Tiffany's Web Page
Tiffany wearing Ribbons and Bows. Notice her short Summer Buckskin coat.
Tiffany is our favorite 14 year old, full grown, American Miniature Horse Mare (female). Her color is "Buckskin" (gold and black hair) with black socks, dorsal stripe, tail and main. When she was born she weighed about 18 pounds and loved to be picked up and held. She enjoyed being led into the house (when supervised) and knows how to open the frig to look for carrots! She's the smallest size category "A" and is only 30 1/2 inches tall. She's very healthy and loves to hike country trails and even crowded city sidewalks. She does very well in heavy terrain and on steep, rocky slopes. She was conditioned at an early age to feel comfortable in most any situation. Loud noises, traffic and crowds or other animals don't bother her. Tiffany is about the size of a large dog!
Tiffany "visits" the house and knows where to find her carrots!
Miniature Horses are much smaller than Ponies and often live to age 35+ because of careful breeding practices. They are simply very small horses and require the same care and feeding as their full size counterparts. Mini horses do not require horse shoes but must have their hooves trimmed every few months. Their hooves are sort of a counterpart to fingernails and grow much the same! Large horses also require the same trimming process and will then have new shoes tacked on. Horse shoes reduce chances of chipping or uneven wear to the horse's hooves on hard surfaces. Sometimes the shoe is used to improve traction on soft or slippery surfaces. Horses that are not ridden on hard surfaces can sometimes get by without shoes, but there are many other circumstances to be considered including their condition and relative hardness. It is interesting to note that generally black hooves are harder than the lighter colors. This is not the rule, but quite often the case. Horse shoeing and associated processes are a science that require a great deal of training, experience and is very hard work. If horse hooves are not trimmed to proper angle, depth and shape, the horse could be in serious jeaprody.
In the Spring, Mini Horses, actually all horses, shed their winter hair and grow a beautiful new short coat. Shedding is more noticeable where seasonal temperatures vary by a large degree. Here in New England, our mini's grow amazingly healthy, soft and thick coats. They have no problem with sub zero temperatures when they are turned out in the day. They are pretty spoiled girls as they have a beautiful barn with comfortable stalls and all the amenities.
My wife prepares to feed Tiffany and Cabaret. Tiffany stands up and "begs" for her food!
We have two mini horses, Tiffany and her mother Cabaret "Cubby". They both were very successful show horses when younger and Cabaret was retired at age 4 to become a brood mare. (to have babies). Tiffany was first born and was always my favorite. There were quite a few mini horses born here in the 90's but now Tiffy and Cubby enjoy the easy life as pets!
Tiffy pulling me in a small cart! Mini's are surprisingly strong for their size.