# Caring for miniature horse



## ksalvagno (Nov 25, 2010)

I have someone who is boarding her goats with me. She has moved from out of state and needs to move her horses. She has a miniature gelding that she is still looking for a place to board. She did ask me if I could do it and I originally told her no but then again, some more income would be nice. What is involved in caring for a miniature horse? It sounds like he doesn't get any grain. But what is stall cleanup like and how messy are they?


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## goodhors (Nov 25, 2010)

They need a dirt lot to be kept in, a place where feed is controlled.  Minis will gain on literally an handful of extra hay or grass.  They do NOT need grain.  Junk hay is better than good stuff, their digestive system is so efficient.  They get 110% out of every bite.  Really easy to overfeed and founder them, expecially if let out to graze ANY kind of grass for more than a couple minutes.  Even with a grazing muzzle, they should not be out on pasture very long to keep their svelte figure.

Mini will need hoof care about every 6-8 weeks,   unless he is being worked on hard surfaces, like driving.  Someone would need to clean and check hooves for wear or growth needing trimming back. Hooves should be cleaned, checked for rocks stuck in them, probably every day or so, just takes a minute.

You might ask if mini will need any vaccinations during your keeping time, to stay on schedule.  Had a Rabies shot?  You might ask about if he would need teeth checked too, when was he done last?  Many minis have TERRIBLE teeth, part of being small.  Teeth are the last thing to shrink down when you miniturize animals.  He should get a look-see every year, to make sure there are not sharp edges, hooks or overgrown teeth so he can't chew well or shut his mouth.  Important at all ages of the animal.

They need a dry place to get out of weather, with some grooming to get skin stimulated and check for problems under the LONG hair.  Easy to hide rain rot, other problems in that deep hair.  A shop vac can help, with both vacuuming and blowing after an intitial currying to loosening things like mud or rain drip-dryed hair.  You want hair fluffy for an insulatin layer. The vac part will PULL dirt off the hair, while blowing will get a lot of dust out, also good for drying deep wet hair.  Using a crevice tool, the forced air is compressed, so air gets warm like a big hair dryer!  Most minis tolerate cold quite well if they can get out of the wind.  A friend keeps hers in a bedded calf hut!  It is a small mini, with a wire panel pen out front to move around it.  I believe the hair is at least 4 inches long, doesn't need a blanket for warmth, but maybe a waterproof one for wet weather.

Folks charge the same for mini as a horse.  Takes up the same amount of space, time to care for.  Less feed, but you have to "manage" the mini more.  Your choice if you want to deal with it.  I would not turn the mini out with other animals who have free hay access.  He will stuff himself.


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## ksalvagno (Nov 25, 2010)

Thanks for your reply. Sounds like my "no" answer is the right one for me. I was worried that he would need more care than I would want to do.


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## patandchickens (Nov 25, 2010)

Cleaning a stall can take 1-10 minutes for a mini sized stall, depending on exact stall size and how much of a pig the particular horse is. (Note that a real messy waring-blender type pony can be a real nuisance in a full horse sized stall and potentially take significantly more than 10 minutes to clean )

Personally I find that practically all equids (minis included) are better off with 24/7 turnout, if you have a suitable area (good deep shelter, dryish footing, safe fences). In which case the task is not daily stall cleaning but rather daily-or-weekly-or-whatever-works-for-you shed cleaning and generalized poo pickup. A lot depends on the type paddock that's available, and your personal tastes, and how you are feeding hay. (IMO on clean ground is usually best, but then of course that means you have to ensure there always *is* clean ground )

Basically a mini is not going to be a lot different chore-wise than goats or sheep or cattle. Keep the hay supply goin', clean liquid water, eyeball the animal a couple times a day from close enough up that you can tell if something's amiss. 

You will probably have to arrange for a farrier to come trim the mini's hooves every 8 weeks or so, and most often (not always) they want someone to be home to hold the horse for them. I would totally not suggest trying to do it yourself, especially not on someone else's horse -- horse hoof trimming is a lot easier to screw up badly than (say) goats.

I would only suggest entertaining the idea of boarding someone's mini if you already have reasonable horse experience (I'm sorry, I just don't remember your situation). You'd want to be easily-capable of dealing with behavior problems, catching a loose horsie, anticipating likely hazards and problems-about-to-happen, recognizing signs of founder or colic, etc. If you're used to full sized horses, though, minis aren't really much different, just harder on your back when you have to deal with their legs and feet LOL

*There are homeowners' insurance issues when you do boarding* though. Make sure you have investigated and thought this through carefully. A lot of companies will cancel your policy, no appeal, if they find out you're boarding without having purchased a specific extra rider to cover that. 

Good luck, have fun,

Pat


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## ksalvagno (Nov 25, 2010)

I have no horse experience. I have full farm insurance because of the alpaca business. So as far as insurance goes, I would be covered. Still sounds like I'm better off not doing it. Thanks for your advice.


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## patandchickens (Nov 25, 2010)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> I have no horse experience. I have full farm insurance because of the alpaca business. So as far as insurance goes, I would be covered.


You'd want to doublecheck that, as boarding horses (coverage thereof) is often a separate thing.



> Still sounds like I'm better off not doing it. Thanks for your advice.


Yup, sounds like. Hopefully she can find somewhere else for her mini and everyone will be happy 

Good luck, have fun,

Pat


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## LollingontheFarm (Dec 3, 2010)

We've had minis for 6 yrs now and have little to no trouble with them verus our larger horses.  The tiny minis are hard to manage weightwise if you have rich pastures.  No alfafa unless bred.  
They are loving friendly horses typically and cleaning their stall is a 5 minute chore daily.  Mine are so picky them only go in one spot and its 1/10th that of a regular size horse.  Turnout daily and stall at night.  Ours get 1/2cup of oats twice a day, pasture, and ato or grass hay (depends on bred or not).
My problem would be insurance versus time to care for.


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