What do you need to own a miniature horse in your backyard?

Answer 1

Miniature or draft, a horse is considered livestock. There are very specific laws and regulations that pertain to livestock and/or farm animals. The first thing you need to do is find out if your property is zoned to allow horses. If the zoning is right then you need to provide a shelter and good Fencing for your mini. If you have neighbors close it is advised to make sure they won't mind having a horse next door. There is the smell, manure disposal, fly control, dust problem to name a few. This is an important point. You won't enjoy your mini if neighbors are complaining and calling the code enforcement on you. I have given you a place to start so do your homework checking with the county and good luck.

Answer 2

There is no such thing as a miniature pony, but a miniature horse is a breed of horse that can is less than 9.5 hands (34 inches) tall. Miniature horses have 3 main uses and I've used a miniature horse for two of them. The first use (which I have not used a miniature in) is show. Many horse shows are established solely for miniature horses. The next use is jumping. While you can't ride a miniature horse and jump, you can train miniature horses to jump over jumping poles as well as other obstacles. I have a miniature horse who is trained to jump over his own height. The last, common use for a miniature horse is therapy. Many mentally disabled people enjoy spending therapeutic time with miniature horses than regular horses because they are less intimidating than larger horse breeds.