Miniature horse health care questions

[Kellie in OR]

Hi all,

I have had big horses all my life so am fairly well acquainted with horse care, much I have read is the same with miniatures. I have been looking around the board trying to find answers to my mini horse healthy/care questions. I have discovered that Miniatures do not tolerate Bute very well....thank you for that information, good to know. I just want to double check if there are other things I should be aware of before I have an accident.

So are there other differences, problems with medication that I have not run across?

How about parasite control? Use the same product as horses but for their small/light weight? How do you know how much wormer to dose with? Is there a mini horse weight tape?

I know miniatures are not really to be ridden, but I see people put tiny kids on them. How much can a miniature carry w/o harm? Billy was ridden quite a lot by his previous owners children. When I got Bill he was sore in the back when I use the rubber curry on him, plus his back was low/dropped. Already in 2 weeks his back has come up and he is not sensitive. Obviously these kids were too big, but I do have grandma friends that want to bring the kids out to ride Bill. If they are small/light enough I would like to do this, but not at the expense of Billy's health and comfort.

Thanks for any information!

 

[Mona]

[SIZE=14pt]NEVER[/SIZE] deworm with Quest Gel! EVER !!

 

[wpsellwood]

Ahhhhh how cute is Billy???

 

[maestoso]

I also do not use Quest, or any product meant for a "superdose" or that use two active ingredients. I prefer to use more of the less intense products if I need the extra dosage.

 

[Kellie in OR]

OK, not Quest. That is easy since I do not use any MOXIDECTIN products after one of my big horses had a reaction to Farnam Combo care and got VERY sick.

My big guy is about to get wormed with Equimax. Would you'all not recomend this for mini's since it does have two active ingredients? It has the praziquantel for tape worms and ivermectin for the others...?

Billy is sooooo cute I can't even put it into words. He does have a bad hair cut and a big belly, but I think he is going to shape up to be beautiful. Even if he physically does not change he has a beautiful spirit. He is so friendly and gentle AND smart. In two clicker training lessons he was chasing a ball target. Here is a little clip~

http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b194/kra...nt=MVI_0190.flv

Thanks!

 

[Mona]

My big guy is about to get wormed with Equimax. Would you'all not recomend this for mini's since it does have two active ingredients? It has the praziquantel for tape worms and ivermectin for the others...?

There is no problem at all with using Equimax. I have used it on minis of all ages, as well as pregnant mares, and have never had any adverse reactions to it. You're good to go!

 

[Jill]

I use Ivermectin and then in the spring, something like Equimax or Ivermectin Gold

With those things, I always aim to dose more than I think they weigh because with these products, more won't hurt and too little won't help.

 

[Alex]

I would never use a dewormer with the main ingredient being Moxidectin. Get a weight tape and weigh your mini, and use the wormer directions from there.

With Ivermectin, its not really toxic if given to much. Im not saying give him a 12 hundred Lb dose, but If you screw up big time(like me) he'll be Ok!

 

[Sixstardanes]

He looks like a big wooly teddy bear.

I look forward to seeing more of him.

 

[Charlotte]

Cute boy! I bet you have a lot of fun with him.

You didn't say how big Billy is (how tall?). If he's 34" I would be ok putting up to 40 pounds on him, but since he's had strain to his back already I would rather not put any weight on his back just to be safe. Maybe he could be trained to drive and take kids for a cart ride?

Just a note on using weight tapes.....they over estimate a minis weight. If the horse is in winter coat the over estimate is much greater and the smaller the mini the bigger the error.

We use all of the dewormers EXCEPT Moxidectin with no problems.

Charlotte

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

What a lovely expression on Billy's face! I love black horses - my favorite color - I think I have 14!

Riding - it would depend on Billy's age and height along with the weight of the children. If he's under 5, I wouldn't let anyone ride him (personal opinion here). If he's older and based on his size - 32-34 range = 40-50lbs max up to maybe (I mean maybe) up to about 60-70lbs if he's a taller B size. It's really common sense as to what he's comfortable with, etc.. ie - walking around you're backyard for 5-10 minutes or out on a trail for an hour . . . you see those ponies in the pony rides carry some awfully large kids at times.

