How hard is it to take care of a miniature horse?

Question

We are getting my daughter a miniature horse for her birthday, she loves horses, my sister already has one so we see him alot. I am just wondering about ferriers and his food costs cause my sister has hers measured out. Would appreciate any help. Are the actually an expensive pet? he will be for my daughter in 4H and for her to spoil.

Answer 1

I find its very easy to take care of a miniature! They (usually) are much easier to handle then a full size horse, especially for a child because you don't feel so small next to them. I have 5 miniatures of my own (2 mares, 1 filly, 1 colt, and a yearling stallion) and they are very easy to handle and feed. One thing you need to be very careful is is to not feed them to much as they get fat very easily.  Their hoofs are also much easier to trim. The only thing that you need to be careful is that you teach them early on that they are not allowed to bite since i find miniature are more prone to trying to nip. Also it is sometimes hard to find halters that fit them!  They are easy to lead too!  

Answer 2

I have 2 and they don't eat as much as big horses, so that cost is less. You still have to give them shots every year and worm them. You will need to get their hooves trimmed when needed. Some people don't watch minis that close and their hooves can get too long. Also be careful about how much they eat, because they can get fat very fast which isn't good. We got ours for my grandniece and she loves them and they love her.

Answer 3

Just like any other horse, they require the same vetting, farrier work (trims, no shoes) and care that a full sized horse would have.  Depending on what you want to do with them, you might save the expense of tack/equipment but they can still be an expensive pet.  Feed would consist of hay and possibly a concentrate such as grain/pellets but the type of working being done and health of the mini needs to be taken into consideration...  They are also prone to laminitis.

Answer 4

horses, no matter the size, are extremely difficult and expensive pets. they require a lot of care and maintenance. like a previous poster suggested, i would get your daughter a few months of lessons instead, because if you dont know what you're doing when it comes to horses, it can be dangerous to both horse and owner. horses are natural "danger magnets"; they can and WILL get into EVERYTHING. so please, if you dont know how to care for a horse, dont get one until you do. it may just turn out that your daughter wont want to put in the work thats needed, and wouldnt it be nice to just be out a few months of lessons, as opposed to having a mini thats no longer wanted?

ps. and PLEASE if you do get a mini, DO NOT RIDE HIM. they are not built for direct weight on their backs; they have enormous pulling power, but weak backs. so if you ignore all other advice and do indeed get a mini, dont ride him, and dont let him get fat.  

Answer 5

My mini is not expensive to feed.  Actually she is hard because she gets to fat easily.  She requires about half the ferrier visits my other horses require.  I do not know if they are all like that.  She is my kids horse but I have to work her quite a bit to keep her kid friendly.  You can't completely trust that they will stay good with kids if your kids are young like mine.  

Answer 6

there are two at my stable they do eat alittle less then a horse so they are not as expensive. they only get alittle feed at night and alitte hay not as much as a horse would get they also get 2hours of grass every day. they are fat and cute.

Answer 7

surprisingly, minis are rather difficult to care for. of course, everything costs as much as a full sized horse, and they are more fragile. most minis do not need grain, but can eat a good amount of hay, just because many gain weight very easily and then after it is hard to get the pounds back off along with the weight causes back, hip, and leg problems for some. Minis may also try to escape under regular sized fencing, just because they can. try to get a fence that is lower than normal or have a fifth row of fencing installed. after all of this, some minis are well behaved and others are not, just like large horses. investing in a well trained and well behaved mini is probably a better idea for your daughter, while it will be considerably more expensive. all in all, minis are very fun to have. they just take a bit more effort than a full sized horse in most cases

Answer 8

The hardest part about keeping a min is making sure he doesn't get too fat.  Overwieght minis become much more susceptible to health problems than fit ones, so make sure your daughter doesn't give him treats and really monitor his eating!  A friend of mine has a 4 year old mini who has been ordered onto a dry lot by the vet because he is considered obese!

There are weight limits for riders on minis, so check that out before you buy so you will know how long your daughter will be able to ride him.  You might want to buy her a small horse or a regular pony that she can have for eyars and years and years!

Answer 9

i have a miniature yard onryment and i havent found it any more expensive than having a light horse.trimming the hooves is less because you dont need shoes for him and he eats less than my light horses,they do get a little hairier in the winter and mine has a mane and tail that is a bit longer than my other horses so he needs a little more care in the beauty area but mine is an easy keeper otherwise and is very hearty horse.

Answer 10

A farrier will usually charge between $15 to $25 to trim.

Feeding a mini isn't too expensive. With mine per horse they go through 1  50 lbs sack of feed and 3 to 4 square bales of coastal hay, and about 1/2 bale of alfalfa per month.

I'm around Houston and right now my feed prices are:

Nacodoches (sweet feed) $10.45 bag

Steamed Oats  $11.50 bag

Coastal Hay  $5.00 to $9.00 a bale depending on where I get it at

Alfalfa $12.00 per bale

So on average it cost me approximately $40.00 per month for a mini. This does not include supplements.

The vet bills will cost the same as with a full size horse.

A great place to get supplements from is Smart Pak. They come premeasured and are delivered automatically each month. So you don't have to worry about buckets going bad or giving the horse too much or too little.

Answer 11

a miniture horse is a horse none the less.. its not a big dog or anything they are expensive (though, not as much as a full sizes horse i suppose)

If you don't know these things (and how to spell FARRIER) then you shouldn't own a horse (no matter the size..)

A better gift for her birthday would be 2 months worth of riding lessons so she can ride real horses and learn more about them... and then hopefully continue lessons..

I too, wanted a mini when i was younger because i wanted anything to do with horses, (and i figured it would be easier to keep in the back yard.. lol)   but i didn't know squat about owning one... instead my parents offered to buy me riding lessons and years later i still ride, but now i own my own horse and train OTTB's.

Please, at the very least give her a few months of lessons and keep in touch with the trainer so that they can help you if you ever need it.