Greetings

[dreamcatcher]

I wanted to take a minute and introduce myself. I am a former member who, after a child, career and 6 years of sanity, decided to get back into horses, LOL!

Actually, it wasnt really by choice. 4 weeks ago I lost my mother to ALS and inherited two of her minis from her herd (one has already been shipped to CA, the other to come this summer)

Its been pretty difficult. Although I have been around horses my entire life (minus the last 6 years) training, breeding and showing Arabs and a bit of Rodeo in highschool, I have no clue what to do with this mini.

Thank goodness for LB or I would be lost! I have been lurking for weeks now reading as much as I can, but I do have two questions so here goes:

1. My stallion is pretty thin (mom was terminally ill so didnt get the best of care the last few months) I am currently feeding him a flake of meadow grass hay and 2 lbs of complete feed a day. Teeth are good and has been wormed twice (14 days apart). He is just not putting on wieght as much as I would like. Any suggestions?

2. He is a 9 y/o stallion and has been used for breeding. He is VERY well mannered and unless you knew other wise you wouldnt even know he is a stud. I have no intentions of breeding, and dont even know if I am going to keep him. Is it ok to geld him at his age?

Thank you everyone in advance

 

[disneyhorse]

Hello!

1. Horses put weight on quickly with patience and good quality feed. You're on the right track to do it in a healthy manner. You could try adding a couple tablespoons of soybean oil to boost calories and a pound or two of alfalfa ( pellet or hay) to boost protein/calories. With your guy I don't think an extreme supplement is needed, he'll come around.

2. It's never too late or a bad decision to geld. Ask your vet when the best time will be.

Have fun!

Andrea

 

[dannigirl]

We recently gelded a 13 yr old stallion so gelding is definitely something you can do. You just need to make sure to watch him a bit closer and make sure he gets enough exercise--usually forced, letting him in a large area does not mean he will move if he is a bit sore. Your vet is the best person to ask about what to watch for and how much he needs to move.

As for feeding, you will get almost as many answers as there are people here on the forum. If he were mine, he would be getting about 2cps sweet feed and 4 cps oats mixed together twice a day and probably a bit of farnum weight builder. I don't know what meadow grass is, but I would probably give him nearly all he wants. This is just how I would start. Others do more things. I just prefer to keep it simple.

Sorry to hear about your Mom. Hard to lose our parents. Good luck with your minis and welcome to the forum.

Angie

 

[mydaddysjag]

Check the feeding directions on the feed bag for his weight. Normally with the complete feeds, you have to feed more than you would with a regular pelleted feed. I didnt realize that one year and couldnt figure out why I had to feed so much to keep weight on my horse. In reality, I just wasnt feeding enough. The correct amount seemed like a ton, but you have to remember, they are made to also replace the hay in the diet.

 

[Charlotte]

I ditto Disney horse on some form of alfalfa for safely adding weight while keeping micronutrients safely balanced in the diet.

 

[Tab]

I may present a difference of opinion. You may be able to live and let live in this circumstance. If you do keep him but will not breed him, just keep him a stallion. Why not? I would have no problems keeping a stallion for a lifetime and never breeding him. I may plan doing this with Romeo. There are non-breeding stallions in this world who are mild mannered, fat, and satisfied. If it isn't broken, don't fix it!

I grew up in a dog show household and it was not unusual to have champion dogs that weren't neutered but were never used for breeding. Just because he has the equipment doesn't mean he needs to use it. However, if you don't believe he should be breeding and you just want to place him in the perfect home then it is a wonderful idea to geld him.

If in the Summer he is running the fence, and seems restless, you don't have any company for him, and he cannot maintain weight; definitely geld. I am not against gelding at all, just offering a different point of view.

You can train him to drive and train him in various performance classes just as he is. Minis are just wonderful for companionship. I had spent many hours just sitting with them, totally surrounded by them, peacefully giving pets and scratches. You look out to your pasture and see a bunch of beautiful little horses grazing. Lowers the blood pressure.

