Opinions Please!
A mini horse in trade for sheep? His name is EZ and his description is listed below. Talk me into ... or out of this folks!
"Here are a few pics of my driving gelding. He's 33 1/2" very broke (I can just jump in the cart when ever and go for a drive). He is very broke. He has a super disposition...... I can sit on him and ride him around a tiny bit but I am also 114 lbs I have a cart and harness for him. I have just the 3 miniature horses and I have no time to drive him and he is being wasted. He comes with the cart, harness and him.
"Here are a few pics of my driving gelding. He's 33 1/2" very broke (I can just jump in the cart when ever and go for a drive). He is very broke. He has a super disposition...... I can sit on him and ride him around a tiny bit but I am also 114 lbs I have a cart and harness for him. I have just the 3 miniature horses and I have no time to drive him and he is being wasted. He comes with the cart, harness and him.
10 comments:
He is very pretty. I simply love horses....the way they look, the way the smell.
And here come the buts...
are you going to want to keep only one horse by himself?
I haven't met many ponies that like sheep very well. They tend to like to chase them. And with the full set of teeth they can rip wool off the sheep or worse. They may call them mini horses but they are ponies disposition wise.
Equine have a different stomach set up so they eat different than sheep...as in they often get overweight when feed with sheep. I am having this problem with my burro, whose saving grace is that he does keep the canines out of the pasture.
Marilyn
I am a sucker for a grey pony, everytime. Marilyn brings up some very good points to consider though.
I happen to prefer pony personalities to horses...they are certainly different. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
My own grey pony used to jump out of her perfectly appropriate fence when someone new would drive into the farm. Then she'd race the car up to the house and stick her nose in their window to see who it was. No kidding. She'd come to the long dining room windows to tell us she wanted fresh water, more hay, anything her heart desired. She would get out and paw at the metal door to the shed where the fly spray was kept when the bugs were bad. Ponies usually have an agenda!
There never was a fence that would keep her in. After a year of her doing whatever she pleased AND trotting down the road to visit the neighbor's drafts, we got her a horse for a companion and fenced HIM in. A single strand of electric kept him in year round. And Minne (my pony) came and went just as she pleased-only this time with our permission. (in reality that was the only difference) She wouldn't leave the farm because she wouldn't leave her buddy behind.
Lots of people think ponies are stubborn and a lot of other mean phrases. But they have the smarts of the wild ass, so to speak. Instead of just flight, they can also decide to employ fight or freeze tactics. In my opinion, they usually outsmart their owners-even the ones that love them to pieces! :) They are not for the faint of heart. But they can be the most amazing fun too, if they respect you.
Well, I went on. Good luck in making your choice! And good luck to the pretty pony too.
I would think a mini would be as fair game for a coy-wolf as a Shetland ram, so if you can't bear to find him torn up or worse, I'd pass until you get your place secure, Bill.
Marilyn is right
Horse are VERY lonely if they are on their own. I tried keeping my mare with my sheep and she chase, kick them, I got her a 17 yr old gelding for companionship an she is so much happier.
He is pretty
How old is he and what condition are his feet in?
And if it doesn't work out, how will you get rid of him? Just something else to seriously consider. I don't know about Canada, but the horse market is very depressed here due to overbreeding. Horses are being turned loose downstate.
I had to sell my mini donkeys after I bought sheep. The donkeys kept trying to stomp and bite the sheep, I had to make a choice, one or the other.
You will have to have a farrier come out to trim his feet, how is he with picking up his feet? Will he load into a trailer? Do you have a trailer to move him in, if you have to bring him to the vet's clinic? Does he nip or kick? Has he ever nipped or kicked at a human? Run through fences? Is he easy to catch in the field? Does he crib (chew on fencing) How does he react when he is frightened? Spook & bolt, or "spook in place"? What is his worst habit? Flip over, ever? Rear up, ever?
It always raises a red flag when I see someone selling a horse because they "don't have time". Unless there has been a life changing event in the seller's life, we all make time for what's important. I always think there is an underlying reason why they are selling, and why this one and not the other horses? Ask hard questions, you don't want to get stuck with a horse you might have trouble getting rid of.
And if he doesn't work out, anyone interested will want to know why you just got him and now you're getting rid of him? That won't help move him on. Just things to think about before committing. See if you can't take him on a trial.
Every time we work with our horses, we are training them. He'll test you once you get him home, you'll need to know how to train him every time you work with him.
Would question age and rough coat, as Cushings disease causes rough coat that doesn't shed out correctly. Also horses require frequent foot trimming, special diets and can founder which makes them unusable, etc. Lots of outgo and not much to use them for. If you want something equine for your grandchildren I'd recommend a donkey as they can carry small kids and can be very personable and are hell on canines.
If they want sheep they can pay for them. JMHO.
Was also going to mention Cushings. The farrier thing would be a pain ... your foot shears will not be useful here ... unless you have a horsey neighbour willing to let you walk the little guy over during farrier visits. Wouldn't recommend donkeys either though ... there's a reason there are so many physically sound donkeys in rescue.
I too noticed his coat and thought of Cushings. And speaking of ferriers, I just had mine here and it cost here in NY about $30 for a trim, even for a pony, and they need to be trimmed every 6-8 weeks.
Kara that's how much we paid for our farrier, per horse & pony. That was for just a trim, no shoes.
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