Mini horses

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Swing

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I just wanted to share another forum I'm on with you all. It's about Miniature Horses and some donkeys and such things.

I invite you to come take a look at the pretty mini horses and maybe comment on a thing or two, if interested.

https://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/
 
We have a mini donkey I think he is about 7. I got him to backpack with but decided he just walks slower than I want to. We need to get him another donkey companion. He seems happy enough but playing with the dogs just isn't the same thing. He is really smart and a little bit mischievous getting into things.
 
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Apparently the minis are more for 2 wheel cart pulling than riding. And little donkeys are so cute.
They are cute, but I wondered if they have any practical use. I have seen them in parades. I wonder what their temperament is like? We had a pony when I was a child that was called a Pinto. He was a grumpy horse.
 
I have a burro. or I guess she might be called a mini donkey? She is territorial about her area. She lives in with my goats and my male LGD. Her and the LGD are best friends. If she hehaws, he comes running to see what the problem is. People use donkeys to protect their cattle around here. They will run Yotes away from calving cows. I have 3 big packs of yotes surrounding me. I have not lost a goat to a yote yet. We have considered breeding her with a mini Appaloosa or mini paint horse.
 
Are the mini donkeys as good at protecting as the full size?
 
Thanks, if I rode anything smaller than a Clydesdale the ASPCA would have me in chains.

Me too. The last time I got on the scale it said " One at a time" . I just saw a segment on the news where a gal was flying on a commercial flight with a mini horse. She claims to have it trained as a service animal. I didn't see any comments from the other passengers.
 
They are cute, but I wondered if they have any practical use. I have seen them in parades. I wonder what their temperament is like? We had a pony when I was a child that was called a Pinto. He was a grumpy horse.

Mini’s are still quite strong so they can be used for horse power, just not as much as a draft. Pulling carts and packing supplies around. They are also handy lawn mowers and their poop is equally good for fertilizer or making fire logs.

Mini Donks and Mules can be good guardians for smaller animals. Not much use against, say, a pack of wolves, but they can keep other things at bay.

Keeping in mind that a homestead can be anything from a small backyard to millions of acres, for a smaller homestead a mini might be just the right sized horse power. One doesn’t buy a full size tractor just to mow a few acres and one doesn’t necessarily need a full size horse or donk to keep a small homestead worth of horse and donk duties fulfilled. 😁
 
Me too. The last time I got on the scale it said " One at a time" . I just saw a segment on the news where a gal was flying on a commercial flight with a mini horse. She claims to have it trained as a service animal. I didn't see any comments from the other passengers.

Mini horses are actually super service animals, especially for folks who are not comfortable around dogs. They can be house trained like dogs and fitted with rubber boots to prevent slipping on or marring up indoor surfaces. Unfortunately the ADA guidelines only recognize dogs now as service animals but Mini horses can and on many occasions have been trained to do all the same tasks for the disabled that dogs do.

Edit to add: Mini horses are also far superior as physical support animals for those with muscle issues since their bodies take the leaning weight much better than dogs who tend to only last a couple of years in physical support service where a mini could do the job for decades. Many are still fighting to have mini horses added back to the definition for this purpose especially.
 
I used to be a member of the Iowa draft pony hitch association, because my ex had tall ponies. Minis weren't technically allowed in their events, but many of the members had them. My experience with them was...well, imagine the orneriest old Shetland pony you ever knew, and then give it a gallon of coffee and an electric shock on the butt, and you'll get the picture. No thanks. I'm done with little miniature devil horses sneaking up behind me and biting me on the butt.

Service animals aside, the only thing I can think of that a mini would be good for is pulling a cart in a mineshaft. Beyond that...a Shetland, Welsh, or other bigger pony can do a lot more work and doesn't take that much more feed. Plus small kids can ride them for hours and stay entertained.
 
Don't get me started on shetlands... they can redefine the phrase "mean as a snake". Speaking of small and mean. I was at an exotic animal auction a few years ago. They even had zebras and camels.

Anyway, there were some miniature Brahma's, a bull and 2 cows. I was in the back checking out the critters in the small pens/stalls. The wrangler, a really large man, began herding the the brahma's out to the ring. A tiny cow kicked him on the knee cap. It sounded like some teeing off with a 3 wood. The guy dropped like a rock.

I was laughing so hard I couldn't breath... so was the lady wrangler, his wife... The poor guy was laying on the ground cursing both of us...
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He actually left in an ambulance. I felt bad for the guy... But that was so funny...

I heard later that day the guy was in a plastic leg cast. That tiny cow had broken his knee cap.
 
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They can sure save on feed and pasture.A pony is the only equine who attacked me in a pasture and had laid out on the ground on my back running on elbows.She would rear up and I'd tist to one side to avoid the stomping.

I had a jenny twice once as a 10 yr old,again 16 years ago.Love those 'donks'.Had a beautiful jack too but we had to give them and our horse away after hubby injured.We sold the jack but gave horse and jenny away to goof homes with agreement we could visit them to make sure they were cared for.We loved that horse and jenny
 
Beautiful little horses. Animal husbandry is always of value.
When our daughter wanted a horse, kinda like all little girls, we first had a quarter horse. She was near 30 years but in great physical condition. And was trained n used daily doing calvary reenactment shows. Highly trained. Even foot n leg control because they shot guns n such off her. Beautiful buckskin. She was 12. They were a perfect match and the first horse I've ever been around that knew when we were headed home she would refuse instead of going on cruise control towards the barn n food. When she passed our daughter took over weening her granddaughter foal. She camped out in the corral with that little freaking out foal. She came home one day a couple weeks later with a selfy photo. She has this wild little pony laying on it's side with her curled up next to it between its legs on the ground. Laying on the ground with a just weened pony. I could not even imagine how she got that to happen. Other than just figuring out how to connect with it. Thus our place has always had small livestock of every kind. N still does
Then she wanted her own pony again. We homeschooled so she had to plan out a work study plan. What does she need in a pony. She's small so small frame. We live in cold climate and there's mountains. Ended up with a Norwegian fjord cross hafflinger. Short strong cold weather n good attitudes. She had research the needed traits first.
Green breaking is a daily chore. Cleaning hoofs grooming leading feeding all winter . Welcome to Animal husbandry.
It served her well in that she can get the job done and do it right even at 40 below. She now works as a certified welder and truck driver with all her certs. In the arctic. Out at 75 below .Tough little chick. Oops I let the daddy in me come out a bit.
Do mimi horses have value. You bet. And looking out the window n seeing horses is just kinda nice for ol dad too.
 
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