I thought a post on 'what do you need to take care of a miniature' would be a good thing.
Ok, first off, the annual cost of upkeep of a Miniature is going to vary greatly depending on what part of the country you are in. It is also going to be roughly the same as the cost of keeping a dog. The lifespan of a horse, however ranges from 25-40 years--considerably more than the average dog! So do keep that in mind when you are buying.
The bare bone basics are food, water, and shelter, of course. Miniatures are extremely hardy, due to their Shetland Pony ancestry, and are typically easy keepers. There are, of course, exceptions (looks pointedly at Snippa)....every breed has 'hard keepers'. There are just fewer in Minis. Which is good news, except one has to watch their weight in the other direction-obesity is no better for a horse than it is for a human!
Clean water is of course, a bare necessity. Minis do not drink near what a large horse does, and do be sure they can reach the water-the standard horse trough is going to be too tall for most Minis. Mine will vary from 1-4 gallons of water a day each...the lower end being standard. They of course drink more in the hot TX summer's, and lactating mares are on the high end, esp combining TX summer with lactation.
Food for Minis consists of forage and grain. Forage is the MOST important, and if you have plenty of high quality forage, grain becomes something you give them just a handful of (literally) to keep them going 'oh, the good human is here!' and coming to you eagerly.
A horses' digestive tract is designed for slow, constant grazing on high fiber forage. Out at pasture is therefore, of course the single best option for any horse, Minis included. When pastures are thin, or drought hits and they die, or it is winter and there is not much to eat on, supplement with a quality hay. Orchard grass, coastal, bermuda, alfalfa, timothy, clover(as a mix with one of the aforementioned) are all excellent hays for horses. Fescue grass and hay needs to be avoided if you are breeding-it can cause abortion of the fetus-more on this later. Never feed moldy hay! Hay should be green (brown has been sunbleached, and the majority of the nutrients will have leached out, it is simply fiber at that point), clean, and a good example of it's 'type'....ie, you want leafy alfalfa, not all stems.
Grains are used to supplement forage, and to make sure the horse is getting all of the nutrients it needs. There are many very good pelleted feeds and sweet feeds on the market now, and are often now even marked to help the mini owner determine how much to feed. They will say something like '1/2# per 100#'s of body weight'.
Shelter is needed, of course, for intense sun, rain, wind, and cold. An open, airy run in is often plenty, unless you are breeding. Make sure it is situated so the prevailing storm and cold winds are blocked.
I need to go feed my little ones now, so I will get back to this in more detail soon. Be blessed!
Ok, first off, the annual cost of upkeep of a Miniature is going to vary greatly depending on what part of the country you are in. It is also going to be roughly the same as the cost of keeping a dog. The lifespan of a horse, however ranges from 25-40 years--considerably more than the average dog! So do keep that in mind when you are buying.
The bare bone basics are food, water, and shelter, of course. Miniatures are extremely hardy, due to their Shetland Pony ancestry, and are typically easy keepers. There are, of course, exceptions (looks pointedly at Snippa)....every breed has 'hard keepers'. There are just fewer in Minis. Which is good news, except one has to watch their weight in the other direction-obesity is no better for a horse than it is for a human!
Clean water is of course, a bare necessity. Minis do not drink near what a large horse does, and do be sure they can reach the water-the standard horse trough is going to be too tall for most Minis. Mine will vary from 1-4 gallons of water a day each...the lower end being standard. They of course drink more in the hot TX summer's, and lactating mares are on the high end, esp combining TX summer with lactation.
Food for Minis consists of forage and grain. Forage is the MOST important, and if you have plenty of high quality forage, grain becomes something you give them just a handful of (literally) to keep them going 'oh, the good human is here!' and coming to you eagerly.
A horses' digestive tract is designed for slow, constant grazing on high fiber forage. Out at pasture is therefore, of course the single best option for any horse, Minis included. When pastures are thin, or drought hits and they die, or it is winter and there is not much to eat on, supplement with a quality hay. Orchard grass, coastal, bermuda, alfalfa, timothy, clover(as a mix with one of the aforementioned) are all excellent hays for horses. Fescue grass and hay needs to be avoided if you are breeding-it can cause abortion of the fetus-more on this later. Never feed moldy hay! Hay should be green (brown has been sunbleached, and the majority of the nutrients will have leached out, it is simply fiber at that point), clean, and a good example of it's 'type'....ie, you want leafy alfalfa, not all stems.
Grains are used to supplement forage, and to make sure the horse is getting all of the nutrients it needs. There are many very good pelleted feeds and sweet feeds on the market now, and are often now even marked to help the mini owner determine how much to feed. They will say something like '1/2# per 100#'s of body weight'.
Shelter is needed, of course, for intense sun, rain, wind, and cold. An open, airy run in is often plenty, unless you are breeding. Make sure it is situated so the prevailing storm and cold winds are blocked.
I need to go feed my little ones now, so I will get back to this in more detail soon. Be blessed!
