# Help me with my new waif -a mini horse



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Teresa, you amaze me. I think you were Saint Francis in a previous life.


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## Looni2ns (Mar 26, 2010)

You're one of God's angels. He chose you. 

Remember, she's a horse, not a dog. She needs to be seen by an equine vet, and a good farrier. If they haven't taken care of her health, they sure haven't taken care of her feet. 

My GF in PA has done equine rescue, so I'll check w/her on feed. I know she uses some special supplement along with their grain to help build up their immunity, and get them in shape. She uses the Ivermectin monthly for worming all of her horses.


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## Cathy's Gunner (Dec 4, 2008)

Don't know anything about horses, Teresa. Just wanted to say what a wonderful person you are....Good luck and post some pictures after you get her.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Awww. I don't have any answers, it's been years since I've had horses and I never had minis (though if I ever have some land where I can have them, I am going to get a couple). Thank you for taking this poor girl in. I can't wait to see pictures.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

I plan on taking her to my best equine vet and that is why it will be at least a week. I may be able to go next Wednesday and if she looks really bad, I can take her to my not as good equine vet earlier.
Her feet did look long on the poster and I will get my farrier out next week.

Ivermectin gold does all the usual worms and tapes as well and that is why I planned on using that. I may wait and see what the vet says. I know you shouldn't worm a debilitated animal, but since I haven't see her I can't say how bad she is. I hope the picture is recent and she isn't in even worse shape. If she is, my temper may really want to show when we go pick her up and I know it would be best to just take her and run.

I have to fence in another area with shelter and hay. I've been fencing, crossfencing and seeding for weeks! DH said he will put in the posts while I am getting more hay Saturday and I can put the electric tape up when I get home in hopes of bringing her here on Saturday.

I recently sold my two horses and then bought a young one about a month ago. Sheesh! I was trying to thin down some so the work wouldn't be overwhelming and look what I got myself into.:doh: The youngster needs some work:doh: and now there will be a little mare for him to fall in love with and refuse to leave.:uhoh:

Barb - I have to quit being St Francis; I just couldn't say no. My GF does not want to "own" the mare since her boyfriend (uh oh - my farrier) is being an a$$ about her having one more animal to take care of. She rescues a LOT of kittens/cats and dogs/puppies so I understand, but the cheapest part of owning a horse is buying it. She will buy it and then the rest falls to me.

Pray the hay I am getting Saturday is good! Many people are sold out and both of my usual suppliers too so I am on the hunt for hay again. I thought I had enough to go until July, but the 7 round bales in one shed have broom straw and my new boy does not approve.:doh:


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

I have "Horseman's Edge" sweetfeed and can give her a tiny bit of that. I think it is high fat, but am not certain if I went to the regular kind once I got an easy keeper.

I don't mind buying a different kind of feed if need be - I just don't know what.

I know how to fatten up a regular size horse, but am like a fish out of water with a mini.


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## GoldenMum (Mar 15, 2010)

:dblthumb2Bless you Saint Teresa! It has been 20 yars since I've had horses, never minis. I have been intrigued by them lately though. I have a small barn on my property, a small pasture, would need some work and fencing..........I live vicariously through you right now! Have to travel quite a lot for work, but I am tempted....I'll be anxiously awaiting your updates. BLESS YOU:appl:!


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## Aireal (Sep 15, 2011)

I'm no help, just wanted to say good luck and take pictures!!!!


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> Teresa, you amaze me. I think you were Saint Francis in a previous life.


I thought she was St Francis too until she started freezing bats 

No advice about your new waif, but please keep being your "marshmallow" self


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## Looni2ns (Mar 26, 2010)

My GF breeds and raises paints, plus she has the small Haflinger ponies. She was in the ring working w/one of her young ones (Whizkey) when I sent her a text, so I should hear back from her soon. She's the St. Francis in her neck of the woods, too. Horses, mastiffs, cattle dogs, kids, you name it. Awesome horsewoman.


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## Angelina (Aug 11, 2011)

If it is just a lack of food she will fatten up quickly. As long as she isn't below score 4 I'd say it would be safe to worm her now, then get a fecal in 7 - 10 days (your vet will tell you) and worm again. I would not feed her anything with molasses (sweetfeed) at this point but if you have a little equine senior you could start her on that. But for now just make sure she has the hay in front of her and is eating it. You do not want her body to go into shock.

If she is a starvation case please let us know. There is a protocal for that from the UC Davis site; I'll have to look it up for you. But you have to be careful so their organs do not fail when they are asked to start working again... K


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

God Bless You, Teresa!!!:smooch::smooch::smooch::smooch::smooch::smooch::smooch: And extra blessings for your husband who does so much to help out. 

