All About Miniature Horses

By L. A. DeGeorge

This is a book I would recommend for anybody who wants to buy Miniature Horses. I write of my experiences in the Miniature Horse world. In this book I tell the readers the unspoken rules of the horse dealers and breeders. This book has factual information for beginners about the daily care, building correct barn areas for horses along with details about starting your own breeding business. I write about feeding and how each horse is different. Most Miniature Horses cannot eat just grass and stay healthy. As a matter of fact, some Miniature Horses can’t eat grass at all! In this book I share with the readers some personal stories from my experiences in every chapter. My stories are meant to help the reader see what can happen if you don’t know what you’re doing! Buyer beware!

• Language: English
• Publisher: L. A. DeGeorge
• Release date: Sep 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301435654

L. A. DeGeorge

I own a horse facility and I have a few hobbies. They include writing, making homemade "curly" soap, and helping people with their hauntings. I love to write because it transports you to wherever you want to go. Your imagination is the only limit !

Book preview

Raising Miniature Horses

By L. A. DeGeorge

Copyright 2013 by L.A. DeGeorge

Smashwords Edition

All Rights Reserved.

Unauthorized distribution or duplication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase more copies. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

Forward:

Are Miniature Horses different from other horses? The correct answer is yes and I will tell you my experiences here in Pennsylvania. I write about what breeders and dealers won’t tell you. Let’s just say that you don’t go and buy a Miniature Horse and put it into your nice green pasture. A horse is not a lawn mower or a tomato plant. You can’t just stake it out there and expect it to live!

***Chapter 1 Which Horse Should I Buy?***

BEFORE YOU LOOK FOR A HORSE, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH MONEY. Do not even bother a horse owner if you have only $100.00. You will be wasting your time and the sellers. Even if you lease or stable a horse you must have enough for a month or two up front. Generally, l wouldn’t even look unless I had $1500.00 or so. This will give you enough for a nice horse and/or boarding fees if needed. This amount can change according to your location, type of horse and current market for trained horses.

Please don’t buy a $10,000.00 horse! This is not necessary. Breeders of quality will still be there when you are trained and able to make a good decision when you want to compete. You will know what you want to compete in or if you don’t want to show at all. This will help in deciding what horse you want next.

Are you a grandparent looking for a pony for the grandkids? What are you looking for specifically? This is the most important thing on your list. It will help to narrow your search if you know what you want.

Just so you know: hh= hands high and a hand is 4 inches, this is a measurement from the end of the mane at the horses shoulder to the ground. Some people say it’s from the horses top of the shoulder. Example: 40 is 10 hh and 34 is 8.2 hh

If purchasing a pony for a small grandchild, under the age of 7 years old, look for an older more experienced large miniature. If they want to be lead around on it, get one that is at least 9hh. This is a sturdy height for that size child. Smaller Miniature Horses can blow out a knee cap and also hurt their spines. If they don’t want to ride, get a small one as a pet type companion.

And if I may interject my opinion here, please never, ever let a child unattended beside a horse no matter what size horse or how old the child is, not even if they are tied. They can kick at flies or just because they are bored and the child can get hurt badly.

I had a friend that used to offer pony rides. One day, before a party started, the owner had to go get another helper for the party that was to begin in a few minutes. She left a pony unattended with a little girl that had just showed up early.

The little girl got kicked in the mouth and needed 18 stitches. The pony never kicked before but did this time because of something the girl did while unsupervised. Nobody knows, they were alone and she never said what happened. The parents were not there, they dropped her off for the party and left. The owner should have put the pony in a stall and took the little girl with her to find the helper. Safety first. They were sued and had no insurance. They no longer offer pony rides. ALWAYS have insurance if in business with horses, or you risk losing your property or at the very least a small fortune.

I know of another place that offered Summer Camp, Lessons, Pony Parties and the whole circus. However, they had no insurance and operated on only 1 acre. They had 5 horses, how is the legal you ask? Nobody ever checked them for Zoning. It was reported by a parent when a child fell and broke her leg. The parents found out that they had no insurance while talking to the barn owners. They won the law suit but had to wait for payment until the stable sold some horses.

Eventually they were forced to sell out completely to pay fines and because they were not allowed to own horses. They moved to a rental apartment and now board 2 of their horses. The moral of this story is ALWAYS have Zoning permits cleared before owning a horse and ALWAYS have insurance when dealing with the public.

