Meet my mini's!

I believe a parasite egg is the same regardless of host. The variety of worm may differ a bit but there are many YouTube videos and other avenues that show what to look for. @Southern by choice has done a series of three articles on the process that you can find here on the site up top under articles.

Bunnylady said:

Welcome to the forum, and the world of the small equine!

B -size minis are between 34 and 38 inches tall at the last mane hair; there are sticks designed to measure height (though on big horses, they measure to the withers, not the mane hair). There are several different registries for minis, while some register up to 38 inches, AMHA only recognizes up to 34".

The weight tapes that they use on larger horses aren't all that accurate for minis; mini proportions can vary quite a bit. One formula for calculating weight in pounds is (9.36 x girth measurement in inches) + (5 x body length in inches) - 348.5. You can use a dressmaker's tape for this.

(incidentally, your boys are pretty fat; feeding them in a way that will gradually reduce their weight would do both of them a world of good) Love 'em both!

You said something about showing - wh at have they been trained for?

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No showing, just owning! I've only had these boys since the 22nd. So only over a week. They are pets for us, so registries are not too important, although I'll take a looksy! They came from the farm they were born on, I'm the only other "mom" they've had, but the last lady just put a saddle on one a few times, and tried a driving harness a few times. I'd LOVE to try my hand at training them to drive.

Latestarter said:

I believe a parasite egg is the same regardless of host. The variety of worm may differ a bit but there are many YouTube videos and other avenues that show what to look for. @Southern by choice has done a series of three articles on the process that you can find here on the site up top under articles.

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I wanted to find a good microscope and test my own farm poo. Hubs thinks I'm a weirdo but I think it can be so helpful to me and my animals, but can also be fun and educational for my kids, looking through a microscope at all things they find can be very fun!

Absolutely! And considering every time they look crosseyed at you, you're gonna want to take their temp and check them for worms... Being able to do it immediately, yourself, and have the results in 10 minutes, not to mention the cost of vet fecals every month or two... It's a really huge benefit.

Most people rotate wormers and worm horses every two months. Some horses may not actually need to be wormed; they may be naturally resistant. I have also heard that, depending on where you live, it can be too hot or too cold for worm eggs to survive at some times of the year, so worming isn't needed then - which are good arguments for fecal first. However, there is at least one type of worm that has a life stage that has it completely out of the digestive system, so it wouldn't show up on a fecal. Also, tapeworms release segments, not just eggs, so a horse could be lousy with tapes and come up negative on a fecal.

Whatever program you choose to follow, one wormer you do not want to use on a mini is moxidectin (brand name, Quest). It is just too easy to overdose a small horse with it, and the results can be fatal.

And I would be remiss not to ask - have you ever taught a horse to drive before? If not, it is a really good idea to find someone to teach your boys and you how it's done. Driving is infinitely more dangerous than riding; there are just so many more things for a horse to get wiggy about, and so many more ways he can kill you - even a small one.

@Bunnylady

Lots of info, and I'm kinda glad it came from one person. I've heard both sides of this topic but never from one source. Much to consider

Checking my own wont be immediately, so conventional for now. Are any herbal or natural wormers available and effective for horses?

And NO, I am no trainer , no experience whatsoever. I haven't read into drive training yet, it was just a wish for them to have training. I do, however, love to learn and am patient, so maybe one day.

For now I will browse for possible trainers, there are carts for sale in my area, so maybe I'll luck out and track down a willing teacher!

Thanks for all the info!

MaggieSims said:

And NO, I am no trainer , no experience whatsoever.

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This put me in mind of something someone once told me, "every person that owns a horse is a trainer, whether they acknowledge it or not. There is no 'free time' with horses; every moment you spend with a horse, he is learning something. Whether it is something you want him to be learning is up to you." That's why you can send a horse to a trainer, he can come back as good as gold, and a few weeks later be right back doing the stuff you sent him to the trainer for in the first place. He learned the trainer wouldn't put up with it, so he stopped doing it, but he figures out he can still get away with it with you.

Good luck with finding a driving trainer in your area. There are people in our area that drive (there are carriage rides in a number of places around here) but finding someone that is both local and willing has been an ongoing challenge for me . . .

My loving hubby built a cart for me a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, though he is quite talented, all he did was look at a few pictures and wing it, and there was a lot he missed. Consequently, the cart is still a work in progress. The only one of my minis that is big enough to pull that particular cart is Syd (though her parents were both registered minis, Syd, at 40", is oversized so technically not a mini). Syd's basic philosophy of life has always been "wig out first, ask questions later;" people with experience at cart training would most likely suggest getting a different horse . . . . but this is what I have to work with. All I can say is, it's been an 'interesting' journey (kind of like that Chinese curse, "may you live in 'interesting' times.")

