How did you get started?

[lilhorseladie]

Okay guys...I want to know Who or what got you started on Minis. Why? Maybe a picture of your very first...any other "first" information! Thank you and have fun.

 

[CritrSitr]

I love horses... all horses. I used to show horses and trail ride. In 2000 I hurt my back. I haven't been on a horse very many times since.

The minis allow me to stay competitive with less pain.

I love 'em, too!!

 

[Feather1414]

I met my "trainer" and my mom MADE me go to her camp. She just wanted me out of the house. Didn't expect it to work past a week...

Now she owns two of these minis herself!

 

[Feather1414]

Well, my website was created to help people with their minis, mainly in training and showing, but I can help with other stuff too.

This is my first horse ever, my Peanut man. He is doing VERY well on the show circuit, considering he was a resuce horse. Pulled a 2nd in Liberty out of 13 horses at the national area show! He also pulled a 2nd in Jumper out of 8 horses I think, as well as 4th in adult jumper.

 

[sedeh]

Have loved horses all my life but after a bad leg injury coming off a horse in 2001, which required 4 surgeries and took 2 1/2 years before I could return to work, I just didn't have it in me to keep riding. My friend Kathi had gotten into mini's and was showing on the pinto circuit and after I saw what great personalities these guys have I realized I could still be "into" horses and with a smaller risk of injury.

Now I have 10 mini's and love them to pieces!

 

[Marty]

I needed a pasture mate/stable companion/friend for my very old pony. He had lost his all his horse friends one by one leave this earth and had no one left. He was grieveing horribly.

I wanted a mini, a young one that he could take under his wing and love. Someone that wouldn't hurt him or be a threat to him.

That's when I bought Holly and Comet.

It worked by the way. He was a new pony after they met and was so happy. They truly loved eachother for the short time they had together before he passed.

 

[MiniHGal]

There is a local stable that my mom took me to one day...they invited me to go driving with their horses...and it started!

Oliver was my first, got him in summer 2000, about 9-10 months after I began driving with them. And he was my only one until 03; now I have 3 of them. He was a driving gelding, approx. 31" tall.

 

[Ferrah]

I worked at a stable that did boarding and bred QHs. I learned how to ride, show and train and I am still learning more everyday. College plans put my riding career with full size horses on the backburner.

We don't have enough property to keep a full sized horse, so after spending some time with minis and learning about the shows and events they could do I was became really drawn to the little guys. I can satisfy my horse habit with a mini and it doesn't bother me that I can't ride, I just enjoy being around horses of any size!

After college I plan to buy a Rocky Mountain Horse or a Tennesee Walker and do trail riding and maybe try endurance. But I think I'll stick with the minis and show them, and just ride for fun.

 

[Marion]

I wanted a big horse and my husband didn't, so we got one which led to a bunch.

 

[appypintolady]

I have had horses on and off throuhgout my whole life. I have a bad hip though and could no longer ride. I still wanted to have a horse around me, so I got a couple of pet mini colts about 14 years ago as yearlings and had them gelded.

I still have my two boys they are 15 now. Then a year ago I found out about Falabellas and fell in love and decided I wanted to breed this rare breed of minis. I have very slowly built up a nice little herd. Choosing to obtain appaloosa Falabellas with Arabian type conformation.

 

[jdomep]

A year ago I would have told you were nuts if you said I'd have a mini and a donkey by Christmas

I have LOVED horses since I was able to talk (first word my mom claims) We had horses here until we had our 4th son. I just couldn't take care of 4 boys 4 and under and horses - so the big ones had to go until the boys got big enough for me to be able to enjoy my horses. Well Last fall I decided I was ready (DH said no) like I listen

so I had been searching dreamhorse.com etc and ran across an ad (that was posted that morning) that read...

Mini Gelding FREE to a good home in PA....... So I emailed her...(I figured dh can't complain about "free"...immediately started researching mini's ...found LB

second best thing I did! I figured Willy needed a friend so started looking for another and had him delivered to my friend's house who has a pony until I found my Jenny and I love both of them dearly!

And in Feb I found my 2 geldings and now my barn is full and I am HAPPY and you know...if mom is happy everyone is happy

 

[littlehorse2]

I had bisg horses since I was 8. At 16 I had a bad fall and broke my arm and had to have surgery. I still had big horses and worked at differant barns including a thorough(sp?) bred breeding farm. The year before I had my daughter I got rid of my last horse. I started to work with horses again when she was only 6 months old. She started to walk at the barn so she could see the womans pony. My mom and I had been talking about getting into minis because they were the right size for my kids. Also my mom can't ride, but she wants to learn how to drive and the minis were perfect. I was surching the web and found a barn that was only 1/2 hr from our house. We went to "look" and not buy right away. Well we ended up buying 2 babies from that guy that day. NOw they are my other kids as my husband says. They are great and we hope to get more in the future.

Christy

Got to my website and check them out.

