Miniature horses are the cutest little horses among all the other kinds. You want to have them in your house because they don’t occupy much space and can fit in normal-sized backyards of standard homes and of course because they’re adorable to look at.
So what is the cost of a miniature horse? The cost of a mini can vary depending on where you live but if you are willing to travel a little bit I am sure you can find one for around a $200-$400 max even broke and ready to go. The cost of taking care of one is where the true expenses come in.
Let’s take a look at the expenses you’d have to pay to have one of these little horses in your house? Children specially adorn these minis. They look like ponies. And some of them are safe to be ridden by children.
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What is the cost of a miniature?
Miniatures are small horses that were produced by humans through breeding of different species of horse for several years. Some kinds of miniature horses called, American miniature horses, Shetland and Flabella. Though mini horses have the same characteristics as that of large horses, they have body sizes of the ponies or are even shorter than that. A miniature horse costs somewhere between $1000 and $200,000. Cost of a mini is based upon its conformation, size, breed and show record if any.
Moreover, the quality effects on price as well. The better the class, the higher will be the cost. But don’t worry this quality will prove worthy of its value in the future.
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Yearly Hay or feed Expenses
Feeding a mini horse annually is also half the cost of the feeding cost of a big horse. These mini horses can be tiny in sizes, even lower than some dogs, and they eat very less as compared to regular sized horses.
Their feed or hay costs per year are about $75. This cost can be different in your area and also depends on the size and breed of the mini horse. The number of bales every miniature horse eats can be from three to four bundles a month.
Other feeding expenses of miniature horses can be, supplements, concentrate, grains and more. These can add up to another $35 to $40.
Living expenses
Mini horses also require stable and good quality living areas and bedding and other things that provide comfort to the horse living in your house. Always remember to give your horses sweet and good quality things to comfort them so that when you need them to do something for you, they will give their best too. Miniatures can live and fit in lot smaller spaces as compared to the larger horses, so they don’t need full-fledged stables for keeping them, they can hold in your home’s backyard with a small place for their shelter with covered with a fence. For keeping them in your garden and all the things that come with it, it’d cost around $50 to $150 per month. And for stuff like bedding and such, it’d cost from around $45 to $110. If you plan on buying the mini horse for some labor including pulling a cart, the cart would cost you around $375 to $1500.
Shavings cost
Horse shavings made of wood. Be sure always to buy shavings that aren’t harmful to the mini horses and are to their liking. Douglas fir is a good choice. The total cost of shavings of a miniature horse can be around $30 to $40 per month.
If you buy shavings in bulk you can save a ton of money you can also get shavings from a local saw mill. Most places you just gotta get their early. Also if you are tax exempt you can save quite a bit around $1 a bag.
Money spent on hoof trimming/Farrier Cost
Hoof trimming is an essential part of taking care of a miniature or any other kind of horse. Farrier trimming is critical because it can save your horse from several disorders. Hoof trimming should be done at least once every six weeks. Leaving the trimming of hooves of a miniature horse can have dangerous effects on the horse, the feet can become overgrown, and they can split and cause various disorders to the minis. A hoof trimming session costs about $10 to $18 per horse. Which is not a big price to pay for having the horse in a better physical condition.
It can be tough to find horse farriers that want to deal with mini’s make sure you work with your miniature horse before the horse shoer gets there. This may save you some money and also save you from looking for a new farrier.
Shots costs and other medical expenses
Visits to the vet is a necessary thing for animal owners, and these visits can cost you some extra money, but you will have to incur these expenses because there’s no way that you can compromise with your little miniature’s health.
Medical expenses include several tests and vaccinations that required for every normal horse, tiny or large. So the cost of these expenses is the same for large horses as well. Vaccines like for equine, tetanus, influenza, rabies and more can cost up to $95 to $100 per year.
But if unfortunately, your horse develops a medical condition or was born with one or injured, there would be more expenses added to these. If you get a stallion and need to get him cut then that will also be an added expense.
Final Word
Buying a miniature horse is only half expensive as compared to the buying of a larger horse. Keeping the costs and expenses in mind is a good thing but always be sure to get the best and standard quality feeds and products for your precious horses.
Having a mini can be very cheap if you have a lot of land to let them roam and eat grass. You can even put them on your yard to have them help mow to save on expenses. Just watch their wait and also do whatever the vet says our mini has a tendency to over eat at times.
