# Adult riding mini



## morganshow11

Wow..........


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## Sunny06

Poor ponies 

Their 'riders' were pulling on their mouths so bad that they were gaping!!
The first one was the worst I think.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Ok yeah unless those people weighed less than 70 lbs (which I doubt!), they had no business riding those minis :-( Poor horses...somebody needs to tell those people to just get a PONY if they want a small mount for goodness sake!!


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## morganshow11

I know!!! HORSES are for riding, not minis(unless it is a little kid). This is from the person who posted the first vid on youtube:

"Haha this is me riding my mini.. hes not broke yet so he doesnt really know whats going on. hes the sweetest thing ever! OKAY PEOPLE. I KNOW IM TO BIG TO RIDE HIM BUT WE JUST WANTED TO SEE WHAT HE WOULD DO WITH A PERSON ON HIS BACK FOR ONE MIN. PLEASE STOP WITH ALL THIS MEAN STUFF. I KNOW IM TO BIG AND ITS NOT LIKE I RIDE HIM EVERY DAY LIKE THIS... IT WAS JUST THAT ONE TIME. I HAVE THREE OTHER BIG HORSES THAT I RIDE. THIS WAS ONLY ONCE. SO SAY WHAT YOU WANT, BUT IT REALLY MEANS NOTHING TO ME!
SO JUST PLEASE STOP."
******************************************************

And "to see what he would do with a person on his back" is no excuse like seriously


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## Endless Journey Girl

I personally don't see it as a huge problem, except maybe the second video was a little much, the person couldn't even sit without their feet touching the ground. These mini horses and ponies are built to be really strong and carry a lot of weight. It's not uncommon for them to be ridden by smaller adults and teens since it's dangerous for young kids to get on them and try and train them, they need someone more experienced than that as they can be quite feisty. The third video it's obvious that the tall girl riding her doesn't do it for very long or on a regular basis, it's the young girl leading it that rides it.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Wow...I don't care if that was the ONLY time she ever did it, she was probably hurting the poor guy's back! And pulling on his mouth like that, ugh :-( Just...I want to go kidnap him and bring him home to live in my backyard where people twice his size won't sit on his back!! poor guy...if you look on the American Mini Horse website it states that no one over 70 lbs should ever ride a mini horse...and the general rule of thumb with ANY horse is that no one weighing more than 20-25% of the horse's body weight should be riding him. Mini's are like 150-250 lbs, so basically unless you're a small child you're just hurting them :-(


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## Endless Journey Girl

sunny06 said:


> Poor ponies
> 
> Their 'riders' were pulling on their mouths so bad that they were gaping!!
> The first one was the worst I think.


I agree with that, they are totally pulling on their mouths. I don't see a problem with larger people riding mini's on rare occasions.


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## Endless Journey Girl

Hoofprints in the Sand said:


> Wow...I don't care if that was the ONLY time she ever did it, she was probably hurting the poor guy's back! And pulling on his mouth like that, ugh :-( Just...I want to go kidnap him and bring him home to live in my backyard where people twice his size won't sit on his back!! poor guy...if you look on the American Mini Horse website it states that no one over 70 lbs should ever ride a mini horse...and the general rule of thumb with ANY horse is that no one weighing more than 20-25% of the horse's body weight should be riding him. Mini's are like 150-250 lbs, so basically unless you're a small child you're just hurting them :-(


How do you think these mini's are trained to be ridden? You can't just expect to put a "small child" on the horse and train them. It's just not logical. I don't know very many 7 or 8 year olds that train horses, I'm sure they are out there but not a lot.


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## Lonestar22

in the first vid the girl wasnt pulling on his mouth. to me it looked like he had never had a bit before and was just mouthing it. the reins are loose in her hands when his mouth is open.


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## Sunny06

^^ Did you SEE the reins? Taughnt as sticks,


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Endless Journey Girl said:


> How do you think these mini's are trained to be ridden? You can't just expect to put a "small child" on the horse and train them. It's just not logical. I don't know very many 7 or 8 year olds that train horses, I'm sure they are out there but not a lot.