I just wanted to add, be careful with the feed. Too much, too rich, too fast and she might founder. Lots of plain grass hay until the vet sees her. I might even hold off on grain. And if she's been off decent pasture, a lot of green grass could be a problem too. I'm sure you already know these things. 

If she's been wormy for a long time, she might have gastro-scarring and ulcers. DD's horse had severe worms when she got him. He's gets a daily dose of ulcer medicine.

Wishing you all the best with your pint-sized partner.


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## Hali's Mom (Oct 5, 2006)

I have no advice to add either as we always boarded our horses/ponies. Just want to say thank you Teresa for helping all the needy creatures who cannot help themselves.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Bless you for taking this little thing! Hopefully she's an angel and not a little devil...!

Be very, very careful with feed for minis. They are super prone to laminitis and founder, as much or more so than ponies. Due to poor breeding, they sometimes have really poor hooves due to conformation which makes feed even trickier. 

Personally, I'd hold off on ANY grain right now especially sweet feed. Way too high in sugars and honestly, 99% of minis don't need grain - though they might try to tell you otherwise! Most likely the lack of good quality hay is what caused her to lose weight - whether it's from being chased away from it or just not being offered it. (Or she was out on pasture all summer and now the grass has died out and no hay was there to supplement).

Having her teeth checked is a great idea. HAY is what will put on the pounds. It's way easier for a mini or pony to gain weight than a horse. In the meantime, see if she's having problem eating her hay and if she is, get some timothy/alfalfa cubes, soak them with hot-but-not-boiling water for 45 min, stir it until it's mush, let it cool, and let her eat that frequently throughout the day. You can let her pick at the round bale if her teeth are bad, but make sure she's getting 3-5 small meals of hay cube mush a day. 

Honestly, that's ALL I would do to try to fatten her up. I'd say even beet pulp is too high in sugars at the moment. Just good quality hay or soaked hay cubes into mush. I'd start her with a min/vit supplement, as well. If she's skinny, she hasn't been receiving proper nutrition (which is why Virgil's tail is two different colours). 

For fencing, make sure you've got LOW fencing. The mini at the last barn could walk under most fences and into whatever paddocks he pleased...and one time got out from the barn entirely and I found him wandering down the country road to the highway! 

For worming, I'd see her condition and go from there. If she's scary thin, like a 2-3 on the body scale with obvious signs of worms - not to be confused with poor nutrition - like a big bloated belly despite being ribby, coarse hair, etc. then I'd get some weight on her first and is a little stronger. You can get weight on a wormy horse, it's just harder. In the meantime, keep horses separate so your new one (I must have missed that thread!!) doesn't pick up any. Once she's stronger, I'd probably deworm but not with the same stuff you'll use after the frost. Use what you used for summer/spring deworming and then there shouldn't be a problem with deworming after the frost. For instance, up here we use classes 1, 2, or 3 for spring and summer and class 2 or 3 after the frost. Class 1 Fenbendazole, Oxibendazole, Oxfendazole (Safeguard, Panacur). Class 2 are Pyrantel pamoate (Strongid P, Strongid T, Exodus) Class 3 Ivermectin,Moxidectin (Eqvalan, Quest,Equimectrin, Panomec). So, if you are going to use the Ivermectin, I'd use it after the frost but use a different class now. Alternatively, you can get the vet to run a fecal test and see what's in there and what dewormer is needed. 

On the plus side...minis are fun!! The last boarding barn I was at taught her mini to drive, so she hooked him up and he drove her around the property every few days to keep him in shape! She let me drive him a few times and it was SO much fun!! So...you could do that!

And minis are cheaper to care for than regular horses. Everything is less. They need less hay, NO grain, farrier visits (same schedule for big horses) which is usually a trim - no shoes are usually needed, and so on. 

One more thing: depending on the weather, her weight, and her health (if she was able to grow a thick winter coat), she may need a winter blanket. They are usually MUCH cheaper than big horse blankets and there's usually lots for sale on ebay or craigslist and what not. 

Did you know mini horses are being used instead of guide dogs for the blind? They live longer than dogs, are just as smart, can be litter-boxed trained, and wear little sneakers!! I swear I'm not making this up! Enjoy your little mini...I want pics and a name!


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

don't have info to contribute...just want to say thank you for taking care of the little mare...and if you decide your stable is too full, I'm guessing you can place her in a loving home sometime when she's all recovered...please do post pictures...I'm envious of those of you who live in horse country!


