Moving to Raw Property Part 2 Fencing

So, how does one fence their land well for Minis? Despite yesterday's post, it really isn't too hard, one just has to "think Mini". If it can be climbed through, rolled under, undone, or gotten apart, it will be-at least, plan for that. Yours might not be so mischievous as mine *laughs* Better safe than sorry, though, I believe, and so I plan.

Here's my list of 'favored fences' for Miniatures:

1. Cattle panels. NOT hog panels, which are more expensive anyhow, because most any Mini can jump them, and so can most any predator. The advantages of cattle panels are that they are easy to install (read: pre-stretched and of a manageable length), quick to install, sturdy, and long lasting. I do recommend wrapping them to the T-Posts with a reasonably heavy gauge wire (and if I have it right, the lower the gauge, the stronger the wire, so 12 gauge is going to be heavier and stronger than 22 gauge, for example) as well as or instead of using the clips that come with the panels. The clips are great, and can be strong enough, except Minis *really* love to full body scratch on fencing, and I have seen mine pop off even well installed clips when they are putting their full weight+pressure on them. If you plan on installing a single wire of medium impedence electric at Mini-body-scratching height, then the clips should do well on their own. Or, with the help of the electric, really! The DISadvantages of cattle panel is primarily in their initial cost, which is currently $20-25 per 16' of fence, depending on where you live in the country. This really is NOT a high price for such a long lasting maintenance free fence, however it can be prohibitive to someone on a budget. Oh, and don't forget the 6.5' T Posts, which can be spaced every 8' for this kind of fence, and run $4-5 each, again depending on where you are in the USA. 
2. Woven Wire Field Fence. This fence is the lower-starting-cost-more-maintenance version of cattle panels. Both Tractor Supply and McCoys sell a roll of 330', 48" height, which works very well for the Minis. It is 6" squares, which is perfect as you don't need to worry about a horse getting it's hoof stuck in a square, and which is why I do not like 'horse fence' for Minis-the 2" wide squares are perfect for catching a hoof when a horse lies down to roll or nap. This fence runs pretty consistently in the $150-160 per 330' range, and if stretched properly and well, you can take your T Posts to 10-12' apart, cutting initial costs there. It does the job of keeping them in well. The cons are it can sag when the aforementioned body-scratching is applied unless it is VERY PROPERLY tightened, or one uses the electric-at-mini-body-hgt trick. Sagging fence looks awful and really ruins the look of a property. It is also not as strong as cattle panels are, and although galvanized, does not seem to hold up to rust for as many years. TPosts must be well sunk, and they will start to sag too over time and scratching. Clips are fine for this type of fence, but do need to be checked on and missing ones replaced semi-annually. That said, it is what I just fenced with! 
3. Traditional wood fences. These are very strong when properly installed and no mini will knock one down. They can scratch and rub to their little hearts content and do very little damage, if any. It can look especially beautiful, and the vinyl version solves the 'paint the fence every year' dilemma. Of course, it runs more...and, whether real wood or vinyl, this is almost the most expensive fence one can install. And, with Minis, there are a few things to keep in mind.....A) Is your ground rolling or level? If rolling, you need to adjust so your bottom fence rail is No More than 8-10" off the ground, and personally I would say 6". I have seen Minis over the year that will LOOK for a rolling place, and use it to gain the extra space to roll out under the fence, and I have known others who have had the same thing. B) Your rails should not be more than 12-16" apart, as some minis will climb through them. Foals included. C) It needs to finish at a big horse height, or some will go over the top....do not underestimate a Miniatures ability to jump! And esp a stallion when mares are around. 

So, there are my top three picks for Miniature Horse fencing. Next time, I will go over fencing I do *not* like, and why. 

Moving to Raw Property with Minis, Part 1 Fencing

The property I moved to is a lovely 5 acres, with home situated about center on the land. There is an 18x40 steel building to the right and behind the house, which has been turned into a barn. And...that was it.

In some ways I really prefer 'raw' land. The one way I don't, is fencing, which I am sure many of you can agree with! At the same time, I get to layout my fields how "I" want them, and that is a blessing.

I wrote an article some time ago that was published on a now defunct mini site about the needs of Miniatures as applies to fences and fencing. I have learned a bit since then (hopefully), and am thinking I will re-do that here.

One of the biggest things one needs to keep in mind when one has Minis, or is looking to buy them, is the type of fence one has, or will put up. Having lived with and worked with everything from Minis to TB/Shire crosses, I can tell you Minis are NOT like horses when it comes to fences. It never ceases to amaze me what will keep a large horse "in".

One does not have that luxury with a Mini. If you watch close enough, you can see the wheels spinning when they survey the fence, and survey they will! If there is a weakness or a way out, they will find it. I don't care if the grass is up to their knees, over their shoulders or over their heads in the field you put them in, they are intelligent and they like to work out puzzles and they will put their little minds to it at least part of  a day!

Hello! Well wow...the last couple of months have been crazy, but in many ways, crazy good. Which is a definite plus!

Moving in itself has always been crazy. This one provided me with a few new experiences. I have not had a trailer for the last 3 yrs, and even if I did, do not have a vehicle I could haul with. That said, I had 13 minis to get moved, and my friend Katrin who was going to volunteer her truck and trailer suddenly found herself minus said truck when hubby took it to work one day and came home without it *shakes head* Traded it in =) So, how does one move 13 minis 22 miles?

