Miniature Horses are Not Ponies

True miniatures are the results of years of selective breeding of downsizing the large sized horse.  A miniature horse is no larger than 34″ at their withers or the last hair of their mane.   People make mistakes by buying a young foal, thinking it will stay small.  If possible, look at the dam and sire to see what the foal is out of so you get an idea of how big your foal may grow to maturity.

Miniature horses make excellent pets.  They are also an investment.  If you buy quality minis, you will have a good foundation to breed and raise true miniature foals.  AMHA is the main association of a true Miniature Horse Breed.  This association is strict in their size to maintain standards for the American Miniature Horse.  Just like the AKC is to the dog breed.  There is also the AMHR association, but most of the horses are little bigger and can go up to 38″.  That is the reason, AMHA minis are more valuable.

The advantage of owning a miniature horse, you don’t need a large farm to own one. Minis eat very little compared to large sized horses. The newborn foals are so cute being only 16 to 22 inches at birth.  They make great pets for children to lead them around.  Minis can pull carts and can carry quite a load at being so small.  Getting a cart driving down a road is so much fun.

For anyone who has always wanted to own a horse, buying a miniature is a good way to start out. They will not intimidate you as a larger horse would. You can learn to take care of one on a much smaller and cheaper basis.

 

“Blossom”

Blossom is a mini that we  had to raise on a bottle.  Her mother didn’t have any milk, so we fed her around the clock.  She became part of the family and followed us around everywhere we went.  This is a photo of her lying in the sun sleeping, waiting on me to do some landscaping.  She followed us all around the yard.  Whenever I moved too far away, she’d jump up and go with me.   So precious!!