Companion suggestion needed - sheep / goat / shetland / Donkey ?

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Beatrice5

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Quick overview.

I have a small horse, Pony and 3 yr old at home with a hard standing area, field shelter and approx 3 acres and use of neighbours additional 3 acres.

I want to be able to take horse and pony out together on rides to save having to hop on one ride and then come home and hop onto another. But youngster has nowhere safe such as a stable to be shut in.

So I need an economical low maintenance companion creature or suggestions from you guys? Whay would you do in my situation?

Thank you for reading :)
 
Could you approach a charity about taking a youngster up to breaking, the often have these where you look after them for a while then the charity takes them back when they are old/ mature enough for breaking.
No initial outlay, right age for playing with your 3 y/o and in a few years when they can all be ridden s/he will be gone.
Shetlands are a pain and other species might not be companiony enough when the 3 y/o is separated for short periods.
 
I have sheep and goats, they are reasonably low maintenance but do need foot trimming and medications, the latter can be very expensive as pack sizes are geared up to larger flocks, my last sheep wormer cost £54. You also need to register with Defra and Trading Standards and keep records and ensure that ear tags are always present and replaced if lost etc, its do-able but not really what I would call a trouble free pet!

My ponies like the sheep and goats but I wouldnt say they were great companions either, perhaps a large dairy type goat could be an option though

Personally I would go for equine company any day, I am constantly amazed by how much time my two youngsters spend playing happily
 
We are West Somerset. Ideally I would like a pony that isn't going to cost me a fortune but was thinking alternative creature as less likely to incur huge vets fees......my filly has done some draft things in what would be considered safe and horse proof enviroments!
 
I'd defo go for a shettie! They can be cheeky but ours is absolutely no trouble at all. Never been sick or sorry, good fun, nice to cuddle etc. There are plenty about and horse charities often have them up for rehoming. :)
 
My main problem is we are on clay so the field poaches terribly and I worry another equine will be too much for field to cope with.

Also how to get another equine past the anti horse hubby.....? If it was owned by someone else and just a lodger I may be able to swing it ;)
 
The lady I part loan boyo with has alpacas as companions, and both the neddies seem to adore them! Neither of the ponies get upset if the other ones goes out, is kept in etc. She gets to sell their fleeces every year, and they appear to be fairly low maintenance.

I have to agree that I would have thought a shettie would make an ideal companion... until I learned what little escapist bu99ers they can be lol!
 
I have yet to meet a man who couldn't be swayed by a shetland pony! :p Ours also couldn't care less about the weather so just carries on doing his own thing come snow, rain, gales etc. Just easy in all regards really! I know not all are the same but we've had others in the past and always been happy with them.
 
Dee has a sheep called boris :) Shes turned out with him (but he wanders between fields) as the other horses tend to kick and we cant risk it atm. :) She can touch and see other horses, but they arent in her field. TBH she trys to stay away from them. Bit of a loner is old dee :P
 
I already have an escapologist New Forest pony who only last week broke the double powered elec fence, mountaineered a large bank and managed to preform some unclever manouver leaving himself the wrong side of the sheepwire and between two stands of barbed wire. Luckily he stayed put and after I extracted him walked away with only a few scratches - He gives me nighmares with his antics - the thought of him and a Shetland combining brains is quite scary.

The horses stood the correct side of the now broken elec fence snorting and eyes on storks...... sensible creatures :D
 
years ago when i first got my horse i kept him with 2 goats, it didn't cut the mustard with him, it lasted 3 months before I got him an equine friend. Every time he spotted another horse out hacking we were off in their direction at full speed - major hint from him that he wanted a horse friend.
So, I got another horse, then I had the issue when one went out without the other there was all hell let loose.
Along came midget no 1, ideal companion - cheap to keep doesn't give two hoots if he's alone, in company, stuck in baby sitting his big friend. In fact, even now, he can be found out in the far field munching away while his 3 friends are in the barn next to the house. He was possibly the best 250 quid I ever spent - these days you can get one for free, or possibly £50 depending where you are
 
A pony companion would always be the best option. As Polosmum says you can have a youngster on loan from a charity such as the blue cross. I was going to have one but they wanted me to have a field shelter and I only have hedges and trees currently. So in the end I took a 2yo welsh pony on loan from someone local through facebook and she is just a joy to be around. A little timid but very happy and friendly and all visitors love her. I expect I will want her to go to a ridden home when the time comes and I can send her back anytime, I am going to take her for walks etc to make her as bombproof as possible for kids. She makes no impact on the grass, poo picking is not anymore hard, she never seems to need foot trims (obviously sometimes), doesn't eat much. Have to buy two wormers and stuff but I don't feel that is a great cost. She's just cute, do it :-)
 
So how small do I go - Mini shet, normal shettie....?

3 yr old is somewhere around 15.2 + and well boned, NF is 13.2 and very cheeky - trys to push everyone around and my mare is 15hh but quiet so not a prob. I worry filly big and unaware of size so could sqwish a tiny pony accidentally? Thoughts?
 
