Another new addition to the farm - and it was hubby's choice!

[TinaK]

I'd say she is 10hh or smaller?Not sure. I didn't get close up to her... this photo is the closest I got. In Aus a miniature pony is one less than 87cm in height.... (34").. I'll be interested to see how she measures up!

I found out that they purchased her as a 2yo.. so she would be 3 and a half by now. I love it how non-horsey people can think that it is a smart idea to buy their daughter an unbroken/unhandled pony as her first horse

I didn't have the heart to explain to them why their daughter doesn't love her pony.

I'm confident it's not a 2 for 1 deal

She has been owned by some seriously non-horsey people who clearly think an obese horse is happier than a skinny one... The likelihood of her having access to an non-gelded male is slim to none!

I've owned horses for many years and know of the long term negative health effects that an overweight horse or pony can live with. I have recently inherited a TBXWB who somehow has managed to founder in the past? and needs to have a close eye kept on her. Sheesh.. I though laminitis was a thing only fat ponies suffered from.... but you live and learn! At least being in the middle of summer I know that no green grass is on the horizon... even if the pony was to remain where she is!

She has never been in work.... and is currently living in a pony paradise consisting of 5acres + of good feed and shelter. If she comes here she might have a rude shock. I have some nicely grazed areas that are short of feed that will become her short term home!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet, but be ready for a real BIG project! Ponies often seem easy to deal with, but boy they can have devilish little personalities! If she can't be caught or handled, you may want to think twice about bringing her home! I see you already have two horses, so you probably already have horse experience. Honestly, I'd rather work with a wild or skittish full size horse than a wild/skittish pony! LOL

 

[babyblue2]

She may be the type that carries all her fat in her belly, which is really not healthy. But my very first thought was pregnant. And her current owners are not really horse people. Then who is to say if she has that much alone time and space that some neighbors stud did not get loose and jump a fence.


I have friends who own one stud and several mares. The neighbors one day saw the stud jump a 6 foot+ fence with electric on top, breed a mare and then jump back over the 6 foot fence into his own pasture. Sure enough the mare had a foal that they blood tested just to be sure and yup, that was the daddy. The stud was a 15 hand Tennessee walker, not a Tb or warmblood with exceptional physical jumping skills. Trust me, if she was alone and in heat and there was a stud within MILES its possible. Also if a stud got loose the studs owners may not know or even care that he bred someones mare. Especially if they did not want to deal with paying up on their mistake.


What particularly concerns me with that is if she is pregnant she may be pregnant to a full size horse, or bigger. That could prove disastrous when she is ready to give birth. I would personally not bring anything home that is not healthy, purebred and has decent show, work potential. My spouse and I can only afford so many pasture pets. The last mare I raised and sold yes, I made a profit on her. But that is virtually impossible in the current horse market. This pony may be a pain to train and if pregnant and monstrous pile of vet bills. I would just say no.

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote:

Um, guys, the OP is in Australia. The Miniature Horse distinction is a U.S. thing.

I hope you can get her - minis can be such fun! They have such big personalities.I have 3, one is a mini mule. I'm intending to get mine broke to harness, too. It's such a relief to see someone who knows that minis really aren't for riding. I've seen so many videos of 150 lb (or bigger) people riding 200 lb minis and saying things like "he's such a brat. He tries to buck me off, but I don't care," - hello! He's trying to dump you 'cause you're too heavy for him and you are hurting him! It sounds like this girl will be in good hands with you.

Keep us posted!

 

[TinaK]

Thanks Bunnylady - you are right. The term miniature 'horse' is a US thing. Over here in Australia our breed society is the 'Australian Miniature PONY Society'. So therefore if she is a miniature... she is a PONY. Thank you!

And the distinction between 'miniature' and just a small pony doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm not getting her to start a miniature pony/horse stud (or what ever you want to call the pony in your country!).

If you guys understood where I lived, and how far this pony would have had to of travelled to GET pregnant.... You'd stop with the pregnancy thing! There are NO stallions for over 100kms in each direction..... It's not a populated area... We live out in the sticks! The horse couldn't have packed her bags, gone on a week long holiday to find a mate and returned pregnant without someone noticing!

P.S - I can preg test a horse too. I worked as a vet assistant for a large animal practice for 6 years. I can also A.I and conduct an embryo transfer

. Oh, and my neighbour/friend is the local vet.

And on a side note......ponies AND horses can get fat bellies you know... in 'horsey' circles it is commonly called a grass belly. Caused by too much feed & not enough work. A distended abdomen can also be a sign of worms and many other things. Do you want me to go and take a picture of the TB/WB X I have? You'll call her pregnant too! (I;ve only had her here for a month & she is currently on feed restrictions and I am strip grazing her to limit access to grass).

