# miniature horses and homesteading



## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

Does anyone use their miniatures around the homestead? around the woodlot or garden or anything like that?


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

The reason I ask is because I was reading about using a horse around the homestead, and the article went into, " don't rule out your miniature horses, they will really put their shoulders into it and plow your garden". I thought "what?" although our miniature is stronger than I am, I don't think he would take up plowing. Unless there is a very small plow out there somewhere.


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## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

Well, I've heard of people using pigs for plowing. ~shrug~ It sure would be interesting to hear if anyone has any experience using minis as working horses.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

Yeah, but I think the pigs use their snout for ploughing not a harness, Don't they?

I guess some people drive goats, a miniature horse would be stronger than a goat.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

While I don't own a mini, I did see one years ago in Lancaster County, PA that was hooked up to some type of mower. 

I did some searching on the internet and found this. http://www.muddyhillfarm.com/blog/2012/02/17/now-this-is-what-we-need/


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

Probably better to get something larger and stronger and not a dwarf or thin legged mini.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

I used Maggie for Scaled down Farm work. She is 33 1/2" tall. And built pretty stout.

She has a draft harness... 
First small Hobby farm I had, we couldn't afford a tractor, so she did Farm work.

Also taught her to pull a stone boat, a sled we got from Toys R Us for skidding, she has pulled logs, Trained to cart and Sawbuck and Pannier. All scaled down for her size but she did a lot of work.

I don't have an pictures of her doing Draft work... 

Saw Buck and Pannier


















Driving...



















If you wanted to do heavier work, then I would recommend a B sized miniature Horse.

I know folks that used Miniatures to pack out Elk, others to plow and so on.

There is a Forecart out there sized for miniatures, and I have seen other scaled down farm equipment for them.

For the Saw Buck and Pannier, I got the Sawbuck from one person, the harness straps for the sawbuck from Quality Llama supply,, (at some point I want to get a nice leather set up)
The Panniers, I bought from here , NORTHWEST PACK GOAT.... they now, also have more supplies for minis.

If you want to plow, then I would highly recommend getting a proper draft harness with a collar and hames. 
Like this.. but get one for work not show.
http://minitack.com/mwtdh.htm

http://www.nikkisponyexpress.net/Collars.html

https://www.mydrafthorse.com/cfwebstore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=781


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## paintpony (Jan 5, 2013)

I have a draft goat and a 48" pony that I do farm work with. A mini horse would have more draft power than a goat, but less than what my 48" pony can do. I haven't asked either to do plowing as I have a tiller for the garden and am in the process of going no till for that. However, the goat has pulled pretty big chunks of wood with no problem. A mini could do quite a lot of smaller jobs, you just have to think of how could a mini be used. Clearing fence lines, carrying tools, pulling logs/brush, cleaning out the barn, you name it. Small draft animals are very handy to have. My pony can pull a small utility trailer loaded with loose hay that we cut and gathered off our field. Just remember that stopping/holding a heavy load on wheels is much harder than pulling it.


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## plowhand (Aug 14, 2005)

I had a mule about the size of paintponies' pony for years. I plowed field corn, worked garden, drug brush, pulled a trailer......you could farm 10 acres easy with a pair that size, maybe 20...if you really wanted too, and you had ponies that liked to work
I used a 6" or 7" plow, and any 1 horse cultivator.


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## Squeaky McMurdo (Apr 19, 2012)

I found all sorts of things to use my Lab-rottie mix dog for. Hauling garbage down the long driveway to the big dumpster was his main job with either a wagon or a sled. He also hauled firewood, water, tools, plants, laundry, children, pretty much everything I thought of and he LOVED it. He even helped my husband pull an elk out of a heavily wooded area. My back never bugged me until my good boy developed seizures and I couldn't risk him falling over and getting tangled up in the shafts during one.

Imagine all the stuff a mini horse could do!


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

That is what I have been thinking.... They could do a lot. I mean The one we have is 34" tall and built like a little draft horse. That would be bigger than a saint Bernard, and they work. 

Paintpony, I have a little wagon, like that one your goat is pulling and I am an electrician so bending the pipe for the shafts is no problem. I figure he can at least do as much as a person could do with a wheel barrow, like 

take rocks off the garden lot, haul vegetables in from the garden, fill the little wagon with firewood, like if a tree blew down and needed cleaned up with out cutting a wide enough road for something larger. 


