- Jul 26, 2010
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where told he would be fine going 6 months between trims, since we do not work him.
--I am not sure who told you that, or why someone would say that. The photo above shows why it does not work. Ours are trimmed every six weeks, in work or not. It is far cheaper than vet bills. Even in large pastures, many or most will not 'wear their feet down' or wear them down evenly enough that 'au naturel' works. The other thing to keep in mind is that while wild horse life sounds great, if a wild horse can't walk due to sore feet, no one notices or cares if he can't walk, except the predators.
--We got a pony that had been treated to trims once every six months or so. It was agonizing to watch him try to limp around, his feet were worse than the picture above. He was in terrible pain. Think about it.
He is the friendliest little guy, If we are out feeding the ducks, rabbits, and call for him "Hey Ed, Hey Eddie!" He will lift up his head and whinny then comes running over to the fence to be petted and loved on.
My questions are thus, Will he need to be inside for the winter?
-- Iowa can have very, very bitter, wet windy and changeable winters. The temperature can pop up and down and the wind can be amazing. Snow can be so deep the grass is covered. Some animals will paw through, but it can run them down something awful, and some just can't learn to paw through to the grass; in other cases there just isn't any grass left to eat.
--I would recommend you plan on buying some hay to get your mini through the winter even if you have a pasture. There is no guarantee that it will be a mild winter and there will be any grass at all through that entire time; winter goes a long time in Iowa, from about November to end of April, that is almost half the year, very, very few people that far north winter over stock without having to buy some hay. That said, a mini probably doesn't go through much hay, perhaps as little as two flakes a day depending on HOW mini it is (LOL), or one bale lasting several days or more.
--I'll also say this - there are a good many minis and small ponies that can't have any pasture grass at all without getting very, very sick.
--As much as the mini looks like a perfectly beautiful replica of a horse (instead of just looking like a smaller pony), breeds like Shetland Pony WERE used to get the size down, and they are very prone to overweight, and to founder, especially if they eat too much grass or grain. ANY comments you hear about your mini getting unlimited grazing or larger amounts of concentrated feeds, need to be considered in light of this inescapable fact.
-- The explanation usually is that the lands where the Shetland developed were some of the sparsest pastures outside if deserts...and the animals just aren't set up for a lot of rich feed. They can get terribly fat - fat alone can cause problems, and over eating can cause the bane of the horseman's existence: founder (inflammation of the feet).
--If they have foundered already, or if they have certain other conditions, fresh growing grass can make them very sick (so can grass clippings, especially if they sit for a little while). Yes, there are indeed equines that can't be let out on pasture at all. Ask the previous owner if this is the case with your mini. It is not unusual. I'd find that out before making too many decisions. Some minis and ponies need to be kept strictly out of pasture and always fed hay - all of their turnout is in a dirt pen and not a pasture. Some can't even be pastured after a good hard frost makes the grass stop growing!
We are considering puttting him into the garage (use to be the chicken coop) along with the rabbit cages.
--Normally, a horse would spend part of the time in the barn and part of the time outdoors. In the barn at night, when everyone is gone off the property, and during the worst weather, storms, lightning, ice, etc. Out in the pasture as much as possible, just to be moving around, even if the grass is all gone.
--Very few horses have 'the sense to come in out of the rain'. They may use a 3 sided shelter, or you may come out in the worst storm to find your mini standing out in the blasting wind and snow, whether he is suffering with the cold or not. Horses just don't really think that through like a person would, you may have to come out and put him in the shelter if it is really bad. If a 3 sided shelter is used, be sure the open side is out of the wind(the direction it blows in the winter might be different than in summer), and make it so you can close it off with a gate to keep him in there if he doesn't go in there when the weather is at its worst.
-- In a barn, even mini horses need very sturdy stalls without anything they can get hung up on when they roll, lie down or goof around. Stall walls need to be anchored and braced very firmly, even for small equines. Mini stall size recommendations vary - the bigger it is, the better, even for a small equine. Cherry Hill has a nice book about keeping a horse on small acreage that show ideas for sensible, simple shelters.
