Thinking of buying a mini, have many questions

Hello I am seriously thinking of buying my first mini and I have been reading through this forum to learn more about them. The more I read the more confused I get. What should I look for when buying a mini? From what I have read they are supposed to look like small horses and not ponies but I have looked at many of the pictures in this forum and to me they almost all look like cute fat shetland ponies, what am I not seeing?? The other big question I have is can they live with full size horses?? I wanted to get a mini to keep my morgan company after his horse companion is sold but several posts I read on here said they wouldn't turn out a mini with a full size horse ........so how could a mini make a good companion for a horse if he couldn't live in the same paddock as the horse?

Do it! I recently strated working at this new barn where they have about 6 regular size horses and one mini. She is adorable. Sweetest little thing I have ever met, she will follow you around and be your friend no matter what!
They are really loyal, and I promise, you wont regret it if you do get one.
Friend for life :)

I think one reason that it's so confusing is just because of the level of variation from horse to horse. Yes, they technically are supposed to look like a horse that is miniaturized but if you are looking for a companion then you probably don't want to pay for the ones that really look like that.

Yes, they can be with full sized horses BUT: do they get along? One swift, well-placed kick from a full sized horse could do some serious damage to a mini. Is your pasture mini appropriate? They are escape artists! I turn my minis out with my elderly mare only when supervised because they will go thru my electric fence. Also, they can't be out on grass pasture all day like a horse.

Also, please, please, please remember that the ones that look like fat little shetlands are most likely over weight. People have come to except minis as being fat but they shouldn't be. You have to keep close tabs on how much they eat. My 2 boys get 1/2 cup grain each am/pm and they share 1 flake am/pm. They are on a dry lot 99% of the time. My husband thinks it's mean but man do they look good and I've gotten compliments from the vet and farrier. Being overweight may look "cute" but it leads to hosts of health problems, so please remember this if you choose to get one.

Oh, and if you get one, make sure to work on ground manners even if you don't "use" them. They are notorious for being brats. If you treat them like horses (ie train them and discipline them) they are great and your farrier/vet will greatly appreciate the effort.

Sorry for the long post. Hope it helps & good luck. My elderly mare needs a companion too so I know how it goes =)

Why are you selling his companion ? Why not just keep him?

Thank you for the responses. I do have to upgrade my fences a bit. The more I read about them the more excited I am about getting one. Stevenson I sold his companion because the horse was just too much for me to handle. I bought both of them this spring, they were supposed to be quiet experienced safe trail horses. (Neither one turned out to be that) To make a long story short (I have other posts about it, if you are interested) about the 6th time I rode this horse he reared up and flipped over on me, causing a lengthly hospital stay with 8 broken ribs and a fair amount of internal damage. I am still recovering but he was getting harder to handle every day. Last week I took him out of the paddock away from the other horse just to groom him and do some ground training. He lost sight of the other horse and reared and struck at me ears pinned. I am not a beginner but I am not good enough to deal with this. He is 16+hh and weighs about 1400 lbs now and to be perfectly honest when he acts like this he intimidates me. I am not as young or as agile as I used to be and I think it was best that we part company.

Sorry to hear that you were injured. I hope you heal quickly. I did not see the other post. Again, hope you get well soon.

Artemisblossom. You must remember, that ungroomed and in pasture condition, Minis look a great deal different, from those who are groomed and show-ring ready. Also, most Minis grow huge coats in the winter and again, look much different in the summer.

Join Li'l Beginnings Mini Horse forum and read everything you can in old posts there. Look at tons of Mini Horse websites and you will soon see the difference.

Minis are supposed to look like small horses. There are some excellent Minis for sale at the moment. Also, on Sept 23 - Oct 1, is the world AMHA championship show. You can watch it live from the AMHA website. These shows are well attended and will give you lots to see.

Just make sure if you purchase, you don't purchase a dwarf. Some will sell them as extra tiny and 'rare'.

Lizzie

If you are looking for a pasture pet then I'm sure what you will find would be the fat pony type which is fine if you just want a pet. Also I'd be in the group about being sort of scared to put a mini with a big horse though I have seen it done for years at a time then one day the mini annoys the big horse and the mini is badly hurt or worse but they are great pets and I bet you can't have just one lol.

Like the idea of going online to see the world show...just got back from AMHR nationals and had a blast lots of great horses to see at these national level shows :)
Good Luck there are lots of nice minis for sale at the moment

Thanks for the information everyone I will check it out

Many older women in my local area have minis. They don't just have one mini, they have herds of them. They trade & collect them. They buy oodles of miniature knick knacks for them (I should talk, I have more tack than most 3rd world countries). They are highly addicting from what I have seen. The mini foal I am holding in avatar is the closest I got to owning one. I put it down after the photo op. I have not picked up one since. I am occassionally commissioned to show one or two at halter if a mini show is being held during a regular show. They even look addicting with their big dewy eyes and little foxy muzzles, how dare them!