minis.

You and your kids will really enjoy "bringing up baby". I did this with one of the minis I got and she is simply the best! She will do anything I ask of her because she trusts me so completely.

 

[chandab]

Production in 4H is like a halter class, but they only go up to 3 years old. Its not breeding of the actual horse your showing, just the "production" of raising it up from a baby. When I showed production, you were required to keep very detailed records of your horse expences, daily time grooming, exercizing, and caring for, training logs, etc. I do believe chances has a colt who would do very very well at the 4H level, but I dont think hes registered (I considered scooping him up for my little cousin to show 4H, but then had a large unexpected vet bill, and financially, I just cant take another on right now)

When I was in 4-H, the only thing like that was called "Colt to Maturity", and included under-saddle training.

 

[roxy's_mom]

From what I've heard about the minis that make it to the 4-h states here in PA size doesn't seem to matter much, just conformation. I've seen pictures of small ones winning and also taller ones doing just a well so I think it's all about the horse and handler. Since you live in PA, we mostly have AMHR shows near us - AMHA you have to travel at least 6 hours to get to one, if you possibly plan to show in the rated shows once your horse is done with 4-h production. We have alot of mini breeders here in PA - just check out the Small Horse Connect for the list of breeders in our state. There's a farm I know of right now that's got some weanlings for sale closer to where you're located at - the farm is located in Titusville. If you're interested in contacting them let me know and I'll give you their phone number.

Good luck in your search for a baby! It's alot of fun building their trust and teaching them things! I raised my one mini from a weanling and she's the best horse I could ever owned - got alot of ribbons and trophies with her!

Becky M.

 

[mydaddysjag]

your fairly local to me, im 40 minutes south of Pittsburgh in a little town called Belle Vernon. Im still pretty familiar with the 4H scene, I boarded at a barn that was big into showing 4H and just left there in September. When I was showing, the judges liked minis that had good conformation, and looked like big horses. When they placed the smaller horses, they were still placing the leggy smaller horses. As long as the horse has good conformation, you have a pretty good chance. The big thing with 4H production is making sure that you have your horse presented top notch. Even when showing them at halter, have the same "precision" and confidence as you would with showmanship.

As far as showing in our area, there aren't any close AMHA shows, but we do have a few AMHR shows. We have one in early May in Valencia (near butler), then there are two in Randolph Ohio that's about 2 hours away, and one in Hookstown. Im pretty sure its Valencia in May, Randolph in june and july, and Hookstown in august. In our area the B sized AMHR horses are pretty popular, and even the double registered AMHR/ASPC ones.

If you decide that you might be interested in a gelding, they are excellent first show horses, and there are gelding incentives. Often, if you buy your horse privately through a breeder, you can get a reduced price if you sign a gelding contract.

 

[denielle johns]

your fairly local to me, im 40 minutes south of Pittsburgh in a little town called Belle Vernon. Im still pretty familiar with the 4H scene, I boarded at a barn that was big into showing 4H and just left there in September. When I was showing, the judges liked minis that had good conformation, and looked like big horses. When they placed the smaller horses, they were still placing the leggy smaller horses. As long as the horse has good conformation, you have a pretty good chance. The big thing with 4H production is making sure that you have your horse presented top notch. Even when showing them at halter, have the same "precision" and confidence as you would with showmanship.

As far as showing in our area, there aren't any close AMHA shows, but we do have a few AMHR shows. We have one in early May in Valencia (near butler), then there are two in Randolph Ohio that's about 2 hours away, and one in Hookstown. Im pretty sure its Valencia in May, Randolph in june and july, and Hookstown in august. In our area the B sized AMHR horses are pretty popular, and even the double registered AMHR/ASPC ones.

If you decide that you might be interested in a gelding, they are excellent first show horses, and there are gelding incentives. Often, if you buy your horse privately through a breeder, you can get a reduced price if you sign a gelding contract.

 

[denielle johns]

I would just like to thank everyone for all the great tips. We will post a pic of our baby when we find her!!!