Shetlands! Cheap to Keep?

helloamys

helloamys

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As Titled really
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How much are they a month to keep, I thought they would be cheaper because they're so small
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but I'm not sure
 
i have a mini spotted,same size as a shetland.bless her we love her BUT HER MINI STABLE,MINI RUGS,VACCINATIONS WERE ALL THE SAME PRICE AS A BIGGER HORSE.SHE DOES ONLY GET A HANDFUL OF HI FI BUT AMAZES Me in how much hay she can eat in 24 hrs.wouldnt be without her but the small ones are often big characters in little bodies.
 
I dont think they cost any less to keep than a bigger horse really... mine are all natives and we have a shetland as well he is very cute but doesnt cost any less.. bless him !!
 
Hmmm,

I have a mini and a shetland (about 10" difference in size) they don't get hard feed, so that's 2 handfuls of feed a day saved
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They get through about half a bale of hay a day at the moment, would be more but I starve them you see
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, but, one has cushings and the other would be a prime candidate for laminitis so they both live in a dirt paddock so do have hay all year round. I grow the hay they eat, costs out at about 80cents a 60lb bale.

Vaccinations are fractionally cheaper, trimming is not, still $37 whatever size horse the hoof is attached to!

De-wormer is cheaper obviously, one tube does 4 ponies (need to buy 2 more then!
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)

Mineral lick, a big square probably lasts about a year so that's, oh, all of $10
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Live out so no bedding costs to speak of.

They don't have rugs, the one mini rug I do possess I made myself, I am not paying the same for a mini rug as I would for a pony one (tightwad)

Tack? I wouldn't know haven't got any.

I don't pay rent, but I charge $4 a day full pasture board for the shetlands/small ponies I do have boarding here, same as for anything else under 14h.

I think that's about it.

Wouldn't be without a small one now.
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My mini Shetland probably costs as much as a larger pony and nearly as much as my big 15hh lad (he eats more hay and is shod). She has Cushings so she has restricted grazing and lots of hay with some balancer. We've just built a stable for her as she was so poorly with the Cushings(££) and bought rugs as she'd lost so much weight. Vets bills are the same, but I haven't got her insured. Tack is similar prices but much harder to find (Dinky rugs a great site). Dentists and farrier are the same as the other horses, though she's not shod. Good job I didn't tell OH all this before we got her
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I almost got a shetland a couple of years ago when I needed a companion for my horse. I was advised against it, as I wasn't going to be using the shetland for any work (its job was to purely keep my horse company), and as my grazing is fairly good in spring and summer I was worried about laminitis (I didn't want the bother of sorting out starvation paddocks etc). In the end I opted for a retired pony (probably newforest/dartmoor), he's about 13hh and is very easy - plus he can see over the stable door, which a shetland wouldn't be able to!!
 
I have what I think is a Shetland x he hardly costs a thing only really vacs and wormer I mean he lives out 24/7 doesn't need a rug and farrier files his feet every couple of months for £10 doesn't need hard feed just gets a handful of food when the girls are being fed and eats their hay plus I own my land and stables x
 
Mine cost me more than any of the others!
But in fairness two are oaps and have special needs, and Little stig just needs food, food and more food!
Shets really do prefer to be able to see out if you are going to stable them, so as Monkeymad says, cost of a smaller door too!
 
My shettie also has cushing,s and at a early age he was 13 when diognosed last year, up untill then his vet bill for teeth, vac,s, etc were the same price as my cobs.
The farrier charges £5 less than my horse to trim, he does cost less to feed and provide hay for, and depending on price his insurance is a little cheaper.
 
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The one in your sigg looks lovely!
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I'm soo tempted!!
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Thankyou, that's Charley, he's 32" and a miniature horse NOT a shetland at all, totally different body type. Brilliant little chap.
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agree with most of the above.

my wee dude would live on fresh air, but as other folks have said the farrier/vets/tack etc is just the same!
but must admit, he has the most cheekiest temperament but he is loved to bits. he's also great company for the foals as he loves playing with them
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Yes, Charley makes an excellent weaning companion too, he loves the babies and plays with them all the time, whereas Peggy Sue, my shetland is the schoolmarm and teaches them their manners. The goat just winds all of them up!
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They are very cute, but I think they are like the jack russell of the equine world, think thy are as big as a shire but with attitude.

We had one as kids, and other than a couple of hanfuls of chop, he really did not nead anything else, other than hay and grass.

On the basis of where they come from, he was never rugged.

As above though, all the essentials, just the same amount
 
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