[TiffofMo]

Ive been offed a mini mare for my nigerian doe. The mare is 3 yrs old very tame in your pocket type lead trained and can work with her feet o and 29 inches tall. She has been running with 2 studs 1 mini paint, 1 mini donkey. So please anyone want to tell me about this bred please do lol. I figured she would be a pet for the kids and live with the goats. But its been forever sice my last horse. I was a teen

 

[kramsay]

Have to be careful, they bite! Minis and ponies are really bad about biting, especially if they are used to getting treats

 

[ptgoats45]

One of the biggest issues minis can have is their teeth, they can have problems with their teeth lining up, getting impacted and other issues so i would definitely have the vet look at her teeth and see if they need floated or any special care. They can be pretty cantankerous and just like anything else I would slowly introduce her to your goats to make sure she doesn't hate them. Look at her feet and ask the owner if she has ever foundered. Foundered horses usually have issues the rest of their lives and do require a little bit different trimming to their hooves.

Mini's can also have "dwarfism", it can be very slight with just a few defects or it can be pretty severe. The more severe type they usually have a very short neck, crooked legs, bad mouth and a large bump on the forehead. Dwarves are typically way smaller than 29 inches so I'm sure your girl is fine. If she has been in with a mini horse and a mini donkey, if the donkey has ever bred mares you might have a chance of her having a mini mule They are VERY cute.

They are really fun to drive and are a good size to handle and can be easy to train.

 

[TiffofMo]

Thank you never thought about them biting just kicking. Being I can't transport her. She will be brought to me so I hope he is not lieing about her. But he said he is re homing them as the grand kids are not out at the farm much and he is not into minis. Do they go threw a shy period when at there new home? I'm used to the goats running from me like a day or so before they warm up to me.

 

[TiffofMo]

She will go into her own small pen for a few days just to see how she adjust. I'm hopping she is easy to train as would like her to pull a cart. Probably to small to be ridden.

 

[NubianFan]

It depends if she is outgoing she might warm right up to you. I have one and I think he is evil I wish I could give him back. I also have a Shetland cross though, and I have never heard anyone say anything good about a shetlands temperament but my boy is the sweetest thing on earth so it really just depends. If she is distant for a day or so I wouldn't be alarmed. I would make sure you can lead her, pick up her feet, rub her all over, and all that on the lead though without a fuss.

 

[LuvmyGoaties]

Has the mini ever been around goats? My ponies try to stomp my goats and my Welsh grabbed one of my does by the neck and shook her when the doe tried to eat her hay. I know someone who adopted a mini that was fine with the adult goats but would try (and once succeeded) to kill the kids. All of these ponies/mini's where fine with people. I know a lot of people keep horses/ponies with goats with no issues but you just want to be careful. If the mini doesn't get along with the goats would you keep it? Or do you have the option to give it back?

Also, if the mare is running with 2 studs I would assume that there is a very good chance that she could be pregnant...

 

[packhillboers]

We have had minis - good quality type of miniatures with no dwarfism. I would recommend you to this site called. Littlebeginnings miniature horse forum. It is such an awesome site and very helpful in all ways that you would need. We had an April 1st little filly born after taking in two mares and one ended up coming to our place bred. What sweet little horses these were. We cared for them, improved their diet, worked with them and taught them some manners, cleaned up their habbits, got teeth issues all taken care of in one.. It was such a wonderful experience having a little horse born. What a special time that was for me. We both ended up with some health issues and could no longer keep up the work and the task of training a new filly. They went to some awesome new homes and where they will all have excellent training and jobs of cart training and the filly and mare will be at a ranch helping with troubled children.

Biting issues: Not all have the 'shetland' bite issue. We had one refined mini and one that was of the 'rowdy' line that came from I think Shetland mixes and yes, I had to work with her a lot on the biting. She did not do well with the goats. I could not trust her to be in the pen with the goats at all for long times. The smaller one loved the goats but.. goats will and can nibble on the horses hair and break off their bangs.

As for your horse being bred- very possible. Horses have cycles but can be bred anytime of the year if with the stallion. They take a long time to know if they are pregnant or not. I recommend you going to the forum of little beginnings. You won't be disappointed as they are very helpful. I also took many photos of our horse and can show you the pregnancy stages at 5 months and onward. Congratulations on your new little minis. What a joy they are.

 

[packhillboers]

I found that horses took up a lot of emotional time for me much like a dog does and even tho they are mini horses they still need to have a job. They needed to be worked with when they first came. I also poopscooped their pen daily and kept it very clean. Hoof trims are a must from a good farrier at least every 6-8 weeks. Minis will also over eat so quickly and need to have a place to get off of the pasture or they will easily get too fat. The other item of importance is to read up on placenta previa as it is more of a problem in minis when they foal out. I loved spending time with these little horses. They hadnt been used to children and we had introduced them to a whole new life here. The only size that can ride a mini is little kids under 70 lbs. Our grandchildren all got to sit on our sweet little minis back and that was so special. You will probably just love them so much and all your horse memories will all come back to you. Horses are so sensitive. I'm sure in a week or less, you can gain their trust.

