Mini + Big Horse...

[IllusiveHussler]

For the last 3 days I have let Lucy the mini outside of her own gated area into my big horse's(Fiona) area. I first started out with putting a flake out and they both ate from it(Fiona amazed me when she didn't hog the pile...maybe she knows Little Miss Lucy needs it more then she does...That would be nice). I left them like that for 30 minutes(I was there the whole time) and I free lunged them just a touch. Fiona behaved and Lucy just went crazy!! She was loving the open space.

I did it again yesterday with a smaller flake and for an hour. And yesterday I went into the house(300ft or so from the barn) but I kept an eye on the paddock and I went back out after a few minutes.

Today I did it again but with out hay and I just left...Lucy was interested in eating leaves and Fiona just watched her and went about her usual business.

Am I the only one who lets their mini out with a big horse? Lucy is 33 1/2 inches and Fiona is 15.1hh. Fiona isn't mean or aggressive to anything smaller then her...But if it's bigger that horse better watch out.

Lucy is suppose to be Fiona's pasture pal and help with the weaning process when my mare has her foal.(We will be keeping VERY close watch over Fiona and Lucy when Fiona gets close to foaling and when the foal is actually born.)

We're going to put a 2x4 across Lucy's stall so she can get in and Fiona can't so if there ever is any trouble Lucy can get into her home...

Basically my question is...Does anyone else turn their mini(s) out with their big horse(s)?

 

[RENMACMINIS]

YES!! I keep my minis in with my 2 Tennessee Walking Horses.. one is my 17 year old 15.2H mare and the other one is my 16H gelding.. (my mares son) They live very happily together and love to play and run togther. My TWH mare thinks they are all her babies and is very gentle with them. My TWH gelding likes playing with them and when a foal has tried to nurse off of him it is comical the way he lifts his leg to get away from them.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

As has been pointed out many many many times....this is all fine and dandy UNTIL it goes wrong. THEN you have a dead Mini. Free lunging them together is one way to achieve this. It takes ONE kick from your big horse, just ONE. You may well get away with it for a long time. That is all you will ever be doing. Getting away with it. IME this is total lunacy.

 

[shminifancier]

Just a few miles from me not only are there minis in with some full sized horses but also 2 drafts. For some years my little one was in with my Arabian mare, infact even went to AZ. in a coast to coast hauler in the same stall as a mare with Foal~! That way the owner of the Arabian and I split the shipping costs..

 

[strass]

I'm one who likes mixed herds of critters.

HOWEVER, I've seen the result of what rabb is talking about. It ain't pretty when you see a mini that has her poor little face literally kicked in by a big horse that she's been around for years.

 

[jdomep]

When I got our Willy he was out with 4 QH geldings for 10 years. I keep him with my mini donkey now but twice he pulled a Houdini to be with my big boys - he seems to love the big guys

 

[Black Magic]

I'm guilty too. But I have to say, that we've learned some very big lessons from having the minis with our mare. The first lesson I learned was NEVER feed both in the same area. Never ever have alphafa around the two of them. Our little herd is just the most precious to us, and even when I feed our mare alphafa, if I double back in her direction, she's ready to kick me! So we have ours together AFTER they have full bellies, and we keep plenty of cheap hay around for them to munch on, spread all over the place. Even spreading cheap hay all over the place, after they've had their grain and good hay... (QH gets a flake of alphafa, and the mini's get just a taste) they will still have their times when the QH chase the minis away from the hay.

I feel we are fortunate that the minis are sooo good at reading her moods. She puts her ears back and the minis run like heck. She spent a week, teaching them, if her ears are back, she's gonna chase them. She'd put her ears back, and watch them run, and then put them up, and watch them approach her, and back and so forth. Both the minis and the QH have figured out how to push one of our many gates closed. The QH puts her ears back, and the minis are running to get on the other side of the gate darn quick! The QH, she even closes the gates to the pens, and leans on it, to keep the minis away from her, when she's in a bad mood. I swear she puts the boys in a time out... ROFL.. Plus I need to mention, that we have a Shetland sheepdog that runs with the herd too. Hank has no problem nipping the QH if she gets too pushy with the minis. He's faster then the minis, who are faster then the QH.. (especiallyl doing quick turns), and she's just not that quick... so maybe that's why we consider it very fortunate for now. So between the dog, the kids and I, the minis have been safe.

