New miniature horse

[SternRose]

Ok so I might be getting a little filly. I have a few questions. 1) will a 16by16 pasture work for just 1? 2) how much grain will she need? 3) what grain should I feed her? She's a yearling. 4) what age is breeding age? 5) what's the cheapest I can build a 2-3 stall barn/lean to type building? 6) can she live by her self? Or does she need a nother horse freind?

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Lowes and Home Depot have some nice sheds that could be converted into run in sheds/stalls, but it's not necessarily always the cheapest option.

The horse will need a buddy. Horses work best as companions, but goats could also work. I find it is better to have the same kind of animal as a companion (unless you have a weird goose like I do who prefers a chicken friend)

As for breeding age, in larger horses I like to wait until at least five to see how the mare turns out and what they are capable of. I'm not entirely sure about miniatures. However, the longer you can let them develop, the better.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Ok so I might be getting a little filly. I have a few questions. 1) will a 16by16 pasture work for just 1? 2) how much grain will she need? 3) what grain should I feed her? She's a yearling. 4) what age is breeding age? 5) what's the cheapest I can build a 2-3 stall barn/lean to type building? 6) can she live by her self? Or does she need a nother horse freind?

1 - it will be a dry lot, so hay will be needed, which is better with minis anyway, imo as they can be VERY easy keepers and tend towards overweight, which is not healthy
2 - likely none if you provide good forage (hay) - again, see #1 re: the issue of minis and being overweight
3 - see #2
4 - slow down. Unless she is registered and then proves herself to be of breeding quality, please do not breed her. The horse market is flooded with the results of overbreeding.
5 - a "run in" (three sided shelter) will be easily and cheaply constructed - you can google up tons of plans that would work for minis
6 - "can" and "should" are like "surivive" and "thrive" -- they are, by nature, herd animals. They *can* live as lone animals, but having more than one is better them. If you can afford two, get two....otherwise another buddy can work (goat, etc)....which also goes back to the question of breeding since you would need to be able to afford more than one at that point as well. Remember it isn't just about feed for two - but farrier, dentistry, vaccination, etc.

 

[SternRose]

Ok and my neboir has a mare so I could she if my little girl would be able to play with her a few days a week. The friends horse is a quarter horse do would it be safe or should I see when she settles in if they get along?

 

[SternRose]

1 - it will be a dry lot, so hay will be needed, which is better with minis anyway, imo as they can be VERY easy keepers and tend towards overweight, which is not healthy
2 - likely none if you provide good forage (hay) - again, see #1 re: the issue of minis and being overweight
3 - see #2
4 - slow down.  Unless she is registered and then proves herself to be of breeding quality, please do not breed her.  The horse market is flooded with the results of overbreeding.  
5 - a "run in" (three sided shelter) will be easily and cheaply constructed - you can google up tons of plans that would work for minis
6 - "can" and "should" are like "surivive" and "thrive"  -- they are, by nature, herd animals.  They *can* live as lone animals, but having more than one is better them.  If you can afford two, get two....otherwise another buddy can work (goat, etc)....which also goes back to the question of breeding since you would need to be able to afford more than one at that point as well.  Remember it isn't just about feed for two - but farrier, dentistry, vaccination, etc.

I get what your saying about the breeding, it was a comment my mom brought up last night so I was getting info, we probly won't breed her, and she is regesterd the breeder has her whole herds redgiesterd. She breeds large breeds too.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

That's a question you'll get two camps of answers on - the 'go ahead' and the 'no, nevers'. Our time with minis started when we purchased a little mare as a buddy for my DD's TB mare - that mare ended up having been bred (re my answer above on breeding - keep in mind this was NOT a breeding we planned or had done, it was a result of her having been run with a stud prior to our purchase - not a breeding I'd have chosen) before we got her so soon we had two. We had no issues whatsoever in keeping our big and littles together. When more than one horse is in an enclosure, there is the risk of play or fighting causing injury - if one of those horses is smaller, the risk of an injury inflicted by the larger being more serious is a reality -- like with anything, it's about making a calculated decision based on your own assesment of the animals involved and the level of risk you are comfortable accepting.

 

[SternRose]

Yea, I guess when I get her it will be trial and error with the big horse( I don't own the big horse but she live 3doors down). Also the 16by16 pen will work? My parents don't want to spend to much$$ since a few big holidays are coming up and my dad starting his new job on Tuesday. ( he got laid off two years ago and worked for wal-mart for 2 months) so were a little limited right now, but once I'm old enough and can get a job I'll expand as much as I can and build a few more shed/stalls( as many as I can do). Her name is Zena and hers a pic of her and me yesterday at our first show!! Two first place ribbons!

 

[Bunnylady]

As regards registration -

The breeder may have gotten temporary registration on this filly when she was born, but the registration becomes invalid the moment she sells her. If you become a member of the registry, she can transfer the registration to you, but it will only be good as long as your membership lasts (you have to pay dues to the registry every year to remain a member). When the filly turns 5 years old, you will need to get her certified as being within the height requirements of the registry, and get her registration made permanent. Otherwise, she will be unregistered.

Too many people look at a mare as a walking uterus - "hey, we can use her to make more, and we can sell them!!" The state of horses in general and minis in particular is such that you will spend more money getting a healthy foal on the ground than you will get by selling it, unless you are working with outstanding show animals. Minis frequently have problems when giving birth; getting the vet out for that can be really expensive, and you still may lose the foal, the mare, or both.

16 (feet?) x 16 is barely larger than a big horse stall - that isn't a pasture, it's a pen. As Ol Grey Mare said, it will be bare dirt in no time, so you will need hay. A lot of people only feed hay to minis, with maybe a "ration balancer" supplement to make sure that all nutritional requirements are met.

I wouldn't recommend letting your mini "play" with a Quarter Horse. Horses have pecking orders within their groups, even the usual kind of bumping and shoving that is done to sort that out could result in a dead mini.

 

[SternRose]

She's a yearling. And I don't want her dead. She trust me more than she trusts her breeder. But hers a few pics of her

 

[SternRose]

I'm not worried about her being regesterd. But she does have papers