Deworming - Moxidectin never use as has been mentioned. I've never had a problem with any other dewormers, generally I use Ivermectin and rotate in for tapes 1x a year (some people do this 2x), as well as fenbandazole 2x a year. IF you can get a good weight on your mini that makes deworming easier. Here (please speak to you vet this is just what I do!) I deworm all larger (tall/overweight) minis at 500lbs, smaller/mature at 300lbs; yearlings (depending on size 150-200 lbs, foals by weight up to their first year (monthly oxibendazole up to 6 months then Ivermectin). I have a fairly large herd and have had a number on scales, the rest are guesstimates based off that. When it comes to deworming I'd rather err on the side of a bit more than not enough! My heaviest mini (I was new and overfeeding) was 350lbs on a scale at the vets. She's only 32" and now is in the 275-300 range - still alot, but not rollypolly!

Bute - I won't give it. As you mentioned minis don't tolerate it well, I prefer Banamine. If I have to give Banamine or an antibiotic (anything that can irriate the stomach/intestine lining) I give ulcer preventative and/or a probiotic.

This is a good reference written by a vet that treats minis, with input from mini owners - Miniature Horses, A Veterinary Guide for Owners & Breeders, Rebecca Frankeny, MD

Last - I'm assuming by your name you are in Oregon - NWMHC is a great resource - you may want to consider becoming a member even if you don't show.

 

[Jill]

I would never use a dewormer with the main ingredient being Moxidectin. Get a weight tape and weigh your mini, and use the wormer directions from there.

With Ivermectin, its not really toxic if given to much. Im not saying give him a 12 hundred Lb dose, but If you screw up big time(like me) he'll be Ok!

In my experience, weight tape is very inaccurate in minis. I don't think I've ever had the vet out and not asked "so, how much do you think THIS one weighs?"

But the tape is not very accurate. Check out this for an accurate, but slightly complex, way to "weigh" a mini:

How to "Weigh" a Miniature Horse

For whatever it is worth, I guestimate what I think they weigh and add another 100 pounds as insurance.

 

[chandab]

Welcome to the wonderful world of minis, Billy is pretty darn cute.

The main LB website has tons of information about minis. Here's a link:

http://www.lilbeginnings.com/

And, a direct link to the information pages: http://www.lilbeginnings.com/links/info/

 

[Sandee]

I use the weight formulas already linked. They are very close to actual. I've always been told approx. 60 lb for the average 34+ mini to carry (includes saddle weight). I have an older gelding that my grandchildren can ride (he's 35"). You will have a hard time finding "mini" saddles that can actually carry children but the "pony" saddles will be large for most minis. Try to get a one with rounded skirts and as light as possible. Most minis are not "trained" to neck rein and since you can't ride them to train them, they are best used as leadline only.

My granddaughter on Chip:

 

[Kellie in OR]

Thanks for all the info and links!

Billy Bear is only about 32 inches and 7 years old. If anyone rode him it would be a small little one and only for few minutes at the walk on a lead line. He was being ridden by a 4 & 6 year old....a little too heavy or too much judging by his sore back.

Bill does have a very sweet, cute face with tippy ears. He can be ornery.....not in a bad way, I have never seen him put his ears back to people. But he does like to act like a big guy to the dogs. He races them around the pen (dog on outside ponies on inside). They go round and round as I clean stalls, keeps everyone exercised and Bill is losing his belly. I call this picture "Terror of Tiny Town" ...lol!

 

[Marty]

Welcome. He's adorable and I loved your clip!

 

[evedex]

As part of our annual Spring Clinic, one year the MHCO did a session on weight. We used several methods as well as putting the horses on a livestock scale. It was interesting to find that not one of the methods was better than the rest...compared to the scale. Some methods were high on one animal and low on another.

The results are posted at www.mhco.ca and click on the CLINIC NOTES button.

As for weight, all horses, no matter what size, should only carry 1/5th to 1/6th their body weight (depending on build). A 32" mini is under 200# (well maybe if he is fat he is larger but that means he is already carrying weight <G>). That makes him comfortable with a maximum weight of no more than 33 to40#