Syd and I have done a lot of long-lining; we have done the travois and and a drag, and Syd has been good for all of that. I have rigged a swingletree to a wagon/garden cart and had her pull that, and she has helped me haul a lot of feed and hay from the driveway to the feed room. But she is still not comfortable with that pony cart; something about being between the shafts just gets to her. Last week, after a long-lining session all over the yard, I hitched her to the cart (single-handed; though Syd stood quietly for the whole process, just having her stand still for it was a major step forward). I switched from the lines to a lead rope; Syd is steadier with me beside her; I am not suicidal enough to try to drive her hitched! I led Syd down the driveway, and we were good until I tried to circle her around at the end of the drive. She felt the one shaft pressing against her shoulder in the turn and her brain just fell out. All I can say is, it's a good thing she is as small as she is, because my weight counts for quite a bit against her . . . as it was, I only got her stopped about two steps away from something that would have destroyed the cart and possibly her, too. After we'd both had a moment to catch our breath, I moved her around some more, and spent a couple of minutes pulling and pushing on the cart shafts to try to get her used to the idea that she had to step sideways to turn. Then my intrepid daughter (known as BB2K on BYC) got into the cart, and we took Syd for a walk through the neighborhood (I just don't have the space for a driving/riding ring here). Two steps up and one step back; someday, we will get this all together, and I'll have a driving pony (or a headstone; sometimes I'm not sure which will come first!)

I loved reading that!! You seem like my kinda gal! Well, I've had my boys for about a week and a half, every day I've done something with them. First couple days, where I first put them, my neighbors horses could see them and kept storming their fence, which freaked my boys out. Still, I halterd one, walked around and backed. Tried to halter the other, but he was a bit nervous and put off by the distraction of the other horses. Did that for 2 days, while I built fence closer. I also spent time just in the fence, touching, bushing, playing with their mane. but I could tell they didn't like the big horses. kinda made me wonder if big horses were an issue before, I know they were housed with full sized ones too.
Anywho, now that they are moved they are so much more chill, or they are getting used to me. I like your comment, every thing is training, whether they learn something good or bad it's up to you, I had that thought, just didn't know how to say it! It's been so long for me since i was able to work with a horse, so I'm learning too! Basically I'm starting as if they each are blank slates, no training. Besides basic halter. They are not too keen on separation, the one left behind gets freaked out, but the one out on lead is fine. So I've mostly just been in the fence, working with one while I have one tied. So far so good. Any tips though are SERIOUSLY needed and appreciated!!

Whew, that was a lot

One good resource for pretty much all things mini is the Lil' Beginnings website - they even have a separate sub-forum just for driving.

Some people will tell you that putting minis and 'bigs' in the same pasture is just asking for a dead mini. Others will tell you they've kept the two sizes pastured together for years without any problems - the bigs hang out together, and the minis hang out together, just separate from the bigs. Some say that their big horses are freaked out by minis, others will tell you that it's the other way 'round . . . . I guess some minis are like small dogs; they have a big attitude and just don't realize how small they are. For my peace of mind, my minis and my bigs are confined separately, but can chat over a sturdy fence. Considering that I have a Quarter Horse (latte) and a mini (Syd) with seriously pushy, "boss mare" personalities, it has probably saved me a lot of grief and/or vet bills! We joke about one corner being "the gossip fence" because they often hang out there, all together but safely separated.

I get a lot of the "herd bound" stuff, both ways. It doesn't seem to matter which horse gets taken out to be worked, all of my other horses have to talk about it (I have a total of 5, or 4 1/2 if that's how you count the mini mule). None of mine, big or little, care to be out alone, though some are better about it than others. One thing my daughter and I have been doing lately is taking one from either side of the fence and working with them - they aren't alone, exactly, but they aren't with their buddy, either. It has helped some. Of course, sometimes, I just take one by herself and take the attitude, "yeah, I know - now get over it and get on with the job at hand."

Working with minis is a little different from working with a bigger horse, IMO. All of the same rules apply, you just have to keep in mind that you are taller than they are, and in their minds, "bigger," so you are potentially scarier. They have pony smarts, and once they know what you want, are usually eager to please. They learn fast, and retain very well - there have been long spells when I couldn't work with mine for some reason, and I have often been surprised by how little review has been needed to get back on track. All in all, they are a lot of fun!

I have my mini in with my big herd, he's in with 3 normal sized geldings, one of which seems to think he is the mini's mother... go figure... but, my mini and my 16 hand stallion play together if you let them together. In fact, the mini has never had a mark on him from the stallion, but the stallion has had many tiny little dirty hoof prints on his chest and nicks and dings on his head from being kicked by the little guy...

One thing you can do with the separation issues, is, you need to make them not want to be together. So, you put them close together and work either both of them really hard, or just the one who is losing it's brain, I mean, you want them sweaty and wanting to stop for a breather, then separate them as far as you can without them flipping out again, take them to the VERY edge of their comfort range and let them rest, let them graze some nice grass, give them a treat, scratch that special spot they love, etc. Any time they want to go back together when you are working with them, let them, then make them work harder near their buddy, and then remove them and let them rest, before long they will realize that at least when you are there, that trying to hang out with their buddy means WORK.