Got a mini horse!!

[GoatTech]

Well, I just couldn't resist. We got a mini horse the other day. He is sooo cute!! I'll post pics as soon as I can.
So now  I have questions.
Today I started his 1st 5 way shot. I have the other to do in 3 weeks.
Farrier is coming out tomorrow(his hoofs need done for sure)
He is a 3 yr. stallion. I have been warned that I need to geld him? In his stall, he is not crazy. My son walks him every day for an hour and he is doing great. What are thoughts on this?
Now, the flies are driving me NUTS, I hate flies. What is the best product to use to keep them off him 100%?
I have fly strips up and have the automated fly sprayer going.

[GoatTalker]

Geld him NOW! You just don't have enough horse experience to handle a stallion in my opinion, they are like a loaded gun, you never know when hormones will over ride training. And you have children, they wouldn't stand a chance if this guy sours. I like Bronco or VIP Insect spray for flies.

[GoatTech]

Do they do well w/the procedure?
When you say loaded like a gun,..what do you mean? What does sour mean? What could he do if 'he feels' a strange urge?
Do you have a goat comparison?

[GoatTalker]

Normal behavior, although not tolerated, is for a stallion to challenge other horses in the pen. Since you don't have other horses, you are now his playmate (you don't want to play with any horse, and especially a stallion). With all the years I have trained horses, I still am careful around my stallion, because out of the blue they can kill you. Sour referrers to bad behavior, which again you are likely to unknowingly create. Remember the pony? So for the sake of the mini, and for the sake of your family, I would have him gelded asap. They do well with the procedure, you will just have to use gentle water pressure to keep the incision open for a while.  I still bear the scares from a horse I had that bit, and minis are known for being full of themselves.

If I was going to compare horses to goats, I would say, think about an adult  Boer buck with a full set of horns, in full rut. They can kill you without meaning too.

[GoatTech]

Ahhhhh, okey-dokey!!! He will be gelded!!!  I get it now.  So he could bite us just to 'see' how we take it. What else could he do? Could he just try to take off from the lead?
The people I bought him from said not to geld him.
They had him in with a wild mustang they were training. They told me that they couldn't put him in the the big horses because he was "aggravating" the largest horse they have and thought he would get hurt.
So back to challenging,... I bet he will try to see if he can rule the goats?
Since he is 3, will gelding him really make a dramatic difference? Is 3 too late?

[GoatTalker]

Gelding at 3 can really help, he will over the course of about 6 months have fewer hormones driving his every move. I knew a woman years ago who had a stallion she had raised from birth. Every day she would put his halter on and take him from his pasture across the street to her barn. When the horse was 20 years old, one day on their little walk, he reached up and bit her neck and broke it-killed her right on the spot by doing what horses do when they play with other horses. The people who told you not to geld obviously didn't get a good read on your experience level. Selling a stallion to a newbie is totally irresponsible-IMHO. And the mini/pony is usually a bigger threat to a full sized horse, because when they kick the other horse, they kick lower where it is easier to break bones.

I would NOT run him with the goats, their grain can kill him, and at the very least founder him in one feeding. The minis I had (mares) were terrible with the goats, they even terrorized the Alpines when I walked them through their pen for milking.

[Chaty]

I agree with Ni as we had 1 and it didnt take to long and the trouble with my other horses started. He isnt here any more either and has been gelded since he left here. He started biting and I have been bit before and almost lost a finger...their teeth are razor sharp and the jaw pressure is tremendous...Be very careful even if he is acting nice they can switch like a light switch. Cattle and horses can do this just like goats...I have been around horses and cattle all my life and I watch them ...you never know. Just be careful...we care about you and your family and dont want to have anything happen...when you least expect it...

[GoatTech]

Well, the people who sold him to me were looking for someone to take a "sweet little" horse who they had claimed had rescued themselves. They persisted that he would go "ONLY" to a good home.
Now, by me having to vaccinate, trim(needed trimmed a year ago!) and gled, I almost feel as if I was picked to rescue him,...LOL!! He is very cow hocked, which makes him a pet to begin with.
SUCKER I'm sure was posted on my forehead!! I told them from the get-go we needed a 'pet' for the family. They insured me we would not have a problem with him as I informed them that I would not tolerate that pony I had previously that liked to frighten me. I took a whopping 20 min. explaining the pony issue. I HAVE to be able to walk this horse between pastures without fear; otherwise he has to go. He'll be stuck in with the chickens if he doesn't play his cards right!! 

Thanks for looking out for us,...

No, Nic, I know not to let him have the goat feed, he won't be able to get it if I run him w/the goats.
My pastures are so large, he won't be bound up with the goats....

[GoatTalker]

Another thing...never, ever, ever slap a stallion, you can create a monster in short order. With a stallion you have to have a firm (not mean) hand, and just like with big horses, they have to learn their boundaries, and manners. Because once they learn a bad thing, it can takes months to correct the problem.

If you are going to put him with the goats or chickens, you better only put him with ones you don't want any more, or that you are willing to spend a fortune on at the vets. I'm not kidding here, my stallion broke the neck of a goat I bought for him, as a buddy. Then I gave him geese, and he took the heads off two geese twirling them like a rope-before I knew what he was up too. BUT he was only doing what horses do, it was totally my fault for listening to people who said they could run together.

