A few notes for first time miniature horse owners

Almost every day we get a call from someone who has acquired a miniature and wants to know how to look after it! If you have bought from a reputable breeder you will have been given advice on feeding, worming etc. If you have bought at auction (for example) you will possibly be ‘in the dark’, without a clue how to keep your horse happy, healthy and ALIVE!!! The following paragraphs are intended as guidelines for the complete novice owner, AND for the experienced ‘big horse’ owner who can frequently get it wrong with a mini horse!
If you are new to miniature horses do not assume your vet will know it all! Many vets in this country are not aware of conditions, which are peculiar to miniatures. The testicles of miniature horses can be retained inside far longer than is normal for big horses. Miniature horses can appear anaemic in blood tests when compared to big horses but this is normal. These are just two examples but there are many more.
1.
 NEVER use a hay-net. There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ hay-net for miniatures and sooner or later you will have a disaster.
2.
 Miniatures rarely drink enough, which can result in impaction colic. Provide a salt/mineral lick at all times to encourage drinking. In very cold weather your horse will appreciate a drink of warm water.
3.
 Hay keeps horses warm in the winter as it ferments in the hind gut creating heat. Good quality hay should form a large percentage of your horse’s diet. We feed hay all year round as our ground is very sandy. If forced to graze on our very short grass our horses would develop sand-impaction colic. We prefer to have large hay bills than dead horses!
4.
 Miniatures require more protein than their larger relations. We feed Alfalfa chaff with the appropriate supplements for each individual and carrots. The supplements we use for our horses AND our dogs are from the wonderful, Norfolk-based company FEEDMARK who operate a next-day delivery service. We feed the FEEDMARK multi-vitamin BENEVIT all year round. We feed their CLITHEROES GARLIC GRANULES in the summer, which helps repel flies and biting insects. We use this garlic in our own cooking which helps to repel time-wasters! We feed EXTRA-FLEX to our older horses and also to Limelights Point Break who suffered multiple fractures from a contre-temp with a Swedish Warmblood mare! We feed BIOPRO to all horses that are under stress – from weaning, travelling, climate change (mid-summer here is mid-winter in Argentina) and it is worth mentioning that some miniature horses have less effective immune systems and REALLY benefit from the ‘friendly bacteria’ BIOPRO provides. This is probably my very favourite supplement and I firmly believe it can save lives. We have also used RECHARGE, which acts like a tonic after illness, and we are starting one mare on HARDYHOOF, which will encourage strong hoof growth. FEEDMARK have a supplement for every problem and we are delighted with them.
5.
 Very few miniatures can tolerate a high cereal diet so an Alfalfa chaff, hay or haylage is far preferable. Some owners think that their half-starved miniature is fat when in fact it has a pot-belly due to protein deficiency, similar to the condition seen in starving children in Africa.
6.
 Too much food and certainly the ‘wrong’ type of food can cause the agonising foot problem Laminitis. Try to feed low sugar, low starch and high fibre.
7.
 We have all our horses feet trimmed six-weekly.
8.
 If you stable your horse on straw you must provide ad-lib hay or he will eat his bed and get impaction colic! I know of a number of cases of this happening and more than one mortality – that of a $20,000 import!
9.
 Lice will always be present in thick winter coats – de-louse frequently.
10.
 Never leave miniatures unattended wearing head-collars.
11.
 Worming is especially important for miniatures – they do not get ‘miniature’ worms! We have recently tested a truly amazing herbal parasite control called VERM CLEANSE. Worm egg counts taken after this product has been used indicate that NO worm eggs have been found – no chemical wormer can currently claim to be this effective. Verm Cleanse smells wonderful and our horses enjoy eating it. We pick up all droppings from our fields daily to help lessen the reinfestation between wormings.
12.
 It is important to vaccinate for tetanus and when your vet comes to do your horse’s annual booster you can ask that he/she checks and rasps your horse’s teeth at the same time!
FEEDMARK have a resident nutritionist (Sally Bret) with whom you may wish to discuss your particular requirements. Freephone 0800 585 525. (www.feedmark.com)
 
WITH COMMON SENSE, A BIT OF READING AND A BIT OF LUCK, YOU MAY ONLY NEED TO SEE YOUR VET ONCE A YEAR!