I can't answer that one as I know nothing about the training of a mini -- all I know is what the rules of thumb are from the American Miniature Horse Association's wesite...here is the website: AMERICAN MINIATURE HORSE ASSOCIATION

This is directly copied from their website...
*Q. Do people ride Miniature Horses?*

*A. Miniature Horses should not be ridden by anyone over 70 pounds; however, Miniatures are extremely adept at learning to drive. Although small children are of the appropriate weight and many Miniature Horses are gentle and willing mounts, as with any combination of horse and child, caution is advised.*


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## Sunny06

Those people should have at least been practicing correct equitation.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Endless Journey, I tried looking it up on the internet for you...looks like what's done normally is you can break a mini just like any other horse, except for riding in saddle...you can saddle break them but just not ride them. If they are quiet enough (as is normally their nature), you can lead them around with a small child on. But most do not get on and train them in the saddle, since they are normally not ridden by adults.

Which is probably why most kids who ride have ponies, not mini's.


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## lovemyponies

most mini's I see being ridden are at fairs. They put little tiny kids on them. They are on a walker type contraption so there is no way the minis can get away. For the most part they usually look terribly bored but put up with the little kids on their backs. I have no idea how they train them to do this. However I kind of doubt its with an adult rider. Maybe they just do lots of groundwork, put the tack on and then slowly add some weight on top. Maybe they have a young skilled small rider help. When I was about 10 I could have handled an unbroken mini as long as it had decent manners and I only weighed about 65 lbs at the most when I was that age.

However they do it I don't think its with a 100 plus pound person. However for a minute I don't really have a huge issue with it, but its sort of dumb.


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## 1dog3cats17rodents

I know of 4 kids at my barn right now under 70lbs who could easily ride an unbroke mini. More if you just led the mini around. There is NO excuse for someone that large riding a mini IMO


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## lovemyponies

I agree


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## morganshow11

yeah, i dont really think you actually break.

How do they break miniature horses?? - Yahoo! Answers


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## Whipple

Hoofprints in the Sand said:


> Wow...I don't care if that was the ONLY time she ever did it, she was probably hurting the poor guy's back! And pulling on his mouth like that, ugh :-( Just...I want to go kidnap him and bring him home to live in my backyard where people twice his size won't sit on his back!! poor guy...if you look on the American Mini Horse website it states that no one over 70 lbs should ever ride a mini horse...and the general rule of thumb with ANY horse is that no one weighing more than 20-25% of the horse's body weight should be riding him. Mini's are like 150-250 lbs, so basically unless you're a small child you're just hurting them :-(


A 150-250 lb horse should not be carrying ANYTHING! The girth measurements (around) for a mini that weight is about 36-44 inches. _Around the girth! _Thats teeny!

A mini shoud weigh at east 350 to carry anything.


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## Sunny06

^^ They CAN, however, pull more than their weight. I really don't think minis should be ridden, IMO. Maybe just lil 10+ hand Shetlands at the most. I only think they should be used for pulling..


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## Whipple

I agree with the pulling. I love watching a team of minis. The weight is distributed way differently. I would prefer not to see mini rode at all either. If you want to ride, get on a larger pony/horse.


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## morganshow11

"As miniature horses can only carry 50 pounds or so. A full-grown mini weighs between 150 and 250 pounds. says Adnrea Rollins.


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## Sunny06

morganshow11 said:


> "As miniature horses can only carry 50 pounds or so. A full-grown mini weighs between 150 and 250 pounds. says Adnrea Rollins.


Just because you CAN dosen't mean you SHOULD.


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## lovemyponies

the only time I have seen a person on a mini was tiny kids at the fair


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## morganshow11

I know. But that was not my words. it was andrea rollins words put i posted them!


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## Whipple

Well teeny minis should not carry anything. There are minis that weigh more than 250.

Besides, I doubt they were bred for riding. I mean, didnt we already have horse and ponies for that? Nah, i agree with Sunny.


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## ChingazMyBoy

sunny06 said:


> Just because you CAN dosen't mean you SHOULD.


I agree with that, if people do ride mini's I bet they will only last about a year of riding before becoming to sore to be lunged or do free jumping. Let alone be ridden.


