Many people have asked us the question “what do you do with them?” There are many things you can do with your miniature depending on your personal tastes and lifestyle. Over the centuries these delightful little creatures have been used as pit ponies, circus horse's, pets of the rich and famous and as gifts for Kings and Queens . I doubt though that anyone will be wanting a miniature for that purpose so here I have listed things where their talents can be utilized in other areas. You will be pleasantly surprised to find that Miniature horses do have a special place in so many people's lives.

Miniature Horses as Pets

Miniature horses make the sweetest pets not only for children but for adults too. Their gentle nature and calm temperament will allow you to take them for walks as you would a dog. They are always so eager to please you and they love attention. They will follow you around while you're working outside and are usually on the hunt for a big scratch and a cuddle. We have homed many pets to retired couples who no longer have the strength or nerve to handle a 500kg horse but are able to easily manage an 80kg miniature horse. One dear senior gentleman here in Bendigo rang me every day for a week to thank us for giving his life purpose again after we sold him a little gelding. So is the power of owning a miniature horse!

Children can benefit from miniature horses in so many ways as with any horse but most importantly of all learn responsibility. My children love taking their favorite minis for a walk especially when they have friends over. My three children have all had the opportunity of taking their minis to school for show and tell. On each occasion the animals were so well behaved inside the class rooms and of course the rest of the kids thought it was wonderful. In actual fact children are a great excuse for any parent to buy a miniature, “It's for the kids”    Yer, sure it is!

You can put your miniature in harness (once trained) Such a lovely past time to go for a Sunday drive with your miniature, its great exercise for them too. Most children who are afraid of patting and riding large horses are fine in a cart with an adult, they love it!

Miniature horses are great for keeping the grass down and will save you from lots of mowing. They don't cost a lot to feed to maintain a fit and healthy condition and you don't need a lot of expensive equipment for them. They get along well with other pets

And their manure makes for lovely garden mulch and fertilizer. Miniature horse poo for miniature roses!!!!

Riding Miniature Horses

YES some miniature horses can be ridden.

Miniature horses make lovely Child's riding horses both on and of the lead. Although a little more attention needs to be paid in your selection of one, if you intend to use it for that purpose. Some are simply too small!.   When my daughters riding pony went lame before pony club I Grabbed one of the old brood mares from out of the paddock who had never been ridden before. While I don't recommend this, on this occasion they went so well all day even over low jumps, (on a lead of course). Never the less a miniature of suitable size can easily be trained to sit the kids on, or indeed the grandchildren   as you   take them for a little ride around the paddock. If Pony Club is your intention you will find a mini will make a wonderful first horse and will be easy for a nervous child to handle themselves. If you are interested in showing in riding classes they make stunning lead line ponies but you should consider getting a category B miniature which is between 34” and 38” in height.

Showing Miniatures in halter classes

Many miniature horse owners choose to show their animals. This is a great way to keep your breeding program in line and on track as your horse will be judged on looks, conformation and movement in comparison to its peers on the day. The judge will also judge on how close your horse measures up to the breed standard.                        

There is nothing more thrilling than having a horse you have breed and raised be awarded a champion. There are many societies that register miniature horses but Kenlee Park is only a member of one, The Miniature Horse Association of Australia or MHAA, the largest and most progressive. The MHAA holds many shows throughout the show season. In Victoria this is generally from September to March each year, with a state show and a 5 day National Show each year.

Attending shows is not only about showing of your best stock its also about meeting people of the same interests and having a really good day with friends and your show team (in our case that's   our three kids who all show our horses along with their dad).

Showing horses     successfully requires a lot of dedication and hard work and yes a fair amount of money. You only have to attend a show to see why there are so many people dedicated to their quest of producing that perfect horse in miniature.

My son started competing when he was 4 years old. The people in attendance offer great support and encouragement to the young ones and indeed each other. While some treat their showing VERY seriously some remain a little more LAID BACK and have lots of fun, In fact you can actually do both!!!!

Some typical classes you can enter in are the respective height and age category for your particular animal, best presented, best handler,   best head (on the horse!!!)

Best solid colour and best trot. There are so many more classes and it's not uncommon for the one animal to be entered in 6 or 7 separate classes.

