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Why Breed Miniature Horses

7K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  Kyleen Drake 
#1 ·
I've been browsing craigslist and other horse sales groups on facebook, and it appears that on every site there is always 1 or 2 people trying to sell multiple minis. These often include broodmares, stallions (pretty often) and foals that have little prospects for anything other than breeding. Very occasionally they are broke to drive, and yes this increases the value a little. The horse market is very bad I understand, and crazy breeders exist everywhere, but somehow there is a surplus of horses that are way too small to ride, not gelded and seemingly not for anything but breeding.

My respectful question is: Why do people breed minis? If it's for pets then why do we need more? Aren't there enough minis for everyone to have a pet? Is breeding a hobby and these smaller horses are preferred because they eat less hay? Are there competitions for minis where you can win money? Are there mini driving competitions where you can rank higher? I understand that these horses are very smart and can be trained to assist the disabled. However, there seems to be an obsession with breeding smaller and smaller animals. As they are bred to be smaller, how does this make them more useful as guide horses, cart horses, and to assist the disabled?

Can someone please explain this to me? I am dumb and not familiar with this industry!
 
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#2 ·
There is a thriving mini show circuit and a niche for them.

Unfortunately minis are cute, easier to handle, and take less resources so they are prime targets for hillbilly backyard breeders to breed.

With all the backyard bred ones it's harder for the reputable breeders to sell theirs.

They started out as mining ponies, but then turned into solely things bred for pleasure. It's quite sad how some are being bred now, way too tiny to be functional and dwarfism is rampent among these ones.

But they're cute...
 
#14 ·
But they're cute...
Cute breeding is all about making adult children. Or rather a breed that maintains its child-like appearance whilst maturing through to adulthood. That's why snub noses, bulging tails and oversized heads in proportion to the body are the desirable traits in many of the toy and vanity/pet breeds of species.

With no work nor function save companionship and looks there's no demand within the breeding sector to breed "healthy" as opposed to breeding "cute".


Heck go to the dog world and look at something like Crufts where they are still breeding german shepherds which are almost walking on their knees on their hind legs. The dog has no function save to appear as desired and the sloped back look is the "desired" look purely because one sloped back dog won once and now everyone copycats.

and of course where you get copy-cats and prizes you get people desiring to own that which is deemed and shown as desirable/fashionable to own.



It's a sad state of affairs considering all we know of genetics and breeding; but sadly the vanity market has a lot of money behind it and ownership is simple. Eventing can have money behind it; but its always going to be niche because the owner has to invest more time, training and money into their pet.




Must admit I've never much cared for many of the tiny breeds in appearance; cute is fine for some things, but the working/carting miniatures shown in posts above appear to my eye t obe far better looking, more "proper" and healthier.
 
#3 ·
I have noticed the same thing. Lots of stallions! Easy to guess that they appeal to people who like horses but don't have room for a horse, are intimidated by full size horses, don't know how to ride or don't want to or can't, and still want a fairly low-input pasture pet. There is a strong "oh it's so cute I want one" factor which gets people started. I also refer you to the pot-bellied pig phenomenon . . .

I know someone who competes in driving with her minis. They have to be quite well trained for the obstacle courses etc. She got into it because she had such bad arthritis in her hands she couldn't milk so had to give up her goat breeding hobby.
 
#4 ·
My barn holds an entirely separate show for minis (and ponies) from the regular horse show. They hold almost all the same classes as the regular show, including in-hand jumping, halter, trail (in-hand and driven), and driving. They usually have 15-20 entrants or more.

As for why people breed them when there are so many...

Why do people breed pitbulls or chihuahuas when there are so many?
 
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#8 ·
Yes that makes sense in that minis are akin to normal cats and dogs being over-bred. However I think to me the problem is worse with horses because of the lack of shelters and protocol for unwanted horses. The humane society and other organizations for pets don't seem to have the money to take care of horses. The non-profit organizations to save horses are usually started by everyday people. Cats and dogs are euthanized if they can't find homes... you can't do that with a horse because what would you do with the body? This is where horse slaughter comes in.

