Miniature Horse Care
Rain With her fluffy winter coat.
Does a miniature horse need to be groomed?
Miniature horses shed twice per year, once in the spring as they lose their winter coats, and again in the fall as their winter coat grows in. The mini horses love to be brushed, and owners are encouraged to brush their miniature horse daily. Miniature horses can be bathed occasionally, but bathing too frequently will dry out their skin.
How much Vet care do miniature horses require?
Vet care for a horse is comparable to that of a dog. Yearly immunizations are required, and bi-monthly de-worming is required to keep the miniature horse healthy and protected from disease. A de-wormer can be administrated orally by the owner. The mini horse also needs a farrier to trim their hooves every six to eight weeks.
Vet care for a horse is comparable to that of a dog. Yearly immunizations are required, and bi-monthly de-worming is required to keep the miniature horse healthy and protected from disease. A de-wormer can be administrated orally by the owner. The mini horse also needs a farrier to trim their hooves every six to eight weeks.
Do miniature horses have weight problems?
Yes, you must carefully watch the diets of miniature horses.
Because they evolved on the barren Shetland Islands, most miniature horses are "easy keepers", and metabolize food extremely efficiently.
Miniature horses should never eat people food, and some miniature horses need low-feed muzzles to keep them from getting obese.
What do miniature horses eat?
Grasses and grains are the natural food of the miniature horse. Mini horses can survive on lush grass and make excellent lawn mowers, and hay is a suitable substitute when grass is not available. A small quantity of crimped oats completes the daily nutritional regimen. In addition, miniature horses should have access to a daily source of free choice salt and trace minerals. An easy way to provide this is to provide the miniature horse with free access to a brick of plain salt and a brick of trace mineral salt.
Miniature horses should always have access to clean cool water. It should also be noted that all miniature horses possess a sweet-tooth, and are fond of apples, candy, soda and breakfast cereal.
The owner must be very careful not to overfeed their miniature horse or to feed them too many treats.
A veterinarian should be consulted to determine the exact nutritional needs of each individual horse.
Do miniature horses bite and kick?
In their natural setting, miniature horses will naturally bite and kick as a means of establishing dominance within their herd. When a Guide Horse bonds with the owner after training, the owner will be perceived as the herd leader, and the mini horse will never bite or kick except when attacked.
How long do Horses live?
Horses commonly live to be 25 - 35 years old, and horse ages translate into human ages almost linearly, but with major differences in age equivalents as babies where mature at a rate far faster than humans, reaching pony puberty by age two: On-average, miniature horses may live one-third longer than large horses. This size-longevity relationship is the same for dog breeds.
Horse age Human age
1 year 6 years
2 years 13 years
3 years 18 years
4 years 20 years
5 years 24 years
7 years 28 years
10 years 35 years
13 years 43 years
17 years 53 years
20 years 60 years
24 years 70 years
27 years 78 years
30 years 85 years
33 years 93 years
36 years 100 years