 

[CKC]

I remember doing a report on miniature horses when I was in the 5th grade(a looong time ago). I wanted one for a long time. Ended up answering an add in our local paper when I was 18. It was a miniature horse farm that wanted someone to help with a stallion(working him,etc.) However, they wanted someone 2 x's a day and I lived an hour away so that wasn't going to work.

Years later I bought two minis. I was living in an apartment on a farm so I was able to board them, but I had to move and needed to sell them.

When I turned 28 I was at a point where I could have minis again. My husband and I bought a gelding and a mare from the same farm I answered the add at when I was 18. The gelding was sired by the same stallion they had wanted help with. He is a 28" jumper champion. My Major(gelding by this stallion) could jump the moon as well. He was the kindest horse. We lost him to sand colic a couple of years ago and I miss him so much.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]It started with one black and white mare that I bought at Flying W Farm for use in a pet therapy program back in the early 80s and it was downhill from there! lol we have had as many as 26 at one time but I find now 10 or less more manageable for me.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[Songcatcher]

I have always loved horses. As a kid, we always had horses and I read every book I could find on horses. In my 20s, with a job, no time to spend, and bills to pay, I sold my horse.

With kids of my own, I wanted them to have horses (of course I wanted them too), but money and space were a big issue. I have had some back problems and I really didn't need a big horse and was concerned that the kids would loose interest. I was afraid that if I got a big horse that it would eat me out of house and home.

A co-worker of mine raised minis and we talked about them and I learned that I could feed 6 minis for about the same as one big horse. She directed me to research them on the internet. I did and decided to buy one or two as pets (yea right) and see how things worked out.

We bought two the first day (from different locations). I asked my wife what she thought and she said, "Whatever you want." As we were pulling out the driveway from picking up the first one, she said, "I don't know why you bought her. I hate her color."

So, I decided to sell her. I answered a want ad on Lil Beginnings and sold her rather quickly.

I thought this is neat and the rest is history. I'm now up to 18 (including foals) and MUST cut down before Winter.

 

[runaway ranch]

I went to a rescue place to get a riding horse for my son and came home with 2 rescued mini's. We all just fell in love with them. I can't ride anymore due to bad hips, but I can work with my mini's and I love the lifestyle. Now, we moved to have more room for our small herd and raise them. I can't imagine life without them. When I had my last surgery, we set it up so my mini's could come right up to the window and get attention, as I couldn't get out to them.

 

[minis_4ever<3]

helo there!

They are just plan cute!!!

there easy to handle there loveable and if they step on your foot it wound hurt as much!!!! i got started in minis because my mom and dad would let ride big horses it was too much money!!!!!! then i went down the road and there they were they loves off my life! they were so cute! and they were so beautiful!

so now i have been in to minis for almost 2 years!

! here is a picture of the mini im with now!!!

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/chinabella_isthebest/cara004.jpg[/IMG]]



cara

 

[lilhorseladie]

Thank you all for your replies...it is kind of fun to know how everyone got started. I was riding big horses before I could walk. My father actually moved around and raced cutter horses and we always had horses around for the cattle. We raised a couple colts a year and I lived next door to a lady who raised TB horses for the track. I was immersed in horses until the age of 18. I went to college and though I loved them, I no longer had access to them and by that time, my parents had moved and gotten into dogs...

Seven years ago, I went to visit my Aunt (who some of you show people will be quite familiar with) at a miniature horse show here in Nebraska. That is when my uncle Ron Inches helped me to pic out my first horse as a pet. That is right, Ron and Brenda Inches are my aunt and uncle and Cathy Waxler is my cousin. I just spent the weekend with Ron, Brenda and Casey!

At the time, I wanted to get back into horses, but had small children, so we started with a Hinny...next came my first mini (out went the hinny...he was mean).

Any way, so my first guy was HM Cloud Dancer, I bought him as a stallion and had him fixed immediately and soon knew I wanted more.

 

[AppyLover2]

Like Marty, I wanted an equine companion for my big guy.

Before I got this place Dee had always been boarded and had never been alone. When we moved here I kept a friends mare for a few months (while her colt was weaned) but when it was time for her to go back home I knew I needed to get something. I had seen a couple minis at a local show and thought they were cute. Searched the internet one day and I found Lil Beginnings. Once I started seeing pix of all the beautiful horses and darling foals I was a gonner, and decided Dee's new friend would have to be a tiny one.

Although I don't put Dee and Bambi in the same pasture, they do play across the fence and love to run "together". But..... I decided (since Bambi is a youngster and Dee isn't) that Bambi needed a smaller, younger friend. My second one is on a trailer (somewhere) as I write this.

They are sweet, affectionate, lovely little critters; and I expect I will have them for a long time to come.

 

[CyndiD]

I have always loved horses, had 2 ponies as a youngster...but when we moved out of town to the country about 18 yrs. ago I thought I had to have horses.

I found out I had little time to ride and when my mare fell on me and broke my ankle, that pretty much finished off my yen for the big ones. I found mini`s thru a mutual friend and bought a little 29" stallion, Nugget, he was a real stinker..we let him get away with way too much because he was "little"...but we learned.

Now I have about 17...they ARE like potato chips

Nugget way back 'then'