Fortunately, this is a pretty temporary situation, as we're getting ready to move after the first of the year, where we will have more area to seperate them all. I have to say, I've never felt comfortable doing this, even when we spent six mos. rotating areas, and letting them all nuzzle noses between the gates.

I do understand your dilema. I am a firm believer, that horses have emotional needs as well as physical and that in our situation, probably yours too, the mini and the full size are meeting the other's emotional needs. Call me a "nut" case, but hey, even that vinyard that plays classical music to their grapes had better quality grapes...

..... think I'm gonna get a the QH a headset with music for Xmas.... ROFL..

OH, and I can tell you... all it's gonna take is ONE BAD picture of a mini with hugh injuries to convince you, that them being together and everyone being safe.... is just taking one big chance...

 

[frekles93]

[SIZE=14pt]I too am guilty! I have had a 6 month old Quarter colt in with my dwarfs and weanlings for abour 2 months now. Little Babydoll has her bluff in and sends him away from feed. Jester and my little weanling filly have really bonded. She paced all day when I took him to be gelded.[/SIZE]

April

 

[rabbitsfizz]

As I have said....ALL these stories are "success" stories right up to the point when the Mini gets killed.....

 

[Jetiki]

I've had minis in with big horses just fine, with out a problem, but I have the bigger minis not tiny ones. Big horses can hurt each other just as much as a little on, 2 weeks ago today, a 15h Arab Geld, attacked a 17h TB, the TB did not survive and they had been together for a long time. I would say its mainly the temperment of the horses that are out together and if you pay attention to the attitudes and not have feed involved things tend to go better.

When I had my other TB geld he was 16h, he would stand there and have his head in the mini's stall wouldn't MOVE except to eat and drink, he was guarding her stall door. Those two loved each other and he took care of her, even ushering her in behind the barn when the FL panther was at our back fence, and he stayed charging the fence line until it left. But again, it all depends on the temperment of the horses involved. Just my experience.

Karen

 

[RENMACMINIS]

I have as small as a 26" 5 month old filly to a 37" 7 year old mare in with my 2 TWH's. they do just fine I grain them separate as they all get different quantities of feed. but they eat hay together with no problems.. I agree it is the temperment of the big horse. My 2 big ones are as gentle with the minis as they are with my kids. I trust them and I know them, as i have had the mare for 9 years and the gelding since the day he was conceived.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I personally would if had a choice rather have a large horse with a mini (depending on personality) then running stallions togther(some in pretty small pens not huge acres of pasture ) which many many people here do- many people here let a mare foal out on her own, many hear leave halters on many let there dogs out with there minis.. many do things different then I would sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt always end tragically sometimes it does

However some have to remember that while we wouldnt do something we might very well be doing something else others wouldnt do either.

I have had a horse escape from the barn and end up in the pen aroudn the barn with my T/B I can always tell cause he will be outside in a corner while the offender has the run of the place he does his best to stay out of there way.

 

[tracerace]

This topic SO gets under my skin. Like others have said, it's fine UNTIL....

Sure, horses are inherently dangerous to each other, but that doesn't mean the risk is the same with mini's in a large horse paddock. My TB may take a kick from the Percheron but the mini's would be seriously if not fatally injured by the same kick. Heck, even if they were running and 1200 pound horse slipped and fell on a mini it would be devastating. In my experience, some of the worst case scenarios have played out in my horse paddock...

It makes no sense to me...but lots of people are risk takers -- this is why people smoke, ride motorcycles/horses without helmets, or drink and drive.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Whether or not the horses "love" each other has nothing at all to do with whether or not a horse will, accidentally and with no malice intended, kill a Mini stone dead. A playful fly kick, an ill timed bite, just in fun, the kind of things my Arabs did, without mishap, to one another all the time, will cause tragedy if the horse is a Mini.

