Miniature Horse Care

 

Miniature horse care is not much different then the care of a larger size horse. Regular farrier care, vaccinations , worming, grooming and good feed. They also need shelter and a safe yard and companionship.

 

Grooming Tools

Grooming: Grooming includes brushing, bathing, combing, hoof cleaning, trimming.

Grooming tools can include various brushes and combs,

 

soft face brush

stiff body brush

mane and tail brush

mane and tail comb

shedding blade

hoof pick/brush

rubber brush/scrubber

 These are a few of the types you might want to use

Clipper

shedding blade

Clipping

This is a before and after clipping of our bay foal." Feather Springs Apple Jack"

We start grooming early and they really learn to love bring brushed. He was clipped with a #7 and # 10 blades.

Clipping does not have to be done and after they are past their yearling year they shed out nicely on their own. I like to clip off the very thick winter coat on the youngsters in the spring.

Starting with a clean coat is important for a good clip . A good bath and dry before clipping will help to insure a smooth finished result. This step is also important for the longevity of your equipment. You can ruin blades quickly using them on a dirty coat.

A few fuzzy babies

 

Miniature Horses are routinely shaved for showing . This is a much more complicated procedure . There are both videos and online instructions about this process. The results can be beautiful!

Companionship

Horses , being herd animals, aren't happy by themselves. They need a herd to be healthy and happy!
You will find them close to one another in the pasture , at the feeder or pushing one another aside when they want all the attention! 
Some Minis will make friends with other animals such as a goat or donkey but I have found that they are happier with their own kind. You have to be careful about the safety of all involved.

Feeding

I love the rubber tub feeders! If the horses are running through the yard and hits one no one gets hurt! They are easy to clean and they work for both hay and water. I also have a trough type feeder that works great except for the hay that is always on their heads when they use it.
I like to keep feeding simple! Minis are frequently easy keepers and have a tendency to get to fat. I feed local coastal hay and small amounts of pelleted feed. They need to always have clean water and a salt block available. I like to free feed hay so they can munch all day if they want to . So far I have had good luck with this method and don't have any that overeat. I also like to have the hay always available for the growing foals. Treats are given only occasionally and usually they are apples or carrots. There are lots of other ways to feed and if you are showing , feeding pregnant mares or ones that are raising foals supplemental feed will be needed.

Housing

We have a nice little barn for our Minis but they rarely use it. They prefer to stay out and under the shelter in front of the barn. I will be building some shelters in the paddock and pasture for them next year. As our herd grows we are needing more shelter space. The barn is mostly used for foaling or if we have a horse not yet integrated into the herd. Our Minis are in the pasture during the day and in paddocks close to the house at night. We have occasional Mountain Lions and don't like to have to worry about them at night.
This is similar to the type shelter I would like to build . One off the back of the barn in the pasture and one in the front Paddock. The next trick will to be getting them to use it! Most of the time they like to stand in the rain. We have a very mild climate here and they take full advantage of it.

Fencing

We have our outside paddock perimeter fenced with corral boards over wire fence to prevent dogs or other predators from coming through the fences. We have wood posts and wire fencing inside the barnyard and in the pasture area.

Worming and Vaccination Schedule

It is generally felt that horses need to be wormed every 3 months and that you should rotate three wormers using a different active ingredient every other or every third time. Foals are wormed on a different schedule. It is best to get advice from your vet concerning worming foals.

A vaccination schedule should be set up with your vet taking into consideration where you live and what special concerns there might be in your area.

Farrier Care

 

Mini hooves need to be trimmed every 4 to 12 weeks depending on the individual. This can run from $12. to $45. depending on your location. Not all farriers trim Minis so check with farriers in your area.