C3o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 26,1980
Mini horses are big celebrities
(Continued from Page C 29)
high price tags, Schadel,
said, citing figures of $l5OO to
$2OOO for a gelding, $3OOO to
$5OOO for a mare, and $5OOO
and up for colts. After that
the costs are much lower
than for a conventional
horse.
She explained that a
person can feed ten
miniature horses for what it
would take to feed one
standard size. “They eat 1%
cups of mixed feed in the
morning and evening, along
with a slice of alfalfa
timothy hay. Sometimes a
complete feed is added to the
yearlings’ rations to help
them through that awkward
growing stage.”
The horses are allowed to
run barefoot most of the time
at the Gettysburg farm. But
if they will be travelling on a
surface that requires shoes,
the farm has its own special
farrier who hand forges the
tiny shoes. Miniature
baiters, blankets, and tack
are specially made, too.
Training the horses is
easy, said Schadel who
boasts their excellent
temperaments. She related
how even the new imports
who were unaccustomed to
the number of people that
visit the farm every day,
displayed their good
dispositions. “They were a
bit scared of the people at
‘lrresistible’ that’s how one of the children visiting the miniature horse farm
felt about this youngster who, like his larger counterparts in the horse world,
seems to be all legs at this stage of his normal 40-year lifespan.
ELMER M. SHREINER
R.D.I, NEW PROVIDENCE, PA.
pennfield feeds
first, but none of them
kicked or bit.”
Even the breeding
stallions can be handled by
any of the young workers at
the horse farm, she added.
The stallions themselves are
stabled in adjacent stalls
that show no evidence of
fighting among the
stablemates. Mares with
foals are not vicious towards
people or their babies, she
said.
And, when the foals are
finally ready for school
work, Schadel said an un
cooperative student is easy
to handle. “We just pick up
Eighteen-year-old Don Franco is the main sire of
the farm foals. All colts born at the farm have a
prefix name of Sea a reflection of the owners’
careers in the Merchant Marines.
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the foals and carry them if
they don’t want to go where
we want them.”
The miniature horses earn
their keep from Good Friday
until Thanksgiving, putting
on four shows daily during
the peak summer months at
11 a.m., 1,3, and 5 p.m. The
farm’s hours are 9 a.m. to 6
p.m.
The horses perform in an
arena that, on a small scale,
rivals the Spanish arena
where the Lippizaner
stallions display their
amazing feats. As a matter
of fact, that is where Garula
got his idea for the show
FULL SERVICE DEALER
bam, built four years ago.
The arena, with a capacity of
about 800, is complete with
real crystal chandeliers and
a rubber flooring for sure
footing.
“The horses like the at
mosphere it makes it a
class act. The horses know
they look good even if they
make a mistake,” said
Schadel.
For an admission charge
of $3.50 for adults and $1.75
for children under 12, guests
of the Miniature Horse Farm
can watch as Christina
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c/oJohnZ Martin
RD #1 Box 716 New Holland Pa 17557
Ph 717 354 5848
performs amazing
mathematical feats, adding,
subtracting, multiplying and
dividing numbers; reacting
numbers visitors call out or
write down. She even knows
how to find the square root of
169, tapping her left forefoot
13 times. For the romantics,
one of the Arabian mares
‘kisses’ visitors who kneel
along the rail, while still
another talented miniature
shows the crowd the latest in
horse waltzes.
Schadel, who received her
Bachelor of Arts degree in
history from Millersville
State College summed up
her feelings for the small
horses when she said, “Why
would I want to get a job
anywhere else, when I can
ZIMMERMANS LIQ.
SERVICE
work with these horses and
enjoy every minute of it.”
So after 10 years, she and
the horses are still going 1
strong. She sure their stalls
are cleaned three times
every day, their hooves are
oiled every other day,
they’re brushed and
groomed every day, their
stalls are bedded with
sawdust, and their feed and
water buckets are clean.
In return, the horses at the
Gettysburg Miniature Horse
Farm give a mini-whinny of
thanks and put on a show
that capture the hearts of
thousands every year.
Zv\QQ£3
Rehrersburg Pa
Ph 717 933 4360
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