Mini with a pony?

[Bren]

I would like some opnions from anyone who has been successful pairing a mini and a say 12-13hh pony together. ( I don't mean breeding) I have a 28in mare and want to get a pony for my daughter to ride. I just want my mini to be safe and would love to hear from others who have made this happen. I get very different opinions and of couse those selling ponies always tell me it will be fine. (they want the sale!)

My mare is dead last on any pecking order and will even let dogs push her around so I am going to be VERY cautious about adopting a pony. Thanks for any advice.

Bren

 

[Shari]

Mine are in with Icelandic's but this breed as a whole doesn't tend to kick like other breeds. I honestly wouldn't mix other breeds with my mini's.

Theia is a 35 1/2" mini... Ella is about the same size and the white mare is my Icelandic Dyfra. Dyfra 12.3 hands tall, has been around Theia, since Theia was born 6 1/2 years ago. My main pasture and paddocks are also big enough.. no one can get pinned in the corners. None of mine wear shoes...they are all barefoot.

My mini's are very bold, which I think makes a difference.

 

[~Lisa~]

we have our 11.1 hand pony out with our herd of minis including a 29 inch gelding and it is just fine he was out with the minis they had at the farm before I got him.

On the other hand we have a 13.2 hand aged pony and she does not go out with anyone she is a bit grumpy. I had a 17 hand T/B the minis would sometimes escape and get in with him (he was free fed they thought he had the perfect life) and he was fine with them sharing his feed ect even though he wasnt really housed with them

I think there is no way to tell until you get the pony and see how it acts/reacts with the mini of course knowing there is the usual scuffle or two till they work out their herd dynamics

Many farms with both shetlands and minis keep them together

 

[Genie]

We didn't have a good experience with a mini and a horse together.

It doesn't take much and a kick in the wrong spot only takes a minute, so I would hesitate at even trying them out together.

You will be the best judge of the situation, I wouldn't want to say it's fine

 

[ohmt]

I have a 14 hand chub of a gelding that I keep separate from my minis and he is the most docile horse I have ever had. We've had foals sneak into his pen every once in a while and we'll find them playing 'tag'-running and chasing each other. The babies just love him and he loves the babies. BUT, just the slightest kick, even if its just a playful one could hurt any one of my minis so he stays with my donkey. He is also right next to mares and they just love to torment him. If you did get a biggy then I would definitely separate your mini from him/her-just in case.

 

[maestoso]

For me it would depend on the size of the mini. If it's a taller B size mini I might consider it. Anything with too much of a size difference though I wouldn't. There's no such thing as 100% bomb proof, and there's no such thing as a horse who NEVER kicks. Like others said, it only takes one kick in the wrong place. It might only be a one in a million chance that anything serious would happen, but in my experience, when you make a choice banking on that one out of a million not happening, it usually does.

 

[kaprikorn]

Well, this is food for thought. . .

I good friend of mine had a very gentle Chincoteque(sp?) gelding in with her mini mares for many years (>5). One day, and who knows why, he attacked one of the older mares. Trapped her in a corner, kicked her several times and then bit her in the withers, pulling loose some muscle and breaking a piece off the vertebra. The mare was very mild mannered and never goes after anyone. She was also 9 mo in foal at the time.

After many months of intense 2xday treatment, the deep wounds on each side of the withers, one of which abscessed, healed. She is now normal with movement in the shoulders, hair came back normal color and she foaled a healthy little filly.

She tolerated a lot of painful wound care but still comes and wants to be hugged. Sweet mare!

The gelding was put in a paddock by himself and placed within a week of the attack.

SO. . .you never know what is going on in their minds. Another mini would not have had the power to do the damage that the big horse had.

 

[My2Minis]

It's always a risk, but I have my daughter's 12 hh pony in with a class B mini, 34 inches. The pony is a real boss mare, but they get along and are good friends. I would see how they get along and what their personalities are (and have plan B if they don't get along, like separating them across a hot wire).

 

[Minimor]

A very meek 29" Mini and a 13 hh pony likely aren't a good match. One is nearly twice the size of the other. I put a 41" pony in with some Minis his own age--and the Minis (especially the smallest one, who is 33") got the best of him. But, that little 33" colt is an extremely aggressive little guy, and the pony isn't at all dominant natured. I had to take him out. I've had that same colt get over the fence & into the corral with two pony fillies (40" and 41") and those two girls really put him in his place--their legs are so much longer they can kick so much harder, and reach so much further--they let him know in no time that he needed to keep away from them & leave them alone. They weren't interested in getting after him as long as he left them alone--no fun at all & he was happy to have me "rescue" him in short order! Had either of those girls decided to get after him he'd have been in a bad situation, because he was surely no match for either of them, given the size difference.

