Five things you would tell a new mini owner...

[Miniv]

If you are looking for a companion/pet mini be sure to check out Chances Miniature Horse Rescue. They have a website with pictures of horses ready for adoption. Every horse goes through a fostering and is not made available until they have been handled and are in good health.

Thought I'd also add..... stay away from giving Bute for pain to your mini. Bute has been known to give minis ulcers very rapidly.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

You beat me to it!!

ADOPT!!!

No need to "buy" per se, (although obviously there will be an adoption fee, and anything you can give above and beyond....)

 

[chandab]

currently in the preperation and planning phase, making sure everything at home is ready before we bring them home. We plan on keeping them on a dry lot with a run-in shelter set up - I am curious, what do you guys think of slow feeders for minis, feeding free choice hay year round? I would imagine it is dependant on the mini, but I do like to keep horses as natural to their grazing nature and digestive needs as possible.

Slow feeders are an excellent idea for minis, but be warned they are such smart little guys, some can out smart slow feeders and eat faster than you'd expect from a slow feeder.

I will wait and see the individual needs of the specific horses we get but I don't plan to add grain to their diet unless/until they are in constistent work...is this advisable? They will of course have mineral blocks but I did see someone mention their protein needs...is there a good supplement for this?

If you plan to feed straight grass hay/pasture, then, Alfalfa pellets are a good way to add extra protein (how much will depend on the size of the mini). Or a good ration balancer (vit/min/protein, usually comes as a pellet, to balance forage fed).

How often do you generally go between farrier visits for minis?

My farrier is here every 4 weeks for a special needs mare, every one else is on a basic 8 week cycle.

We have no intentions of showing, just looking for pleasure pets so most likely will be wanting to start with geldings, preferably at least one who is an experienced driving horse (we do plan on getting two). Would it be better to look for two geldings, or a mare and a gelding? Prefer not to have two mares, just a personal preference. And lastly, does anyone do clicker training with their mini(s)?

As long as they get along, personally, I don't think it matters whether its two geldings or a mare and a gelding.
As to my 5 things, that's a tough one for me, and probably repeats many of previous things:

1. research before buy, you're already at the best place for mini research, LB

2. No Quest (moxidectin), be very careful using bute (know your mini's weight, its often overdosed)

3. Its hard to have just one, as they say minis are just like potato chips, you can't have just one

4. Mini or not, they are still horses, treat them as such, they are no forage eating dogs (this gets many new owners into trouble).

5. Don't go buy everything under the sun for sale for minis, buy only what you really need.

I'm sure there are more, but that's a good start.

 

[Helicopter]

Probably all been said but here's 2 more, well 1 really.

1. Don't let your heart rule your head

2. Try not to end up with 23 little ones that you will love dearly but will wear you out.

 

[Magic Marker Minis]

Here's what you DON'T want to do:

1) Never trust anyone to 'take care of the papers later.' I did this. I was given four mares without the proper AMHA lease agreement but was later given part ownership of them, but still without the proper AMHA lease agreement, AND, this person is also 'persona non grata' with AMHA, so even if I did get the joint lease agreement, I still couldn't register any foals... Ended up giving away 2 of them... One of them I can hardship if she passes inspection because as far as I'm concerned she lost ownership when she didn't honor her portion of the contract. (She's a Buckeroo granddaughter and a Buckeroo Bonsai daughter). The other one is already DNA'd under the previous owner's name so I'm f*cked. This one doesn't have much of a pedigree but she has great conformation and passes it on... Unfortunately, she's 19 years old... and I can't get the previous owner to return my calls and I know exactly where she lives!

2) Read the fine print on AMHA... Make sure the horse was brought permanent by the time they are 3 years old... Failed to check this and the previous owner got all over me for not bringing the stallion permanent when she was actually the person who should have done it. This stallion was five years old by the time I got him and none of his AMHA babies had been registered (he was brought perm in AMHR... probably because it's a lot cheaper to bring a horse permanent with them.) I was new at this and didn't read the fine print.

3) Never buy color! I've done this. I failed to look beyond 'smoky grulla' and got the above stallion with an ugly head... Luckily, he does not pass that ugly onto his babies. The rest of him is fine.

4) Don't 'buy' pedigree. Look beyond the fancy papers at the horse itself.

5) And, above all, don't overextend yourself. Make sure you have money in the bank in case of emergencies...

 

[chandab]

Here's what you DON'T want to do:

2) Read the fine print on AMHA... Make sure the horse was brought permanent by the time they are 3 years old... Failed to check this and the previous owner got all over me for not bringing the stallion permanent when she was actually the person who should have done it. This stallion was five years old by the time I got him and none of his AMHA babies had been registered (he was brought perm in AMHR... probably because it's a lot cheaper to bring a horse permanent with them.) I was new at this and didn't read the fine print.

As long as you have a proper transfer paperwork, you can still update old AMHA papers. I bought a 14 year old AMHA stallion 4-5 years ago who hadn't been brought permanent, I was able to transfer his papers to me and update his status from temp-to-permanent (higher fee due to being late, but it was possible, at least at that time). [The only issue I had was getting a signature from the sellers ex-wife (didn't know I needed it, til I sent in the papers and AMHA sent me back a form for her signature), and that was no problem, she was very nice.]

The stallion you mention can probably still be brought permanent for that higher fee, although previous foals probably can't be registered without jumping through lots of hoops and paying lots of fees.

 

[SampleMM]

1. Go see the horse in person. An airline ticket is much cheaper than shipping a horse that you end up not liking. While you are there, measure the horse and look at the paper work and make sure everything is up to date.

2. If your budget allows, consider buying horses with proven show records and or pedigrees. When I first got into minis many people tried to tell me this was not important but I didn't believe them since I am a big horse person and realize that pedigrees filled with champions are far more likely to produce champions. People will tell you anything to sell something they no longer want.

3. You do not need to buy a whole herd!! You only need a few good ones to be successful at showing and breeding when you buy the best.

4. Find a mentor not just a slick talking sales person.

5. Become a member of AMHA/AMHR and attend a show or two so that you can meet people/network/ and see what is out there and what is winning.

 

[BigDogs & LittleHorses]

1) Connect with other mini owners right away, including at least one experienced mentor.

2) Beware of Founder. Have a dry lot area ready for weight control.

3) Figure no shortcuts on basic maintenance! Parasite control, farrier, teeth, decent quality feed, etc. If you can't do these, you shouldn't have a mini.

4) Get an equine specialist vet that REALLY knows horses for urgent situations. Use the regular vet for basic care.

5) Don't worry if your first isn't a blue ribbon winner (unless that is your immediate goal). You can have fun and learn with a healthy pet quality mini, then work your way up. If you then decided to breed, understand the significant risks, and breed to improve upon what you have.

 

[jandjmc]

Very good thought provoking post! I'll try to add a couple of things-

1. Make sure you have a good set of clippers. Minis create a "hair storm" in May that can be helped by trimming the hair coat.

2. It was stated before but bears repeating-Don't trust your eyes when determining weight, particularly in the winter. "Feel of them". The mini that you think might be over/underweight, might just be the opposite.

3. Weigh feed. Minis are frequently called air ferns and you'll find out why.

4. Make sure that you feed enough "mouth food" so that they don't vacuum everything on the ground. I use alfalfa to supplement the grass hay, adds protein, buffers stomach acid, they love it and keeps things moving through their system.

5. Try bananas as treats. Cheap, they love them, protects stomach lining and most people have some in the house.

Best of luck!

 

[DJF Miniature Show Horses]

You all have given great advice

Welcome to planet MINI!