Keep experiences coming because I am deep in do do.
After posting about our Friday evening viewing a mini the next morning jumped on craigslist to look at some carts/wagons/vehicles that work with mini horses and boy is that stuff and associated tack EXPENSE in my mind.
In the process saw an ad in So. IL for a register mare and colt with paper work to register so the daughter and I took over an hour drive. She liked the mare and colt and the guy agreed to haul them the 60 miles to our place since we have not trailer for livestock. As we were about to leave he said he would make us deal on another registered mare and filly (from a field breeding). Well I liked that mare's color best so since she was registered and the price was so low I said OK.
The owner had been into harness racing in a major way in the past as well as car racing and had a forties Indian cycle in his shop that he was restoring so it was a very interesting couple of hours at his place. Because of family health changes and advancing years as well he decided he would not winter any horses he said and everything he said added up.
The bottom line was we had just purchased four mini horses to come 24 hours later and we had no fences/fencing material or barn where we could hold them. About 2 PM we got back to Paducah and was eating at Arby's when my phone rang and the seller asked if he could bring them in a few hours because his SIL could come with him and I said no. Well that fact was if he had been my father/grandfather I would not have wanted in driving alone far away from home on narrow county roads.
The daughter and I talked and decided to say YES if he would not show up before 7 PM so I called him back and made his daughter very happy. We were still an hour from home and it would take another hour of driving to go back to TSC in Mayfield KY to get fencing supplies. We got back from TSC with 50 T posts and 25 16' cattle panels that were 50" high, some feed, mineral salt blocks and several carabiners (like people use for key rings) to make a fast 16x16' holding pen and we put one T post in the middle of each of the four cattle panels. From 8:30 PM until 12:30 AM the daughter and I (son was on a Boys Scout trip) drove about 25 T posts into hard clay/roots and put up about 12 more cattle panels with zip ties so we could get them into some woods/shade/grass the next morning by connecting into the 16x16' holding pen the next morning since it was in full sun much of the day. We did this 8 AM Sunday morning after the daughter touched up of midnight use of plastic ties.
From 8 PM to 8 AM the two mares and two 3 mo old colts had eaten the 256 sq foot of tall lawn almost down to bare earth so mini horses do eat and poop about 20 hours a day. They are in our lawn because it not only was the best place to get a fast fenced area but it had to be in a place where the daughter could see them from her bedroom window.
We have about 4 acres we can fence and come up with some kind of shed but in the short run I am looking for a way to build movable pens out of the cattle panel materials and just walk the horses to the grazing pen area over the summer as we come up with a good plan.
While we broke a few of good suggestions that have been offered but we are excited. The wife has been wanting another horse for 45 years after her dad sold her working quarter horse out of OK because it did not plow well. Our 15 year old son is not so much into horse and was surprised to come home to a fenced area of the yard and four horses and he will come around when we get a wagon and cart to work them. My wife and daughter are still in shock over the horses and how hard I am working to make this happen. I had a working mule that I used to plow tobacco and to ride to get the cows if they did not come up at milking time as a kid.
We have spent a lot on horses the last 15 years so the wife and daughter had access to riding, etc but in short we got nothing out of that next door deal but heart ache and frustration. While even registered miniature horses cost little initially I know they are not going to be cheap but at least they are ours and they will be treated well and giving attention vs locked in a stall 24/7 for 10-15 years and not worked. If ours are not given a change to develop to their potential I will make sure they get a new home.
Actually I think these little fellers may be good for me and my physical limitations. I can not believe I drove 25 T post Sat after 8:30 PM and woke up the next morning was was able to move and made it to church. I know they have been good for my family this last 52 hours.
