Selling minis for companions-

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Would you sell a mini weanling to a peson wanting it for a companion for a big horse weanling?

  • Yes, I would_

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, I would not_

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

qtrrae

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2002
Messages
2,615
Reaction score
1
Please vote and I would appreciate any comments.

Thanks!
 
I wouldn't knowingly sell ANY Mini as a large horse companion. I have refused to sell several of mine when asked if I had any for sale for a buddy for a big horse... even though I really need to sell some of these critters!
biggrin.gif


Lucy
 
Oh, WHOOPS! I thought you asked if you would sell a mini as a companion in general.. Okay, then my actual answer is no, I wouldn't because that regular sized weanling will always grow up.
 
I have a mini in with my QH mares, he is 'large' for a mini and it all works well. Tonto ( mini) had run away from his previous owner numerous times to be w/my ol gelding ( QH) and they were such a pair, lost gelding but still have Tonto
yes.gif


Since they are all out on 5+ acres they all have their space and are stalled seperately at night. If there was animosity ( other than reg sibling stuffLOL) he would be moved. But, knock wood, they are all great together. I can understand peoples hesitancy to do this, but to me its no worse than having mares out with foals.

I did vote to not put 2 weanlings together though, at that age it just too risky.
 
heck yes...and I didn't sell my gelding I gave/traded....I know the big horse she lived with my mini's in the past and I know the person and the situation......it was absolutely perfect.

The farm I used to work on frequently had small ponies/mini's 42 and under pastured with full sized horses and even extra large horses (clydes) the very worst injury ever was a pony pastured with one other pony in a flat safe clean paddock and we went out one morning and his leg was snapped in half.......the vet said it was a freak accident..........and he probably landed on it wrong just running around the field.

I am not saying all mini and big horses will do fine I am saying it can be done and has been done for many years without incident.....heck my sister owned a foxtrotter gelding who COULD NOT EVER be turned out with ANY OTHER HORSE EVER he would try to kill them...best riding horse ever but truley hated all other horses.......
 
Depends on companion to who? A person? Or another horse? Big or small?

I actually BOUGHT my first mini, Holly as a companion for my old pony, Frosty. He was so lonely and distraught over loosing his life long stablemate, my QH mare, Kate. I wanted a horse that he could "babysit" and take under his wing so-to-speak and a horse that would not hurt him.

She gave him a new lease on life.
wub.gif
 
Friend kept a Mini and an Arabian together. They lived happily for quite a while. One day, they were cavorting and Arabian playfully kicked out. Struck the mini full in the head. Would have just been a "thump" to a big horse. Mini's head exploded like a melon hit with a hammer. Died instantly and in horrific fashion.

I have since considered keeping Minis with (as in, in the same pasture/stall/run/paddock) anything larger then a Sheltand to be ignorant and irresponsible.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pony, yes, as long as it is not a big pony, and a TINY mini, Standerd size, I wouldnt even dare, It only takes one kick to the head and they are gone, WHY TAKE THE CHANCE, Is it worth it? Could you imagine how bad you would feel if that hapened? I would never even take the chance!

But sadly, people are wiling to take that chance!

I never buy it when people say, oh she/he is the best horse and nothing could spook it! Horses are pray animals by nature, and if anything came up behind it, and it didnt know, its gonna scare it and one time it will kick, and it would kill the mini! and when they get playing around, its kinda like little children playing with big children, there gonna get hurt, and standerd size horses are so powerfull, it will kill the mini if it got knocked in the head!

-Gage-
 
Sure I would there are plenty of minis that are in with their larger cousins and doing just fine. Especially when growing up together like that a weanling with another weanling..
biggrin.gif
They will become best buds together like that.
 
Littleum said:
Friend kept a Mini and an Arabian together. They lived happily for quite a while. One day, they were cavorting and Arabian playfully kicked out. Struck the mini full in the head. Would have just been a "thump" to a big horse. Mini's head exploded like a melon hit with a hammer. Died instantly and in horrific fashion.
I have since considered keeping Minis with (as in, in the same pasture/stall/run/paddock) anything larger then a Sheltand to be ignorant and irresponsible.

467799[/snapback]

I am sorry for your friend....but that makes about as much sense as saying because someone you knew died in a car crash you should never drive a car.......or how about the people who have big dogs and little tiny dogs (I have heard horror stories of accidents that had nothing to do with attacks)....or keeping cats in the same home as dogs......

I call it a calculated risk something I take every single day when I get out of bed...something I do every time I put my children on a bus or send them to school.....yes something really bad could happen and I am sure has happened to others but does that mean we all lock ourselves and animals into nice little padded well protected cells?
 
how about the people who have big dogs and little tiny dogs (I have heard horror stories of accidents that had nothing to do with attacks
I think that's the point. Accidents happen that have nothing to do with purposeful aggression. I would never let a three month old german shepherd pup play with a three month old chihuahua pup - the chihuahua is bound to get hurt just in normal play. The size difference is too great to take any kind of sensible chance.

I know I would never let two weanling horses of such dramatic size differences play/live together.
 
Nope, that would be a good way to get that mini killed. Unless of course the person has a heart of stone and just doesn't care.

I on the other hand, care and would never ever dream of putting any aged mini in with any aged big horse!

Thats just asking for trouble.

Thats JMHO!

Joyce
 
Guess it would depend on the breed of the big horse weanling, and wither the mini weanling is A or B sized.

Now just for ,, what if's sake. Say they had a Icelandic weanling, they tend to be quite small. And B size weanling... believe it or not, the size would not be that much difference at least for awhile.

But if it is a big, big horse weanling, and knowing how rough male foals play (if they are both males), then I do not honestly think it is a good idea. IMHO.

People have to make their own choices for better or worse.
 
runamuk said:
I am sorry for your friend....but that makes about as much sense as saying because someone you knew died in a car crash you should never drive a car.......or how about the people who have big dogs and little tiny dogs (I have heard horror stories of accidents that had nothing to do with attacks)....or keeping cats in the same home as dogs......
Well, I guess seeing a skull smashed like a Gallagher watermelon did it for me.

I will be the first to admit that "stuff happens" I've been around horses for 20 years. Horses play rough, they're physical creatures, and sometimes accidents happen. It's either that or keeping them in a hamster ball and padded cell. But there's no reason to invite more trouble then we have already.

My Thunderhawk daughter got run over by a mule this spring. Husky 39" mule or so, 32" filly- size/weight difference but not drastic. They did not want to be caught and were scampering all over the place. My filly was in the lead, mule decided they needed to go faster. Stupid mule ran right over my filly like a train. My filly got shoved head over heels and went down under the mule. She got caught up in the mule's stride and was somersaulted and stepped on several times before the mule kicked free after 3 strides. My filly (thankfully) was just shaken.

My point is this: they weren't trying to hurt each other. They were being a horse and a mule trying to evade us. It could have had a very bad result. Now ponder if it had been a full sized horse or pony.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I would NOT sell to someone that would put them together. My reason being that we have both full size weanlings and mini weanlings here. Watching the way they play among their own groups can be frightening enough let alone putting them together!
 
No, NEVER. As I KEEP saying ( on other Forums as well, not just here
smile.gif
) It Is FINE right up until the moment that it isn't. Then the Mini is dead. Analogies are pointless, it is one risk we do not have to take.
 
Well that depends. If pastured together i would say no. But it could be a companion if they shared a fence line i suppose. There would be no chance that way of the Mini getting hurt. But i am not sure if that would be enough companionship for a weanling.
 
Well, now I don't feel like such a freak or a wimp or whatever. Yesterday I had a lady who wanted to buy my little 24.5" Sweetie for a pasture mate for her big horse, APHA, 5 month old filly. I just couldn't do it. I tried to tell her that I thought it was dangerous for the mini. She couldn't understand as her weanling paint filly is kind and gentle. I tried to tell her, in play, accidently, Sweetie could be injured or killed. She didn't appreciate my information and said thats fine, she's already spoken to alot of other big farms and told them what she wanted the mini for and they had never said a thing about it being dangerous and that she'd buy from them. It made me feel bad and then I started wondering, am I just stupid or to sentimental? I'm glad to see others feel this way to.
 
I was called about a mini as a companion for and aged blind big horse and my answer was I thought a better companion would be another big horse. I think it is just not a risk I would want to take but that being said I do see minis out with big horses all the time just as I see all sizes of horses out at pasture with halters on. I chose to lose the sale rather than put my little one in jeopardy and basically I feel its each owners decision what to do and who to sell their little ones to.
 
I voted yes as long as they understand that the horses should NEVER be kept together.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top