New miniature horse

[SternRose]

She's a show horse so when she's not training shell be in her stall or in her lot/ pasture. Which stall do u recommend? I like the one that has the pine shavings in it and you can see the whole stall.

 

[Bunnylady]

Those "stalls" appear to be fence panels that have been set up inside of buildings (most of them look to be nearly the same size as the pen you are talking about setting up). They won't provide any shelter - do you have a barn or some other outbuilding you will be setting this up in?

The problem with the wire-sided pen, is that it provides no shelter at all on the wire side. You'd need to make the building pretty deep from front to back to avoid having a wet stall if the wind came in from that direction.

 

[SternRose]

Yes I think that she'll have a stall . I'm hoping so. But I think I'll do one of these

I like there looks. and if she doesn't have a stall she'll have a loooong Len-to

 

[res]

You also need to make sure you have the budget to pay for dental care and hoof care. I've had minis in the past, and work at a therapeutic riding center that has a few minis/small ponies. I can tell you that they cost JUST AS MUCH to maintain as the big horses. Sometimes, their dental costs can be astronomical because their skull structure is horrible for their teeth.

BEFORE you get her, you need to find a farrier willing to work on her feet. Some farriers don't like to do minis because it is very hard work to get down to their level. Farrier costs vary across the country, but I was paying $40 every 6 weeks for my mini's trim in OKC, which is in your region.

Dental costs usually start at $150 not including the trip fees. Trip fee here in the DC metro is $90, but it was $45 in OKC. Dentals can be performed by vets or equine dentists. It's a touchy subject as to who does a better job. I personally prefer vets, as they have the education, experience and medications to handle a bad reaction to the sedatives used. Equine dentists aren't always capable of handling those situations.

A 16x16 pen is uber-small, even for a mini. She will not have room to move around much to stretch her legs. You will need to get her out of it often. You will also have to clean it constantly, or it will turn into a nasty cesspool.

She will need shelter, especially shade, right now. It's not something you can wait a while on. Don't bring her home until you have the pen AND shelter.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I do have to agree that 16x16 is fine for a stall/pen, but not for a pasture. She will need something larger than that, especially since you should eventually look into a companion for her. Be very sure that whatever you use to build the pen must be as safe as possible. Horses are notorious for getting themselves into bad situations in ways we can't even predict.

 

[SternRose]

Ok so I now my farrier.( her hooves are all ready done) my vet is in town and she will have a pen AND shelter, no worries there. ( mom doesn't like animals with out proper cages) shell be in great hands. and if we can't afford to care for her, her breeder is willing to get her back.



Ok so I NEED to know what all supply's I'm going to need so I can order them before she gets here. ( I still have to ask mom again to make sure we're getting her)

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Ok so I now my farrier.( her hooves are all ready done) my vet is in town and she will have a pen AND shelter, no worries there. ( mom doesn't like animals with out proper cages) shell be in great hands.

and if we can't afford to care for her, her breeder is willing to get her back.

Ok so I NEED to know what all supply's I'm going to need so I can order them before she gets here.

( I still have to ask mom again to make sure we're getting her)

I am asking only because this is a new venture for you - but you do realize that is a recurring expense, not a one time sort of thing, right?

 

[SternRose]

Yes I do. Mom and dad now to. They both owned the larger horses. both thanks for checking.