Horsing around with miniatures

By Cherry Sokoloski
Fossil Creek Current

Short in stature, long on love: That's a good description of miniature horses, according to Lee Shawver who raises them on his acreage east of Fort Collins.

Shawver started his hobby three years ago with one miniature and he's now up to 10. He began with no notion of competing in shows, but one of his mares has won two grand championships. His original idea was merely to have a fun hobby, but now he's turning it into a business.

Shawver and his wife Janie own 8 acres between Fort Collins and Ault, a peaceful place that's an escape from the hassles and noise of city living. When it's hot in town, there's usually a gentle breeze blowing. When it gets really windy, which often happens, the place collects tumbleweeds from Cheyenne.

Raised in town, Shawver had no experience with raising horses when he got the bug to buy a miniature. The idea came to him after his father died, and he wanted to have something to remind him of his dad. Since the elder Shawver had farmed in his younger days and his son didn't actually want to ride a horse, a miniature was the perfect fit.

Shawver started out with one pregnant mare, Misty. "I thought she was lonely," he said, "so I bought another mare." He now has five mares, one stallion and their offspring. Since the hobby is, literally, multiplying, he plans to start selling some of the yearlings.

'Just like a puppy'

Shawver has nothing but good things to say about miniature horses. "They're just like a puppy," he said. They're cute, affectionate and safe around children. In the wintertime, the little animals are a kick to watch as they romp and play in the snow. Shawver often cares for his young grandchildren, ages 4 and 1 1/2, and they're already learning to handle the miniatures.

Miniatures, which weigh from 150 to 250 pounds, aren't meant for riding and can carry about 40 pounds on their backs. However, they can haul three to four times their weight on carts. The horses were developed hundreds of years ago in the British Isles for the purpose of pulling carts in the coal mines. Some horses were born in the mines and spent their entire lives there without seeing the light of day.

Since Shawver has his horses for the fun of it, and there are no coal mines on his property, he enjoys taking them and their carts to small-town parades in the area.

A short horse is great for a short pocketbook. An acre or two of ground will suffice for pasture, Shawver said, and he figures each horse costs him about $25 per month. That's less than expenses for his black lab. He buys Equine feed for his miniatures along with oats and about 2 pounds of hay a day for each horse. They have their hooves trimmed every eight to 10 weeks and require an annual trip to the veterinarian. Besides that, they require normal grooming and hoof cleaning. People do not put shoes on miniatures.

There's an old "church barn" on the Shawver place, and Shawver built small stalls on each side for his miniatures. However, a loafing shed will also work fine for the small horses since they have more hair than full-size horses. "They're woollier than a sheep in the winter," he said. Their hairy coats derive from some of their ancestors in the British Isles, the Welsh and Shetland ponies.

Shawver begins training his miniatures at a very young age, putting a halter on them when they're about a week old. It's important to get them used to human touch, he said, especially since the horses' feet must be "set" by the handler in competitions. It's also important to teach the miniatures not to bite or rear up.

Those who are interested in getting involved with miniatures will find plenty of help available, Shawver said. "I knew nothing when I started," he noted. Generally, sellers are happy to provide information to new buyers.

Miniature fans are not small on enthusiasm, and there are both clubs and competitions in Colorado for those with this hobby. Two different organizations register miniature horses for competition purposes. Generally speaking, a horse is considered miniature if it's no more than 34 inches tall.

Locally, a good contact for information about miniatures is Mary Lou Elder of the Rocky Mountain Miniature Horse Club, who can be reached at 484-8202.