The thing about shetlands, is they are hardy...could proove an issue if you need to feed your youngster up but not your shetland :)
 
p.s. my non horsey OH was scared of last loan TB, ok around my fairly well behaved but grumpy 15hh horse, and absolutely loves this pony, I feel she is doing good work towards his conversion to horses. She's sort of like a mini Arab, quite flighty and floats around at moderate speed, but would never run into you and will turn tail and run if you move your arm suddenly or make a swishy noise! I mentioned the other day if we had to move I could always send her back, he said 'no!' and looked at me like I was suggesting selling a child!
 
Buttons is 7 1 he was kept with my haffy and a 15 2 welsh x - Of my 4 horses he's No 2 in the pecking order, so don't be fooled by size
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My husband just hears his money going down the pan if I mention the horses :( It would need to pay for itself to get him listening!

But I am liking the belongs to someone else train of thought.

D I am also aware and worried about balancing needs of growing one and needs of a walking tubbie and another minus for a Shetland as need strict management. Sheep etc probably don't eat so much ??
 
Buttons is adorable - Bless him. So he manages to keep safe with all those long legs and they see him as a real horse and safety blanket when others are out on hacks etc ?

Did they freak out when they first clapped eyes on him...?

How long before he was accepted as a herd member ?
 
Not my sheep :) belongs to the yard owner and spends the most of the tiem staring at me....i stare at it....it stares at me...i remember that movie about killer sheep...it walks towards me and i head off to muck out. ;)
 
I would probably go for about 12 hands, mine is only 10.3 (if that), very dainty and does get bossed around by my mare, but its mainly when food is involved so I have them used to being separated by non-electrified tape at food time, just so she can eat in peace but big girl only chases and nips rather than anything too awful.

I like shetlands but I would be too paranoid about laminitis I think! My two are both 'good' doers but not 'so good its a nightmare' if you know what I mean!

Sounds like you want a well behaved soul like mine, the joy of loaning is you get to find out!
 
Beatrice5 said:
Buttons is adorable - Bless him. So he manages to keep safe with all those long legs and they see him as a real horse and safety blanket when others are out on hacks etc ?

Did they freak out when they first clapped eyes on him...?

How long before he was accepted as a herd member ?
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I had a bit of trouble introducing him initially as he was a colt and the other member of the gang was a mare so Tommy (my haffy) wasn't to keen. I just did it gradually, only let them in together when i was around for the first few weeks.
As for his status as a horse, the others have respect for him and his position in the herd (no2). He's never been injured and really is perfect, if one of mine has to be in for any reason Buttons just goes in the stable with them and everyone's happy. He's a very very independent little chap - my haffy is a bit of a rule with an iron hoof kind of horse but Buttons can share his hay net, and his stable no bother at all
 
I have two youngsters, rising 2 from Blue Cross. I chose to go this route, because they are not mine, and will go back when the are the right age to start their training! This reassured my OH that we were not starting again with more ponies who would never be sold and I feel happy because I know they will always be responsibly homed and checked.

The advantage for me with the Blue Cross, is that you get help with some of the costs, like worming, annual vet check, and cost for any specific condition when you take on a 'companion' horse or pony.

As a companion for a young horse, you probably only need a companion for a comparatively short period of a couple of year, so a short term adoption of a rescued pony could suit you.
 
I will speak to the Blue Cross but think the Tiverton one only does small animals and Burford may think we are a bit far out. What other shelters are in the South West ? I will also approach the Exmoor Pony people , OH may take better to a temporary companion as like you the companion originally bought as a youngster to then break and sell on is now a family member :D

The reason I wanted to explore other species was to avoid high costs associated with another equine but so far no-one seems too pro other species.
 
When I approached The Donkey sanctuary 4 years ago before we purchased the NF they were very clear that they thought a Donkey was not a suitable companion for a horse as the horse may damage the donkey - Pokey on the other hand seems quite capeable of looking after himself ;)

I do love Donkeys but worry they don't like our cold wet climate.
 
I was thinking about getting a donkey as I love them. But after visiting the donkey sanctuary I realised they do small poos that would be annoying to pick up and for what they cost to keep etc I might as well get another horse I could ride.
I know sheep need dipping for maggots etc and shearing, so not that simple to keep, and I hate goats, I used to get butted by one on a yard I was on all the time.
So I don't know much about them.
I'd go with a Shetland as well it can't do that much damage to the land.
 
OP have you tried leaving the youngster on their own in the field? I have 2 horses and regularly leave one behind. I have stables but prefer to leave them in the field with a pile of haylage. After initial whinnying the one left behind settles down to eat. So many people have this problem of leaving one behind and I know many friends who just can't / won't leave one on its own. They do usually get used to being on their own if it's a regular thing. I'd leave someone watchig the youngster the first few times they are left (but out of sight). It's a bit like leaving children at nursery for the first few times. They scream their heads off but are much more settled once you've gone. Sounds like you already have enough horses on your land so seems an expense you could do without to get another one.
 
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