OXFORD - Miniature Horses have been pampered pets for kings and queens and they've also been put to work hauling coal in coal-mines, but these days they can often be found showing off their beauty and skills at miniature horse shows.
About 20 mini-horses competed Sunday at the Oxford Arena, including Parrsboro's Dorothy Best, who entered the competitive arena for the first time this year with Mini-Wheat.
"Mini-Wheat got a few ribbons," Best said. "She has a couple first's and fourths. She's doing good for her first year. She's my girl."
Best has been around big horses her entire life but enjoys the mini's.
"They're much easier to train than the big ones," she said. "They're just like a dog."
And they don't eat as much either.
"They take no space at all and they only eat a quarter of what a big horse eats," she said.
Three-year old Mini-Wheat was getting a little chubby and has had her diet cut back a little but she still only eats about one square bale of hay a week.
And a miniature horse doesn't have to be expensive.
"If you want one for a pet you can buy one for $400 or $500," she said.
But if you want a horse for competition you can pay 10 times that amount.
"If you want papers and want your horse registered and want fine breeding, you're looking anywhere from $1,000 up to $5,000," she said.
Best began to participate in miniature horse shows after going to a show and seeing how welcoming everybody was.
Everybody is so friendly and so helpful," she said. "You go and ask for anything you need to know and they'll go out of their way to help.
"It's fun and it's competitive but not to the point where they don't help."
Best has competed in the obstacle course at all three show hosted this season by the Miniature Horse Association of Nova Scotia.
"I'm in it for the fun, so I'm just doing the obstacles," she said.
The obstacle course has three components. It has the horse go backwards through a maze, go to a bucket full of balls and place the balls on pylons while holding the horse, then go to a plank at the centre of the arena where the horses place their front hooves.
Best has five mini-horses and hopes her family will soon join in on the fun.
"My daughter wants to show with me next year, she's going to use a horse of mine," Best said.
"Then maybe after that my grandkids will get into it."
