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Mini whinnies Small size makes miniature horses easy to love

BY DIANE MCCARTNEY

The Wichita Eagle

They've been called "the horse for everyone," but Frank Lupton thinks miniature horses should also be called "the horse for today."

Lupton and his wife, Charlotte, have raised miniature horses for 16 years and will bring seven of their minis to the Kansas Coliseum on May 3 and 4 for the Heartland Miniature Horse Show.

The annual show features about 150 of the scaled-down horses competing with children and adults in equine events like halter, driving, jumping and obstacles.

Miniature horses have been gaining in popularity for years, but in today's tough economic times, they especially make good sense, said Lupton, of Oklahoma City.

"With feed and hay prices going up and land values the way they are, the economics are in favor of miniature horses right now," Lupton said. A miniature horse needs "one-sixth the space as a full-size horse, and it's about the same with feed."

Lupton owned full-size horses for 35 years before switching to the endearing minis. The animals' personalities are similar but different, he said.

"I'm not sure whether that difference is genetic or because we treat them so differently," Lupton said.

With a full-size horse that weighs 1,200 pounds, "for most people there's always some slight fear factor," he said.

People just feel more comfortable around the 200-pound minis, and since the foals weigh only 10 or 12 pounds when they're born, "you can pick them up and carry them around," he said, "so they start off with a different relationship with people."

The horses' small size makes it easy for humans -- especially children -- to bond with them, said Janet Hays, who raises minis near Valley Center.

"They aren't so big that kids are intimidated, and they have more confidence in wanting to care for the horses," Hays said.

Hays' 9-year-old grandson helped feed a filly that was born last week at her farm, she said, and her 3-year-old granddaughter will display a mini in the "peewee class" at the horse show.

"There is a bond between these horses and children that can make them one of the best pets imaginable," Hays said.

Miniature horses -- and all kinds of horse gear -- will be for sale at the Heartland show, and breeders will be on hand to answer questions.

The average price of a registered miniature horse is $2,500, Lupton said, although they can cost much more, and pets can be purchased for as little as $300.

"It's important when someone buys their first mini, that they get the right horse so that they have a good experience," he said.

A lot of people like to start with a young horse, but Lupton thinks a horse "with a little age on it" is better for a child or a first-time buyer.

The petite equines have an average life span of 30 to 40 years.

"They say young children and old dogs go together," Lupton said. "I'm not so sure that young children and old horses don't go together as well."

Reach Diane McCartney at 316-268-6593 or dmccartney@wichitaeagle.com.