Still, a grade horse that came from a backyard breeder could have value if it is young and around 15 hands. It seems that 'project horses' are most often the right size for adults to comfortably ride. A mini bred from unimpressive bloodlines could still be retrained to be a cart horse or pasture pet, but I think that situation is far more unlikely. What I'm saying is that it is more popular to train a full sized horse to ride than it is to train a cart pony.
 
#5 ·
I don't even think they are cute. Ponies I can understand. Children can ride them. But I want a horse I can ride. And if I ever get to the point I can't ride, I will either have a full-sized horse as a pet (like a sweet old geriatric that needs a home) or just convert completely to plastic model horses (you can show THEM too!).

Maybe it's because I have certain ideas in my mind of what a horse should be built like, but the minis just don't seem to have "it." If they were perfectly scaled down with the same conformation as a full-sized horse, I would think they are beautiful. But I have never actually seen one that looks like a scaled down full-sized horse. Well, except for one. There was a magazine article and there was a buckskin mini that I thought was a Morgan! But that was the only time I saw one that actually looked like an actual horse. And that was probably the camera angle.

For the most part, they just look too wonky to me. Like if they were riding horses, everyone would say what horrible conformation they have. But because the are small, wonky conformation is cute?

I don't understand pot-bellied pigs either. And while I have no problem with bantam chickens, the predators always seem to pick them off, so I stick with full-sized chickens for that reason. :sad:

Hmm. I'm trying to think if there is a mini "anything" that I like as well or better than the full-sized version. I'm not a big fan of toy-breed dogs because they are so yappy and their eyes bug out of their head. What else is there???
 
#6 ·
Maybe it's because I have certain ideas in my mind of what a horse should be built like, but the minis just don't seem to have "it." If they were perfectly scaled down with the same conformation as a full-sized horse, I would think they are beautiful.
That's thing thing. They are supposed to be conformationally little horses. The well bred show minis will look like that, but there are so many junky bred ones that they get all messed up and dwarfism isn't selected against.
 
#12 ·
This is the kind of mini I don't care for:

Teenage horse thief arrested in Somis | Crime Voice

Since it seems it's a generic, stock photo, hopefully nobody will get hurt feelings. But see, the proportions are just wrong. And the dwarf minis are downright messed up (I have no idea if the one I picked a picture of is a dwarf, but I tried not to pick an obvious dwarf because I think there are a lot of them that are NOT dwarfs and are still poorly proportioned.)

Don't get me wrong, I feel sorry for the dwarf minis. I just don't think they are cute and would never want to breed or own a horse like that.
 
#13 ·
There are irresponsible people everywhere. It's a common misconception that a miniature horse will be less work and make a nice pet, when in reality they need teeth floating, hoof care, deworming, training, etc. Hence the horses needing rescuing and for sale, but that's even more true with full size horses.

But for those who don't see the point, every horse person I know who has spent much time around mini horses wants one. I want one, but I'm waiting until one of my horses passes on since I do know the costs and time commitment involved. I hope when I want to get one that I can go out and find a well bred and healthy mini, and she won't just be a pet but will need to be sound and athletic because she'll be working.

Minis have great personalities. They're personable and friendly like a dog, but with all the great qualities we love about horses too. Before I was around minis I thought they would be kind of boring. I live to ride but didn't know that driving can be a blast too.
My friends who have minis take the mini horses out camping with the big horses. They get up in the morning and ride the horses around the trails until they're tired. Then they come back to camp, rest up and eat something, and take the mini horses out for an evening drive. Last year they said they went on an 11 mile drive over the beautiful horse trails in eastern Oregon.

I like taking my friends' minis out jogging. They don't pull like some dogs or try to stop and sniff, but have an easier pace than a big horse. Every year we enter a local parade, and we often win a trophy for being adorable. But we really enjoy just taking a drive down the road or on the beach. Between all my friends I know 9 minis. Only one is a very small "A" sized mini. Another one has the dwarfism gene but not severely, and he's very healthy. Good breeders do not breed any minis with dwarfism genes.

Here's the one with dwarfism in comparison to regular minis. Notice how much leggier they look.

It can be hard to get your big horse to wear a Dr. Seuss hat. Minis are cool with it.