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## morganshow11

i agree with all of you they should NOT be riden period


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## SaleeColashlas

There is no reason to ride a mini when you can ride a nomal horse. period.,.....


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Yup, that's why as I said earlier...most kids you see riding are riding little PONIES, NOT mini horses...that's for a reason! Mini's were not bred to be ridden...driving is another thing altogther, but to be ridden...that's more for the ponies and horses that can safely carry the weight on their backs!


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## Shalani

I had a mini X shetland For my 3yr daughter who needed schooling So i picked the lightest person I knew and trusted to help me out . My 15yr sis who weighed 50kg or 110pounds. Nothing major just flat work to get him a little more responsive as my daughter only weighed 16 kg at the time or 35 pounds . She was very tiny lol

So I agree that given the size of the people riding these minis it is cruel. and especially if they are unbroken . You would just jump on a 15hh + horse unbroken and trot them around if the mini could of thrown her off im sure he would of, So he was definately bearing too much weight.


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## Endless Journey Girl




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## SaleeColashlas

^wow^ i cant even imagan how hard that would be for a miniature


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## MacabreMikolaj

There is a world of difference between ponies and miniatures. Ponies are built to carry weight - they have short, thick and very stocky frames designed to carry weight. A miniature is exactly what it sounds like - a miniature HORSE. A miniature is NOT a pony. They are bred to be pets, they are not designed to be ridden. They have extremely refined and delicate structures. They fall into the same category as say a Caspian in that sense - Caspians are pony size, they are not "ponies". A 14hh Caspian cannot carry anywhere near the weight of say a 12hh Welsh pony. It has to do with structure, not size.

Hence, why NOBODY should be riding miniatures. You shouldn't NEED anyone to "break them in". If you want a riding mount for your child, buy a dang pony. These videos sicken and disgust me. There is NO reason to be riding these poor animals, and they're obviously not comfortable doing so. I've seen some pretty big people riding some pretty small ponies, and you regularly see them cantering and even jumping with complete ease. If the animal is struggling just to walk under your weight, get the f*** off!!!


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## morganshow11

lol to the last sentance!


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

LOL well said MacabreMikolaj!!


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## HorsesHorses08

i agree that minis are not ment to carry weight but you all need to back off and that poor girl asked ya'll to stop and look what ya'll are saying. its mean and hurtfull and everyone makes mistakes. i bet ya'll have no regret about saying the things you did, but i bet you all have made your fare share of mistakes and i know i have. so before you all go run me into the ground i really want you to think about this, and i bet this would hurt your feelins to.


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## trIplEcrOwngIrl

i am going to teach my mini to drive it didn't even cross my mind to ride it!


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## HorsesHorses08

thats probably the best thing because i am not disagreeing with ya'll but that is what i would do!!


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## MacabreMikolaj

If you're so stupid that you "recognize" what you did was wrong and dangerous, and yet persist in keeping the video on a public place where OTHER idiots can get the same stupid idea, you deserve every comment you get in my opinion. She deserves to feel bad, imagine how she made that poor mini feel. If you already own several horses, I would HOPE you have more brains then to actually believe riding a mini is a good idea.

I mean, what in heck happened to common sense? I'm pretty sure nobody has ever told me I can't ride a mini in my lifetime, and somehow, I managed to conclude it was a bad idea! Why is it people justify everything in life with ignorance?


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## HorsesHorses08

HELLO!!!!!! LISTEN. I said i believe that it was a bad idea to do that but EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES. And you know what, I do have brains but some people dont because guess what, right now you are running me into the ground. And yes i own horses and if thats not ok then oh well because you cant even think about how much all of this can hurt because your to selfish to think about it. So if you will tell me again that i dont have common sense go ahead.


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## MacabreMikolaj

Um, are YOU the one in the video? If not, then please kindly learn to read before you sound off on me. I was refering completely to the individual in the video. And quite frankly, I couldn't care less about human emotions. The truth hurts. Deal with it. Seriously, that's like watching someone starve a horse to death and not say anything because it's "rude". Screw RUDE. Horses don't have voices, they can't speak for themselves, so be darned if I'll be "polite" to save someones poor little feelings when they're being cruel to an animal.

