Food for minis?

Hey all,
I know I said I wanted to get out of horses - but I work for my trainer. She wont let me - so I'm showing her horses & taking on students. We saw a few minis at a hunter show yesterday. Lead lining kids. My trainer & I talked about it - if we get one he would live on my property, but both of our students will use him/her.
To the point - s/he will be on a dry lot with goat companions. How much hay/grain should it get? Grain (triple crown complete) for nutrients & a flake in the morning & one in the evening? Am I thinking about this correctly? Thank you.
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I don't know much about minys.. But I would NEVER feed them more than like a couple handfulls of grain- unless they have some strange skinny disease?? - and that would only be as a "come to the gait" or "eat or vitamins & minerals". 2 flakes seems a bit to much.. Get low nutrient hay... or they can get founder fatness.. etc. definitely NO afalfa- maybe a couple handfulls - like mentioned above a "come to gait" or if they have a skinny diesease... (I love that!! Skinny disease... )Maybe 1- 1/2 flake.. I would reccomend a slow feeder - you know a hay net with small holes in it? As it slows their intake.. And they get fed so little, but they are meant to eat hay all day.. But yeah! Good luck!

On the horsetopia board some of the mini owners were talking about feeding them the new feed by Purina, mini and pony feed. I just switched my pony and pony/mini cross over to it. You can look it up on the Purina site to read about it.

Thanks guys! I will check out that feed! I have my guys on orchard/fesque. Pretty low nutrient. The mini would be pastured with a few goats.. They need about 3 flakes a day for themselves. Should I just feed 2 in the morning & 2 in the evening? In separate hay nets? The 3 goats are also allowed free rein of the farm. Should I just feed everyone separate?
Thanks again!
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The mini at our stable eats about a half a flake, twice a day. It's really not even part of a flake, we just rake up whatever falls off the bales. He gets a mixture of alfalfa and grass because of that, no grain.

Ah, thanks! Maybe a mineral block instead?
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Out of curiousity, what are you getting the mini for? Riding? If that's the case, let me encourage you to get a shetland instead. They're much hardier, can take the riding better- and tend to have far less health problems while being nearly the same height.

We feed our working (showing/driving) minis a scoop of Purina Horse and Pony feed, as well a flake of 2/3 timothy 1/3 alfalfa daily. They keep their weight beautifully eating this, but I wouldn't recommend feeding so much to a mini that doesn't work hard. Ours are expected to work 45 minutes to an hour every day- earning them more feed.

Our 'pasture puff' minis, or the ones that are off show season/lightly used, get half a scoop of grain (if even that...just enough to think they're getting something, and to provide suppliments/sand-clear/dewormer) and a flake of 2/3 timothy 1/3 alfalfa. I would recommend this for your mini. All of our minis are on a dry lot.

I would also point out that Triple Crown Complete is not a good feed for miniatures. They do not need any of the extras that are in this feed. TCC is made for in-prime performance horses. It has a very high concentration of protein and fats. A mini will do better on a more basic feed.

Thank you! Very, very helpful. Just lead-line. It wont carry very much weight (light weight saddle, small child) - I'm actually only looking at CL minis that I can train from scratch, so to speak. I can buy new feed no problem, all my animals are proper weight & get fed according to how they look.
I have inquired about a mini that would need to be gelded - I'm unsure of his condition but will be properly cared for. If he can't be ridden, I would be willing to try driving. A mini could serve multi purpose for my boss & I. Learning parts of the horse, easy for grooming/ handling for smaller kids.
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I wouldn't get a mini that isn't even gelded yet, if it's going to be used for children. It's testosterone levels will be very unbalanced for a while, even after the gelding. IMO a 5-9 year old, gelded, vice free mini would be the best route.

Personally, I'm against miniature horses for riding. Our barn has two or three who are used as lead-line ponies for our autistic children. It's caused quite a few back problems for one of them. I know that this isn't always true with minis, but it has happened. I'm not going to go snap someone's head off because they use minis, but for the most part- I really do think that a small pony will do just as well, with less problems down the road.

We have four shetlands that we use for the autistic children, and they're quite hardy little creatures. What I like about them is that they're small and child-friendly (not at all intimidating with those fuzzy manes and big eyes!) but at the same time, compact and sturdy enough for me to hop on and tune up. (These are traditional shetlands that I'm talking about) Ours are 10-11 hh, fine for 85 pound me to school for short periods at a time- unlike their miniature friends. I would feel aweful sitting on one of our 34" minis, much less trying to teach them something!

If you're set on getting a miniature for them to ride though, try to atleast find one with good bone and a strong frame- not like the refined show miniatures. Make sure that it is atleast 5 years old to ensure that all of it's growing and filling out is done (putting a kid on a greenbroke 2-3 year old mini is disasterous for both the kid and the horse) and had a good, bombproof temperment. I'd recommend one of the taller minis, perhaps 34-36", or even a bit taller if you don't mind that it's not registerable.

As for driving...I can't say enough about it. It's actually quite fun! A year or two ago I scoffed the idea...I mean really. Driving a horse around in circles or around the farm? No fun. But my mini and I have actually really enjoyed it. It's great exercise and as long as it's done right- and it's fairly safe. A mini can pull along a lightweight buggy with two or three light people at a time. Quite the adventure.

Just remember. Minis take just as much...possibly even more- work as any full-sized horse, and dispite their size- they're still VERY capable of hurting people. I have scars to prove it ;)

Endiku, I would make a more elaborate post if I wasn't on my phone. I really appreciate your post.
Perfect and adorable pet pony/ mini horse

One I'm looking at. I'm also supposed to be looking at a farm of mini stock. The economy is so down they're $200 & under.

I wouldn't buy a fine boned mini for riding. I'd have my chiro take a look if I notice any soreness.

The stud owner does not want him ridden, so he's out. I'm hoping to go with my boss this week to look at prospects.
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