The best is racing along with a few friends:

 
#15 ·
Minis have their purpose just like every other breed, but I do agree they are victims of the fact that they take up so much less space and resources than "big" horses. It makes them easier to breed, and sadly easier to neglect. People don't want to pay to geld a tiny stallion because hey, he's not the violent menace that a 17 hand draft stallion could be. He may be a pain in the butt, but his size makes him inherently more handleable.

However, a well-bred and trained mini is a joy to work with, and I have had a ton of fun working with them- some of them have just as much or more "try" and willingness to please as any big horse. There are plenty of folks out there who couldn't afford the care and upkeep of a larger horse, but since board, feed, farrier, and other costs tend to be smaller with minis, they can be a more affordable option for some people.

Also, some people like myself either can't ride due to health issues, or are afraid of bigger horses. Then there are aging handlers- as folks get older, they may still want to be involved with horses, but declining health and mobility means that being around a bigger animal might be much more dangerous for them. There are a lot of older people in my driving club who drive minis or ponies for that reason.

They can still hurt you, absolutely - but a kick or a bite from a 40 inch mini is going to be much less devastating than one from a 16 hand thoroughbred.

There are bad breeders everywhere - bad QH breeders, bad mule breeders, bad mini breeders. That is just the way of the horse world, and frankly any animal world. If someone is neglectful and ignorant, they'd be neglectful and ignorant no matter what animal they raise.
 
#17 ·
However, a well-bred and trained mini is a joy to work with, and I have had a ton of fun working with them- some of them have just as much or more "try" and willingness to please as any big horse.
There was a mini I worked with when I was younger. I taught him to pull a wagon to help out with chores around the yard since us kids weren't allowed to drive the ATV unsupervised. One day we we're cleaning up fallen logs and branches from one of the paddocks and we we're loading up at the bottom of the pasture them had to go up an incline to get to the dump pile. Pony was out of shape so during one of the trips I stopped him half way up the hill to take a break. After about a 10sec break that pony surges forward on his own and takes that wagon load right up to the dump pile. I think he really enjoyed having a job finally.
 
#18 ·
I completely agree with what others have said here. They are certainly a victim of both being "less expensive" and small and cute, and that's why the Average Joe with no knowledge of form to function conformation thinks they can buy up a bunch and throw them together and make babies.

As far as dwarfism goes, NO reputable breeder wants that. And an especially good breeder would cull any mare and stallion who produced a dwarf. The Little Beginnings Miniature horse forum has some very good threads about dwarfism if you want more info about that.

My own experience with the breed is extremely limited, but I did get one last summer to keep my gelding company. My husband hates miniature anything, especially dogs, and took a lot of convincing. He finally let me get one if it was put to good use and I promised to teach it to drive. I had a limited budget and bought from a "backyard breeder" (she only had three horses) but I did pick the best of the bunch. My girl isn't perfectly conformed, but she certainly isn't a freak or poor (though she does have kind of a big head. Big, but pretty). I do think she looks more like a little horse than most. I know for sure though I will not be breeding her.

Now, I don't know if it's the breed, or if I got extremely lucky with her, but she is the sweetest, most willing horse I have ever been around. She loves attention and wants to stop and greet everyone we pass. She is extremely smart and picks up anything almost instantly. She is pretty sassy as well, but not in an ill mannered way. I have to stop working with her as soon as she picks something up or she gets frustrated and bored. It's TOTALLY different than my QH who needs some repetition. And so far, she has been ground driving like a dream! I can't wait to start attaching a cart to her.

My husband even loves her. He has given me permission to get as many minis as I want haha. He is not a horse guy and it's been really neat to watch him with her. I do think he was a bit intimidated and unsure of my big guy, but since getting the mini, he's much more confident around him. It has given him a chance to warm up to and learn horse behavior without the fear of being squished. He does like that they really are a good bit cheaper to feed as well. Everything else is the same :P

So for me, those are the draws and why I will be getting another mini. Next time though, I will be saving up a bit more and buying a quality, registered horse that I can show competitively. I will still have a riding horse too as long as I am able to.

It's totally worth it to have one just to watch it go tearing and bucking around the field. Haha, it's a hoot!
 