As I keep saying....it's fine up to the minute the big horse, accidentally and not meaning to, kills the little one.

The risks people take are entirely their own to do, but to say it is not a risk is folly.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

Whether or not the horses "love" each other has nothing at all to do with whether or not a horse will, accidentally and with no malice intended, kill a Mini stone dead.  A playful fly kick, an ill timed bite, just in fun, the kind of things my Arabs did, without mishap, to one another all the time, will cause tragedy if the horse is a Mini.As I keep saying....it's fine up to the minute the big horse, accidentally and not meaning to, kills the little one.

The risks people take are entirely their own to do, but to say it is not a risk is folly.

494118[/snapback]

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Oh i agree with you rabbit it is a risk.. however so is running stallions togther for anyone who has ever seen a true stallion fight- or leaving a halter on which I realize is a totally different subject

just that some dangerous things people will jump all over and others (if they do it) are justifiable is all

 

[shminifancier]

Accidents can happen at any time in place and under any condition. .Things happen whether they are in stalls with all sorts pf protection or turned loose in a wide open Pen and Then Run Directly into a tree and break there neck~! I have seen that also.Talk abotu a sad day when that happened~!! But I sure am not going to cut down all trees because of that one freaky thing that may or may not happen. Sometimes a person pens, pasture, whatever just does not lend to keeping everything separate at all times and then the horses have to be able to go in with one another from time to time..One pasture may need seeding,,may need time to grow,,,may need of weeding etc. and if big and small have never been together then you could run into trouble but running them in with one another will not be as bad then if things Have to be together for whatever reason...That is why IMO it is a good idea to put them together at times just so they know one another...And if they do get along fine and can be in together all the time. Can't always be done and can't always keep them in a padded stall either.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Getting them used to traffic is also a good idea but I would not peg them out inthe middle of the freeway!!!!

 

[Dorrie & Frank]

It depends on the background of the horses - it is important to know what they've experienced in their lives before. Pandora - our Clyde - was raised with minis all around. She is very careful with them and they are faster - by the time she gets a good hop or leap going they are across the field. They sleep in her shadow and at time she'll sleep with her muzzle on our stallion's rump. It is a safe situation since we have had her and know what her experiences in the past have been. Several years ago Scarlett's vet asked her to tak on a rescue of an arabian gelding. He was fine with our minis through his rehab. It took a long time to get the right kind of weight on him, teeth floated, worming done - and he was recovered when we brought two small dark brown looking (black and grey with sunbleached long coats) minis in to take to a local show. Pandora got their stall door open and when they ran out the Arabian went nuts. He was chasing them down - mouth open - teeth bared and trying to get a bite on their necks. Our anatolian Hercules stopped him from attacking them. We learned later that he had been in a paddock by himself and two dark brown attack dogs - not bit bulls - I am blanking on the name - but they would chase and bite him. When he saw those two he was going to get the upper hand. We gave him to the rancher at the end of our lane who had two other geldings. We see Frank all of the time and he is a great riding horse but we make sure he never gets close to the minis.

 

[DunPainted]

This is a real issue for me, personally. The topic has been discussed at length here before and Fizz is absolutely right.

My conclusion: Horses are 1,000 pounds of UNPREDICTABILITY, and no match for a 150 pound mini.

 

[Skittlebittie]

I have had my QH gelding since 1985, and when I got my first 34" mini, I put them together with no problem for 2 years. They have been separated for several years, as I got another QH mare and several more minis. When the QH mare died, I tried to put the same mini back with the gelding, and he went after her with teeth bared, ears back, and mouth open. She ran behind me for protection, and I haven't put anyone back with the QH since then. Sorry, but from then on, he was on his own.

However, my mini stallion got out one day, and ran to the bottom of the pasture, and was biting at my gelding. He ended up getting kicked in the head, and walked drunk for about 2 hours, vet checked OK, and hasn't had problems since. I agree, that sometimes putting them together is no problem, but then again, it can be a big problem. I was very lucky both times, but will not put another mini in with my big horse again.