Well, it turns out, in the back of one's minivan! Except one trip made with Fancy and Sunrise, and Silk in Wendi's new trailer, the rest came by minivan....and was that interesting. For one thing, it was neat to see again how much my horses trust me-not one hesitated to jump up in there more than a minute. And then, to see how very much they LOVED it! They were absolutely entranced by the views out the back windows, and now I have to be careful with 2 of them esp, who will happily climb into the 'horse trailer' and look at me with that 'I want to go for a ride, mom!' look. Minis...life is never dull with them! Sonata even decided to come up into the middle row of seats and 'sit' in one of them...if I can get that photo on my phone to not be so dark, I will post it. Front legs on floor, butt and back legs in the seat, and her head hanging over my shoulder watching...*smiles*

And people wonder what one does with minis or what purpose they serve?! In this case, they gave me a good laugh and a warm fuzzy I will probably never forget!

WOOOHOOOO!

I am very happy to announce that my absence (again) was for a very good cause...Enyalien has moved and for hte first time in 3 yrs we are ALL back on piece of property, and it is oh so wonderful. We are now located on 5 acres, still in Georgetown, but on the opposite end of it.

Now that we are settled in mostly, I will begin posting regularly again. Thank you, dear readers, for your patience!

Love Gold? You want the creme gene!

Ok, so on to one of the most popular and sought after colors in horses in general--GOLD. Whether golden palomino, like the ever-famous Trigger or golden buckskin like Pa's horse on Bonanza, gold shines. In Miniatures, the Gold Melody Boy and Kahoka lines are well known for consistency in producing palomino; the Buckeroo line for creating golden buckskin of top show quality one after another.

So, how does one find gold?

A palomino is actually a chestnut horse, with a single copy of the dilution gene known as creme.
A buckskin is actually a bay horse, with a single copy of the dilution gene known as creme.

Because these colors are the heterozygous version of creme, the horse has a 50/50 chance of passing on it's creme gene when it breeds. This lack of consistency used to cause all horse breeders no end of frustration, yet it was realized the only way to get a palomino or buckskin was through one or more parents being that color.

For a time, it was thought that crossing two palomino's or two buckskins had a chance of producing a foal similar to the lethal white's of frame overos. This is now known to be not true.

What you may produce with crossing them is the homozygous version of either color, in which the resulting foal will always pass on it's creme gene. These colors are known as:

Cremello-two copies of the creme gene on a chestnut
Perlino-two copies of the creme gene on a bay

It follows that if one wants to produce palomino, a cremello bred to a sorrel or chestnut is your best bet. Likewise, a perlino bred to bay is the best chance of producing buckskin.

A cremello is a beautiful ivory color, with blue eyes. ALL homozygous creme horses have blue eyes. A perlino will be that beautiful ivory color also, but with slightly darker points...a smoky ivory shade there.

It is now, with the knowledge and genetic color tests available, much easier to produce gold in Minis. Do not forget though that conformation has to come first over color! A horse should never be bred just for it's color!

Basic Genetic Terms

This will be a short and quick post, but needed for future discussions on genetics. This is a post of the most common genetic terms and their definitions that one runs into when researching Minis.

Genotype-this is the actual complete genetic make up of the horse, including dominant and recessive genes.

Phenotype-this is the physically visible genetic make up of the horse, what actually shows in it's conformation, color, and temperament.

Heterozygous-this is the term for when a horse carries ONE copy of a given gene, and thereby has a 50% chance of passing said gene along.

Homozygous-this is the term for when a horse carries TWO copies of a given gene, and thereby will ALWAYS pass this particular gene along.

Most often one will see these in reference to color, as we have tests for most of the color genes now. I am looking forward to the day when tests exist for conformation genes....

Signs of Foaling

As I said last week, foaling season is upon us. My first mare, my heart Sonata, has begun to bag so I think it is a good time to test my memory *smile* This is an 'off the top of my head what I need to watch for for foaling' post.

The most obvious of course is a milk bag. Mares will begin to "bag up" anywhere from 45 days ahead of time, on. Some mares are 24 hr baggers, as they have not yet read "Blessed are the Broodmares" or any other foaling book and learned they are to give us a few weeks warning by bagging slowly! Once a mare does that, or if she has a mother that does that, I know to be watching for other signs. Mares often pass on their personal foaling traits to their daughters, so those are good things to know, as it gives you a bit of direction at least in what to be aware of.

Miniature mares, unlike their full size counterparts, rarely wax or stream milk. In 18 yrs I have had ONE mare who waxed. From talking to friends with long term Mini experience, I hear they have had pretty much the same. So don't count on waxing in Minis!

Waxing, just in case, is when the tips of a mares teat's get covered with a bit of dried colostrum, and they look
like they have been dipped in candle wax and it was allowed to dry on.

Other signs....
..... when standing behind the mare, her rump will assume a varying degree of an "A" shape, as the muscles loosen up and droop.
......when pressing on the muscles around the tail head, they will have a jello type 'watch it jiggle' looseness, as opposed to their normal tight and firm feel. This jello feeling will trace all the way down the buttocks.
......she no longer has the ability to clamp her tail down when you lift it.
.......my biggie--within 24 hrs of foaling the brain will release Oxytocin, which results in the complete loosening of all muscles in that area. This loosening means the body can no longer form the stools into the common 'apples', and her stool will go to mush. When this occurs, I do not let her out of my sight until she foals! I have *never* had a mare go over 30 hrs (1 that went 30) and the majority don't go 12 hrs without foaling.

Later this week I will look at my vet books and see if I forgot any =)