Who just keeps a mini shetland as a pet?

NeverEver said:
that transformation in those 2 ^^^ !! Such a credit to you and heartbreaking they got in that state.

IMO Minis are quite happy as long as they have 2 things; company and space... being cooped up stabled or in a small fatty paddock because people don’t have suitable grazing isn’t ideal. If they are on limited T/O etc then they do need stimulation. They are not overgrown dogs. They are very (very) clever, with deep little souls and they need to be treated like other horses the same as Standard Shetlands.

Our 32” mini LOVES his job as field mate to my highland, best friend and ridden pony for my son and show pony. I’d definitely break him to drive if I had the time too.
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I so agree our Shetland mare years ago was far more intelligent than my husband's eventer.
 
pennyturner said:
I assume you mean the one pulling 8 children. He's 36", but in his head he's 17hh.
He's also got a cracking sense of humour. He's the one that tanked off with me in gallop last year when I sat on him bareback with just a head collar, and came up behind me and lifted me onto his back with his neck in the field a couple of months ago.
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I just love his attitude - I can do this 'easy'!
 
I breed shetlands, and while they can be great 'pets', they are better off not treated as pets. Treat them like a 16hh horse, and you won't go far wrong. Treat them like a pet or a dog, and they can take the pee something rotten.

They're often very clever, very bold & love to work. What the work is doesn't matter - inhand walking, agility, ridden, driven - the more they do, the more they thrive. I've had one of mine in work going up to 5 miles before now - and he was still jig-jogging on the last hill heading home, keen to go.

That isn't to say that they can't just live in a field perfectly happily, but we do usually advise people to treat all shetlands (all natives in fact - shetlands are not more prone than other natives) as if they are lammi prone, even if they've never had it. And restricting grazing can lead to boredom, boredom leads to creativity, and a creative shetland amuses itself - getting out of fields, tormenting field companions, rug ripping - you name it. If they're kept in some sort of work, they're much less likely to create.
 
varkie said:
I breed shetlands, and while they can be great 'pets', they are better off not treated as pets. Treat them like a 16hh horse, and you won't go far wrong. Treat them like a pet or a dog, and they can take the pee something rotten.

They're often very clever, very bold & love to work. What the work is doesn't matter - inhand walking, agility, ridden, driven - the more they do, the more they thrive. I've had one of mine in work going up to 5 miles before now - and he was still jig-jogging on the last hill heading home, keen to go.

That isn't to say that they can't just live in a field perfectly happily, but we do usually advise people to treat all shetlands (all natives in fact - shetlands are not more prone than other natives) as if they are lammi prone, even if they've never had it. And restricting grazing can lead to boredom, boredom leads to creativity, and a creative shetland amuses itself - getting out of fields, tormenting field companions, rug ripping - you name it. If they're kept in some sort of work, they're much less likely to create.
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I totally agree varkie. Which stud are you - do you breed minis or standards?
 
Patchworkpony said:
What a very clever and gorgeous boy.
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He is very very smart! He had ignored the spiders web across the gap for ages, then decided that, actually, he fancied being elsewhere. At first I thought he was stuck, then I realised that he was carefully figuring out how to get through it without damaging himself!
 
My minis all have jobs - the two broods both drive when possible and I lunge/drive/walk them whenever I can and they're also frequently going to fetes and family days or kids parties. foal (now technically yearling :p) is in training for show season and gelding is babysitter, trick and show star. He also drives but is too small to pull me really. The gelding gets very "wild" if he's left too long without doing anything and he can become a problem so I try to keep him occupied as much as possible. He also does the fetes and family parties and I plan to get him trained up for therapy cause he's such a kind soul.
 
MagicMadge - wow! They look great, well done you.
We had two Shetlands, they lived to a very old age, one was ridden, one was a companion. Loved them to bits but they ran rings round us on a daily basis and more trouble than anything we have had before or since!
 
I have two pet Shetlands...they live with my cobs, don't work and aren't any worse off for that. They have 5 acres of sloping field to work with plus 2 cobs and a Welsh to keep them on their toes ☺

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I've had mine for almost 4 years now and until last year I struggled to catch him, haha! it would be a 4 man job just to get him so he could have his feet trimmed. now I've got an agreement with him! I can catch him in 2 area's of the field shelter, but I have to scratch his bum first! so now that I can catch him, I've started talking him for little walks around the village, he flipping loves it, he literally drags me around! my friend rides her new forest with us most of the time, but he has to follow behind, he struggles to keep up! but other than the occasional work he is pretty damn happy being a mud hippo, after spending 9 years as a stallion and an in-hand showing champion!
 
_HP_ said:
I have two pet Shetlands...they live with my cobs, don't work and aren't any worse off for that. They have 5 acres of sloping field to work with plus 2 cobs and a Welsh to keep them on their toes ☺

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Gosh they are adorable and such lovely colours.
 
varkie said:
Our stud is Varkies (on FB and web). We breed minis primarily (with a particular interest in duns especially black duns), but have had a couple slip over height - which suits us, as we're breeding with performance in mind.
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Your ponies look amazing - glad you are interested in driving them. How do you find the roads today with a carriage? The traffic round us is too scary to go out in these days - no one rides our lanes anymore.
 
Patchworkpony said:
Your ponies look amazing - glad you are interested in driving them. How do you find the roads today with a carriage? The traffic round us is too scary to go out in these days - no one rides our lanes anymore.
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That's very kind, thank you. We do feel lucky with our ponies.

