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Costs of Owning A Miniature Horse

We animal lovers are always trying to convince "our spouse" or "our mom" or "our dad" that our choice of pet is a good one. My challenge is to convince my hubby that I need another miniature. One strategy I used was to compare the cost of a miniature to the cost of our big horses. However, all the information below needs to be measured against the fact that you CAN'T just have one Miniature. They need a buddy and you will find them so dear, you will need a second one too.

Feed:

I feed our Miniatures only about 1/5 to 1/6th of what it takes to feed one of our big horses. This varies depending on how easy a keeper the horse is, but they eat about 1/5 a flake of Alfalfa and 1/5 a flake of Bermuda per day. I add supplements, but these also seem to last forever (Strategy GX or Omolene or Equine Junior, apple cider vinegar, flax seed, DE, electrolytes). Click here to see the costs broken down.

Loving:

Miniature horses require tons of love and attention!

Feet:

We trim their feet every 8-10 weeks depending on how fast the individual foot grows and depending on how much they are driven and how able they are to keep their foot in balance while wearing it down. Trimming is $25 per mini versus $75 to shoe a big horse every 6 weeks. Click here to read about our farrier.

Worming:

I use a whole tube of paste wormer on each big horse and only 1/4 of a tube on a Miniature, thus this cost is about 1/4 of what it is for a big horse. Click here to read on how we worm our minis.

Shots:

These you give in the same amounts as a big horse.

Dental Work:

We have an entire page devoted to the teeth of the Miniature Horse. Click here to read more.

Space:

One mini needs a stall that is at least 10 x 10. Our big horses are in 20 x 20.

Equipment:

Most of the basic equipment is priced the same as it is for big horses.

You should be able to find a safe, leather, work harness for around $300, an easy entry cart for about $500.