Introduction and photos

[LuvMyVSE]

Hi all. I used to post a little on the BB as Horses4Sport, but my userID quit working and I never bothered to fix it until recently. In the meantime, I have become an avid VSE driver, so hence my "new" handle, LuvMyVSE!

I live in Washington state (the green half), and own 12 horses total. 5 full sized and 7 minis. I compete my minis in breed shows and also love driving! I have actually become a driving addict. LOL. I probably should sell some of my big horses because I really don't have a lot of time for them anymore, but they are my pals and that is hard to do also. This past year I mostly competed in the breed shows, with a string of 4 show horses. I did take time out of the show schedule to go compete at the Lincoln Creek CDE. I love these photos (credit to Action Taken), and they will get me through the long winter, whenever I am sick of rain, I will look at them! Next year, my calendar will start with the CDEs and fill up around them instead of vice versa.

Anyway, glad to meet you and hope you enjoy meeting my little mare Ally and I.

Amy

http://finchmeadowfarm.com/images/ally/lincolncreek07dressage1.jpg
http://finchmeadowfarm.com/images/ally/lincolncreek07cones1.jpg
http://finchmeadowfarm.com/images/ally/lincolncreek07cones2.jpg
http://finchmeadowfarm.com/images/ally/lincolncreek07cones3.jpg
http://finchmeadowfarm.com/images/ally/lincolncreek07marathon1.jpg
http://finchmeadowfarm.com/images/ally/lincolncreek07marathon2.jpg
http://finchmeadowfarm.com/images/ally/lincolncreek07marathon3.jpg

[Thomas_1]

Hello and welcome. What breed is the pony?

[LuvMyVSE]

She is a registered American Miniature Horse. :) Thank you for asking. :)

[Seven]

She's lovely! I love her coloring! :cool:

[whoopdeedo]

Hello Ally in Washington!
I see you are driving a Smart Cart Pacific Carriage. I had mine sent all the way from Vancouver to Florida in June of this year.
I drive a mini mule she is the only driving horse I have. My husband and son drive a team of black draft mules.
I have hopes of competing at the State Fair in Feb 2008 at Tampa Florida and immediately following the ADS Pleasure Show, VSE at State Fair. For Pleasure I had to have a hard wheeled cart to show ADS. The Smart Cart does extremely well in the bumpy grass terrain of Canterbury, a little slow in sand, or soft dirt.
I am on a perpetual diet to alieve the weight my little girl pulls. But, hence the mule....she can do the job.
Best Wishes.

[Happy Feet]

Amy welcome! Your VSE is so cute! I hope you find this board as helpful as I do! Enjoy.

[LuvMyVSE]

Thanks for the welcome everyone! Whoopdedoo, I would love to see your mini mule with your smart cart, do you have any pics?

[Thomas_1]

She is a registered American Miniature Horse. :) Thank you for asking. :) Thanks. Never heard of it and so I've been looking that one up now. Its a type rather than a breed? Yes??

Anyway, its a nice pony.

[olehossgal]