#19 ·
Now, I don't know if it's the breed, or if I got extremely lucky with her, but she is the sweetest, most willing horse I have ever been around. She loves attention and wants to stop and greet everyone we pass. She is extremely smart and picks up anything almost instantly. She is pretty sassy as well, but not in an ill mannered way.
Yes, in our experience they're super easy to train (we've started several and have them trained to where novice drivers can take them out, and they can go out in big crowds and traffic). We have two pairs driving as teams now. They have a very sweet and willing personality, but are spunky too.
 
#20 ·
Gotta say, I love my minis. I got into minis because a good friend of mine got one as a driving horse. I studied them for about 2 years and then got my first mini. Talk about fun in a cart!! People may think these little guys are "useless" but boy do they pack a punch. I drive my mini mare, Clementine, out with my father who drives a fox trotter. The trotter follows us and is hurrying to keep up.

Asking why people breed them is like asking why people breed Yorkies when there Airdales are so much more useful.

Miniature horses have their own shows, desirable pedigrees, and niche in the horse world. There are several different driving classes, conformation classes, even jumping in hand. People who take miniature horse breeding seriously take great care and pride in their horses. No different from people who breed QH, Arabians, etc.

Yes, they are more likely to fall into the hands of uneducated people due to their size. They are also a little easier to "man handle" which is why you see several stallions listed. Just like any breed of horse they are subject to neglect and ignorance. I ride an OTTB, talk about a breed that often ends up in the wrong hands being neglected and abused.

One of the great things about minis is they are just that. Mini horses. They are not ponies. I never thought I'd own one of these tiny guys but I gotta say, they are as much fun as my riding horses.
 
#21 ·
I too, know someone who go into minis when she got too frail to handle the big horses. She was an AQHA breeder and shower. When I met her she was in her mid 60s and she just couldn't handle a QH stallion anymore. She had some super nice minis and she campaigned them well, both driving and in halter. They were horses in a more manageable package for her to handle.

But yes, there are a lot on CL that are poor quality, back yard bred. They're cheaper to buy, cheaper to feed, and easier to house. So people seem to gather the "pretty ones" (pinto, appy, silver) and just let them overbreed.

Personally, they're not my cup of tea, if I ever get small ponies, it'd be Welsh all the way (and maybe a Welsh / POA cross, I do like spots), but my best friend really wants a quality mini to drive one day. Small critters are just so much cheaper, the harness is cheaper, the cart is cheaper, the feed is cheaper.
 
#22 ·
Hubby and I do have 2 rescued minis who are the official groundskeepers here along with the 2 TWH's who are our riding horses. Mini's are addictive and their big horse attitude in such a tiny body will keep you laughing! While ours aren't rescued since we don't have their registrations, we do enjoy attending shows and helping some of the exhibitors or working as part of the ground crew---these little horses can do everything a bigger horse can except be ridden!
 
#23 ·
I agree that minis are overbred by the wrong people who have no idea how to prevent dwarfism; but I definitely also think they have a use. I had a mini before I bought my first full sized horse, and she was a blast. She was mishandled and didn't have a lick of ground manners when I bought her, and had a lot of fear that she displayed as aggression, but even so, she was forgiving of my teenaged self. Because she was small, she was a great way for me to practice training with a somewhat safer animal; 225 lbs instead of 1000.

She wasn't built extremely well- she was backyard bred and has a poor back. But, she had a killer work ethic and absolutely loved to be busy DOING something. Unlike most other minis she wasn't overly fond of being brushed and scratched and petted, but she tolerated it. But man, you pulled out any of her 'working gear' and she was all for it. I was concerned about training her when I first got her because she had such a bad attitude, but I think she was just bored. As soon as her wheels started turning in that little head of hers, her personality did a 180. I trained her to drive, and she would stand stock still while I harnessed her, and would align herself with the cart enthusiastically. She'd go all day if you let her, and in the 2 years that I drove her; even as a greenie, she never once spooked at ANYTHING. There was one time when I even mistakenly got us into a bad situation where any other horse would probably panic and get us both killed, but as soon as she realized we were in trouble, she froze and didn't move a single inch til I asked her to. Some people say minis are bratty, but usually that's only because they're treated like puppies. If you treat them like a big horse, they fabulous- with just a teeny sprinkle of extra sass to make up for their height. My girl didn't live with big horses but she frequently made nasty faces at the big guys we would pass, and they'd all back up a few steps. LOL