I have a lot of experience in training / re-educating smaller ponies. I don't know everything but I'm certainly no novice. I worked at a riding school for a number of years where we would purchase unknown ponies from local sales and retrain them as school ponies, or to be sold on as kids ponies. I have owned both horses and ponies my whole life. I understand what I am getting into.... especially when she will be too small for me to ride!

Thanks for those who are sharing my enthusiasm. I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Oh and Bunnylady - One thing I have never done is broken a horse to harness! So it should be some fun! I don't have any of the gear required.... so if I do get the pony... I'll need to start hunting around for a teeny tiny harness!!

 

[PoultryPedia]

Don't mean to hi-jack too much--but wanted this info here along with the other on Cushing's disease, since it could be very useful for some pony owners (Many ponies have founder-ing conditions).

If anyone ever does deal with a horse that frequently founders from Insulin Resistance (IR), which is somewhat similar to Cushing's, I've come across an economical solution.

I tried one of the pricey supplements for my apparently IR horse,and she fought me like a BEAR every time I gave it to her. I had to give it by syringe in the back of her mouth. Plus it didn't do much good, & her hooves were often in not-so-good shape.

However, I learned that in the spring, cattle sometimes suffer from "grass tetany" from too much rich grass. So, I bought a supplement that's used for preventing that: http://ifa-coop.com/bulk-feed/minerals/mag-force . I checked with a livestock nutritionist & he said there's nothing in it that should harm a horse, & recommended 2-3 tablespoons per day. (Note: I don't know how correct the balance of minerals is for long-term use, though. I've been giving it about 6 months.)

Most days, I mix about 2 teaspoons in with some wheat bran & a little water and give it to my mare. My mare LOVES it and the other horses fight for a taste, too. And it's only costing me about $20/year.

Here's what my mare looked like when I first got her & she was overweight:



In this pic after I'd had her a while, notice that even though she wasn't overweight, she still had fat build-up on the crest of her neck and around her tail. That's a sign of IR.


After starting the supplement, her body started correcting itself in just a few weeks, & here's how she looks now.


She doesn't founder any more (except once when she got into tons of rich food), and her hooves are now fine & don't require frequent trims any more. I think she also feels much better without all the toxins that used to build up in her system.

There it is, in case this info's useful to anyone.

 

[PoultryPedia]

TinaK--I think the little mare looks very cute. (And no she doesn't look to me like she has IR

)I
It sounds like a challenging but fun adventure, and that you are a knowledgeable horse person who is up for it & will enjoy it.
Best wishes!

 

[TinaK]

Thanks SpeckledHills! We have a product here in Aus called Founderguard it's totally different to your supplement because it is actually an antibiotic but it is used in a similar way! I'll definitely look into something like what you have suggested if I come across problems on the way. $20 a year sounds economical to me! I just need to find a similar product on the market in Australia!

Your mare almost looks like a stallion in the second pic with her large crest! I agree that she looks in much better condition now.... even with her winter woolies on!

When I picked up my Anglo Arab mare at Christmas time.... I brought her paddock mate home with me. They were both VERY overweight. The lady looking after them has a thing for 'fat horses'. When I commented that they were fat, she looked at me like I was mad and said "No they are in just in good condition... they are not overweight"... I didn't bother arguing because I knew they were coming home.

I mean really... this woman owned the TB/WB X mare since it was young.... .it's hard to get a larger horse to founder if you do the right thing. So now, thanks to her 'fat obsession' I have a horse that needs to be constantly watched (it has foundered numerous times in the past because she keeps it on the 'borderline' weight wise). I'm just glad she didn't manage to get my mare to founder in the 3 years she lived at her place!

I'm lucky that most of the grass here is really stalky and brown at the moment. Not a very high sugar content. I also have the ability to section my paddocks off using hot tape (which is what I am currently doing to monitor feed intake). My mare is slowly starting to look like an Anglo Arab again... rather than a keg on legs!

Time to go and gently coerce my hubby into making a phone call. I need to know if this pony is going to be mine or not! I'm getting antsy!

 

[Going Quackers]

in this picture.
she does not look like a mini.
just a pony.
a mini has the be under like 35 inches.
she looks more like 38ish,
from the fence posts.

If your referring to a miniature horse no they can be larger than 35inches.. 34 and under is a A classification and B is the other sizing.. I own a mini who is nearing 37 she is classified as a B

Back to OP, have fun.. that should be an interesting challenge... good luck!

 

[Trefoil]

She sure looks pg. She would make a really nice driving pony. She is pretty. If you get her, don't keep her cooped up and then when the pasture's green, let her out to pasture, its a sure way to founder. You are much better off keeping her out on pasture and then as it greens up she'll get used to the grass a little at a time. You gotta admit it was a clever ploy. He should get points for that.