Selfish? I'm the furthest thing from selfish. I'm not afraid to speak up for what I believe in and I'm not afraid to look like the bad guy because everyone else is to scared to say anything. If people don't want their feelings hurt, they don't have to read. Nobody is forcing you to open up an internet browser.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Wow why the arguing? :-( HorsesHorses08, what girl asked people to stop? I believe the original poster of this thread posted those vids to show the rest of the forum that adults should not be riding mini's in her opinion...and everyone save 1 or 2 posters agrees. But those 1 or 2 posters were not being insulted as far as I know...what posts are you referring to?


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## appylover31803

Lets all calm down and please remember the HorseForum Rules and the  Conscientious Etiquette Policy


Please be aware of other member's feelings when writing a response. If you are heated, walk away and come back when you have cooled off as its very easy for people to take something the wrong way on the internet.


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## HorsesHorses08

I am sorry Appylover and Hoofprints for turning this into a battelfield . It wasn't ment to be like this. I just wanted to get a point across.It was just that everyone does stuff and makes mistakes in life. And you should not screw emotions. And guess what i may be really young but i have had this crap happen to me. OH....AN NO I AM NOT THE ONE IN THE VIDEO. And thank you, i do know how to read. And to cut you the truth honey, um my horse was starved before i bought him so that was just off topic and i really hope that this kind of mean stuff is said about you at some point and time.. I will say sorry for i did not realize that you WERE refering to that person in the video. I was refering to the girl in the very first video. This is supposed to be a friendly forum and i am sorry for destroying that. But you are not the only one that is not affraid to say what they think. Because I just did. Once again i am sorry appylover and hoofprints.
Feel free anyone who disagrees with my to PM me or just say it on here.


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## ameliaelizabeth

Personally I don't think minis should ever be ridden by any person, big or small-- period. They're so tiny, and although they may be strong, it just seems cruel. Minis can drive, sure, but that doesn't put direct downward strain on their backs. It's just... wrong. My view: Minis=companion animals.. not mounts.


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## morganshow11

HorsesHorses08 said:


> *HELLO!!!!!! LISTEN. I said i believe that it was a bad idea to do that but EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES.*


riding a mini is no 'mistake' its not like somone will go ride a mini and thewn after say "oops i acsadentilly rode a mini".


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## Sunny06

HorsesHorses08 said:


> i really hope that this kind of mean stuff is said about you at some point and time.. .


^^ Lovely way to show off your maturity


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## Spastic_Dove

These videos weren't of people trying to train their mini to ride and made a mistake because they didn't know minis shouldn't ride. These videos are of people trying to show of to their friends and not caring about the horse. The horse can not speak for themselves, so it our job to speak for them. Hopefully, people will post on these videos and so if they are actually completely unaware of what they are doing, they will become educated and fix it. Oh wait, in the first video she says "I know I am too big for him" but apparently doing it once or twice to "see what he does" is funny and okay. I call bs


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## MacabreMikolaj

Spastic_Dove said:


> These videos weren't of people trying to train their mini to ride and made a mistake because they didn't know minis shouldn't ride.


You're so much more eloquent then me :lol: I think that's what makes me mad - I can understand a larger person on a smaller horse for training reasons. I can understand someone making a mistake. But I don't know, something about someone laughing as they repeatedly boot the animal in the belly and flanks as it staggers around :?

As for the previous issue, I'm dropping it as per requested by the mod.


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## HorsesHorses08

Look. I really dont care what you all say because i really dont like alot of you horse people. And i bet i am way more mature than you. And you all didnt even read what I had to say and you all just criticise me anyway! If you have or had a problem then just deal with it because i quite frankly dont care. You are all just to perfect for my liking so go ahead and say what you want because even i know that riding the mini is not safe AND cruel to the poor animal. I never said it wasn't but you assume WAY TO MUCH. So i hope you all have a good life in happy lala horse land and make fun of other people and maybe this will reflect on some of you anyway and you will HOPE FULLY see that this was wrong to do. I know I will, but at this point I could care less!
HH08


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## Spastic_Dove

HorsesHorses08 said:


> Look. I really dont care what you all say because i really dont like alot of you horse people. And i bet i am way more mature than you. And you all didnt even read what I had to say and you all just criticise me anyway! If you have or had a problem then just deal with it because i quite frankly dont care. You are all just to perfect for my liking so go ahead and say what you want because even i know that riding the mini is not safe AND cruel to the poor animal. I never said it wasn't but you assume WAY TO MUCH. So i hope you all have a good life in happy lala horse land and make fun of other people and maybe this will reflect on some of you anyway and you will HOPE FULLY see that this was wrong to do. I know I will, but at this point I could care less!
> HH08


Actually, if you read my post you will see I addressed your issue. I agreed that all people make mistakes, but said why this doesn't seem like an honest mistake to me at all. Seeing that you agree that it is cruel, I think we're really on the same page here. I hope you will realize that we are not "making fun" of anyone, we are commenting on their carelessness with animals who can't defend themselves.


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## MacabreMikolaj

You mean...kind of like...how you're making fun and insulting us now? :?

Does someone have a dictionary? I need to look up the definition of irony...


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## Spastic_Dove

Thread lock down in 3...2...


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Spastic_Dove said:


> Thread lock down in 3...2...


LOL :lol: yeah wow, this thread really went off the deep end for some people didn't it?


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## Sunny06

Seems like there's been a lot of threads that have ended up this way lately..


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## EveningShadows

Woooooowwwwww...

Just a question...how exactly do I get to "happy lala horseland?" I'd love to go for a weekend...

As for the intended purpose of mini's, I always thought they were bred smaller and smaller through shetlands or something to be pets and shown IN-HAND. No? And if Mini's can't be over 250lbs, mine is F-A-T! He's at least 350lbs! I always knew he was a chunk monkey, but not OBESE. I think your range is just an average...

In my opinion, if you WERE to train your mini to be ridden, why not long rein him and add sand bags to the saddle as he progresses? Find a way to not cripple him in the training process...just a thought...


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## boxer

wow, I just came back to this thread after a few days away, sheesh, hard to believe the bickering going on. I don't think minis should be ridden by adults or even kids. They are just not built for it.


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## morganshow11

HH08 and miko. PLease stop fighting. i hate how my threads end up with arguing and bickering, there is no need for it we all have our opinions.


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## Sunny06

^^ Yes, people shouldn't be bickering, but really, this was kind of one of those 'fight worthy' threads if you know what I mean?? I dunno. Maybe just close it down like a few have suggested.


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## Whipple

Haha! Marrah you sure do start some interesting threads!

I don't think it needs to be closed down. I really think that most of the people on this forum are mature people who can discuss controversial issues. Although I don't believe this is a controversial issue. Those people should simply not be on those horses. 

I do not believe it was a mistake. They all look like they purposefully got on the animals, and are laughing and hurting them with full knowledge. And if not you can't tell me they did not watch the video before posting it. So they knew full well and deserve everything they get!


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## morganshow11

I know right^^^ haha(first sentance)


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## Spastic_Dove

I agree Whipple, I did not expect this to become a controversial issue. Granted, the one poster who did not go with the flow agreed to the basic fact that riding minis is wrong so in all actuality, we all agree


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## ahorsesbestfriend

i agree, minis are ment to be pets or taught to drive. Its not only hard on their back but on their legs as well. poor animals


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## Sunny06

Yeah, some people should not be on horses in general..


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## morganshow11

I was just trying to show people that riding minis us not a good idea and how hard it is for them. But it went kinda wrong.


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## ahorsesbestfriend

it didnt go wrong, its just that some people have heir opinions and it was on here. They should have pm you or said it differently than the way they did.


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## Spastic_Dove

People are aloud to have contrasting opinions, the problem is that some people refuse to hear the other side (Doesn't mean they have to agree with it)


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## MacabreMikolaj

I have a volcano for a head. Sorry guys.


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## Sunny06

^^ It wasn't necesarilly _your_ fault, rather a few people that got together and 'ganged up'. Immature people..


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## Spastic_Dove

I'm actually amazed my temper doesn't come out as much on here as it does in the real world


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## morganshow11

lol^^^


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## eventerdrew

minis. are. not. made. to. be. ridden!!!!!!!!!! It aggravates me when people that are not children ride minis. Maybe if the mini is crossed with Shetland, Welsh, Connemarra, or some other small pony breed then it would be safe to ride. But minis are made to be driven, shown in hand, and be companions.

sorry but this just really makes me mad. What's the difference between riding something so small and hurting it and horse abuse? I mean, really!


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## my2geldings

That is a shame. I feel really sorry for those poor animals. They put up with so much and most do it without doing a single bad thing in return. I love those poor ponies.


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## savvylover112

my friend was riding her really small pony that they thought was a mini and when she told me she got a mini i was like oh rite r u goin to drive it nd she said no ride it i went crazy at her but then they found out it was a cross between a mini and a connemara but i was still mad at her for actually thinking she could ride a mini and she still disagrees with me to this day about riding mini's


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## MacabreMikolaj

I agree. When you cross a mini with a hardy pony breed like a Shetland/Welsh, etc. it becomes a different story. A couple of the later videos posted on this thread is actually what they looked like to me - small pony crosses. You still have to be careful, but a LOT of small ponies in the 11hh - 14hh range can be ridden by full weight adults with ease. They have the back and bone substance to handle it, and are actually built for it moreso then horses are.

I just can't ever agree with anyone but a small child riding a miniature, and even then, why not just buy them a small pony they won't outgrow in six months? I just CAN'T believe these people think what they're doing is "innocent" and "okay".

Good on you saavylover for saying something. People don't always listen, but SOMETIMES they do and if even one out of ten does, you're making a difference.


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## Sunny06

MacabreMikolaj said:


> You still have to be careful, but a LOT of small ponies in the 11hh - 14hh range can be ridden by full weight adults with ease. They have the back and bone substance to handle it, and are actually built for it moreso then horses are.


Heck! Just look at Theodore O'Connor! Too bad he's gone


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## eventerdrew

haha yeah except teddy was like 14.1hh and built well. Arab/Shetland/Thoroughbred he was!


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## MIEventer

I was watching a program about a disease children are born with called Primortial *or something like that* dwarfism.

These children are born so small, and even when they are well into their adulthood, they look like children.










Anyways, there was one story I was watching, about a girl who was well into her teens, and wanted to ride so badly - but no barn would take her because of how small she was, and fragile.

She desperately wanted to ride, and her parents tried so hard to find a barn who would take her on as a student - and luckily, they found one.

It was a barn where they raised Miniatures, and were broke to ride. These Miniatures were the perfect size for this young lady, to her the mini would be like a full sized horse to us. 

Perfect match! She started to take english riding lessons - she was so thrilled to have a horse that suited her size, and a barn who would teach her to ride.

So yeah, Mini's can be ridden, just by very small people.


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## Sunny06

^ VERY small. And ONLY for small people. That's great, though


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## NAYRiders12

1. your pulling on their mouth 
2. You are way to big 
3. That is very mean poor things


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## morganshow11

Haha thats not me, its someone else&^^


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## HorsesHorses08

Hi
I need to apoligize to everyone on here because i was just so upset about everything being said and my mouth sorta ran and I wasen't thinking about how everyone would take it. So I'm sorry to everyone out there that i offended.
HH08


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## RideroftheWind

Endless Journey Girl said:


> How do you think these mini's are trained to be ridden? You can't just expect to put a "small child" on the horse and train them. It's just not logical. I don't know very many 7 or 8 year olds that train horses, I'm sure they are out there but not a lot.


 Actually, most minis _aren't_ trained to be ridden. They are kept soley as pets. But if they aren't, well, I'm sure there are enough kids in the world small enough and willing to teach the few minis used for riding the basics. You don't have to be super-experianced to teach a miniature to walk, stop, and trot with a little instruction from an experianced rider. Okay, I admit it, 7 or 8 is a bit young, but I wieghed less than 70 lb when I was 12, and I know lots of people who are that age and weigh very little.


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## upsidedown

I really didn't wanna post in this but since a video of a friend of mines was posted then I guess I will.

"Mini Rodeo Bulls in Disguise" The minis are mostly shetland, with a bit of miniature. They are on the larger side and the girl doing most of the riding (and er... falling :\) is about 90lbs or so, just very tall. The other girl is larger, but she is riding the stouter, more shetland type mini. They basically are just doing the initial breaking, but then when a smaller rider can take over they do. It ends up with someone like this size:
















These two are tight, little rider is 5 or 6, and just loves Babe, the mini.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Very cute pics upsidedown...I still don't 100% agree with anyone riding mini's, but the little girl in your pics looks very small...and that mini does look like a cross with a small pony. He appears to be sturdy enough to be ridden by someone as small as she is (and he looks HAPPY - faaar different than the situation in the first video that started this thread)!


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## morganshow11

^^^yeah she looks samll enough and the horse looks big enough


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## MacabreMikolaj

upsidedown - Those pics are ADORABLE. Is he full mini? He looks like a pony cross, he's quite tall for a mini. But also very sturdy, which I think is the important thing. You can see the little girl is a perfect match for him. I mean, being that mini breeding tends to be quite vague, you definately have the more refined "showhorse" type and the stockier type which Babe seems to be. I don't have any problem with that, she's obviously small enough for him.


As for the video, that was one of the videos I didn't have an issue with. I think it's silly for them to be encouraging the bucking and bad behavior, but I even commented to Shay-la that they were obviously small ponies. A lot of people don't understand the difference, but it's huge.


I mean, I think a way to judge is that if you CANNOT ride the animal without having to actually lift your feet up, GET OFF. I used to break in Shetland X Welsh ponies who were MAYBE 11hh when I was 14. They're tough, stout little creatures. The rides were also limited to just getting them used to weight bearing because they were for pony rides. I actually didn't have a single one buck on me, they didn't even care I was up there. Now, that's only 44" tall which is just slightly bigger then the biggest miniatures. So I wasn't on animals much bigger then miniatures, but the differences in build and bone structure were just glaringly obvious.


Anyway, I agree with your point and thanks for the pics!

Edit - I found some pics! These were the carnival ponies I occasionally broke in. As you can see, they're quite small, but built completely different then miniatures.









Goldie - she was already rideable when I met her









Misty! One of the ponies I DID break in!









The stud she used on her mares


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## upsidedown

Not sure how much Mini Babe is actually, she may have some shetland, but I think she is a lot of the stouter more pony type of mini. I know she's registered (not AMHR) but I don't know much more about her except for she and her 6 year old are about the cutest thing to watch. In the world. 
My trainer actually breeds minis for riding (for small children) and driving, and they're all of her build, some even a bit more ponyish, and she even had one full shetland for a while. They're taller and stalkier, but still do well inhand and you can ride them as well. I'm not really a huge fan of the super refined type.
Minis get ridden a lot in my area, but you never see the refined arab typey show mini getting ridden, even by very small children. I don't really think they should either, they're very delicate looking, I feel like their little twig legs would snap in two!
Anyway my view on miniatures and riding is always a case by case scenerio, and I have no issue on the more pony esque types like Babe being ridden by 6 year olds, and even briefly by lighter teenagers/adults for breaking and more advanced training.
I like your rule of thumb, but I have 2 friends that are the tall lanky type of girl (you probably know the type) and weigh like 90lbs but are like 5'7" and taller. One could reach out and touch the ears of her 14h project pony without leaning forward. He had a very large barrel so her legs didn't come off, or else jumping might've been interesting. I would prefer either of them riding them than me, even though I'm 5'1". I'm stockier, and I weigh more. So sometimes its better to just use good judgement on the mini/pony in question.


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## speedy da fish

well i cant see the 2nd one becasue it has been removed. yeah i think the 1st one is hard on the minis but it says at the begginning of the video that they are beigin broken which would need an experiance rider. there arnt very many that are small enough


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## morganshow11

Mini ARENT MENT TO BE RIDDEN period! So she shouldnt have even been on that mini, and that was a small one, so not even a kid should be on a full mini, it should be crsed with some kind of shetland, or bigger pony


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## MacabreMikolaj

upsidedown said:


> Not sure how much Mini Babe is actually, she may have some shetland, but I think she is a lot of the stouter more pony type of mini. I know she's registered (not AMHR) but I don't know much more about her except for she and her 6 year old are about the cutest thing to watch. In the world.
> My trainer actually breeds minis for riding (for small children) and driving, and they're all of her build, some even a bit more ponyish, and she even had one full shetland for a while. They're taller and stalkier, but still do well inhand and you can ride them as well. I'm not really a huge fan of the super refined type.
> Minis get ridden a lot in my area, but you never see the refined arab typey show mini getting ridden, even by very small children. I don't really think they should either, they're very delicate looking, I feel like their little twig legs would snap in two!
> Anyway my view on miniatures and riding is always a case by case scenerio, and I have no issue on the more pony esque types like Babe being ridden by 6 year olds, and even briefly by lighter teenagers/adults for breaking and more advanced training.
> I like your rule of thumb, but I have 2 friends that are the tall lanky type of girl (you probably know the type) and weigh like 90lbs but are like 5'7" and taller. One could reach out and touch the ears of her 14h project pony without leaning forward. He had a very large barrel so her legs didn't come off, or else jumping might've been interesting. I would prefer either of them riding them than me, even though I'm 5'1". I'm stockier, and I weigh more. So sometimes its better to just use good judgement on the mini/pony in question.


Good point! Haha, yeah, Shay-la is about 5'10" and 120lbs sopping wet, and it's pretty cute watching her school Justus who is a 14.1hh Welsh pony cross.

I just find regardless of weight, if you're so tall for a Mini that you're having to pick your feet up, you're immediately unbalanced and putting a lot of unneccesary strain on the animal. I've seen it in every video so far. A lot of the girls look VERY light, but the minute they pull their feet up, they're removing any chance they had of a proper training session anyway just from fighting to stay on so bad (which is just horrible for their spines).


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## DarkEquine

0_o
Oh. My. Freaking. God.
It's taken me about 15 mins to read through this entire thread, and I must say, I'm a little scared. What an emotional rollercoaster!!! lol

First of all, I am appalled by the original videos posted on this thread, and I think the first one takes the cake for being the most idiotic, immature individual I have ever seen. 
She couldn't even balance on him, he was sooo small. Add that to the kicking, yanking and general disregard for her horse's health and safety, and it's almost an RSPCA issue.
Miniatures are built to look like small horses. They are, in no stretch of the imagination, meant to be ridden. They are NOT ponies. Some pages back, someone mentioned Caspian's. Mini's are pretty much Caspian's in this respect, they simply do not have the physical strength and bone structure to be able to carry weight like a pony can.
Heck, a shetland of the same size could carry twice as much as it's mini counterpart (not that I'd reccommend it).

Anyway, although I'm glad that tempers have been curbed, I agree that any issue regarding animal suffering as a result from ignorance and disrescept are "fight worthy".


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## welshpony15

Nicely said ^^


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Agreed 100%!!


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## AztecBaby

I found this video on YouTube, it made me sick.. I flaged it for animal abuse >.<

YouTube - Ethan's pony-May 5, 2002 @ 4 pm.mov


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

AztecBaby said:


> I found this video on YouTube, it made me sick.. I flaged it for animal abuse >.<
> 
> YouTube - Ethan's pony-May 5, 2002 @ 4 pm.mov


That poor mini!!! That makes me SO mad, I'm glad you flagged it! :evil: How could you do that and think it's alright?! That guy was HUGE compared to the poor thing....GEEZ I would never get on a mini and I only weigh 110 lbs!


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## MacabreMikolaj

I think that's why I get so annoyed at these videos. I like to think most people are intelligent creatures with common sense, but it seems to be a cold hard fact that half of us don't have the brains God gave a rock. People see this stuff and they actually believe it's ok. I can't count how many times I've heard the excuse of "Well, someone else does it and nothing bad ever happened!" :roll:

I hate how people think animal abuse only comes in the form of hitting and neglect.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Yeah I mean the video was kinda blurry but you could still see the distress on that poor mini's face when that big guy sits on him! Ugh, it just makes me want to back my 950-lb mare up onto his back and see how HE likes having something much too big for him sitting on his back and making him trot!!


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