What do people do with mini horses?

[domromer]

Quote:
Wow that horse is super tiny! My neighbors horses are about 3 x that size.

 

[Florida chick]

Then I highly doubt they have minis!~

 

[Maggie3]

How adorable!!

 

[Florida chick]

Thanks Maggie, we love them!

 

[PaintedMeadows]

I have miniature horses too and a Great Dane! lol. They are a ton of fun and I just love them!! I am waiting on a foal right now and have another due in July. I will have to get some pictures of my April filly and my pregnant little 28" mare. She almost needs wheels for her belly! lol

 

[Henrietta23]

My niece has one and trained it as a therapy animal. She takes it to nursing homes and childrens' hospitals, etc. I believe she earned a GS badge for it. He is also her pet. She has a full sized horse as well. (Not a horse person, forgive me for any incorrect terminology!) I know she boards the large horse, not sure about the mini.

 

[Solsken Farm]

We got the sweetest, tamest, most gentle mini for our kids as toddlers. He is under 30" at the withers. My daughter, at 2, was able to safely lead him around, and she was riding him by herself by age 3. He has been her dear friend, and helped develop her confidence in horses. She has taught him grooming, hoof picking and overall horse care. She could NEVER have been doing this at her young age with our full sized horses. He eats practically nothing and is a joy to have. Watching him run through the field when we let him out with the herd (he has much less grass time than his bigger counterparts) is worth every penny he costs us.

He is not show quality, but his temperment makes him an incredibly valuable horse, to us.

My daughter is now 8 and she is really too large to ride him, but he isn't going anyway, because he is part of the family.

 

[chicknmania]

Miniature horses were bred at one time to pull coal carts in the mines, because obviously they can fit in places where regular horses cant, and they are very strong. My son and daughter both work on a mini horse farm. The owner raises and sells them all over the world, so I know some of them are pretty costly as she has had buyers visit her here from other countries. She has a couple of stallions that have a few world champion trophies; I think mainly for conformation. She has a lot of tiny saddles and bridles for them but never seen her show so don't know what all they do at shows, but pretty much a lot of the same things that bigger horses do. It is fun to go to the farm and watch them; the babies are miniscule when they're born and the stallions toss their heads, rear and gallop around and act studly, just like their big counterparts. I personally wouldn't want one, but I think they are very interesting and have their own place in the horse world.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
Yep! ... my grandma was telling me about the coal mines in Wales.

 

[domromer]

How long do mini horses live?