What can you do with miniature horses?

For some reason, the most common question that we’re asked is “What can you do with a miniature horse?”  The answer is: lots of things.  They are used for companionship, show, as therapy animals, for investment, or any combination of these things.

Miniatures are great as pets/companion animals.  They’re smaller than “big” horses so they can be kept in the back yard just as you’d keep a dog or cat, and are lower maintenance than other breeds of horses.  They take up less space, eat less, make less of a mess, and don’t require shoes like many other breeds.  They can be handled by children (I started showing when I was 3), or by the elderly (one of our customers bought a mini for his mother’s 96th birthday).  Any age will do.  For people who are intimidated by big horses or had an accident with them in the past, or just don’t have the energy for them anymore, miniatures are the perfect alternative to still be able to enjoy the beauty of the horse.

At shows you can do anything you do with a big horse except for ride.  That might sound like a joke at first, like there’s nothing left if you take riding away, but boy would you be wrong.  The two major associations for miniature horses, the American Miniature Horse Assciation (AMHA), and the American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR) and their clubs offer halter, color, liberty, showmanship, jumper, hunter, obstacle, driving obstacle, and costume classes to youth, amateur and open exhibitors at local, regional, and world level shows.

Many have probably heard about miniatures being used as therapy animals.  The seeing-eye-miniature horse idea got some publicity for a while there.  However, our favorite use of them therapy-wise is done by Hearts and Hooves.  Hearts and Hooves is a non-profit organization that takes miniatures to hospitals, nursing homes, and many other places to provide emotional healing.

Finally, miniatures, like many other animals, can be used as investments.  Developing a winning history in the show ring can increase a miniatures value, as can breeding.

-Lauren Greaves

Theatrical Minis

There is always the question of, “What do you do with them?”  A new category answer for that one is, “You can put them on stage!”

In the past few years, here are some of our horses performing at various places:

Lauren’s gelding, Little America’s Xenon Dimitri, joined her on stage at the Hays CISD production of Oklahoma! in early 2006.

Lauren Greaves and Little America's Xenon Dimitri

Lucky Four Skippa Gold Sensation, playing the role of Trigger, with Tony and Carol as Roy and Dale, in Route 66, at First Baptist Church, in Austin, TX.

Lucky Four Skippa Gold Sensation, Tony, and Carol Greaves

Little America’s Silver Keeper is part of the Christmas presentation of Angels Over Austin:

Little America's Silver KeeperLauren and Tony both have had fun with costume classes, too. Here we both are as Cruella De Vil at the AMHA World 2006 Show. That's Little America's Kickapoo Joy Boy as the Dalmation.Tony Greaves and Little America's Kickapoo Joy Boy

Kickapoo Joy Boy and Lauren Greaves

Color: Appaloosas, Blue Roans, and Grays

Appaloosa

Many appaloosas are born with lots of color while others are born solid and gradually acquire appaloosa coloration. It is very difficult to know at birth what color the foal from appaloosa parentage will be. Below is an example of a Xenon-Light Van’t Huttenest son that was born bay. When he was sold at four months of age he showed absolutely no appaloosa characteristics. He had no white hairs, no striped hooves, no scelera, and not even a speck of pink skin. Here you see him pictured at four months, three years, five years, and six years. He is Little America’s X- Skipper and is owned by Billie Lindale in New Jersey.

 

Here are some typical examples of appaloosa patterns. Pictured below are a snowcap blanket which is said to be homozygous, although currently there is no genetic test to prove this. The horse is Little America’s Tex Lil Feather, a son of Little America’s Sesquicentennial Tex. The next is a black blanketed app, Little America’s Tex Two Timer LHH, another son of Sesquicentennial Tex.  The next is a leopard appaloosa, also by Tex, named Little America’s Tex Kickapoo. I might add that all three of these colts were born the color that they are shown and have pretty much stayed the same color. By the way, the last two colts are out of solid mares with no appaloosa background!

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Blue Roans and Grays

The A photo is a mature mare that is a true blue roan. You will see that her legs and head are black but her body is a mixture of black and white hairs making her appear bluish in color. When she has her winter coat she is mostly black.

The photo B is two grey fillies…. a weanling and a two-year old. The weanling was born black and the lighter one was born silver. Both will be white by the time they are eight to ten years of age.

The bottom five pictures are ALL OF THE SAME HORSE at various ages. C is at one day old. You can hopefully see that he shows some white on his nose and over his eyes. By the way, both his sire and dam are grey.

D is the same colt as a yearling. You will notice that he has lots of white hair scattered throughout his face (and also his body which you can’t see in this picture).

E is about three years of age… notice the dark at the top of his tail and his legs are still fairly dark. He is also showing dappling at this age.

F is about a year older … notice his legs have lightened and the tail is lighter. He still shows some dappling, but not as much as the year before.

G is age six… note the tail is almost totally white but he is still keeping some of the black in his mane but all the dapples has disappeared. He is now eight years old… sorry I don’t have a current picture. He is almost totally white… his mane has a slight greyish tint but the body is totally white.

The horse is NFC LA Egyptian King Rapsody…. by Hemlock Brook Egyptian King and out of Soat’s Lil Rapsady… Here is another dramatic example of the greying gene:

 

About Us

We are a family owned and operated miniature horse farm, now also featuring the rare Malaysian Serama Bantam chicken, the World’s Smallest/Lightest Chicken! Located in central Texas just south of the Texas capitol of Austin, at the edge of the famed Texas Hill Country, Little America is home to over 200 outstanding miniature horses.  Noted for tiny, colorful horses, with outstanding conformation and bloodlines, Little America is one of the premier breeders of miniature horses registered with the American Miniature Horse Association (AMHA).  Whether you are an experienced breeder, a novice, investor, or looking for a wonderful pet, we welcome your inquiries.  Our horses are well-known in the industry from coast to coast and have been exported to Russia, Australia, England, Belgium, Scotland, Thailand, and Mexico, just to name a few.

We invite you to browse the many pages of our website – bookmark it and come back often.  Almost all of our horses are present, so you can take the full tour from the comfort and convenience of your home.  Our foals are generally posted within twenty-four hours of their birth, and you can usually see pictures of several generations of many of them.  We take great pride in our breeding program, which encompasses some of the most outstanding bloodlines of the industry and spans over forty years!  All our horses sell with height guarantees not to exceed the upper limit of 34″, unless otherwise stated on our sales pages.

We also from time to time Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGD) available.  We have found the our Great Pyrenees/Anatolian dogs make wonderful companions and protectors from predators.  Check to see if we have any available if you have need for a companion for your horses or an excellent pet for your enjoyment.

You might also enjoy exploring our National Grand Champion Stallions pages which pictures every National Grand Champion Senior Stallion of the AMHA since our first National Show.  This site has recently been expanded to include all National Grand Champions and is a historical museum for the miniature fancier!  Also of great interest, especially to the student of bloodlines, is our Historical Stallions Pages, where you will find pictures and information about many of the legends of the breed.  If you are just trying to research a pedigree of one of your animals, or just would like to see some of the “original” miniatures, take some time to go through some of the Historical Stallions.