So its been a busy weekend at my barn, I got two new boarders with three new horses, or maybe its two and a quarter horses :) One of them is a mini. He barely leads, we actually had to pick him up to get him in the trailer! He's four.

So my question is do I have to take any thing special into consideration when working with this little guy? And what the heck do I do with that FUZZY mane! My first instinct is to take a set of thinning shears to it! Will post new pics soon!

If you are the BO and your boarder brought in this mini, I would ask when they are going to get him leadable so you can care for him the way you have contracted to do. Since he is not yours I would let the training fall to the owner if they are not paying you for that service. As for the mane, that also would be the owner's problem. If I were boarding my horse at your place and someone took thinning shears to my animal's mane or tail, I would be upset. If it is not specifically provided for in your contract with the boarder, I wouldn't do it.

As for special consideration, make sure all your fences are miniproof but other than that remember that he still is a horse and minikicks still hurt. 

Special considerations: remember he's a horse, not a dog ;) Many people don't treat minis as actual horses due to their size. But, just like the big guys, they're still horses :) Still need feet trimmed (usually more frequently than large horses since they don't wear down their hooves as much), worming (to their size, and do NOT use Quest), shots (same dose as a large horse). Also make sure not to overfeed! Minis weigh an average of 250 pounds or so, more or less depending on size. Feed accordingly ;) They're easy keepers in that regard!

As for the mane... agree with the other poster, that is TOTALLY up to the owner. I do NOT touch mine's manes other than the bridle path. They're fuzzy, too, but for shows I just use conditioner, put a sleazy on while still damp, then in the AM they're nice and slick, and I use hair gel on stubborn hairs. But anyhow, here is what's done to mini's manes:
Bridle paths are longer on minis, think of arabs. See the mini in my sig? Many people do a bigger bridle path than that, but I don't. I don't do much of one on Chili, my combined driving mini. For showing, many people want less mane, so they will also SHAVE the underside of the mane off, sometimes some of the top, too. I refuse, I think it's stupid, but that's just me ;) I also refuse to razor off their whiskers and the hair on their nose and around their eyes, but many people like that look and so they do it... But since I don't think you're showing this guy(?) you don't have to even think about that ;)

Oh, and minis grow a massive winter coat. Hands on at least weekly to FEEL the weight. I personally have shaved mine for show only to discover they were thinner (though not skinny) than I thought... That fuzzy coat can fool you! :)

Is the mini mare, gelding, or stallion? If a stallion, keep in mind, just b/c they're smaller, they aren't any less of a stallion. They are usually really sweet with people but still, they are a stallion and they KNOW it! Hubby's 23 y/o stallion is one of the calmest, easiest going horses we have... but walk him past the girls and he's prancing, squealing, the whole 9 yards! LOL

Jessi

Oh, I guess I should have made it clear from the get go... The boarder has asked for my assistance. He, too, wanted to take thinning shears to the mane, I just wanted to find out how you control it :)

I would absolutely not even touch a boarder horse without request. I agree with you completely, I would go ballistic if someone did that to my horse just because the felt like it!  I run of "self service" barn. We only take in boarders who live within a certain radius of our place. It is made very clear that they are expected to come out at least once a day. They buy their own feed and hay and administer it to their wishes. The farm is set up as a corporation and all money taken in for board goes back into the farm, we take no pay outs from capital contributions (i.e. we make no money) and to reduce our tax liability we try to spend as much of the money before the end of the year. This goes into pasture maintenance, equipment, replacements and repairs. It makes for very happy boarders, they don't have to worry that their horse is not getting a good quality feed and that supplements are administered correctly, they don't feel like they are getting cheated on hay, and that don't worry that someone is messing around with their stuff or their horse (unless the ask and pay for it to be done).

So, I got the little guy leading a little bit yesterday. He's a little jumpy, but that's because everything is new, he was on the same farm his entire life until yesterday. What I'd normal do with a horse is send them out into the round pen to gauge the response to get an idea of if and how much a horse has been trained (we did this we this boarders other new horse, a nice stout quarter horse) and evaluate what steps need to be taken next (she has had some decent training in the past, just needs to be tuned up)... But I feel like that much space would be lost on a mini. I think for now we'll continue just to work on the leading, handling, feeties, and other basic ground manners...