In view of that I would have to say that unless you select a pony that is even more non-aggressive than your mini is, it wouldn't be a good idea to plan on keeping them together.

 

[muffntuf]

At this time I have several Hackney's and Shetland ponies in with one mini mare who is 35". I won't say they get along all the time well, but I more often see them playing. The only time I make sure the mini is protected is when everyone comes in at night. I lead the mini in first.

If they have enough feed and hay, I don't see an issue. My mini weanling runs with 1 Hackney weanling and 4 shetland weanlings, all tower over her, but she bosses them around like it was her pasture only.

 

[moriah]

I kept my 14 3 Arabian gelding with my two mini mares for years. Never any probems. It depends upon the horses.

The neighbors have a small pony who is kept with a herd of 5 other large horses - both mares and geldings. She is doing fine, too.

 

[ohmt]

Sorry, but I really don't think it just depends on the horse. Think about it-you see your horses out playing. What do they do? They run and jump and buck and kick their legs out. My big chunk of a boy does it too. I don't think he'd ever intentionally hurt one of my little ones. But if I put one of my minis in with him and he accidentally kicks, there is going to be some damage whereas if he was with another big horse it probably wouldn't be a big deal. Theres also always a pecking order whether you have all minis in a herd, all bigs, or a mix. My big guy is on the low end with my mini mares (he puts his head over the fence to steal hay) and they attack him. What would happen if he decided to bite back just once?

To me, its not worth taking the chance that an accident will happen. Its the same reason I go around and check my fences once a week, keep all of my stallions FAR away from each other, have 2 gates leading to the highway instead of just one, do a body check on all 40+ of our horses morning and night, and etc.

PREVENTION---vets aren't cheap, and neither is anxiety medication

 

[Ellen]

I think personality is a factor. I have my ponies and minis in with my Arabian. Granted, she is older and not as spry as she used to be, but she has been with minis and ponies for 10 years. You know if she were under age 12, I owuld be more concerned. We introduce new horses thru the round pen. Give them a week or two of nose to nose and we do well.

We do check and re check stallion fences, have found a few able to be paired with geldings and other stallions, but found that they generally reach an age where they have to be alone.

My advice is to observe the pony you are looking to buy in pasture. See what she is pastured with, what is she used to? Is she alpha? And go from there. You will know. And if you are not comfortable putting them together, rotate them. IMO, it also depends on how much room they have.

 

[Bren]

thanks everyone. To be safe I will split the paddock and they will have their own stalls to be safe at feeding time and at night. I am also looking only at ponies who are older like my mare so they are not all bouncy and silly since my tiny mare is practically a statue in the yard. Keeping my mini mare safe is the biggest part of this decision. I appreciate hearing your different experiences. I guess it's like my dogs. I have a pack of 9 Dachshunds and I also have a 7 month old pitbull/coonhound mix puppy. I had to adopt another bigger puppy for him to play with because he was just too much for my weiners. They all live together but the big dogs play together and leave the shorties alone for the most part. It's a careful balance but it works.

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

Maybe I'm just more laid back or what - but I have found "mini people" to be more cautious and worrysome than other breed owners. Coming from a big horse background, this is just what I have observed. JMO

I have a 15 y/o 15.2hh Quarter Horse gelding who resides with our miniature stallion band and when we have mini weanlings, he is their buddy that they live with.

It really does depend on the horse. I understand that they play rough and what not but let's think about this. My other miniatures hurt each other worse than my QH does to my minis - I watch him almost all day and all it takes is for him to pin his ears back and the minis get the idea. He doesn't have to show out to be boss - he is boss mainly because of his size.

Just some food for thought.

 

[Minimor]

As a big horse person---I've been in big horses a lot more years than I have been in Minis--I have to say that in my view Mini people are more cautious and worrysome for a very good reason when it comes to putting big horses in with small horses!

You, katie, are subscribing to the theory that because it hasn't happened to you--or been a problem for you--then it isn't a problem for and won't happen to anyone else.

I've had Morgans that could be with the Minis, and I've had Morgans that couldn't be with the Minis. It would be foolish for me to say to anyone that because my Morgan mare Ashley gets along well with the Minis then anyone on this board will be safe in putting their Minis in with their big horses. If anyone has a big horse like my Morgan mare Echo it would be a fatal mistake to put a Mini in with that horse--Echo would like to kill any Mini that she can reach. She just doesn't like them and won't tolerate them.

