Saving Miniature Horses

How exactly did you help out?

Sophie: For around one and a half years, Thomas and I went to the animal park four times a week and gradually got the horses used to being led by the halter. Up until then no one had done anything like that with them. They were just fed and would stand around in their enclosures. We started learning more and more about how to care for them, regularly took the herd for walks and also discovered that MinnieWinnie has equine asthma.

And how did you go from helping out to looking after them full time?

Sophie: Another little horse from the herd, Elfe, had injured her knee and received such poor treatment from the vet that she ended up with a fractured leg afterwards. As she had to rest it for so long in the stable, her breathing also got worse. She also suffered from asthma, which had been left untreated until then. As Elfe and MinnieWinnie were suffering and required a lot of care – and also because hobbling, coughing horses weren’t the best advertisements for the animal park – the plan was to have them put down at the end of 2021. My reaction was: “I’m definitely not letting MinnieWinnie be put down, and I’ll bring Elfe with me too”. We would have loved to adopt the entire herd, but as there was only so much I could do, I set off in search of a new home for the two sick horses.

I bet that wasn’t an easy task...

Sophie: No, it wasn’t! Mainly because most stables are designed for large show horses. But then we found a lovely rustic farmyard north of Berlin, which meant we were able to turn the whole situation around. From day one, MinnieWinnie stopped having the bad diarrhea that he permanently had in the animal park. And we said: “Right, now they’re our horses, let’s do everything we can to help them.” We converted a horse trailer into an inhalation chamber, purchased a brine nebulization device and an inhalation mask to nebulize their medication and just kept on educating ourselves. I even took part in a training course about managing equine asthma, where I learnt so much valuable specialist knowledge. Right before our eyes, MinnieWinnie’s health just kept on improving: he was coughing less, had a lower breathing rate, started putting on weight and had more endurance when he was running – which isn’t surprising as it’s a totally different life for him at the farm. Instead of being bored all day long at the animal park, the horses now have a lot of love, as well as all kinds of things to discover and long walks in the woods.

But sadly, Elfe wasn’t able to recover, right?

Sophie: Last year, in summer, Elfe’s health unfortunately took a turn for the worse and she died. It was so incredibly sad. And because horses are herd animals and we didn’t want to leave MinnieWinnie alone, we brought Bonnie from the old herd over to us from the animal park. At the time he looked terrible as well, emaciated, with sad eyes and terrible asthma. It didn’t take long for his health to improve, especially because he was able to eat properly again once he’d had some thorough dental work. Since then, we’ve had our two boys with lung conditions, who get on brilliantly with each other.

Do horses have different personalities that shine through?

Sophie: Very much so! They’re both only as tall as a table, but their egos are huge! But they’re also very different. MinnieWinnie is brave and curious and always wants to discover new things while Bonnie prefers to prance around and shies away from strangers. They’re both so funny! They have a real sense of humor and are hilarious in the way they interact with each other, as well as with other people and with us. A new big horse recently moved onto the farmyard, but Bonnie soon showed him who’s boss. And MinnieWinnie is a real sweetie, everyone loves him. He’s really sweet with children, which is also why he has a real fan base, not just on Instagram but also in real life.

By caring for your horses, have you also learnt things about yourself?

Sophie: Our horses are a prime example of what you can achieve when you fight for something with patience and determination. Despite their health problems, they’re both extremely fun-loving, active animals. You can just tell how grateful they are that we’ve given them this new, second life.

That also changed my perspective on many situations that could come up in my job. I would put myself under a lot of stress whenever I had several deadlines coming up at the same time or when problems arose in my team or with clients. I used to be a bad sleeper, but these days I’m a lot more relaxed and just think that it’s not the end of the world. After all, nobody’s going to die if something doesn’t work out exactly as I planned it. But if I don’t take care of my horses, there is a chance they could actually die. I’ve also had no choice but to perfect my time management skills in order to juggle my work and the needs of the horses on a daily basis. I’m incredibly grateful that we have the opportunity to work flexible hours and that, if necessary, I continue working in the evening after coming back from the stable. It's also a great counterbalance to office work. With the horses, I get plenty of exercise and spend so much time outdoors in the fresh air, even when it’s freezing cold or wet and windy. I never get ill these days.

Of course, it’s a lot of work and it can be tiring to drive to the stables in the morning before work and in the evening after work, as well as managing everything there and worrying about the sick animals. But there’s nothing better than seeing the horses after a stressful day at the office, hearing their cheerful neighing, getting all that unconditional love and giving it back to them. They’re the best resilience trainers you could have, and they’ve enriched my life massively.

Thanks a lot for talking to us, Sophie!

Would you like to find out more about Sophie, MinnieWinnie and Bonnie, support their care or just enjoy more miniature horse content? Visit them on Instagram: @minihorse.corner