Could you possibly take a picture of how the shafts are attached to your wagon? I know that they would have to be wider for our mini, but they wouldn't have to be very heavy pipe, because the wagon doesn't really hold that much weight....... But better than carrying everything.....


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## paintpony (Jan 5, 2013)

Here is where I bought my shafts/evener. http://dogworks.com/store/wagon.html
At the bottom of the page it has one dog shafts and two dog pole set up. If you can see in the pic it has a set up where you connect the shaft assembly with a cotter pin. On my wagon you unhook the handle it comes with and put the shafts there with the cotter pin. That little wagon will hold several hundred pounds of stuff. And yes my goat has helped me clean rocks up out of the pastures, but it is easy to overload them with rocks. You could also get a mini fore cart here
http://www.nikkisponyexpress.com/Specials.html

down at the bottom of the page.
If you need a better photo of the shaft assembly of my cart, I can go out and get a pic. And don't forget you still need a single tree.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

For anyone that has a Miniature horse cart, there are three measurements that I am looking for, Please:

The length of the whiffle tree
The width of the shafts at the back where the whiffle tree, or single tree attaches
And the width of the shafts at the front ( the ends of the shafts) 

Thanks


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

minister man said:


> For anyone that has a Miniature horse cart, there are three measurements that I am looking for, Please:
> 
> The length of the whiffle tree
> The width of the shafts at the back where the whiffle tree, or single tree attaches
> ...


This will vary with every horse. 

What size is your mini?
Height, length and width.


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## Kansas2014 (Jan 14, 2014)

Funny you mention the idea of using mini's for farm work. Just yesterday I was bemoaning our lack of a good tractor ( we have a nice rider mower with implements - we use it for everything possible ) and it dawned on me that once I have my mini good and broke ( he's a yearling but I've been flat on my back that whole year, healing up from back/neck surgery ) I could possibly use him for moving compost, stock panels, and yes.....plowing! And here all I had planned for him in the beginning was to be a pet friend for my daughter and companion for my goats. He's 37 inches tall at the last hair of his nane and solid as a rock. As someone else said, " built like a draft horse ". He's got a few attitude adjustments to be made but over all I just love this horse to pieces. I have a friend arriving from TX today or tomorrow. He's going to work with him daily and make a kid friendly little horse out of him. I'll be glad for that. He can be a bit of a pita.


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## Squeaky McMurdo (Apr 19, 2012)

minister man said:


> For anyone that has a Miniature horse cart, there are three measurements that I am looking for, Please:
> 
> The length of the whiffle tree
> The width of the shafts at the back where the whiffle tree, or single tree attaches
> ...


Kick space is also an important measurement. Wouldn't want them kicking the tree or worse getting a foot caught in it. Usually figure half the animal's length


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

So I measured our little fellow. 

He is 35" tall

He is 36" long, ( from breast to tail) 

He is 14" wide at the shoulder ( little wider on the tummy) 



I am figuring that the shafts need to be 2 feet wide at the back, and about 15-16" wide at the front and approximately 52" long, with the hold back brakets mounted to the shafts back about 16-18" from the front. 

I plan to cut a couple of young birch trees 2-2 1/2 inches across and peel them for the shafts, and bolt them together with a piece of hard wood 2x4 across the back with the whiffle tree mounted to that piece. I am building these shafts for a little wagon like this one. 


I am going to remove the sideboards and build a wooden flat bottom over the mesh to make it about 6" wider on each side, and maybe 4" longer on each end. It will be like a little wooden bottomed hay wagon. 

Then I can use it for manure, garden waste, gathering vegetables or maple syrup, gathering us wood, ( like a little downed tree or something). 

I figure if he could pull me on a cart, and I weigh over 200, then he should be able to pull 150lbs on the wagon around the yard and I will walk.


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## paintpony (Jan 5, 2013)

If you widen the bed of the little wagon, it will be top heavy and have a tendency to tip. Also, if you make the front bed longer, you'll have problems turning as the shafts will hit the bed.


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## paintpony (Jan 5, 2013)

Have you seen this wagon gear from FarmTek? http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplie...01&langId=-1&division=FarmTek&productId=20288

It has a wider base than the one you posted. You could also use it as a team set up should your get another mini.


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