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## MillysMom (Nov 5, 2008)

My guess is that she either has worms, wasn't fed or didn't have access to hay/grass, or needs her teeth done. A mini should be fat by just looking at grass.  I'm sure she'll need her feet done, too. 

You probably won't need to feed her grain - and if you do I would probably do a pellet and only feed a tiny amount (like 1/4 cup or less). Minis are similar in care to shetland ponies, only I think the risk of founder is even greater with a mini. With this in mind, keep an eye on her, especially if she's on grass. As far as hay, with the little ponies stay away from the rich stuff like alfalfa, and if her teeth are bad you can soak it in a muck tub with water and really wet it before giving her hay. I'm sure it seems like a long way off, but if you have grass and plan on keeping her on it I'm sure at some point she's going to need a grazing muzzle. Either that, or you'll have to fence off a small dirt paddock. But, cross that bridge once she has weight on her... just know it'll happen faster than you probably think. 

If you don't mind paying two vet bills, you might want to get out the other vet that can get to you faster just to get an idea of her health, especially because you have another horse on the property. 

Also, minis are smart little buggers and they like to play tricks on you. Or at least the ones I knew did! Think: escape artist that will then let every other horse in the barn out, etc. 

On the pro-side, I haven't met one that lacked personality. They'll keep you amused. They cost a whole lot less to care for than a big horse. And, their accessories are just so darn cute! You can find mini blankets (the nice ones, too) for under $45!


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

GoldenCamper - your post made me snort I laughed so hard! I coexisted with those bats for years and they just finally got out of hand.:doh:

Ranger - I didn't post about the new horse because I wasn't sure I was keeping him. He did great on our ride at his his house (2 hours), but has proven to be a problem at my house. He is a 14.3 Haflinger wavey:Looni2ns) and has a much different personality than I am used to. He has decided to not listen to me and I got a rear/run out/ buck then a bolt for home on our ride at my house. I got him under control but decided he needs restarted and I have begun to work on that, but the gounds work has taken a priority and now I need to do more grounds work for the mini.:doh: I had him on a 30 day trial and decided to jsut work thrgouh the problems instead of taking him back. He is gorgeous and oh so funny. Plays/stands in the 100 gal water trough, grabs the hose and hosing us both, plays in the sprinkler and rolls in the mud. He lets the dogs run all under his feet and lets little Tucker pull on his tail (I am working on stopping that activity). He is 6.5 and really young mentally, but quite a character.

I'll put a round bale in the run-in shelter the mini will be using. I do have alfalfa cubes and give her a little bit, but will be careful. She has been on a dirt lot and I think her owners just ran out of hay/money and let her get bad. My fencing is low since Cotton like to crawl through/under and go visit the neighbors trashcan before I adjusted it. The mini is a little black and white mare and she has quite a pot belly in the picture I saw. Please, plesae don't be pregnant.:crossfing

Life is back to full on the funny farm and I again have more work than I can handle, but that is just how it is.:curtain:


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## Looni2ns (Mar 26, 2010)

GF got back w/me and pretty much said what Ranger did. Good free choice hay (she prefers square bales), alfalfa cubes if she really needs it, be very careful w/the grain. Very little, if any. She said be VERY careful worming her. Said you can kill her w/massive worm dieoff. If you must worm, suggest Pancur first, then Ivermectin after 2 weeks. Let's hope swollen belly is just lack of proper nutrition or a bad case of worms. 

Her Haflinger mare, Cinderella, is a hoot. She begs for attention when you drive up, and gets vocal if you don't talk to her. Loves to be bathed, and have her hair done! Will stand for hours so you can comb and braid her mane. (Cowboy Magic for the win.) If you stop, she turns her head and bumps your elbow as if to say, "Keep going." LOVES children. Will follow them around the pasture like a puppy dog, and is the perfect angel when a child is riding her. Oh, yes, very smart. Loves to try and get out of gate, if you're not careful. GF has the electric tape across the top of the fence and gate.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Be careful, Copper's Mom...those rascally characters have a way of getting into your heart to the point where their little tricks are so bad after all. I'm sure you'll get the buck/bolt worked out, you have such a velcro seat! Love the story about the hose and water tank! Pictures please, even if you change your mind. You make all your animals better no matter how long they stay with you. :smooch:


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

I am no help on the horse questions, just want to let you know you are amazing...


