During my two-month stay I learned lots of
things about minis. They are so much fun to
be a around too. I took some very goofy selfies with them. Minis are so clever and funny,
each one has its own features and preferences, you’ll never meet two minis that are
exactly the same. And yes, they may look like
smaller versions of “regular sized“ horses but
there are still a few things about minis and
their care that are different to big horses. The
most significant difference is -surprise, surprise- you cannot ride them. Also, most Miniature horse owners that show their horses,
give their minis a whole body clip, which I’ve
never seen with big horses. Plus, of course,
literally everything that has to do with minis;
their stalls, blankets, halters, roundpen, the
amount of food they eat… is very small. Except for their teeth. Minis have teeth almost
the same size of big horses teeth, which often cause them trouble in their tiny mouths.
This I learned from the Miniature horse dentist Carl Mitz from Texas, who flew to New
England to treat the teeth of the minis there.
It was quite impressive to watch him. He
handled the horses so well, they didn’t even
move when he pulled their teeth.
Together with her friend and mini horse
trainer Clinton Jury, she taught me how to
drive a mini, which is really fun. Thanks to
Clinton, in the end I was even able to drive
my favorite Dayspring Star Of The Morning aka “Nate the Great“, an opinionated
mini and a very fancy mover. Moreover, I
got to jump Lucky, which involved a lot of
running (at the end of a training session I
was more exhausted than Lucky). After I had
spent a lot of time with the minis I thought
it couldn’t get any cuter. But again I was
wrong. Karen took me to her friend Kristina
Slobody’s farm, Sawmill River Farm, where
I got to see many, many, mini horse babies!
They were so tiny and sweet, all I wanted to
do was cuddle with them.
While teaching me all important stuff about
caring for minis (feeding, clipping etc.),
Karen also showed me what you can actually
do with them and how you exercise minis.
Within a few weeks she practiced long lining
one of her horses, LM Idols Cuervo Straight
(Lucky) with me.
Dayspring Star Of The Morning (Nate the Great) with Sophie at the whip.
Clinton Jury giving her a