Jumping classes

Another fantastic thing that miniature horses can do and that's jump! Kenlee Parks favorite activity to train for. Of course you don't actually ride them you have them on a lead. You can have fun with them at home, training them to go higher and higher but we like to actually compete with others to see who is the BEST. At the MHAA shows we have a class called Fault and Out. There is one jump set up at about 14” Each horse must jump it clear to go on to the next round where the jump is put up by 4”. This continues until there is only one horse left, the WINNER. By this stage the jump can sometimes be at about 42” high. NOT BAD considering most of the horses competing are only 34” high.

It all gets very exciting especially when competition is close and it's an amazing spectacle to watch, a real crowd pleaser.

There are other jumping competition classes we have at the MHAA shows including Six Bar, Hunter and Show Jumping. If you would like to find out more please don't hesitate to contact us at Kenlee Park .

Please note that your horse should be at least 2 and preferably 3 before you jump it to high.

Trail or obstacle classes

This event is designed to test the ability of the handler to negotiate their horse calmly and responsively through a series or obstacles. Very similar to the big Quarter Horses doing their trail course but with out a rider. The miniatures are very good at this because they are so trusting they tend to want to do as you ask for the sheer enjoyment of it. We compete in these classes at all our MHAA shows and it's a class that is great for those less mobile than they would like to be and of course the kids like to display how well they have trained their horse.

With these performance classes you don't have to have an Eight thousand Dollar horse to do well and place first, even national show level as the looks and confirmation of the horse is not judged.

Harness and Driving

Many people, young and old enjoy the pleasures of driving their miniatures in harness, some do it purely for pleasure and some compete at shows. The shows we attend run under MHAA also have different harness classes. If you are not a member you can also compete at open shows against the big horses where many miniature horses have out shown their larger cousins taking out champion.   Miniature horses are quite strong when it comes to pulling a cart or sulky.They can easily carry an adult and a child and again we have classes for youth competitors.

If showing is not your thing, there is something special about going for a leisurely drive on a sunny morning with your miniature. BEWARE if you have visitors and you have hitched up your horse you may be in for a long day because they are all going to want a go!

Shangrila Red Emperor , F&M Sinclair, Shangrila Stud, Driver Murry Pickett and line up of MHAA National Show competitors 2006

Seeing Eye horses

In the US there have been some instances where miniature horses have been successfully used as guide horses for the blind. Their calm trainable temperament make them perfect for the job. As a miniature horse can live for 3 to 4 times longer than a Labrador It does make better economic sense to train them as there going to be more useful over a longer period of time. There is an ongoing development program to fine tune their roll in this area. As I have said earlier mini horses are so trusting they will easily walk up a flight of stairs or jump up on to a bus or train and YES they can be toilet trained.

Therapy aids

Kenlee Park has used our miniature horses for many years now to bring joy to residents at local aged care facilities and to enrich the lives of people with physical and developmental disabilities. An old farmer who was receiving palliative care for cancer was reduced to tears when I brought in a miniature for a visit to his aged care home.   “Oh what wonderful memories” he said, as he began to forget about his pain and reminisce of the “old days” with me. Still brings on the tears and goose bumps!

We have hosted day visits for people from Scope in Bendigo . All their clients were wheelchair bound. On one occasion we all sat out in the foaling paddock for a good 2 hours while all the horses sniffed around for pats. Many of these people had very limited control over their hand/arm movements and it was a beautiful sight to see the huge smiles on their faces. A testament to the integrity and kindness of these little horses.

We are by no means the only miniature horse owners that do similar things within their community I just wish that more people can get out their and make a difference as the rewards for your efforts are tremendous.

As well as being a therapy aid for others the value I place on my own miniatures as therapy is enormous. Many times in today's hectic family lifestyle I choose to spend a few calming moments with one of my miniatures it does not take long for the worries on your mind to disappear for a while.

Teaching aids

Kenlee Park has visited schools in the local area and given a talk on responsible pet ownership. What a great way to actively engage children and make their learning experience fun and memorable. As a tool to teach your own children how to care for a living creature what better way. Let's face it budgies and goldfish well they are a tad boring!

Time Wasters

Most of all we like to use our miniatures as time wasters, their the best.

Sitting out in a green field in the spring time with the warm sun falling on your back the smell of sweet grass watching the foals play and compete for your attention, simply beautiful.