Entirely New

[Kendra H]

Hey there all!

I stumbled across your forum while looking for information regarding our lovely little miniatures!

After having a fall out with the "big" horses I decided to look into Miniatures. It was kind of a whim because I jokingly told my Mom I'd bought a Pregnant Miniature Mare. She didn't seem bothered at all, quite intrigued actually... So instead I came clean and just told her I wanted to look into them. I'd just bought a mare that came up with Osteoarthritis and dumped $4k into her and can't even get her out on a free lease. I was so burnt out from horses I couldn't use after I lost my mare two years ago. I was just tired of trying to find something and feeling "obligated" to ride.

I went to look at one, came home with two, and my friend even bought one... Fortunately all are from Registered parents where the Sire or both parents have shown extensively. I will get you their registered names when I track down their transfer papers...

"Swagger" - is my colt. He's 10 months old, I'm indifferent as to what my future plans are with him. He is a very respectable colt that isn't mouthy and is very responsive.

Yes, his hooves are needing to be done terribly. I can't get a farrier to answer my calls either =/

"Little One" - My Mom liked, she's quite smart and very dependent on her handler. She's bold though, willing to try everything with little resistance. I could see her being a decent "trail class" kind of girl.

"Sierra" - Is my friends filly. I've been told she has Sabino in her. She sometimes reminds me of a bimbo, but on the contrary she is INCREDIBLY smart. She's the kind that is going to look for ways to outsmart you. She has come a long way, still very skittish, but both the girls are. Swagger is pretty "real" with people.

Thus far I have all three of them leading very well. I constantly rub on them and their stall looks like a circus wagon. I've been working on picking up their feet for when I finally find a farrier willing to take them. When I purchased them they barely knew a halter, but would "lead" when we took them off the trailer. Probably just a follow the leader kind of deal.

I am looking for input on the following:

- Worming - schedule, frequency, what to avoid.

- Teeth - Frequency

- Shots - Frequency, numbers, what to avoid.

- Basic What To Do's

- Basic What NOT to Do's

I'm also looking for basic 'aids' when training these boogers. I've owned horses since I was 4 years old and I'm now 22, so I've had plenty of experience with the big horses... These little guys can be a trip. As I mentioned they're all leading wonderfully and I'm working on "stand" and other verbal cues. They're fast learners and we rarely have a bad day, but when we do I'm like every other human being and thinking I'm doing something wrong.

I look forward to interacting with you all

 

[Royal Crescent]

Congratulations on your new minis. You did not say what state you are in. Try finding out if there is a local miniature horse club. I get their teeth checked every year. Shots every year. I have done the 5way plus West Nile buy I also am going to add rabies this year. Get on a good worming program too. I am still learning all the time after having minis for over 5 years. Are you going to be showing?

 

[chandab]

In general, they are still horses, so require all the same basics of a full-size horse with a few exceptions or modifications.

Obviously, they will be fed less feed than a full-size horse; this one might be the hardest to get used to coming from big horses, that flake of hay instead of half a bale can be hard to get used to. But, just like big horses they should be fed by weight based on their weight, a good place to start is 2% of their body weight per day (all feed, most of which should be forage). There is a weight chart and also a weight formula on the LB info pages, I find the formula a little more accurate than the chart, you can find it here: http://www.lilbeginnings.com/info/ The chart is under the Misc category.

Worming is the same schedule as your full-size horses, except absolutely do not use Quest (moxidectin) on minis; the safety margin is way to small and absorption method doesn't work well with mini size and metabolism.

As to training, pretty much all the same training techniques can be used on minis with perhaps a few modifications for their size. Beware, its easy to spoil them, as they are so cute and little, but they can still hurt you if they aren't taught manners and basic skills that all horses should know.

As far as I know, vaccines are the same for minis as full-size; so consult your vet for what is recommended for your area.

I can only think of one more thing, and it sounds like you already know... Minis are like potato chips, you can't have just one.

 

[REO]

Welcome to the forum and to minis!

THIS is the best place to be!

Yup, don't use Quest wormer. There are some differences to caring for minis, but basicly it's all the same as big horses. Minis teeth should be checked more often. I think their feet might grow faster. Read the info pages and people here are always here to help!

Here's more info http://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/index.php?showforum=8

Again, welcome!

 

[wildoak]

Welcome and congratulations on your new herd!

I saw your pics on another forum earlier, did not see the little dark pinto filly, she's very cute. Most of your questions have been answered but I'll add - on teeth they do need to be checked a little more regularly than big horses and not all vets are equipped to float them. Be sure you find a dental tech or vet who is equipped with smaller floats and the knowledge/experience to use them.

Jan

 

[Marty]

Congratulations. I think when you shave this group off this spring you will find some very fancy horses under all that fur. Looks like you are having a blast already. You didn't mention if Swagger was a gelding or not as I see he's in with the mares. I give vaccinations once a year, every spring and de-worming every other month rotating wormers. Feet are trimmed every 7-8 weeks. I feed Purina miniature horse and pony food and I feed hay year round and pasture daily. I'm careful about over exposure to spring grass for fear of founder so pasture is limited at that time. Everyone is stalled at night and always during bad storms or bad weather. Good luck and best wishes. You've got some cuties there.

