# The cost of keeping a miniature horse?



## grandmaweloveyou (9 January 2011)

In reality compared to my "normal horse" please?

Interested in getting a field mate.....thanks.


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## Jayde87 (9 January 2011)

I can imagine it depends on what feed the pony would be on, whether you chose to get insurance, whether it would live out 24/7 etc. I know unridden ponies insurance is fairly cheap so can't see that being a major add-on.


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## lizzypeg (9 January 2011)

iv got a dartmoor hill pony whos 42'' high so standard shetland size as a companion.
i pay set amount for field so that is already paid,
he lives out 24/7 with my other two natives.
gets a share of 2 slices haylege a day split between the 3 and a feed once a day of a handful happy hoof and a splodge of sugarbeet to damp it.
when worming he share a wormer with one of the other two.

so he really doesnt cost anything to keep/feed/worm...

hes not insured but is vaccnated and feet trimmed every 8 weeks.


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## Apercrumbie (9 January 2011)

almost nothing tbh.  Mine eats a tiny bit of hay off the other horses' piles and his feet get trimmed about twice a year.  So apart from jabs and £10 twice a year, nothing


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## Sophie_Bailey (9 January 2011)

i have a mini and ditto everyone else tbh, doesnt cost a lot to keep at all. Share wormer with whats left in the others, sprinkle of food to keep her happy and she munches from the others hay.

However she has a 'normal' sized horse attitude and we have always said if she was normal size we would have sent her back! When she goes for a walk she gets so excited she rolls every few steps until its out her system (usually havent got out the field by this point) and if she doesnt have her rug on like the others in bad weather then get prepared for the grumpiest mare who won't talk to you for days. 

She is a brilliant little asset to our field and would highly recommend getting one!


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## Bennions Field (9 January 2011)

i've got 2 minis, they live in approx 1/2 acre paddock 24/7 365 days a year, they get approx 6-8llbs of hayledge which i have made from my own fields, so not too rich, and basically they live off the hayledge, they dont really get anything else and are constantly being watched for getting too fat.  one thing i would say is be carefull where you turn them out, they are gready litle monkeys and will eat their own weight in food / grass a day!!  because of this can get laminitus very easily, so be carefull how fat they get.

i trim their feet every 6-8 weeks, the farrier keeps an eye on them, he hates having to get down on his hands and knees to do them, but has shown me what and how to do it and does check them from time to time.  

apart from the usual worming (they have enough for approx 150 kg each) and vacinations they cost very little.  i would advise getting at least public liability insurance though as they are little houdinis and mine can get through the hedge if they are not secured with sheep netting !  

think long and hard before getting one, but check out the blue cross or other rescue charities they are always willing to let rehome one ! great as you are then able to offer back if circumstances change - i rescued my two as a mare and foal, they were going for meat if i hadnt had them, 7 years later they are still here !! 

one last thing, they can live for up to 40 years old !!!!  so remember this when looking
best of luck and keep us all posted


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## Stinkbomb (9 January 2011)

Depends what you want one for. If its just for companionship then they can cost very little. I have two and they cost me a small fortune! But thats because they want for nothing, are insured, teeth, vacs done,  trimmed every 7 weeks, wormed and in summer my stallion eats probably as much as a large horse during the show season!!! Plus the costs of actually showing him ( sometime this can cost upto £180 a show!! ) You could also say they cost me the running of a horsebox too!!

My fencing cost me £500 alone to keep the buggers in


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## Stinkbomb (9 January 2011)

Jayde87 said:



			I can imagine it depends on what feed the pony would be on, whether you chose to get insurance, whether it would live out 24/7 etc. I know unridden ponies insurance is fairly cheap so can't see that being a major add-on.
		
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Just wanted to say miniature horse insurance isnt as cheap as you would think 

If you want to let me know what you would want to provide for it i.e. insurance, stable or grass kept etc.. i could price it up for you.


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## happycob (9 January 2011)

I have a shetland. I Bought him as a companion earlier this year. We have own land so no rent to pay. He shares a wormer with my cob and only has a token feed during the winter. I am using alot less hay than last year when I had horse as companion. 
Vets fees will be the same as a horse. Farrier charges a little less than I paid for the horse.
Insurance can be expensive. I have BHS gold membership to cover for third party and will find money for vets if neccassary.

A word of warning though! They are adictive. I've never had a small pony before and I absolutley love him. I have found myself looking at harness and carts and adverts for other similar ponies. Just don't tell my OH.


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## SpruceRI (9 January 2011)

Not a lot in general care, but a LOT in fence repairs!!


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## Toast (10 January 2011)

Stinkbomb said:



			You could also say they cost me the running of a horsebox too!!
		
Click to expand...

Horsebox?! surely you just stick them in the boot of the car?!   
x


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## Box_Of_Frogs (10 January 2011)

Take care with seeing it as the easy/cheap option. It isn't. A shetland or similar may very well have completely different spring/summer needs from the horse he's supposed to be a companion for, ie shettie will need very restricted grazing and careful weight management. In addition, what would you do if the "companion" needed veterinary help eg laminitis, lameness, injury that needed veterinary attention, wormers, jabs etc. Or worse. Would you let it suffer? Put it down at the first sign of a problem and get another one? In other words, a companion will have all the care needs of your current horse and you have to ask yourself about the ethics of it all since the companion might itself get terribly stressed when its companion the horse is taken away. And shetties can get out of any fencing known to man. Think it through please. Shetties are not throw away babysitters.


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## grandmaweloveyou (10 January 2011)

OMG to the comments about cheap options / throwaway babysitters etc....can I just please clarify I am asking purely to re-home one that may need re-homing so I am actually doing this as a good deed!!!!! 

I am using the old "companion" horse excuse to OH who loves miniature horses, we adopted one at Christmas to donate money at the same time but now a friend has taken one in on her land and I thought we could "make use" of the real thing - it certainly isnt something I am looking at for myself haha.

Oh and she would be kept in a field with both mine and one other so would not actually need to be left alone at any time or if she was, it would be very rare indeed.

BUT the fencing issues is what has now put me off, not the money, just the escapism that has been mentioned more than once.

Thank you everyone for your help, should I be persuaded, I will of course post pics


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