Getting a miniature horse for your kids can be a rewarding decision. A miniature horse maybe a quarter of the average horse’s size, but they are no less fun. If you want a horse to be your pet, do you have anything else in your mind except a miniature horse? I hope not. Because I have seen so many people consider miniature horses in the first place if they want to have a horse as their pet. Because miniature horses are decent in nature, loveable, and calm. They are also easier to manage than dogs and cats. You will not have to take so much stress raising a mini horse as you do raising other pets.
Name a person who can resist riding a horse after seeing one in front of them. Whether it’s a pony, miniature, or a full-size horse, the first thing they will ask you is- Can I take a ride? So it’s very important for you if you have a miniature horse, to know whether you can ride a miniature horse or not. Therefore you must know how much weight a miniature horse carry.
So we are hoping you to stick with this write up till the end.
How Much Weight Can a Miniature Horse Carry?
When you have a horse as your pet, your kids will want to ride the horse. Because they may have seen on TV how exciting horse riding is! And you know, kids will do whatever they see the fun. I have a kid who would just go mad whenever he sees a horse.
And that’s where the question arises. How much weight can a miniature horse carry? And it is very important to know if you want your miniature horse to be ridden.
And to answer that question, firstly, I need to clear something out. And that is the breed because you will find two categories of the breed that have been termed as “A Division” and “B Division” depending on their height. The horses more than 34 inches are considered A division. And the horses between the height of 34-38 inch falls on B Division.
As we already have discussed, a miniature horse can not carry more than 20% of its weight. But you can’t figure out what’s the average weight of an “A Division” and “B Division” miniature horse. So if you have a horse that weighs 300 lbs, you can put 60 lbs on your horse.
But this figure is for healthy and strong horses. If you have a miniature horse breed that is extremely strong physically, 20% percent weight is applicable.
But if, unfortunately, you have a physically weak and unhealthy miniature horse, then you shouldn’t put more than 10-15% of its weight.
But if you want your horse to pull a cart, a strong and healthy miniature horse will carry more than 150% of its total weight. So if you want something heavy carried by your miniature horse, make sure you are not putting on the horse. Instead, you can add a cart and be pulled by a miniature horse. But this is not an abstract number. While you put weight on your cart, you must check the condition of the horse. If the horse seems exhausted and tired, you may need to lessen the weight. After all, it all depends on how well your horse is trained and physically healthy.
Can You Ride a Miniature Horse?
And the most frequent question I get asked from the miniature horse owner or someone who wants to have one in the near future is- Can we ride a miniature horse? So before getting into anything else, I would love to answer this most asked question.
Before we decide whether a miniature horse can be ridden or not, we need to know who is riding. Because a miniature horse can carry only 20% of its body weight, so if the miniature horse’s weight is 360 pounds, it will be able to take not more than 72 lbs. So the rider will have to be someone under 72 pounds.
Now, do you think that an adult can ride a miniature horse? I don’t think so. Because the average weight of an adult is almost 138 lbs. So if you want someone to ride a miniature horse, only children are left. So a miniature horse can be ridden if the rider is a kid who is under 70 lbs. So the max weight to ride a horse is between 50- 70 lbs.
The kids between the age of 7- 11 will be an ideal rider.
But if you are an adult and still can’t resist mini horse riding, you can even add a cart and make the horse pull that cart for you. Because if it’s a cart, a miniature horse can pull more than 150% of its total weight.
What About a Pony?
So basically, for a mini pony riding, you also need to consider the weight first. It depends on the weight of the pony. The equation is very simple as a miniature horse. If you know your pony’s weight, you can only make him carry one-fifth of his total weight. But if you forcefully put more weight to carry, the pony will get exhausted and breathe heavily. And that can cause some severe physical damage to the horse. It’s certain that you can not put more than 20% of the horse’s total weight.
And this is applicable to all kinds of horses.
Miniature Horse Vs Pony. Is a Miniature Horse a Pony?
If you are someone who wants a horse as a family pet may be confused between a miniature horse and pony. Even many horse owners, with experiences, think they are similar. But there are some differences between them. But if we describe it short, the miniature horse is a bit shorter than a pony. And people bred miniature horses just to make them resemble a full-sized adult horse. It’s basically a small version of an adult horse. On the other hand, a pony has everything thicker than a full-size horse.
Let me discuss this in detail.
Mainly a miniature horse has been defined by its height. And the height is mostly 34-38 inches. They basically breed to interact with people in a more friendly way than other horse breeds.
Similar to a miniature horse, people define a pony based on their height. And any horse under the height of 14.2 hands or 58 inches is considered to be a pony. And according to this definition, all miniature horses are ponies.
But no. Here is the thing. There are so many miniature breeds that contain horse phenotype like the pony. So those miniature horse breeds have been registered as horses.
Also, there are miniature horse breeds that contain pony characteristics such as short, stout legs, thicker tails, and manes. On the other hand, some miniature breeds contain natural horse parts. And so, there is still a debate going on which one is the miniature horse and which one is a pony.
Why Would Someone Want to Have a Miniature Horse?
You will still find a lot of people who would like to have a miniature horse as their family pet. And they will strongly prefer a miniature horse to dogs or cats as a companion of their child. Have you ever wondered why someone would choose a horse over such lovely puppies? I think I have the answer.
A miniature horse is far more easy to manage than other pets. You will be able to train them easily for anything. A miniature horse can be a perfect companion for people with disabilities. They can also be trained for any kind of indoor activities such as playing with your kids. You can teach your children to ride a horse with a miniature horse. You can even train him to drive a car.
Other than that, a miniature horse can be used in various competitive horse shows where they enact different stunts such as jumping, fighting, driving, overcoming obstacles, and many more.
Another thing to be remembered that they are horses. So it would be best if you treat them like a horse. So it will be good for you if you keep him out of your home. Maybe somewhere in your garden, separated, with proper food and shelter.
Conclusion:
While answering the most frequently asked question- How much weight can a miniature horse carry, we also discussed other issues and problems. And these issues are very important for you if you want to get a miniature horse or already have one.
I tried to answer and discuss everything in this article from my experience. I also took the help of other people in this field with lots of expertise in horses.
So I hope you will find all this information useful. As all these came from real experiences, you shouldn’t find this hard to believe.
I wish you a happy and healthy life. Take our appreciation for sticking with this write up till the end.