I mostly do inhand or long reining on the road. Stuff with the carriage is either done in the fields, or we are lucky to have a local old railway line which is now a byway - there's a few routes where you can avoid the worst of the roads locally. Our driving club also has an off-road route which we can use, as club members - I'd like to go & give that a go one day.
 
I'm not really a fan of small escape artists but have to say MagicMadge your ponies are a credit to you.

HP, you could definitely fit a broom head between those front legs!! What a chest!
 
varkie said:
That's very kind, thank you. We do feel lucky with our ponies.

I mostly do inhand or long reining on the road. Stuff with the carriage is either done in the fields, or we are lucky to have a local old railway line which is now a byway - there's a few routes where you can avoid the worst of the roads locally. Our driving club also has an off-road route which we can use, as club members - I'd like to go & give that a go one day.
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How super to have off-road routes - good luck with your driving.
 
We have a yard shetland that occasionally does ride and lead, also keeps horses company. essentially a pet - I've even taught him a couple of tricks :p

However, i haven't seen him up close for a few days as he managed to escape into the large (6 acres) field which is half rested over winter, and as you can imagine is a bit reluctant to be caught and stabled :p
 
varkie said:
Our stud is Varkies (on FB and web). We breed minis primarily (with a particular interest in duns especially black duns), but have had a couple slip over height - which suits us, as we're breeding with performance in mind.
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I can highly recommend Varkies (No I am not on commission) below is my Teddy Tuppence, been with me since 2011 and I love his very bones, Ted says hello to Varkies, what a small world it is :)

http://www.varkiesstud.co.uk/html/ted.html
 
Cecile said:
I can highly recommend Varkies (No I am not on commission) below is my Teddy Tuppence, been with me since 2011 and I love his very bones, Ted says hello to Varkies, what a small world it is :)
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Hello to Super Ted - and Super he certainly is! Thank you for your kind words. I'm so glad he's still giving you pleasure. He is a super chap - not one we bred, but a lovely boy.
 
My mum's friend has two as pets as she can no longer ride and didn't want to give up on horses completely, they get pampered sometimes and maybe lead around a bit but really all they do is eat, and they seem perfectly happy! I don't think any horse actually needs a job - I think some seem happy to work and have worse temperaments when not in work because we keep them in a much more confined and unnatural environment than they would be in if they were in the wild so they are bored. Naturally their 'job' is to find food and reproduce and I think this is all they really care about, but as we castrate them and bring food to them we alter this so it seems like they need another 'job' if that makes sense?
 
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alice1234 said:
My mum's friend has two as pets as she can no longer ride and didn't want to give up on horses completely, they get pampered sometimes and maybe lead around a bit but really all they do is eat, and they seem perfectly happy! I don't think any horse actually needs a job - I think some seem happy to work and have worse temperaments when not in work because we keep them in a much more confined and unnatural environment than they would be in if they were in the wild so they are bored. Naturally their 'job' is to find food and reproduce and I think this is all they really care about, but as we castrate them and bring food to them we alter this so it seems like they need another 'job' if that makes sense?
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Spot on - too many equines generally are kept restricted and bored in little white taped paddocks!
 
ycbm said:
I have two. I had one but she was craving attention like a dog and I thought she was lonely even though I have to horses. She was ecstatic when she saw the new one, really beside herself with excitement at seeing someone her own size.


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(I have used the img function as well as the url by itself and it doesn't work at the moment. If anyone has any clues why, let me know.)
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I'd love to get mine a friend. He is very much part of a herd but he did meet a little one once when it escaped into the field next door. It was a mare too and there were almost hearts flying above him!
 
meleeka said:
I'd love to get mine a friend. He is very much part of a herd but he did meet a little one once when it escaped into the field next door. It was a mare too and there were almost hearts flying above him!
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Go for it if you have the resources, a now moved neighbour of mine had some beautiful horses and 1 miniature horse, they always seemed so happy and content, then she bought a miniature Shetland for her child and I kid you not the miniature horse raced over and seemed to say *I've been waiting for you to arrive* they hardly left each others side after that and were always running around or grooming each other
 
meleeka said:
I'd love to get mine a friend. He is very much part of a herd but he did meet a little one once when it escaped into the field next door. It was a mare too and there were almost hearts flying above him!
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Mine was just like that, it was heartbreaking, really, to see her. And they are both girls. In the field, the herd is now two and two, she definitely wanted company of her own size.

I know where there are six or seven nice little ones at about £250 each if anyone wants one. Mine came from there. Near Robinsons Ashton shop so easy for transport.
 
I have two. Hustle is now rising two and his baby brother (Havoc) is a year younger. They are by no means just field ornaments as they have very important jobs to do - polishing buckets, scoffing leftovers, testing the depth of everyone's beds by rolling in each stable, patrolling fence lines and checking out any areas of weakness and loose schooling all the bigger horses. Hustle loves to come out on ride and lead, and Havoc will come too when he is less feral. Hustle is also available for travelling duties and had a very jolly day out at our local agri show, where he spent quite a lot of the day in the members tent masquerading as a dog! I swore I would never have a Shetland but I am now totally smitten and can't wait until they are old enough to break to harness. They make me laugh every single day with their antics!
 
Mine like to stick together for the most part.
The horses do think they are weird little things...
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