 

[Riverrose28]

Hello, and Welcome from Southern Maryland!

 

[LindaL]

Welcome from Florida and congrats on your new Minis!

Others have given you some great info. I just want to expand on Marty's statement about whether your boy is gelded or not. While all are only yearlings, it is possible (however slim the chances are) to breed and get the fillies pregnant, so I would separate them if he is not gelded.

You will have a blast with them!

 

[wingnut]

Welcome to the wonderful world of miniatures...and this board! There is simply nothing like these little ones of ours, is there?

My words of advice:

Find a good vet who hopefully has SOME miniature experience.

Worming: Our vet has recommended we stick with rotational worming based on the number of horses we have (6) and the small area we keep them in (1/4 acre dry lot and 1 acre pasture). There are many people who are moving away from rotational worming though.

Training: One key is to keep in mind that these are horses and not some other species, like a dog. Don't allow them to do anything you wouldn't allow a big 1000-1200lb horse to do. Just because they're small doesn't mean they should be allowed to have bad habits.

There are others here who have much more experience and can provide more input. You're further along in the game than I was in 2009 when we got our first miniature. We had never owned any sized horse. This board provided me with a ton of great information and input.

 

[little lady]

Hello, from Southern Illinois!

You have been given some great advise so far. I would just like to add, I too like you grew up around big horses and now have 3 miniatures. What I have found to be the most difficult is feeding. After trying a couple different feeds I am now feeding purina miniature horse and pony and they seem to be doing well on it(it has been about 5 months, in spring I will be better to tell). Be careful with pasture. If they need anything for pain never use Bute, again due to the safety margin. Breeding is not for the faint of heart, they have far more problems than big horses so if you have thoughts of breeding and foaling please think about it twice. Many mini owners shave their miniatures come early summer. I have noticed mine have thicker coats than my big horse. These are just a few things that have come to my mind. This is a great bunch of people that have tons of very useful information to share. Take some time to navigate around and when in doubt ask. Enjoy your cute

little ones, they are a ton of fun!!!

 

[targetsmom]

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of minis! I too come from "big" horses and have found that you can do almost anything with minis that you can with big horses (except ride them, of course) and a lot of things you CAN'T do with big horses, such as take them into nursing homes. I am starting a 4-H Club with miniatures and realize that the kids will get get very valuable horse experience a lot more safely than they would with big horses. And I also found that driving gives me all the riding fix I need!

You have gotten great advice so far but I will add my 2 cents. A lot of farriers don't like to trim minis because they have to bend over farther to do them, which is harder on the back. Plus many have encountered not-so-well-trained minis and I don't blame them for not wanting to deal with them. Some people let minis get away with things they would never accept in a bigger animal because they don't see them as dangerous. You might have better luck finding a farrier if you can assure him/her that your minis are well-mannered.

Regarding breeding: Yes, your colt could get the filly pregnant at this age - unlikely but possible. Please separate them ASAP or better yet, geld him. I know our experience with breeding can not be the norm, but after 5 years of breeding 3 mares (total of 13 breedings) we got 2 live foals and one of them has since died. In 2010 our vet bills on 12 minis were over $18,000.

 

[MindyLee]

Hello from mid Michigan!

Watch out these little ones are addictive! I started out with 1, and only wanted 6 total, I have 8 with 3 of them prego! LOL

 

[Kendra H]

You all have been a wealth of information, thank you graciously for answering my questions and contributing information outside of them.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break">

Regarding Swagger and being kept with the fillies he has long since been separated. The pictures I shared was the day I got them home. They spent a week or so together before I finally separated them. Naturally he's quite upset about it. The stalls I have them in are full blown horse stalls, so they can't see each other, but they certainly can hear him hollering.

I can easily see how addictive they can be. I only intended to come home with one

Originally I bought Swagger because he was so somber and "down to earth" that I felt he'd be ideal for a Therapy Horse, but he's a bit bigger than I wanted. I think "Little One" will be more suitable

I definitely foresee seeking advice when it comes up and it's great to have such a friendly and helpeful group!

Thank you!!

 

[Mareish Mom]

Where in Virginia are you? I am located outside of Richmond and have a farrier that does my mini too who is very reliable. If you are near Richmond I can recommend him to you.

 

[Kendra H]

Where in Virginia are you? I am located outside of Richmond and have a farrier that does my mini too who is very reliable. If you are near Richmond I can recommend him to you.

I'm located in Fredericksburg/Hartwood area. Richmond is roughly 45 minutes from me on a good day

 

[valshingle]

Welcome, welcome!

I also came to the minis from the big horse world.

As many of the other posters said, minis are like potato chips - you can't just have one....or two... or three...

As has been said, don't use Quest, use Banamine instead of Bute, find a vet that either has experience with minis or is open to learn about them. There are several good books about minis out there. If your minis are registered, join the club that they are registered in (I didn't read all the posts to see if they are or aren't) so you can get the club's magazine and learn even more. See if there is a local club near you to find more people to learn from. As with anything else, there is a big learning curve in the beginning, even if you are experienced with big horses.

Welcome to the forum family and the world of miniatures!