# Care and housing of miniature mares.



## Sandysdream (Jan 14, 2013)

I have been offered to take over care of two miniature mares. I already have a pen ready.I need to put up some kind of a shed. Weather wood or canvas. Something quick for now. Any help would be great!


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Do you have equine experience? If so, have a blast! I love my two minis, they are super cute

If not, do your research with vets, feed stores, and current owners of minis. I would put up a three sided run in shed for the girls if you're in a better winter climate, or a small enclosed barn if in bad winter place. I feed Bermuda to mine once a day for dinner, and they graze all day on a small, not great pasture that is good for them but not rich grass. I have their feet trimmed every 6 weeks, and vet them yearly along with my regular horses.
They don't need feed unless your grass is lacking in good nutrients.


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

Got my first mini when I unexpectedly won him in a raffle so had to throw something together.

See the panels attached to the barn in this picture?

They were used to build a temporary barn. Joined in a square with a piece of plywood on top then wrapped in a tarp. He was quite cozy in it but it wasn't too convenient to clean out since it was way too short for a human adult to walk in. 

Then we built the barn and it has 2 stalls plus hay & feed storage. We can put 10 bales in there and still have room to walk in.

Close up of the panels. They are from portable pens for smaller farm animals. 



Stall 1



Stall 2, plenty roomy for a mini mare & foal, especially with their little round pen attached to it.





Sorry I don't have any pictures of the temporary "barn".


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Minis are pretty weather proof, so I wouldn't worry too much. A 3 sided shed will be great, and if they are already friends, they will want to be together, so separating them into stalls is probably not necessary anyway.

Mine spends a lot of time standing in the rain, but her coat is so thick that I don't think she ever gets wet.  In the winter...well, they don't know what cold means either.









My horses get free choice hay, but since the mini is low on the food chain she stays in decent shape. Biggest thing for mine is that she really can't tolerate grass -- too high in sugar and triggers laminitic flares very quickly -- even in areas that look almost bare. So to be safe, keep yours off pasture until you figure out what they can and can't tolerate.

Farrier care is important too - since minis have a tendency to founder, make sure your farrier is keeping an eye on their feet. Have fun!


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

First thing they need is a windbreak, which you should be able to put up quickly. Could be one sided, could be two sided. For my donkeys, we made a wooden farm, then bent two cattle panels over to form a semi circle. Over this, a large vinyl tarp. Fast and worked very well. Somewhat portable. The wind skirts over the top because of the curve, although 80 mph winds did bend one of the panels.

My farrier says the worst thing about mini horses are the fact they are usually spoiled. Make the effort to brush them and pick up their feet. You should be able to groom them and pick up their feet in the middle of the pasture with no tie down. Get a little cart and train them to it. If they have some sort of stimulation, which work gives, they will be easier to handle.


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

I held a mini horse once so it could have its hooves trimmed. Easiest thing ever. LOL I held and somebody else trimmed. By the time we where done the cute little thing knew how to stand nicely and has never had to have anybody hold it again.


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## Cygnet (Sep 13, 2004)

If you have issues with predators or loose dogs, be aware they aren't really predator resistant. Particularly the smaller ones.

As others have indicated, don't over feed. They need very little food. If you're not sure how much to feed, seriously consider getting a postal scale and _weighing _the hay before you feed them. Most people feed them way too much.

Founder can be an issue, but so can club feet. 

I swear they can kick just as hard as a big horse, but rather than nailing you in the thigh, they tend to get you in the shin or knee. OUCH. Plus, because they're smaller, the safe zone close to the horse for avoiding kicks is also smaller. They can really whack you a good one from extremely close range. 

Expect the same ground manners out of the mini as you would an adult horse. Don't spoil them because they're cute. They can still bite your finger off, or bust your kneecap, or kick your head in if you're bent over. They're a bit easier to manhandle, but if they catch you by surprise, they can still do a lot of damage.

