What's the safe rider weight for a miniature horse or mini pony?

Hello, as the owner of several overweight minis, I share your pain. Your pictures do not show a particularly heavy horse, so you have a good place to start. If you have ever been to a mini show, you have to wonder how they get those horses into such amazing shape. Very careful diets are 1 component, exercise is the next & maybe the most important. Those minis are worked, either by hand, or treadmill, or automatic walker non-stop during the show season. You will also need to be very judicious with the hay. Feed no more than 1.5%-2% of his body weight. No grain or pellets, period. And when he goes out on pasture, place a grazing muzzle on him. He will still be able to pick up a bit of grass, & of course drink. Do this, & your mini will look great in a few months. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Laws and training are going to vary depending on your physical location and the help you are looking to get from a therapy animal. It would be best to contact any local groups near you that either offer therapy services, or do training to speak with them directly. They can point you in the right direction of how to obtain or train a horse through their program or another similar one.

Hello. Miniature horses do not need as much room as you might think. A large backyard might be fine, especially if there are a few trees for shade & some type of structure, such as a lean-to, to get out of bad weather & the wind. Research & make sure there are no potentially toxic shrubs or plants where you might put the mini. You may need to check with local zoning laws to see if this is legal, but I do know folks who have kept minis in their backyards in housing developments. I have 16 minis! Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is above the upper weight range typical of Miniature Schnauzer's so yes she may be overweight. I see she's only about 8 months old, so instead of putting her on a diet (it's because she's still growing and you shouldn't restrict her feed when she's growing), I would increase her exercise. Make sure she gets at least 30 minutes of exercise twice a day.

Hello. You always feed for the ideal body weight, not the current weight. I would start out with the 2%, but if your horse cleans this up too quickly, then I would bump up the hay a little more. It is also important to know the carbohydrate content of your hay so contact you Cooperative Extension office in your county & see who can do a hay analysis for you. A higher carb content would mean feeding less hay. Lower carbs., more hay can be fed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Pigs should be fed a specific diet, such as in this case the Mazuri mini pig diet. I would recommend following the guidelines on the bag for your pig's particular size and weight. In addition, supplemental food can be in small quantities. I would encourage you to refer to the following page for information as it is a great source of info for new pig owners. http://americanminipigassociation.com/mini-pig-education/mini-pig-nutrition/ Hope this helps.

He is very small for a gypsy stallion. (12.2 to 14hh is the size the travellers prefer), and 10hh is extremely small. He may grow a little bit still, but not a lot . Horses mature until about the age of 6 years, heavier horses mature later than thoroughbred type horses.