--Indoors, they need ventilation as well as getting out of the drafts and wind. A coop or garage type building might work, or not. If it's closed up very tight, it might be too stuffy. If it lets in too much wind and wet it would be a problem too. What we do is keep the barn open enough to keep the air fresh all day, and close it up more at night when it really gets cold, and put blankets on the horses or take them off as the temperature changes. If they aren't blanketed, they need extra feed to stay warm, and they might just need some blanketing say, during the worst weather, anyway.
If we did this we would use pine bedding for the floor. (this is a large area a one stall Very deep garage) Would this be the best option or would he be happier outside with a 3 sided lean too for shelter?
--How was he kept before? He's probably best off kept similar to the way he's used to, at least the first year. It can take a blanketed, hot barn horse a year or two to get his coat going properly for a colder barn/turnout or no blankets. The first fall he might not grow much coat at all, then gradually start growing more coat. The new owner can usually reduce blanketing as the hair coat starts to grow more in the fall. Or he can stick with a blanket. Blankets are not 'unhealthy' or 'bad', it's just a matter of opinion(and it's horse people so the opinions are very, very strong) and what a person likes and what their situation is. For us, we blanket, as the horses get worked every evening after I come home, and if we did not blanket, the coat would be very heavy and sopping wet with sweat for hours at night.
Also how much feed and of what kind would we need?
--People will tell you a lot of different things, from they should just have a vitamin-mineral-fat-protein product to 'balance' their grass/hay diet(such as a handful of Grow N Win), or that they MUST have lots of grain. The grain and feed salesman will tell you you MUST buy it and feed a LOT of it. You will hear every opinion and they will all be different. My own take on it is that smaller equines need more than anything, to not get overweight, and quite a few of them are going to run into problems if they are fed any grain/pellet or anything like that at ALL. Overweight and overfeeding grain to any equine can cause a lot of problems, such as founder, which can even be to the point where it cripples or ruins the animal. Many smaller equines are like this and it's very important to respect that. Ours gets nothing other than good hay (NO pasture or grass) and a handful of grow and win (a TINY handful) per vet's orders. One more founder and he's finished. My friend's mini is a show horse and is kept very fit and in work 5x a week, slick coated, fat and sassy with a handful of grain, a controlled/restricted amount of grazing and hay in winter.
I noticed that our local thiesens has horse feed 50lbs for $7. That is cheaper then layer feed! How much would I need to feed him a day? Also the small square bails of hay are around $3.50 here. How many of those would I need per week? or Month?
If someone could help me to find out the monthly or weekley cost of keeping ed through the winter that would be wonderful.
--It really depends on the individual animal. But 50 lbs of feed for 7 dollars is a cheap price for feed.
-- Feeds vary in quality. Cheaper is as cheaper does. Cheaper ones tend to have a lot of corn and molasses, just what you don't want to have a small equine get a lot of. I don't think a mini needs a lot of 'concentrates' (pellets, ration balancer, 'grain' (plain corn, oats), or 'sweet feed' (molasses, corn and etc)).
--You can look at feed tables at Merck's online website and read their vet manuals (horse section) online for free. Minis weigh from 180-250 lbs and you can calculate about what yours should eat based on those feed tables. Weigh yours, then calculate about what he should be eating based on his weight.
-- I gave some sort of ballpark idea up there on hay, of a bale of hay might last 5 days, depending in the individual animal.
--The eye of the master fatteneth the cattle, as the Bible says. What it means is that within the general guidelines, the owner has to make little adjustments to make sure his animal is not too fat or thin, and is thriving and healthy with all the minerals, vitamins, protein fat and carbs it needs.
--I'm worried that you seem so concerned about the cost. Keeping any equine, even a small one, is a big financial responsibility. Even small equines need frequent foot trims, vaccinations twice yearly, worming every two months, fecal tests, and good housing. Because it's small, may reduce some costs but it doesn't really make it a cheap pet to keep. And one always needs to have an emergency amount of cash at hand for emergency vet care if the animal gets hurt or sick.
