Every miniature horse should be loved
and cared for.
Because of their tiny stature, minis
are often purchased for their ability to be kept in a smaller
area than their taller equine counterparts. They are
less imposing than a full size horse and many who have
a fear of horses are comfortable around the little ones.
Relatively inexpensive to keep, sweet dispositions
and ease of stabling can make purchasing a miniature horse
an impulse buy. Sadly, some
purchase a mini and quickly loose interest as
the daily care proves more than they want to deal
with. Through
ignorance or negligence, These sweet little horses live
with no one to provide them with suitable love & care.
Working along with the Northeast Miniature Horse Rescue,
I do my part to be sure every horse has the love & care
intended. In 2007, I happened upon 3 darling miniature
horses whose owner had moved on to other things. So on
a bitter cold day in February, I welcomed these tired,
hungry minis to Frost Hill Farm. The largest of the three,
a pretty black & white mare with an impressive pedigree
was the healthiest. She was also heavy in foal. She foaled
out a beautiful colt a few months later and has since
been adopted by Pony Farm in Temple NH. The mare & her
foal will spend their days entertaining children at the
farm.
The other two equines were not so lucky. Skin and
bones, They took months of rehab and may visits from
the vet to bring them back to health. Pepper - once a
Multiple World Top Ten Champion was a sad little boy.
(also the father of the above mentioned colt!) He came
with a horrible skin condition that was not apparent
under all his filthy hair. At first glance, Pepper looked
to be in good weight - until you reached under his
thick coat and felt every protruding rib and hipbone.
His skin was so itchy from malnourishment, he would rub
himself bloody each night and needed to be covered in
a blanket and a hood so he couldn't damage himself more.
March & April past and Pepper gained weight, grew
healthy hair and really started to feel good. He was
sweet and kind, even as a stallion. In May, Pepper made
his show ring debut again, after almost 15 years, placing
top 3 in Senior Stallions and looking like a million
bucks. These photos document his progress. Pepper is
now living the life at a small farm in North
Carolina. He has a small herd of mares and spends
his days happy and healthy.
Covergirl is an amazing little mare that now has the life of dreams with her new owner, Rebecca Upham of Chester, NH.
Covergirl arrived at Frost Hill Farm as a sad, malnourished little girl in February, 2007.
The vet who helped rehab her rated her a 2 on a body scale of 1-10.
She was skin & bones, with a horrid skin condition that required months of care. She was stabled with a stallion - in the same stall - and the vet guessed that much of her missing hair & skin were as a result of his constant "loving" of her.
Thankfully, she was too undernourished to get in foal.
CG left our farm, to live with her new owner in the summer of that same year.
While she still needed loving care to bring her to good health, she looked better, and had gained weight & spunk.
Under Rebecca's care, she continued to flourish
- and in July of 2008, she made her first show ring appearance - not bad for a 13 year old "broodmare"!
Sandy Revard