[ml_lansing]

I breed and show mini horses. Minis do not need as much space as large horses, but they do much better with it and require less feed with pasture, however be careful that they do not get too heavy from eating too much feed or grass. If large horses require one acre a piece, minis require 1/4 to 1/2 each, but they will be fine in smaller, you just have to supplement with hay. They really do not require much grain at all, most get between one tablespoon and 1/4 cup of grain twice a day, I know it sounds like nothing, but to a small horse too much grain can cause, laminitis, founder and obesity can lead to death! A fifty pound bag of grain ranges beween $8.00 and $20.00 depending upon the quality, and one bag will last you months! Hay is anywhere between $4.00 and $12.00 a bale and a mini should get one flake a day 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at night, a 1/2 at lunch in the winter is okay so a bale will last a little over a week depending upon the bale and flake size. You must exercise them for 20 minutes a day to keep them in shape and they need groomed as large horses do every day. They need their hooves trimmed every 6-8 weeks $30.00 to $40.00, they rarely if ever need shoes. They need vaccinations and they get the same dose as a big horse, that ranges between $50.00 and $100.00 and they need dewormed as well you can rotate between an ivermectin and fenbendazole wormer, as one tube will have about 8 doses and they range from $10.00 to $15.00 but they will last a long time.