--I am not sure who told you that, or why someone would say that. The photo above shows why it does not work. Ours are trimmed every six weeks, in work or not. It is far cheaper than vet bills. Even in large pastures, many or most will not 'wear their feet down' or wear them down evenly enough that 'au naturel' works. The other thing to keep in mind is that while wild horse life sounds great, if a wild horse can't walk due to sore feet, no one notices or cares if he can't walk, except the predators.
--We got a pony that had been treated to trims once every six months or so. It was agonizing to watch him try to limp around, his feet were worse than the picture above. He was in terrible pain. Think about it.
He is the friendliest little guy, If we are out feeding the ducks, rabbits, and call for him "Hey Ed, Hey Eddie!" He will lift up his head and whinny then comes running over to the fence to be petted and loved on.
My questions are thus, Will he need to be inside for the winter?
-- Iowa can have very, very bitter, wet windy and changeable winters. The temperature can pop up and down and the wind can be amazing. Snow can be so deep the grass is covered. Some animals will paw through, but it can run them down something awful, and some just can't learn to paw through to the grass; in other cases there just isn't any grass left to eat.
--I would recommend you plan on buying some hay to get your mini through the winter even if you have a pasture. There is no guarantee that it will be a mild winter and there will be any grass at all through that entire time; winter goes a long time in Iowa, from about November to end of April, that is almost half the year, very, very few people that far north winter over stock without having to buy some hay. That said, a mini probably doesn't go through much hay, perhaps as little as two flakes a day depending on HOW mini it is (LOL), or one bale lasting several days or more.
--I'll also say this - there are a good many minis and small ponies that can't have any pasture grass at all without getting very, very sick.
--As much as the mini looks like a perfectly beautiful replica of a horse (instead of just looking like a smaller pony), breeds like Shetland Pony WERE used to get the size down, and they are very prone to overweight, and to founder, especially if they eat too much grass or grain. ANY comments you hear about your mini getting unlimited grazing or larger amounts of concentrated feeds, need to be considered in light of this inescapable fact.
-- The explanation usually is that the lands where the Shetland developed were some of the sparsest pastures outside if deserts...and the animals just aren't set up for a lot of rich feed. They can get terribly fat - fat alone can cause problems, and over eating can cause the bane of the horseman's existence: founder (inflammation of the feet).
--If they have foundered already, or if they have certain other conditions, fresh growing grass can make them very sick (so can grass clippings, especially if they sit for a little while). Yes, there are indeed equines that can't be let out on pasture at all. Ask the previous owner if this is the case with your mini. It is not unusual. I'd find that out before making too many decisions. Some minis and ponies need to be kept strictly out of pasture and always fed hay - all of their turnout is in a dirt pen and not a pasture. Some can't even be pastured after a good hard frost makes the grass stop growing!
We are considering puttting him into the garage (use to be the chicken coop) along with the rabbit cages.
--Normally, a horse would spend part of the time in the barn and part of the time outdoors. In the barn at night, when everyone is gone off the property, and during the worst weather, storms, lightning, ice, etc. Out in the pasture as much as possible, just to be moving around, even if the grass is all gone.
--Very few horses have 'the sense to come in out of the rain'. They may use a 3 sided shelter, or you may come out in the worst storm to find your mini standing out in the blasting wind and snow, whether he is suffering with the cold or not. Horses just don't really think that through like a person would, you may have to come out and put him in the shelter if it is really bad. If a 3 sided shelter is used, be sure the open side is out of the wind(the direction it blows in the winter might be different than in summer), and make it so you can close it off with a gate to keep him in there if he doesn't go in there when the weather is at its worst.
-- In a barn, even mini horses need very sturdy stalls without anything they can get hung up on when they roll, lie down or goof around. Stall walls need to be anchored and braced very firmly, even for small equines. Mini stall size recommendations vary - the bigger it is, the better, even for a small equine. Cherry Hill has a nice book about keeping a horse on small acreage that show ideas for sensible, simple shelters.