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## Claire's Friend (Feb 26, 2007)

GoldenCamper said:


> I thought she was St Francis too until she started freezing bats
> 
> No advice about your new waif, but please keep being your "marshmallow" self


What he said...all of it! Bless you


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

He's staying. We went back to the round pen / arena and have already managed to work out some issues. I jsut haven't had time to work with him like I need to because I got on a clearing/fencing/grading/ seeding obsession and haven't had time for anything else.:doh:

The lady who bought Ranger is 5 miles down the road and we get along great. She kept him here for 5 - 6 weeks after she bought him and I taught her to ride so I now have a riding partner. Well, as soon as I can get the new boy to load on the trailer.:doh:

His name is "Master of Disguise" and his call name was Doc (initials MD). I don't like that a ton, but haven't decided on a new name either. Maybe Mack because his owner said to be careful, "He's like a Mack truck and will go through anything you point him at". So far he is responding pretty well to Brat though.

The mini's name is pony so once i get you guys some pictures you can help with a real name for her.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

VERY nice! Quite the looker! Glad you've sorted through some of the issues already. I'll be doing that later today or tomorrow with my guy. Time to go back into work AND start acting like a 16 year old, not a spoiled 4 year old! We'll see how that talk goes...it won't be our first one.

I like the name Mack! Very fitting! You may have to put some sunscreen on Mack's snip during the summer to stop sunburn...that's always fun to do!


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

Lol, at first I thought that was the picture of the mini and I was like... not very mini looking!

He's a good looking boy!


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## Looni2ns (Mar 26, 2010)

He's a good looking boy. Quite a bit taller than GF's Cinderella. Mack does sound like a good name for him. ;-)


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Mack and Minnie? 
It sure doesn't seem like you have less to do now!


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## lucysmum (Sep 2, 2010)

Congratulations. Your new little horse is beautiful.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I love your new horse. You are so amazing--your mini is in the best possible hands.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Teresa*

Teresa

You must be St. Francis of Assisi's sister!! Your little horse is adorable and you are an angel!!


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## hubbub (Jun 28, 2011)

So good looking! 

I've wanted a horse for almost as long as I can remember. I'm not sure I'll ever be in a position to have one, but living vicarously through you all with these horse threads is great! It's also easier on my checkbook


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

Nice to see a pic of your new boy, he sure is pretty with those blonde locks.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

When we showed up to get the little mare Saturdy the lady had no idea what was going on.

My friend had been talking to a completely different person than she thought. The last names were the same so she thought she knew who it was.:doh::doh::doh:

We found out where the little mare really was and went to check on her. She isn't as thin as her photo and the woman said she had been putting off buying hay since she was hoping to sell all FOUR of her minis. She has an offer to buy all four and I told her she should take it. Hay is in short supply even though we seemed to have a good summer.

The hay I got Saturday is junk. I deconstructed one round bale and used it as mulch on my newly seeded paddock yesterday. It looked okay on the outside, but had fresh manure inside - Mack peed on the pile I put out. I'll have to check more farms this week. I may have to go to square bales although I HATE having to feed 2 or 3 times a day.

I will keep my eye on the little minis and make sure she takes care of them or sells them. I will also have to find more good hay to make sure I have enough for the winter for the one I have.

My friend is sad she didn't find her little horse. She is having a tough time and this would have been a part of her past to reconnect with. I am a little sad, but glad I don't have another mouth to feed.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

How odd. I hope the mini's get a good home. 

Did you get back to whoever you bought the hay from and tell them it was full of manure?


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## Looni2ns (Mar 26, 2010)

Everything works out for a reason. 

Now, about the hay. I'd be on the seller like a duck on a bug. That's just not right.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Aw, hopefully the minis find a good home!

Did you call your hay supplier? Is it the normal guy you get hay from? Either way, I'd be calling and complaining. I know lots of our hay up here is getting trucked down to the states. We had an awful drought up here 5-6 years ago and round bales were going for $120 a bale for plain timothy. It was brutal. The southern provinces had a drought and the northern parts were flooded so hay was really scarce. Some bales were brought up for Montana but even the ones that were farmed in the area were selling for $120. 

I hope you can find some good hay. Have you thought about using hay stretchers or cubes to help supplement the flakes? If you end up getting square bales, maybe stuff 1-3 flakes in a slow eater hay nets tor morning feed make it last longer throughout the day and then give noon meal of alfalfa/timothy cubes, then more flakes in the slow feeder for the night. Anything to help it stretch it out. Good luck!


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

God Bless you for taking in that sweet little mini. I can't wait to see photos. Sounds like you have received some great info. My mother in law's neighbor and very dear friend has raised minis for many years and she shows them. Please let me know if you would like her contact info. She is in Gaffney, SC and just the neatest lady. I'll see if I can find some photos to post, nothing makes me happier than to go to her place when she has a new foal, I've told my husband I will have my horse eventually, even if it's a mini!


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