Why Minis?
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Many people ask us “What do you do with miniature horses?” The answer is… Nothing. Miniature horses are really a novelty. If there is a useful purpose for minis, please email me so I can know what it is. Now don’t get me wrong I love our miniature horses and people love seeing and visiting them, but they have no practicality.
Why did we get miniature horses? Well let me tell you….I’m not really sure. We were looking to move out to the country from the suburban neighborhood that my kids had all been born in. We were looking to sell the only home our kids had ever known. We tried to explain to them about all the freedom we would have, the animals we could raise, and how we could realize so many of our dreams. Well, the kids didn’t get the freedom or the dream realization stuff, but they did understand animals.
So…. To help the transition we decided to get one new type of animal for the new farm. We heard about a lady who was selling her goats and horses, because she was moving and had to sell them quickly. We went to check out the goats, because goats are one off the coolest animals in my opinion, but when we got there she had already sold the whole herd. Well we took a look around anyway and she had a bunch of mini horses, probably about 20 or so. They were neat to look at and the kids were really excited so kind of on a whim we bought 3 of them. We bought a colt and 2 mares that were pasture bred, so they might be expecting.
We don’t have any regrets about getting the minis, they were exactly what we needed at the time. They have been a great stepping stone for us into large animals. We have learned a lot from them, and experienced so much with them. The skills we have gained by having the minis we could not have gleaned from a book. We learned about dietary needs, animal health, hoof care, understanding temperament, watching signs for problems, and so much more. They also gave us our first farm birth and what an amazing experience that was. We are currently working on breaking our oldest to pull a cart and that has opened up another whole learning experience.
When people ask “Why minis?” we like to respond with “Why not?”
-Daniel