Do you just want a pet to love? Does it matter what size? Keep in mind, the larger the animal, the larger the poop and also the more they can eat! Feel free to go to a local auction and pick out 2 of whatever you want. It could be a horse and a goat, maybe 2 horses, etc. But be able to separate them with a fence in between for about a month or so. They have to get to know each other in a safe environment. Sometimes they never like each other and must be kept in separate yards beside each other.

If you are going to board a horse or two, have your paperwork signed and stall paid for BEFORE you get them. Also, you must tell the boarding facility they are coming from an auction house. Germs are involved as well as other boarders that will blame you and the owner if their horse gets sick. Generally the stable has a place they are kept by themselves for a period of time, usually 3 weeks to 30 days. During this time they have a pasture to themselves as well and their own water trough.

When buying two of anything try to get them about the same size or the one can injure the other when they run and play together. Although I have seen many different size animals live together without incident. Some are raised together and are offered as a pair, this is a good idea. Remember, freak accidents will happen no matter how hard you try!

And yes, I have a story pertaining to that! I had just bought a new miniature horse and had a 15hh horse in pasture. The miniatures time of seclusion after purchase, about 3 weeks, was up and I left him out to play with the horse. The other horses were in our other pastures. They ran and ran until the larger one kicked out due to happiness, and grazed the mini in his back hip area. The miniature rolled and rolled due to the force of the kick.

The running stopped after this and I went out to the mini and helped him inside. I put him in a stall where I spliced the skin together with clips and proceeded to care for the large wound daily for 3 weeks. He fully recovered and played on the other side of the fence from then on. This is a freak accident but can happen to any animal that runs and kicks. All of my horses are barefoot or he would have most likely needed proper stitches to put him back together. Ever since this I keep my miniatures separate. I have seen some pastures where all sizes of animals get along fine, however. All horses have their own personalities, just like people!

***Chapter 2 What To Look For In A Horse Before Purchase***

The next big question is how do you know the horses are experienced as stated above? There are several things to look for. If the ad says they are older and are for children it could be true. If the horse is the right size you are looking for, make an appointment to go and see it. If at all possible, bring along a reputable and experienced horse person who could ride or at least examine teeth, etc. This way you have a person to talk to that is impartial when making a decision.

DO NOT BUY A HORSE ON SIGHT. Finding the right horse for you may take months or even years, it depends on a bunch of factors! Before purchasing any horse, do your research and read books, talk to people who own horses, talk to horse veterinarians, etc.

Do NOT buy online sight unseen, except a picture. Unless you have good references, a vet check that isn’t their vet, a good contract, and there are videos with a recent date on them. If it’s a weaned foal, then most of your worries are small. If you will be riding it or breeding it, it’s best to actually see it in person. Some people shoot a video of it being tacked, handled and ridden by a child, as an example. Or you can ask for this before you drive 100 or more miles. Some sellers will do this for you and some will not, it never hurts to ask!

Try to buy close to home to avoid health problems and large hauling fees. Some horses can get sick from a long hauling trip, strange germs, or different food, etc.

One thing to check is to see if the horse looks to be in normal shape. This means that the legs are the same size and shape, not swollen, have open wounds, missing hair, etc. Run your hands all over the horses legs and body, do they twitch or jerk away? Some have pain from arthritis, bruised from kicks or being ridden hard, in an accident, etc. Some horses are afraid and don’t like to be touched!

Does their bottom lip sag or hang as if they are tired, but they haven’t been driven and it is not very hot out? Does the penis hang out for a long period of time as if they are tired? This means they have most likely been given some type of calming drug or they are very tired. Also look for loose stool nearby or in its stall.

Check their ears for cleanliness, bugs, etc. Especially check their tail area to see if they have bad poop. There will be marks from it falling on them. If they were just washed, wait for about an hour and it will go again! In that time you can see the barn and the other horses, possibly get to know the barn owner. Does the seller talk fast? Are they in a hurry? Tell them you have to think about it and they will say somebody else is looking at it. Walk away. Don’t fall for the old hurry up routine! There’s another horse out there!

I purchased a mare and 5 others online when the computer age first started years ago. There were a few pictures and I asked the appropriate questions. I did not know the seller. The day finally came for their arrival. They were unloaded and were in awful thin shape, bones sticking out all over their body and a dull lifeless look about them. They had come from out west where they had a hay shortage and that’s why they were sold. I was upset, but knew they could be fine in a month or so. It tore my heart out that somebody had to watch them get thinner and thinner, not having enough hay to feed them and their foals.

When there are feed shortages be prepared for what the horses may look like. I’m glad that the dealer was smart enough to sell most of the herd and not let them starve.