I volunteered to deal with a particularly obnoxious little yearling colt once, for his owner, who was scared of him. He maybe weighed 200 pounds -- about the size of a really big goat. He needed his sheath cleaned. I could manhandle him around easily enough, but I wasn't careful enough with where my feet were, and he stomped on my foot and messed my big toe up. Then he bit me when I was bending over inspecting my foot. I still have problems with that toe to this day -- tendon damage and nail bed damage. 

That little stud colt honestly needed to be gelded, and then ideally thrown and sat on by an old school trainer, followed by some hard time between the shafts of a cart, but he was a "show prospect" and the owner was convinced her precious little puddin' was going to take the show world by storm. He was treated like a fancy show dog, not a horse, and it was really an issue. (I offered to teach him to drive, and she rejected the idea because the harness might leave marks on his coat!) 

I would have loved to have seen how he placed if he took a chunk out of the judge or reared and struck at the handler ... funny thing was, he never made it to the show ring. (For a halter prospect, he had some pretty clubby feet, anyway.) They finally asked her to leave the stable because the stable hands couldn't even safely go in his stall to clean it. My suggestion to her that she let the stable hands correct his bad behavior with a dressage whip (he was rearing and striking by this point) applied as needed to his pretty little face didn't really go over well with her, but I was past caring by that point. (And hopping around on crutches, courtesy of her darling.)

Anyway ... all that is to say, treat them like horses first, even if they are stinking cute and cuddly looking.


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## Sandysdream (Jan 14, 2013)

I am sorry for not replying to the replies i received. I do not have the two mini horses yet. The winter was extremely hard and snowy. The person bringing the horses did not want to drive in the weather. Now that spring has come and hopefully no more snow they should be coming soon. 

I appreciate the responses and the information included. I was thinking of getting a smaller hay feeder that I could put some in each day or couple of days. My two sheep will be eating the hay also. It will have a tray under it so not as much gets on the ground. We have pretty windy conditions alot of the time. Wasn't sure if I could use a canvas three sided cover for them. My sheep have a barn half is used to store their food. I plan on have a three sided framed building built for the horses.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I'm sure you'll enjoy the minis very much and I'm of the opinion that as long as you're willing to ask questions and learn, you've got half the battle won. 

The biggest concern I have with minis is keeping them from becoming hog fat, which is bad for their health and runs a serious risk of a laundry list of other problems. Feed them lightly, don't offer grain because they don't need it and just because they're cute, doesn't mean they don't need manners.


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## Hdunc20 (Mar 13, 2015)

The minis are very cute the farrier should come every month to have a look at their hoovs and have fun


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## Sandysdream (Jan 14, 2013)

The two minis came the day before Easter. They are doing well. I have an acre penned off for my two sheep but but they are staying right at the top area. They ran back and forth constanly when they first came. They have settled down. The one Rose follows me where ever I go (water bucket and possibly carrot coins). The smaller one comes to me now. My daughter and her children came and met them. She is used to horses more than me. She is so happy. My 5yr old granddaughter fed them and rubbed their sides. I want to thank you for all your advise. I have already used some. My friend is coming over to see what kind of three sided building we will make.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Oh yes mini's are great fun. Yes I hauled mine all over the place the backseat of the car.

And that one picture was taken at the company picnic, it was like that all day with kids coming up and petting her.


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## Sandysdream (Jan 14, 2013)

My two minis are doing getting along great with the two sheep. They follow each other around the yard. How do you know if the horse is bloated? The smaller belly seems larger than it should be. They were overweight when I got them. The larger one runs around but the little one is just not moving much. Today she didn't come to me when I called her. Her head is down and shes not perky. What should I be doing to help her?


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

I think you should call your vet.


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## Stonybrook (Sep 22, 2007)

I hope you called the vet. Your horse is telling you something is wrong.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Any update on this little guy?


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## Sandysdream (Jan 14, 2013)

I did call the vet and she came out. mini had a twisted stomach. She tried to fix it but we lost the horse in the middle of the night. Her two previous owners were there too. The vet tried everything. It was really hard on me. I have two sheep that are three years old.I have never lost an animal that large. The other horse is doing great. Only feed her min-vite- lite. very small amount. She eats grass which I keep watch on and very little hay.


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

I'm sorry.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

I'm sorry to hear.


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