mini horse

Question
What is the wieght limit of a child that a mini can withstand without hurting it ?????

Answer
Dear Karen,
There are many conditions attached to your question but I will respond in a general manner. Personally, I do not like to see true miniature horses being ridden. My reasoning is twofold:
a) a child small enough to not harm the mini will be too young to be mounted safely (if you own one- you are doubtless aware that mini's are just as capable of bucking and bolting as the full-sized version)
b)Minis are not ponies and they do not have the same proportionate strength as a pony. They are really no more capable of direct weight bearing than a giant breed dog. (Look at some mini versus pony X-rays to check comparative bone size and density.)
I DO like to see mini's be taught to drive and they are perfectly competent in harness. There are also many in-hand classes for minis.
Minis were not really developed to be riding animals- having said this- I understand that there are MANY people out there who pop their children up on a mini- but just because one CAN do something doesn't mean one SHOULD.
Thank you for your question.
Sincerely,
S. Evans