I have been to farms that had Minis in with big horses...big horses of all sizes/ages....and I have seen how they get along together. I have to say that in some cases the owners have been very, very lucky to date. Why? Because their big horses haven't yet seriously injured any of the Minis. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't--tomorrow or next week or next year one of those big horses may very well connect when they kick, and will break a leg or a jaw on one of the Minis. I guess some feel the odds are acceptable--one death in 5 years maybe isn't important to some. To others that one preventable death would be devastating, making the odds not worth it to them. People need to be aware that it can happen, even if it hasn't yet happened to some here.

And yes, Minis can hurt other Minis too--but a kick from another Mini is less likely to break bone. And even when horses are all the same size, if there's one that is being especially mean to another of his own size, I still separate them--horse play is one thing, but I'm not going to have one horse terrorizing another, even when they are the same size.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Temperament is key I think. Some just don't like eachother. I had a horrible little stinker pony once that had all the full sized horses quaking in their boots. I have seen small ponies mix well with big horses and they loved each other. You have to consider their temperament, take time on introductions and be careful.

I treat my minis like big horses. I expect them to have manners and I work them and teach them to lead, stand, lunge etc.... My vet says my minis are the best mannered of any mini that she sees in her practice. They are easy to handle, stand for examination and I am very proud that she noticed. She said most minis she deals with are spoiled pasture ornaments that are little stinkers to work on and that they reek terror on some of the big horses they are stabled with.

best wishes, don't shoot me guys, just rambling, but do think the decision has to consider temperaments of both the minis and owner.

 

[Ellen]

I totally agree Short Horse Mom. That was my post....Personality and temperment. We too have recieved many compliment from Ferriers and Vets.

I just don't see why some say, "Well just because it hasn't happened......" It is all in the personalities, IMO.

Infact the only incident I have ever witnessed was at a friends barn. A young mare died, because the older mares went at her. Big or small, it is personality.

Don't shoot me either, it is just my opinion.

 

[ohmt]

Good example: 6 years ago I had a gorgeous little 3.5 month old pinto colt. Back then, I still let my broodmares and babies stay out in the big pasture with my other mares. One day the colt and the other foals were playing and a couple of the young mares joined it. One of my mares kicked out and accidentally hit the little colt in the head. We had to put him down due to brain damage. He couldn't walk or eat on his own. The colt was a good 28" and solidly built and the young mare that kicked him is 33" and a dainty little thing. She wasn't trying to hurt him and didn't even put all of her strength into that kick-she's a very sweet mare and would never hurt a foal on purpose. It hit him just right and he died because of it.

Accidents happen-I try to prevent them. A mini and a big horse have a much bigger difference in height and strength. For a lot of people it may work but I think minimor hit it right on the nail. Its risky and not something I'd do-no matter how docile or personality conducive the two are

 

[Minimor]

Of course it is all about personality and temperament. Every horse is an individual, and that's why no one can really tell anyone else, sure, go & buy a 13 or 15 hand horse and he/she will be fine with your little shy Mini mare--because some may be fine, and others surely won't be. A 15 hand horse that gets along with a meek Mini may take exception to an aggressive Mini--the aggressive one will be more inclined to be pushy and pester the bigger horse, and the other horse may get annoyed with that & fight back, even if he won't initiate anything against a Mini that leaves him alone.

Some people make it sound like because their one or two larger horses are fine with Minis then it can be assumed that it's always safe to have bigs and smalls together--"mine are fine, so yours will be too" is not always a safe assumption to make.

I'm afraid that I don't see any relationship between manners/training and inter-horse relationships. My horses are all well mannered and well behaved when handled, but when they're loose out in the pasture without people around good ground manners don't make them get along with each other any better. You couldn't want a better natured or better mannered mare than Echo, but she is still a danger to a Mini if one got in with her. Certainly if I were right there where I could see her & shouted at her to get away she would back off & leave the other horse alone, but if no one was around all her good nature and good behavior around people would have no effect at all on her response to a Mini invading her paddock! Granted some horses are just so laid back that they can't be bothered to hassle anyone, 2 legged or 4 legged, but if someone has a horse that is bossing and picking on other horses unmercifully it doesn't necessarily indicate that the horse is an unmannerly rogue that no one has handled or disciplined.