Minis aren't for everyone, but I just adored mine and I'd love another later on. Cheap to feed too- she ate a bale of hay every 6-7 days, and a ration balancer. Too many minis are overly fat and not used for their potential, and it makes me sad. They're a blast! She HATED jumping but many of them are very talented at that as well. She and I did showmanship, trails, parades and costume classes. We didn't earn money because we just did it for fun, but plenty of people do! I have a friend who shows at a very high level. Her string of 4 minis are worth a combined $20,000, and win very often.






 
#24 ·
She cute Endiku! We were planning to train our mini gelding to drive, but after talking to a couple of experts on dwarfism, he appears to have minimal dwarf issues so we were advised not to since it would put too much strain on his little body. The mare is just not comfortable around strangers or in crowds and can be flighty if she's upset so we've decided to wait to see if she settles down some-----she's come a long way from when we rescued her, but her poor mind is scarred from being tied to a tree and left behind when her owner moved. Who knows what her live was like with someone who was abusive enough to do that!
 
#25 ·
Ground drive her little hiney all over the place! My girl was actually spooky when I got her- tried to jump shadows and would bolt in hand if something made her nervous. But as she spent more time with me, got used to her job and realized people weren't out to kill her (when I got her, she'd been "laid down" by a cowboy very roughly and was terrified of anything resembling a man or a rope.) she became quite confident. I ground drove her so much for a year that by the time I hooked her up it's like she was born pulling a cart. We ground drove around cones, through gates, over bridges, in streets, on trails, all over the place! It was rather fun.
 
#26 ·
I love my minis. I own two, a mare and a gelding. They are fun to watch, care for, show. We have children come over and the minis are a great size for them to feel comfortable petting, leading, brushing. I'm already feeding and caring for two full sized horses, so the minis really don't ad much work or feed to my bill. Of course there are all the other things like vet and farrier.

I would love a mini foal, but my mare is too old and I'm smart enough to understand what happens when a foal grows up. They become an adult! I'll just go snuggle other people's mini foals, there is no reason for me to breed my old mare.
 
#27 ·
Question.. Wouldn't a mini be a great way for beginning people to learn ground work with? I'm sure they can still hurt when they bite, kick, ect. But I'm also guessing they're less intimidating to new horse people? It seems a mini would be able to learn anything a large horse could learn from the ground, it'd just take them longer to get around the ring (poor little legs). lol They also seem like they'd be a good companion animal to a larger horse?
 
#28 ·
They are great to learn ground work with. Far less intimidating and you have a bit more physical control over them. Great for kids who can easily get pushed over by a big horses, purposely or not. The trick is to find a well mannered pony.

Companion to large horses is a contested topic. They can get hurt really bad by a big horse quite easily. If it's a very docile horse then you'd be able to get away with it. I've known minis to be kept with drafts but no one was a fighter. Some will even boss the big horses around.
 
#29 ·


I kinda wonder how much a little guy like this would cost to keep around? I'd like it so much better than a dog.. And if it needed to go to the vet, no problem, put it in my car! LOL Potty training it so it would be allowed in my house might be an issue.. I've never house trained a horse before.. >:) Shelter for it sure would be inexpensive. lol And if they are quiet I could have one now in my back yard (Free feralizer for my garden!) and neighbors wouldn't know any better.. Less lawn mowing too I bet? lol It's so cute..
 
#30 ·
I actually saw a mini brought to a show in the back seat of an old Jaguar once. I just hoped they didn't have far to go, or the mini was really good at holding it :)

As far as minis being used to teach groundwork, I'm actually considering that someday in the far-flung future when I have my own farm. I think there are a lot of people who are also intimidated by big horses but who would still love to be involved with the horse world, and minis are a perfect compromise. I feel like there need to be more options to get the horse-curious to take that first step towards our world.
 
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