--Indoors, they need ventilation as well as getting out of the drafts and wind. A coop or garage type building might work, or not. If it's closed up very tight, it might be too stuffy. If it lets in too much wind and wet it would be a problem too. What we do is keep the barn open enough to keep the air fresh all day, and close it up more at night when it really gets cold, and put blankets on the horses or take them off as the temperature changes. If they aren't blanketed, they need extra feed to stay warm, and they might just need some blanketing say, during the worst weather, anyway.
If we did this we would use pine bedding for the floor. (this is a large area a one stall Very deep garage) Would this be the best option or would he be happier outside with a 3 sided lean too for shelter?
--How was he kept before? He's probably best off kept similar to the way he's used to, at least the first year. It can take a blanketed, hot barn horse a year or two to get his coat going properly for a colder barn/turnout or no blankets. The first fall he might not grow much coat at all, then gradually start growing more coat. The new owner can usually reduce blanketing as the hair coat starts to grow more in the fall. Or he can stick with a blanket. Blankets are not 'unhealthy' or 'bad', it's just a matter of opinion(and it's horse people so the opinions are very, very strong) and what a person likes and what their situation is. For us, we blanket, as the horses get worked every evening after I come home, and if we did not blanket, the coat would be very heavy and sopping wet with sweat for hours at night.
Also how much feed and of what kind would we need?
--People will tell you a lot of different things, from they should just have a vitamin-mineral-fat-protein product to 'balance' their grass/hay diet(such as a handful of Grow N Win), or that they MUST have lots of grain. The grain and feed salesman will tell you you MUST buy it and feed a LOT of it. You will hear every opinion and they will all be different. My own take on it is that smaller equines need more than anything, to not get overweight, and quite a few of them are going to run into problems if they are fed any grain/pellet or anything like that at ALL. Overweight and overfeeding grain to any equine can cause a lot of problems, such as founder, which can even be to the point where it cripples or ruins the animal. Many smaller equines are like this and it's very important to respect that. Ours gets nothing other than good hay (NO pasture or grass) and a handful of grow and win (a TINY handful) per vet's orders. One more founder and he's finished. My friend's mini is a show horse and is kept very fit and in work 5x a week, slick coated, fat and sassy with a handful of grain, a controlled/restricted amount of grazing and hay in winter.
I noticed that our local thiesens has horse feed 50lbs for $7. That is cheaper then layer feed! How much would I need to feed him a day? Also the small square bails of hay are around $3.50 here. How many of those would I need per week? or Month?
If someone could help me to find out the monthly or weekley cost of keeping ed through the winter that would be wonderful.
--It really depends on the individual animal. But 50 lbs of feed for 7 dollars is a cheap price for feed.
-- Feeds vary in quality. Cheaper is as cheaper does. Cheaper ones tend to have a lot of corn and molasses, just what you don't want to have a small equine get a lot of. I don't think a mini needs a lot of 'concentrates' (pellets, ration balancer, 'grain' (plain corn, oats), or 'sweet feed' (molasses, corn and etc)).
--You can look at feed tables at Merck's online website and read their vet manuals (horse section) online for free. Minis weigh from 180-250 lbs and you can calculate about what yours should eat based on those feed tables. Weigh yours, then calculate about what he should be eating based on his weight.
-- I gave some sort of ballpark idea up there on hay, of a bale of hay might last 5 days, depending in the individual animal.
--The eye of the master fatteneth the cattle, as the Bible says. What it means is that within the general guidelines, the owner has to make little adjustments to make sure his animal is not too fat or thin, and is thriving and healthy with all the minerals, vitamins, protein fat and carbs it needs.
--I'm worried that you seem so concerned about the cost. Keeping any equine, even a small one, is a big financial responsibility. Even small equines need frequent foot trims, vaccinations twice yearly, worming every two months, fecal tests, and good housing. Because it's small, may reduce some costs but it doesn't really make it a cheap pet to keep. And one always needs to have an emergency amount of cash at hand for emergency vet care if the animal gets hurt or sick.
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