But don’t worry, there are other things you can do while she is growing like: It may seem cute to put a small child on the back of a baby mini horse and “just walk” them around, but it really is best to wait until the horse is physically mature regardless of how “easy” the work may seem for the horse.īy waiting to ride or drive your miniature horse, you can help to insure she will be able to be enjoyed by your family for many years to come. Miniature horses should not be ridden or taught to drive before the age of three. Young horses who are still growing should not have to carry or pull weight until they are mature. Just as with any other horse, you must wait until a miniature horse is developmentally ready before trying to ride (or drive) him. Though they are one of the stronger and tougher breeds, they are also smaller than even a typical mini horse and so should only accommodate kid riders up to 60 pounds. Miniature Shetlands are a smaller subset of mini horses and are often beloved by children. These “lead line” ponies are commonly seen at the fair and carnivals. Some mini horses never learn how to truly be ridden or guided by a rider but rather, learn to carry a child while being led. Most mini horses who ride are trained on the ground by adults and then a more knowledgeable child finishes their training under supervision. Miniature horses can be hard to train because adult riders are too big to teach them to be ridden. Just because a miniature horse looks small and cute, doesn’t mean it knows how to carry a rider or respond to rein and leg cues. That being said, you should always ensure a horse is trained to carry a rider before allowing your children to ride. Since they are generally more easy-going than their larger cousins, they have less of a tendency to buck or take off than, say, a small pony would. They are warm and loving and many kids find it easy to bond with them. In general, minis are excellent horses for children as not only is their smaller size less intimidating, but they have been bred through the years to be friendly, docile and even-tempered. A gentle hand and a light touch should be encouraged so they do not hurt the horse. However, since miniature horses can safely carry up to 70 pounds, some smaller children (generally under the age of 8 or 9 years old) can safely hop on.Ĭhildren should always be properly supervised and taught how to interact safely, though, especially with these smaller animals. We mentioned that adults should never ride a mini horse. If the load is too great for them, they may not even be able to walk far, let alone trot or canter at all. Since mini horses weigh typically around 250 – 350 pounds, that puts their maximum rider weight at 50 – 70 pounds.Īnything heavier than that puts an inordinate amount of strain on their backs and can cause them not only pain and fatigue but internal problems as well. I covered the details of that measurement in detail in my post on choosing the right sized horse for your height and weight. And, if you think about it, many ponies even cannot bear the weight of a full-grown adult.Ī good rule of thumb for any horse is to not load it down with anything more than 20% of its weight. There is a spectrum of sizes of mini horse sizes, but they do max out at around 38 inches tall. Today’s minis are likely a mix of those original imports and the Shetland pony.Įven though they look hearty and stocky, miniature horses, like any living creature, do have a load capacity. They were used as very specific work horses, including working in the mines up until the 1950s. In fact, history first mentions small horses being imported into the United States in 1888, though the public was not very much aware of or interested in these animals until the 1960s. The popular theory for today’s American miniatures is that they are descended of English and Dutch minis brought into the colonies in the late 1800s. This would have provided the genetic blueprint for smaller horses many eras later. In prehistoric times, it is likely that smaller horses evolved out of a need to survive harsh climates and harsher extremes that provided very little food. While they have their ancestral roots in some smaller ancestors, historians support that humans capitalized on these shorter breeds and took pains to continue a tiny bloodline. Miniature horses are the result of hundreds of years of selective breeding. What Else Can You Do With A Mini Horse?.What Age Can Miniature Horses Be Ridden?.
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