Thomas, as someone who has owned, bred(in minimal numbers,up until about four years ago), trained, and is VERY much enamored of, "American Miniature Horses", since 1984 (I'd owned,trained, and ridden fullsized horses continuously since I was 9 years of age, in 1950!!-and only a couple of weeks ago finally parted with my remaining only 'big' horse, at least for now)--I can tell you that you are essentially correct, as registered American Miniatures are actually registered according to HEIGHT, not truly according to 'breed'--and as such, there are often 'heated' discussions among afficionados about this very subject...
There are TWO accepted and widely recognized registries for Miniature horses in the US. The American Miniature Horse Registry(AMHR) was begun in 1972 by the American Shetland Pony Club(ASPC); it is still owned by ASPC, and although it began by accepting ONLY animals that were 34" and UNDER, it changed its rules about 12-15 years ago, and began to also accept animals of up to 38" in height. The American Miniature Horse Association(AMHA)was began in 1978, and,according to its Rulebook, accepts ONLY horses of 34" and under. BOTH measure height in a way NO other equines are measured--at the 'last hair of the mane', instead of at the highest point of the withers....?????(Hey, it wasn't MY idea to do it this way....)
Though for years it was widely denied, nowadays most will acknowledge that Miniature horses have 'descended' almost entirely from Shetland ponies. In the US, Hackney pony blood was allowed to be introduced and used for awhile, so the American Shetland hardly resembles the UK Shetland, in most cases. The currently popular 'type' in American Miniature Horses, for halter classes, at least, is what people THINK is 'Arabian'--I myself prefer a more middle of the road, American 'stock horse'(but without their most glaring conformational issues!, or,a somewhat Morgan-y, type--and many of us breed for the body build/conformation/athletic ability that we prefer, personally. The term "VSE" (Very Small Equine) came about through the ADS, when they were coming up with a category/division to accomodate an increasing interest in their activities from those who drive Miniature Horses...they defined it so that it would include pretty much all that are
considered "miniature horses" by the American registries, but since they measure at thetop of the withers, they specified an equine of not over 100(??-Im still not very good at conversion!!)mm, I *think*, which if memory serves, translates to just UNDER 39" in height, measured at the withers.(and of course, an animal does NOT have to be registered with ANY breed to compete in CDE's and the like--but they did specify the parameters so they pretty much 'match' those of any American-registered Miniature Horse.)
(BTW-If any of you reading this would like to see one of mine(I have trained and shown two geldings-one of which I bred, raised, AND trained(and who is the love of my life!)to AMHA Champion national titles-essentially, a sort of 'all-around' award, where the horse had to excel at both Halter AND a variety of performance classes--here is the web address of my friends who co-owned my homebred AMHA Champion's sire-- www.powerhorse.com/index3.html They NO LONGER breed, show, or sell Miniature Horses(though one of them is a nationally-renowned artist; you should take a look at her work!), but have 'left up' the website, which does have some good photos of some very nice miniature horses. My horse is named "Jess Cowboys Top Hand"; you can see a couple of snapshots(non-pro; I took them myself) if you click on "Cowboy Del and his Offspring"(or something along those lines), then on my horse's name on the drop-down menu....take a look at some of the others,too....when you can look at a photo of a nice looking horse, and it isn't immediately recognizable as a miniature horse, you KNOW you are on the right track!I still own my bay gelding's 25 YO dam, a lovely mover--and since the sire is also a lovely and NATURAL mover, I bred the same way twice and got TWO lovely moving horses-my bay and his full brother, now 15 and 13 years of age!)
I would also say that here in the US, there is a rapidly escalating interest in driving VSEs, in about every equine venue, so they will be seen more and more widely in the driving world!
Oh, and welcome to the COTH forums, Amy--this is a 'good un' as forums go!!
Margo C-T

[hundredacres]

Welcome to VSE and whoopdedoo! I'd love to see pictures of teh mini mule too.

[susanne]

Hi Amy...good to see another familiar VSE face!

Of course, I'm only here as a student driver for now, and restrain my opinionated ways...

You and Ally, as always, look great! Your photos and Margo's do justice to VSEs (as do Leia and Kody)...hopefully I can add some photos soon of one who pushes the VSE limits.

susanne

[Thomas_1]

Thomas, as someone who has owned, bred(in minimal numbers,up until about four years ago), trained, and is VERY much enamored of, "American Miniature Horses", since 1984 (I'd owned,trained, and ridden fullsized horses continuously since I was 9 years of age, in 1950!!-and only a couple of weeks ago finally parted with my remaining only 'big' horse, at least for now)--I can tell you that you are essentially correct, Thank you very much for the explanation etc.

In the UK we tend to be much more focussed on "type" and don't see having to have something to register and a place to register it to as being even worthy of mention. Though there's a much ridiculed attempt at doing something similar with the attempt at establishment of the "Gypsy Vanner". Basically any coloured cob (of indeterminate cross breeding) with good feathering!!!

Anyway don't want to drift off topic so we'll keep my thoughts on that for another day

We have what are called either "small hunter ponies" or "show ponies" of which I have quite a few. They're basically of a type that look like a small horse - ordinarily cross breeds and of the sort and type you mention but often with a large influence of arab and through the Welsh Section A

I'm pretty fortunate in having a supply of decent small riders but the majority of mine are kept fit via driven work - I drive them in teams of 4 or 6.

Anyway, as I said earlier, VERY nice pony and some super ones on that site too.

I'll make no apologies for calling them ponies and for continuing to so do though :winkgrin:

[whoopdeedo]

Amy: Hope you are hanging in there reading the info on this forum.
It is very good.
FYI the Caloosa Picnic Thread has the link to the webshots, I copied Cartfall, and put Picnic pics there, and I posted a picture of my SMart Cart there.
We went really well that day.
I drove today, and Miss Spook is improving. It is nice when they reallylike what you ask them to do. Again, could you tell me what harness you purchased, that has the freedom (v collar)?
Yours in VSE,
Peg

[atr]

I do know what you mean about the registration thing, Thomas. Here you want to get 'em registered so you can have a chance to compete them more widely. Breed shows are very exclusive, and there aren't so many open shows, at least around here, and the ADS is non-existent in this state.

Registering them also makes them more expensive/valued, which for a little horse that is often bought as a pet on impulse by people with no horse knowledge and less sense is a Very Good Thing.

Most miniatures are too small to ride--their backs aren't designed to carry weight, but they sure can make lovely driving ponies. My little guy (all 37.25" of him) just happily puts his heart and soul into his work, ears pricked, happy face, up hill and down dale.

I haven't had the chance to show him yet, but I'm certainly planning to next season.