[GoatTech]

Well, hopefully the gelding will keep him calm here. IF not, he will have to either go or have his own pasture. We'll see.
I remember the pony experience. The first time I saw him gallop after a goat was the last time he did that!
My goats can get away from him if needed. I'll keep a close eye and see what happens.

[GoatTalker]

My goat could have gotten away too, too bad he didn't. Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

[GoatTech]

Yes, I'm sure all will be just fine.

[GoatTech]

Just an update.
Tigger is doing well. Miss Princess and Tigger "share" hay through his stall. Her feelings are hurt, but she'll get over it.
I visited a horse farm yesterday and my friend showed me a few things. She has some minis there now and laughed at me when I told her I was afraid of him.  She trains the big horses.
The farrier took a good laugh too when he saw me tiptoe out there... He told me his hooves had never been done. He didn't have any white line or thrush.
This is cowboy heaven in my parts. My tip toeing is radical to most. But I can't help it, I'm used to goats!!
I got Tigger a good fly spray called Ultra max. It is keeping them off of him. I also found a bucket to HANG on the wall so he won't knock the darn thing over,...LOL.
I'll post pics soon.

[lilhill]

Can't wait to see pictures.  Old habits are hard to break.   

[Little Farmer Debi]

 
i am also dying to see a picture !!!!

[GoatTech]

My slow butt is getting to the pics. He is beautiful, I can't wait to share. He has a blue eye and a brown eye.

Have a funny story.
I started him out to pasture in my chicken coop. I have a BIG chicken coop. Probably 100 x 100.
We didn't know if Tigger would come back to us, so I put him in here so that we could catch him easily if needed.
So, after 2 hours of him eating, I decided it was time to go back to the stall. I told my son to slowly walk up to him. Well, Tigger decided to run. Tigger bolted and the chickens went flying!! Tigger made 2 good laps around the pasture and here sat a  distraught chicken, right in his way!! My heart about fell. Tigger leaped OVER the chicken and the chicken ducked down!! I was rolling!!! That chicken was almost chicken soup!!
So I gave Henry a piece of licorice to bribe him. Luckily that worked. Tigger decided to be a good boy.  I didn't want Tigger to run like that, I wanted him to just let us come to him.
So the next day, I put him out 3 hours before dark, that way, the chickens would be roosting when it was time for Tigger to go to his stall.  Tigger didn't bold this time. He's getting the drill.
So far, he's good w/the chickens. He doesn't bother them and they don't bother him. He loves being out there.

[helmstead]

Minis are fun.  We gelded ours as soon as he dropped though - mini stallions are WAY worse than full sized stallions!  I was so happy when that testosterone finally wore off...

He'll quit running from you eventually.  When mine run...I MAKE them run more, so they realize it's work to run and not work to come to me.  No fun when it's not a game!

[GoatTalker]

I agree, when a horse runs from me, I make it run until it gives up. BUT, your body language tells the horse to run and unless you and your son are trained, you will make a nut out of this horse. Please call a local stable and schedule some ground classes for the two of you.

[GoatTech]

  Kate, that's what the farrier told me, he said he'd bring a rope if he got out to my big pasture and decided to take a run,...LOL. My friend agreed, she said to wear him down if he runs, that eventually he will get the idea that it is easier to just let us get him.
Yes Nic, we went over how to handle him. Calm and slow, not quick and jumpy. We won't make a nut out of him.
He's getting better though, he just took off the first day. I think he was so happy to just walk around a pasture by himself, he hated to go back in that stall. I hate for him to go in that stall too!! Cleaning that out every day is not a party. My goal is to get him out to pasture ASAP. I think it's cruel to pin him up like that.
Yes, I'm still debating the gelding idea. Husband/son say "No Way Hosea"  If I see any bratty behavior, I will have it done, although I don't trust my vet., he's killed a few goats.

[GoatTalker]

Jennymae, you can't possibly know how to handle this horse in one easy lesson. Heck, I've ridden since I was 4 and I didn't begin to truly learn about horses until I started showing. I'm not trying to put you down, my concern is for you and your family, and of course the well being of the horse. If YOU don't have a few (5+) lessons, you may ruin this horse and thereby cost him his life (no one wants a rank horse). Horses are NOTHING like dogs, or goats, they require a totally different kind of handling. Okay, off my soap box, good luck, I've said my piece.

[GoatTech]

I know what you are meaning Nic!!
Remember, I had the pony for a year. I handled him just fine, even if he was a brat.  I was leading him in and out daily.  The thing scared me to death, but I washed, lead, cleaned hooves and did everything I needed to do with the booger.
Remember the sheath washing? 
My husband is very familiar with horses himself.
Tigger is what he is. He is a nice boy whom we need to keep a careful firm eye on.
He's only 30 in tall. We can't ride him, and won't be cart training. He is going to be a pet. We're not going to be training him to do anything other than being a sweet little guy.
I love ya Nic, I know your looking out for all involved.