 

[Lori W]

Minis are just wonderful for companionship. I had spent many hours just sitting with them, totally surrounded by them, peacefully giving pets and scratches. You look out to your pasture and see a bunch of beautiful little horses grazing. Lowers the blood pressure.

I SO agree with this!

Dreamcatcher, please accept my sincere sympathy on the passing of your Mom. I know what it's like to lose a parent. I hope loving on her minis will bring you peace and help you heal.

You didn't mention the gender of the second mini. If it's a gelding, you may be able to get away with not gelding the stallion, but if you don't plan to breed, I recommend gelding him, too. If the second mini is a mare, all the more reason to geld the stallion. These little ones need companionship and you certainly want to be able to keep them pastured together. Your vet can give you the lowdown regarding gelding an older horse, but it's done all the time with few to no complications.

Best of luck to you, whichever direction you choose.

 

[dreamcatcher]

Thank you everyone for you replies.

Unfortunately in my my area there not many mini folks, so the feed store was clueless when i ask them for advice. I am not sure if I will be bringing the other mini down to Ca because she is a mare. That was the orriginal reason she didnt come down with him. Dad said she is fine living out her days in the pasture with the ones my sister kept, pluss my daughter wants a pony to ride (like mother like daughter, lol!) Thunder is pretty happy in his new home. There is a big Walker stallion in the paddock behind his stall and he sticks his head to say hi and hang out with my little guy. They have become good buddies

He is the pic in my avatar. Ill also try to post some pics later. Hes a wooly mammoth right now from being up in the colder climate of Washington state.

I really appreciate this forum. Not being able to pick up the phone and ask Mom whats normal or what I should do is the toughest part. Im pretty sure there may be a few on here that knew her, although i do not think she ever posted here. She was an amazing women who truelly loved her horses and life.

Have a fabulous day everyone and many blessings to you all.

 

[chandab]

Welcome to the world of minis, but fair warning, its almost impossible to have just one.

Minis are still horses, so still need all the same basic care as any horse you have previously owned or worked with, with a few exceptions. Don't use Quest on minis. And, be extremely cautious using bute, really need to know the mini's exact weight, as they are more sensitive to bute than full-size horses (most say don't use it at all, but there are a few instances where it works better than other NSAIDS).

The eat the same basic diet as full-size horses, just a smaller amount. They still require the same training, and the same manners should be expected from them. They require the same hoof care (well, they need balanced trims, not likely to need shoes), same parasite control.

As to what to do with the new mini... Enjoy!

I just gelded a six, or maybe he was 7, year old stallion last spring, came through it with flying colors and we haven't looked back. He's a very good gelding and much happier to have company all the time.

 

[Genie]

Hi and welcome back

 

[Shaladar]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your Mom and welcome back.

I also live outside of Vacaville...Which feed store did you go to? The one in Town?

The other questions....how tall is your boy? Which complete feed are you feeding?

Also, like the others said....he just might need a little more time to pick his weight up.

Sue

Feel free to contact me if you'd like.

 

[rimmerpaints]

welcome back and weight builder really got my pleasure mare back in tip top shape. When we bought her she was so thin. They put her out to pasture and had babies off her and clearly didnt take care of her. She is the best kids pleasure horse. She belongs to my 5 year old now. Good luck

Also im so sorry about your mom. Prayers sent to you and your family

 

[Equuisize]

My condolences on the loss of your Mom.

Welcome back to the forum, however.

I'm sure she would be delighted to know

her boy is in your care.

 

[wildoak]

I second the suggestion to add alfalfa, my horses just seem to keep better with some alfalfa in their diets. There are plenty of weight building supplements on the market, but you may just need time for a good feed regimen to put the weight on him. Maybe add a little extra fat to his diet for awhile - either in a supplemented feed or separately. If he's a stallion who frets & worries, you'll have a harder time and may want to geld him. Just fyi, I gelded an 11 year old and had no problems with him, and I knew a western pleasure stallion who was gelded at 16... any age works, just like anything older horses may recover a little more slowly.

So sorry about your mom, ALS is a tough one.

Jan