new mini/horse owner

[m-mini]

Hello,

My name is Mike from Ohio. I grow up on a dairy farm and never really likes horse's, because they where jumpy compared to cattle. I always said I would NEVER own a horse. Well I have a 2 year old daughter now and she is in love with horses. I was browsing the web one day and found a local mini farm. I said we would JUST go look.

Well, I fell in love with those little guys. The ones we looked at where not jumpy at all. The one rubbed against my daughter and she screamed. The mini, didnt even flinch.

We bought one and we need all the help we can get. If you have any suggestions please let me know. He is 8 months old, we are going to have him geilded asap.

Thanks

 

[SHANA]

You sound like my husband. He is a dairy farmer, not a horse person, but he has fallen in love with the minis. Just a note, minis are like potato chips, you can't just have one.

 

[HGFarm]

Welcome Mike from central Arizona!!! LOL, no kidding about the 'you cant have just one'. You came to the right place!

 

[ruffian]

You've certainly come to the right place! Congratulions on entering the wonderful world of horses. There is so much great information here, and so many smart folks who know the answers to just about any questions.

Kudoes to you for choosing to geld your little guy. Many folks jump right into breeding just because they have a colt and a filly.

You do know you won't end up with JUST one, right????

 

[barnbum]

Welcome! Okay--advice? Learn what to feed him--minis can't always handle too much grass. And make him mind every minute. I read that every minute you are with your horse, it's a lesson. Very important, especially with a wee one around.

 

[Taylor Richelle]

Welcome! and the saying is right "You can't have just one" I have 3 and more to come

You have come to the right place! You will get a TON of info!

 

[m-mini]

Thanks for the warm welcome......

We are already talking about getting another one and we have only had this one, 3 days.lol

I was going to get a goat to keep him company for now.

I will post pics, this weekend.

Are there any mini groups in Ohio?

I just cant believe how easy going he is. He does have some moments, but he is still a baby.

He does not mind having his feet cleaned.

My daughter calls him, baby horsey.

 

[m-mini]

Here's a couple newbe questions

What is driving?

How do you brake a little horse to ride?

 

[liltnt]

Mini driving is training your horse to pull you in a cart. Not reccommended till they are at least three years old. But is alot of fun. Also these little guys cant take much weight on their back so its better not to overload them, I believe most here believe not more than 40 lbs and that depends on how big he gets. Again its best to wait till they are three as they are still growing. But that doesnt mean you cant start training them in the mean time.

Welcome to the forum from So Calif. and the wonderful world of Mini. horses.

 

[Mominis]

Hi Mike and welcome to the forum! Glad you are here! Before you buy a goat for your mini, I just wanted to let you know what I found out when I was thinking of doing the same for Shake (my gelding)...the goats will chew manes and tails. For me, that's a HUGE no-no! So, we just bought another horse for him instead

I hope you do the same!

 

[Reble]

Welcome Mike from Ontario Canada

Yes, another mini would be better than a goat.

Need to give a colt, foal feed along with hay

Need to get their feet done and worming every 4 - 6 weeks.

Do not use Quest or Bute better to use Ivermectin wormer and Banamine

Have patients, and short learning lessons.

Good Luck, you will learn a lot here,

others may have more suggestions for you.

 

[Frankie]

Congratulations on your new special boy!! Hope he has already become a wonderful family member. This is a wonderful place to learn, and you too will find out it is an awesome group of people! Welcome

 

[Sandee]

At 8 months old, he still needs to be wormed every 4 to 6 weeks. Did the people that you bought him from tell you anything about worming - as in what they used or how often? If not, then I'd start with something mild like fenbendazole which is the chemical name -- it is sold under the names Panacur or Safeguard. Then follow up about 4 weeks later with something containing ivermectin (chemical name). Zimectin gold contains ivermectin and will also work on tapeworms. Just try to be as acurate as possible on how much he weighs. (Sometimes a vet will let you use the dog scale. Or there is a formula on this forum, I believe in the "Best of....forum") No, there is no easy way to tell if they have worms (vet has to test poo) -- just figure that all horses in general have them.

If you want to experience driving or even showing the minis, you might want to look at getting an older more experienced mini for now. Then you can work with your "baby horse" and teach him as he grows. They are loads of fun to teach things to and they learn very easily. I started working with my filly at around 6-8 months on learning to perform obstacle things ...turn on the haunches, pivot on the forehand, back up. These teach them to listen to you and be your partner and they help build good muscle tone too. Leading nicely and whoa are very important. You'll have a blast.

 

[little lady]

Welcome to the wonderful world of miniature horses! Being new to miniatures(since last August), but from a life time with full sized horses, before I purchased my first mini I read and researched anything and everything I could about them and have found...the hardest thing for me is feeding them. They don't need near as much as they think they do and over feeding them is quite easy and will lead to serious problems. Since you have a foal they do need more of a quality feed since they are growing. Fresh water is very important also. Good rotation worming is also very important as well as regular hoof trimmings. If you check on lilbeginnings there is a section at the top of this page "miniature horse breeders connect" then go to your state of Ohio and you may be able to locate helpful folks there, you may also want to look for a Ohio Miniature horse group and of course you have already found one of the most helpful places lilbeginnings!!

So bring on the questions and be sure to share a pic of your new mini!!!

 

[m-mini]

WOW, you people are very helpful. I belong to other forums for my business and other hobies and the people on there are stuckup.

My wife thinks it is funny seeing a 230 lbs guy hugging a tiny horse. But you just cant help not to hug them. lol

 

[targetsmom]

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of minis! I wish you lived closer to Connecticut because I have the perfect, older, "beginner" mini looking for a home! You can put very young children on her back and lead them around and then slightly older children can lead HER around.

For your 8 month old mini, I think of them over their first winter as if they are teenage boys - they are growing and need LOTS more feed than you think they will. (Read feed bags). By the next spring assuming they have been fed well over the winter, they can likely get by on proportionately less food (just like humans beyond a certain age!). And please don't rely on visual checks of their condition as they can look fat with all that winter fur. I have seen people clip minis in the spring and find they have ribs showing (or worse).

You will be amazed to learn all the things you can do with your mini(s) and the different ways they will bring your family joy.

 

[m-mini]

What things can we do with a mini? I can not ride him, my daugther can after he has been broke to ride.

We have a dog that we use to take to nursing homes to visit people that live there. I would like to do that with our mini.

 

[targetsmom]

Visiting nursing homes is one of the things you can do with a mini. There are a lot of photos on our website of other things you can do - driving (many types), jumping, trail obstacles, other types of therapy/youth programs/4-H work. Just for starters....

 

[m-mini]

the swiming photos are cool. We have a pond, I might try that next year..

 

[m-mini]

when should I keep our mini in the barn and let him out? He does not have a big area outside. it is only 16x16. we are going to fence in large are in the spring.

I see alot of people with big horses, leave there horses in the barn almost all the time.

Iam use to cows, we leave them out all the time and they come in whenever they want.