 

[TiffofMo]

He said his horses live with goats and sheep. I do have a smaller pen she could live in but i did not know if she would be happy in there. And i can move her around the yard for fresh grass if she does not like or get along with the goats. I think if i can make it to him first i would like to visit her to see how she is at his home. He is planing on hauling a highlander calf close by so said it would be no problem to load her to. If not ill see if any of my goaty friends over in OK can go have a look at her.
His words are she is as fat as a dog tick and if she foals before she gets her he will bring her and her baby along lol and if not i might go out one day and see a long eared baby beside her we know who daddy is.. Somethings he said makes me nervous this is a really good deal on my side if she is a nice horse. But he says he wants the 3 of his minis to go to home with kids to love on them as there not getting the attention needed there. And my kids would love a horse we could use her as a 4-h project.

 

[TiffofMo]

This is a pic of her from this spring he said see has shed out and is black know. Waiting for up to date pics.

 

[KW Farms]

She's cute, but I don't like that she's only three and is likely bred. Minis generally have more foaling problems then other breeds so being so young and only 29" tall AND overweight...that would make me a little nervous.

She's way too small to be ridden, but she could be trained to pull a cart.

Also, keep in mind that you can find free horses all day long. Is she papered? Does she have any training? Is the foal able to be papered?

You'll also want to take into account the costs that go along with a horse if you haven't already. She'll need her hooves trimmed regularly so you'll need to find a farrier if you don't have one yet. She'll need her teeth floated as needed. You'll also need to purchase basic horse tack and supplies like a fly mask, hoof pick, brushes, halters, etc. A foal is also a lot of work and if it's a colt, you'll want to have him gelded. Foals need a lot of training and I wouldn't recommend them for a beginner.

I personally would pass on a trade and sell the goat to someone instead. Too many risks involved with this filly, in my opinion. And being that you could probably find one without the risks for free...it doesn't sound like that great of a deal to me. :shrug:

 

[packhillboers]

You will only regret it if you don't have the time to work with them. I spent everyday working with these little horses, walking, even jogging with them. - cleaning their hooves.. training filly to love her halter time and I am not an experienced horse person but still know that they sure need a job. They won't like being on the same level as the goats in attention and they feel they are the smartest animal on your farm and should by golly be treated with some dignity & be given a job. The most and least amount of discipline is needed with these little sensitive creatures and yet.. you have to establish your authority the second you walk into their pen. They will quickly take control of their environment so you have to show them that you are going to be their boss.---but only in an extremely gentle pro-active way. When I would walk into the pen- if they turned their bottom toward me- that was bad manners and they knew this- it had to be corrected. They soon learned that I was their gentle authority and would face me and do that chew thing they do when they are being submissive. They also at first did not want to be halterd- that changed quickly by putting and keeping them in a smaller space and asking them to come to the halter... with lots of persistance of running around me.. finally the head comes over and hangs right in front of me as if to say..."Ok.. human.. you win. Put my halter on now." THEN they would get a praise and rub. These horses changed me so much.. I learned so much patience. They can sure help kids learn kindness and gentleness and to never give into anger.. good lessons I learned from these horses.

 

[audrey]

Having run with studs, you can be sure shes bred. Be prepared for dystocia, minis are notorious for needing lots of assistance with birthing, and shes just a baby her self still, so there is higher risk of her having issues. If you do get her, it might be wise to have her ultra sounded (if you can find a vet who will ultrasound a mini) and if shes not too far along, lute her, or have it pinched off.

 

[TiffofMo]

well im on the fence know. I may just pass on her. But i i do i will be getting one im in love with them. There so cute and small lol. There hard to find in my area and go for $200 and up but i can sell a Nigerian and buy one. I did have someone offer me a stillion to saying he is a very big sweet hart and to much a push over. So no a good breeder and has been her daughters pet for a while. But hello i thought all male un fixed animals where not to be pets or are minis different.

 

[J.O.Y. Farm]

Stallions really shouldn't be a pet for kids.. I have worked with quite a few, one being a mini, and they were all great and awesome horses, but, they had their 'studdy' moments... And the mini was the worse of them... He would bite and kick... He had the 'small dog syndrome' they think they are bigger and tougher then they are...
I honestly wouldn't get a stallion as a pet... There was one stallion I worked with, like a big puppy dog! But, he would try to take advantage of you if he knew you were paying attention... I wouldn't let my sister go in his stall cause he could get roundy, even though he wasn't doing it to be mean... They are just full of it...
But a good stallion makes a great gelding

That's JMHO...

 

[KW Farms]

Stallions should really only be kept if they're going to be used for breeding and should only be handled by an experienced horse owner/breeder/trainer. They make horrible pets and will generally live a poor quality life if they aren't regularly used for breeding or kept with other horses...and that can be hard to do when you have a stallion. A lot of them don't get along with other horses. I would never trust one as a child's pet; that is very irrisponsible in my opinion. They're not like a mare or gelding.

If you get him, geld him...that will make him safer, but he still will likely have some studdish behavior if he's an older guy.

If you want a mini...i'd look for a trained mare or gelding. Something older and well trained can be perfect for kids. :thumb: