# Miniature Horse vs Shetland Pony



## alexischristina

A miniature cannot carry 120 lbs, PLEASE don't get a miniature. Not to mention... at 120 - 125 lbs and 5'6 you're MUCH too tall. Think about it this way... you're talking 13hh pony, your 'large' mini is going to be about 38 inches (right? somebody correct me if I'm wrong...) under 10hh, about three feet at the withers, that'd look awfully silly, wouldn't it?

Minis are not meant to carry weight, especially 120 lbs. You WILL hurt it, no matter how well you carry your weight. 

Furthermore, I don't recommend keeping a pony / mini 'in the backyard' unless you have at least one other pony / mini to keep it company, AT LEAST make sure it's sharing a fence line. I just rehomed a mini that had been treated like a dog, all alone with no other horses, sweet as pie now but when I first got him he was quite damaged psychologically, they're herd animals just as much as much as big horses.


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## Nevreme

If I do go with a mini I definitely don't plan on riding it. And honestly, I don't care if it looks silly. I look silly on a 13 hand pony (I've ridden a few). This isn't a pony I'd be taking lessons on or showing, it's one that I might hop on for a two minute round trip to the mailbox. The riding thing is only for if I end up with a Shetland or some other small pony. I used the big dog comparison as an indication of how often I planned on trying to ride (almost never) than literally treating a horse like a dog.

Just out of curiosity; how much of my original post did you actually read? I work at a barn with 25-30 horses. I understand that horses are herd animals and need company. I'm not going to toss one out the back door and hope it's fine. It will have goats for company in the beginning (I've known plenty of horses that lived alone with the goats just fine), and if that doesn't seem adequate, well I've always wanted a miniature donkey.


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## Nightside

A mini you definitely can't ride. I have a pair of of Shetlands that are more the American type than the original, super short, heavy type. I'm a few inches taller than you and should I get on one, my feet wouldn't be far from the ground. They are nowhere near 13 hands. I still look at my guy who is about 14.2 and wonder if I should ever ride him when his hooves have healed and I can break him.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Nevreme

The 13 hands isn't what I'm looking for, it's my max height. There is a Shetland at work, and I haven't been on him but only because he's pretty old. I've been told by various reliable sources that I'm not too heavy for a stockier Shetland, especially if I'm not doing anything difficult.

No one has actually answered my question yet....Other than weight bearing capabilities, what are the main differences?


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## Nightside

It depends on the type of Shetland you want and the type of mini you want. There seems to be stocky and refined versions of each. They both require all the normal maintenance of a larger horse, hooves, teeth, wormer, training, etc.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Speed Racer

First things first; what are your zoning laws concerning livestock? The whole conversation may be a moot point if you're not allowed to keep a barnyard animal in your back yard.


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## churumbeque

Nevreme said:


> If I do go with a mini I definitely don't plan on riding it. And honestly, I don't care if it looks silly. I look silly on a 13 hand pony (I've ridden a few). This isn't a pony I'd be taking lessons on or showing, it's one that I might hop on for a two minute round trip to the mailbox. The riding thing is only for if I end up with a Shetland or some other small pony. I used the big dog comparison as an indication of how often I planned on trying to ride (almost never) than literally treating a horse like a dog.
> 
> Just out of curiosity; how much of my original post did you actually read? I work at a barn with 25-30 horses. I understand that horses are herd animals and need company. I'm not going to toss one out the back door and hope it's fine. It will have goats for company in the beginning (I've known plenty of horses that lived alone with the goats just fine), and if that doesn't seem adequate, well I've always wanted a miniature donkey.


 I read the original post and thought it sounded ridiculous to even consider a mini and really questioned your experience with horses.


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## WickedNag

Minis are not meant to be rode... you can drive them. They stand 34-38" for class b and up to 34 for class a. Personally at your size I don't think you should be riding a pony at all but that is my opinion only.


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## Nevreme

I live across the street and next door to horse farms, and I have goats and chickens in my backyard. I think a horse will be fine.

@churumbeque: That is your opinion and you are welcome to it. If you don't have anything constructive to say, please leave the thread.

Again; if I go with a mini I DO NOT plan on riding it. That was only for if I go with a Shetland. I'm just looking for some of the pros and cons of each breed. 

@WickedNag: Thank you for your stating your opinion politely  I have ridden small ponies before and they were perfectly fine. I have told by experienced horse people, vets, the equine chiropractor, and other equine professionals that I will not do any damage to a small pony as long as I'm just walking around bareback. Obviously I will not be trotting, cantering, or jumping, or riding for long periods of time.


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## Speed Racer

Nevreme said:


> I live across the street and next door to horse farms, and I have goats and chickens in my backyard. I think a horse will be fine.


But you won't know for certain until you can determine what acreage the zoning laws* require* for horses. Just because it'll be a small equine doesn't mean you won't still be required to have a certain acreage in order to house it. Goats and chickens have different requirements and many of them are housed in suburbia because it's allowed, while equines are not.

Honestly, you need to find out and not just blithely _assume_ it'll be okay because you live near horse farms.


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## churumbeque

Nevreme said:


> I live across the street and next door to horse farms, and I have goats and chickens in my backyard. I think a horse will be fine.
> 
> @churumbeque: That is your opinion and you are welcome to it. If you don't have anything constructive to say, please leave the thread.
> 
> Again; if I go with a mini I DO NOT plan on riding it. That was only for if I go with a Shetland. I'm just looking for some of the pros and cons of each breed.
> 
> @WickedNag: Thank you for your stating your opinion politely  I have ridden small ponies before and they were perfectly fine. I have told by experienced horse people, vets, the equine chiropractor, and other equine professionals that I will not do any damage to a small pony as long as I'm just walking around bareback. Obviously I will not be trotting, cantering, or jumping, or riding for long periods of time.


If you do not want others opinions then don't post on here.


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## Endiku

I appologize but at 120+ lbs, you _are_ too large for a shetland pony. As far as I know, shetlands can only be up to 11hh, or 11.2 hh for American Shetlands (may be wrong on that part?). 11 hh would be 44 inches, which is only about 3'6 at the withers. That would come a full TWO FEET shorter than you, so the pony's back would probably come up to about the bottom of your rib cage.

Our shetland gelding is 44 inches, pretty much the tallest a shetland can be. He weighs about 420 lbs, and probably ought to weigh more like 400 lbs (he gets fat on air, I swear o.o). Using the 20% rule, that would mean he can carry about 80 lbs when in good shape, including the saddle. Without a saddle I wouldn't want him to be carrying more than 60 or 70 pounds because the weight will be unevenly distributed and placed in one focal point, which increases wear. Using 80 lbs as our guideline though, that leaves you at 40 lbs too heavy. The minimum weight of a pony that you should be riding is one that is roughly 600 lbs when not overweight- which puts you at about the correct size for 12.2-13hh pony. For that you would need a pony of the icelandic, welsh, caspian, or possibly POA origin.

I am 4'11 and I weight about 90 pounds on my 'heavier' days. I absolutely refuse to ride anything shorter than 11.3 or so, even for a five minute schooling session- and even then I feel far too heavy and I would never ride a pony that wasn't in shape that was this size. There is too much risk, even if it is only for a minute on scarce occasions.

Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of the height you're talking about.

This is the 44 inch tall shetland. The girls driving him are 5'3 and 5'5, shorter than you and much too tall to ride him, but perfectly fine to drive him.










This pony is 11.2 hh, the absolute shortest I would EVER sit on as a 4'11 teenager. Her rider is 60 lbs and 4'2 which is perfect. Now imagine where your legs would be on this pony.









This mare is 13.2, almost 13.3hh. His rider (in the back) is 5'7, a bit taller than you. Obviously too tall, and probably a little too heavy as well. He also looks a bit silly, but for the purpose of a short walk, he'd be just fine.
(btw, I do not condone the use of a mechanical hackamore, but it is not my horse)









Lastly, this filly is obviously only a year old any not old enough to be ridden, but here is her height of 12.2hh in comparison to me. As you can see, her withers are a bit below my shoulders. If she were to be a mature horse at this size, I would be comfortable riding her but I would not let my friend, who is 5'6 and 140 lbs, ride her. This filly's withers only reach about half way up her back.









I hope this helped. If I were you, I'd either just buy a mini and never ride it, but rather have it trained to pull a cart like my mini does, or I would wait and buy a pony /horse that you could ride consistantly, that stood at at least 13hh, better at 13.2+.


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## alexischristina

I read your entire first post, and immediately thought 'she must not know very much about horses if she's considered riding a mini', even a Shetland. I'm trying to rehome a Shetland, because even at 113 pounds I felt I was too heavy. YES, you CAN get Shetlands that can carry more weight, but don't fool yourself, those are the well bred, old Shetland types, and chances are they're not going to be what you're going to find with a 'backyard pet' budget.


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## minstrel

Here in Scotland, the type of Shetland we have is the classic type Shetland. Even then, sturdy and strong as they are, I'd never put anything more than a kid on them, as they are long in the back and short in the leg, making them ideal for driving (they can pull huge weights, ours drove with two of us in a trap at about 12 stone each) but very weak at carrying weight on their backs. Don't get one and expect to ride it.

Secondly, I don't know minis, but Shetlands are GRUMPY. They have major small-man syndrome in general, and are often great escape artists. Even the really good, well-trained ones are cheeky sods sometimes, and too clever for their own good. Treating them like 'little ponies' just makes them worse in my opinion - they need to be treated like full-sized horses in management and training in order to make them decent equine citizens! So don't go getting one to be a pet in your back garden...


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## Terryahh

Hello I have what I was told when buying it a miniature horse- However many people tell me it is a Shetland. I wouldn't know- however I use to ageist the animal out in a rural area till it founded. So then I put it in the back yard at my work which is residential zoned in the heart of our town of 50,000 - 70,000 people- my work is on about three quarters acre. My clientele love to look out the back yard and see it. Then i took it home to my half acre as my lawn was too long and he was out of grass at the clinic. The neighbors were delighted. But if I did get one nasty neighbour that complained to council then it is against the rules. But so far so good and My argument if I get in trouble is that it is only temporary and the horse is only visiting because it founded and I can treat it. Then they will say move it and I will but then it will come back again. So far the horse has been at my clinic and home for the last four years. My daughter who is eight years sits on him and loves him at home. THe dogs love his company. His hooves have gotten almost completely better so we are going to get him a bridle so she can ride him a little bit- only small amount. Like I said he is to me looking like a Shetland however the man who sold him to me said that he was actually a miniature horse - he used to breed them and our horse used to be horse used for kids rides at fairs. He has a lovely nature and has never kicked anyone. So if you have kids then it would be lovely for them. If your neighbours are freindly then you probably need not worry too much. ONe neighbour offered to have him in their yard to get the grass near their fence. Hope this helps.


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## stevenson

deally I want something that I can hop on bareback with just a halter and lead rope and ride around the field, or up the driveway to get the mail if I feel like it. Not often, not real work, just walking and maybe a bit of trotting. Most of the time it would be a pasture puff."
this is still considered riding and you are to large to ride a mini. A large Welsh cross with long legs and short back , or maybe even go for a small horse around 14 hands would be best for you.
You can GOOGLE shetland ponies and read the breed information, and do the same for Minis. Then you have your answer about their differences. 
Also it seems to me , that if you get turned in for having a horse on your unzoned land, and bring it back, and keep getting turned in, are you putting yourself in self in a situation of being fined ? If you rent your home, and I was the owner and found out you were illegally keeping animals, you would be evicted. Also most state, county laws do not hold chickens duck and geese to the same laws as a Hooved animal.


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## Terryahh

Hello 
I don't rent so the landlord isn't a problem.
Yes I would get in trouble if I was dobbed in but the horse /pony founded badly so I brought it home to look after. So if I got in trouble I would do whatever is best for the pony and risk getting fined and in trouble. With treatment and restricted diet he is so much better. 
The horse pony is so much better and although a bit stiff does sometimes Trot along the fence all feisty by himself. He can get attitude but is mostly a gorgeous tempereament. 
Not sure how to put a pic in otherwise I would show you with my eight year old sitting on him. 
Again if I got in trouble then if I had to ageist him out where it is strictly legal then getting out to him to watch him properly would be hard. ( I have six kids and very busy work so am a bit time poor) Where he used to be ageisted he got In a lot of pain and was laying down most of his life. So brinigng him home I could treat him with chiropractic and acupuncture and he was a lot happier. So yes I would risk the fine and if I got fined for having him at home id take him to work or vice versa. I'd work something out for his best. 
He seems happier with the dogs for company than the horses at where he was ageisted as the dogs love him and give him attention whereas the horses where he was were bullies towards him. So I feel it wasn't that nice for him anyway. He also gets the loving attention of my daughter. )


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## Terryahh

This is him with my 8yo daughter


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## Goldilocks

The first few lines of this post have made me seriously cringe and feel outraged.

I have both, shetlands and minis, and i don't think you should have either!


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