Are Miniature Horses Good Family Pets?
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Everywhere we go with the miniatures, families flock around
them and ask many questions. The most common question is whether
they are good family pets?? The picture on the left was taken one day when we decided to trailer up to Wickenburg. We drove the dirt roads bordering the Hassayampa River, then took a trip through the McDonald's drive thru, just to have our dessert in the city park. Every child there wanted to say, "Hi." |
| And, every parent had many a question for us about the miniatures. |
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They are! They have been incredible for my daughters to learn lessons of responsibility, of nurturing, of veterinary care, and of patience. They are also good companions just to have fun with. |
This is the loud message though that always accompanies all of the positive about miniature horses. They are still HORSES. This means they are not a dog, they are not to be treated or trained like a dog. If a family wants a miniature horse, they need to learn how horses think, how horses communicate, how to gain respect from a horse and how to discipline a horse and when. This is an ongoing process and you will get a different lesson and opinion from every horse owner. But, the message is still there and that is, "Learn about horses before you dive in." Don't just think they are darling and sweet and bring one home.
I have personally known 2 families within the last year who brought home a sweet miniature horse, but then ended up selling within a year due to the horse getting increasingly disrespectful.
| Also, do not begin with a stallion. Because minis are so
small, many do not geld their boys and there are many miniature
stallions available. They have the big boy hormones and even if
your stallion is mellow one year, they can change with time and
maturity. Our mares are as trustworthy as them come though and
wonderful around children of all sizes. We had Sundances Showtime Turbolina the longest and she was the one my daughters taught to drive. I did not help. Click here to watch her being handled by a 2 year old and 4 year old boy. |
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Click here to see how patient a miniature stallion can be. (video)
Click here to see how un-spooky most miniatures are....(video)
Click here to watch the first time we hooked up our minis to carts and more fun activities that we do with them. (old video)
Click here to watch 5 minis touring our neighborhood. (video)
Know any Cowboys?? Click here to see why miniatures are so much safer than these other 4-legged critters. This is hilarious!!
On a Saturday morn, my daughters attended a youth meeting put on by the members of MHAA (Miniature Horse Association of Arizona). We practiced the obstacle course with our minis and it made me think of an agility dog course, but you are training a horse instead. We all had a blast!