New miniature horse owner

[Pintomini1234]

Hi. I just bought a mini after 7-8 years of not owning a horse. Its a long story and i really wasn't looking for one but she fell into my lap sort of speak. She is supposedly 2-3 years old but cannot confirm that until i get her papers. Which may not happen. She hasn't been handled much but did let me pick up all four feet and is halter broke. My goal is to teach her to pull a cart. As well as just loving on her. I cannot ride due to intense fears so a mini is great since i cannot ride her anyways. Makes things easier for me. Currently waiting on a friend to find time to transport her to a local boarding stable for me. Waiting is soo hard since i am super excited to work with her.

Wanted to join this forum for advice on caring for a mini. I have been told she has had colic before due to eating too much grain. She is also not up to date on shots and worming. Doubt she has ever had her teeth looked at as well. So lots of medical stuff to catch up on.

I have attached a couple of photos of her. She is bigger than the other mini there. I am guessing she is on the tall side between 36-38 inches. But need to measure her.

So excited to own a miniature horse. Hoping to give her a good live.

 

[TMF]

What a beautiful animal! I don't have mine yet (soon) so I don't have any advice. I've been reading everything I can in the meantime.

 

[MajorClementine]

Is her tail docked or is she just swishing it in the second pic? Bigger minis are okay with me. My Clementine (in my avatar) is 36". She's a little power house.

So much you can do with them to build trust and get them ready for driving. IMO being halter broke is all you need to start. I took Clementine for lots of long walks all over the place before we ever started working on driving. She was young and by the time we were ready to start driving she was pretty steady and didn't let much bother her.

Hope you don't have to wait too long. And yes to getting those teeth checked, vaccinations, and wormer. Welcome to the world of minis!

 

[Ryan Johnson]

I would try as many desensitizing things as you can with her. Trust can take while. I have a little mare that would not come anywhere near me. After doing some desensitizing things with her, it helped. Spend as much time as you can with her, Im sure she is grateful to have found you