Where is Silverleaf Farm.

Silverleaf Farm is located 95 miles North of Conroe, Texas on 20 beautiful acres in Madisonville, Texas.

What is Silverleaf Miniature Horse Farm?

Silverleaf farm is owned and operated by Raymond and Janice Pope. Silverleaf Farm is the home of AMHA and AMHR Registered Champion and National Champion Miniature Horses.

The Purpose of Silverleaf Farm.

Our purpose as a miniature horse farm is to produce the highest quality little horses in miniature. We strive for outstanding confirmation, intelligence and athletic ability as well as a gentle, loving temperament. Our Arab type miniatures are truly God’s little creatures. We offer support not only during the sale but also after the sale. We are always available to answer all your questions and show you how to show your miniature to his/her utmost potential.

We condition and show our own horses and have obtained titles as high as National Champion, therefore we have the knowledge and expertise to lend support in whatever area of show is your preference. We would like to not only introduce you into the wonderful world of miniatures, but also be able to share our knowledge of all the exciting things you can do with these wonderful little creatures. Showing or just loving your miniature horse, we are here to help you find the little horse most suited to your individual needs.

We have never placed our horses in auctions because we believe our horses deserve the wonderful opportunity to have loving homes through private sales.

Not only have our horses excelled in the show ring but have won numerous hearts in the private homes of those who have purchased them for love and affection. All Silverleaf horses are imprinted at birth, given the utmost physical as well as emotional care and support. They are given health care, are trimmed regularly (feet and coat), wormed regularly, given their first shots at weaning and lots and lots of love.

All international miniature horse sales are welcome as well as sales here in the states. We are ready to help you find the most reasonable and reliable service available, including quarantine for the overseas sales. We will ship anywhere including Canada, Guam, Germany, England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, Wales, Mexico, Spain, France, Hawaii, Russia, etc.

Silverleaf Farm Foundation Breeding Stock

Silverleaf miniature horses have proved themselves in the showing time and again. Our main herd sire SW Thunderbolt’s first three fillies shown as yearlings at Nationals not only took National Championships themselves but also obtained the title for their father as National Champion Get of Sire. The proof of champions is in the get. Not all Champion horses produce champions. SW Thunderbolt has more than proven his ability to produce champions in his offspring. Not only does he produce National Champion Halter Horses with excellent confirmation but is homozygous as well. All that and color too! Color! Color! Color!

We have just recently acquired a National Reserve Champion stallion out of National Grand Champion, Sierra Dawn Uno De Mayo. Sierra Dawn Unos Chubasco. Chubasco’s show record is incredible: winning the AMHA futurity three years straight, taking Regional Championships, Supreme halter titles and last but not least AMHA Reserve National Champion Senior Stallion. Get from Cubasco will be available in the summer of 2007. Be sure and check our website to see pictures of Chubasco’s first foals.

Waiting in the wings for the 2008 foal year is SLF Unos Black Shadow Mystic Shadow, an own son of National Champion Sierra Dawns Unos Black Magic and own double bred grandson of National Grand Champion Uno De Mayo.

Of course, the sire is only half the foal. Our mares are National Champions in their own right or daughters and granddaughters of National Champions as well as some of the strongest mini bloodlines in the country. Such great bloodlines as Gold Melody Boy, Rowdy, Shadow Oaks Paul Bunyan, Diamond Yellow Little Feather, Solid Gold Tender Persuasion, Bond Showboy, Bond Sir Galahad, Boones Little Buckeroo, Bond Chauncey, Sunny Side Up just to name a few.

We offer financing options that will suit your personal needs. No reasonable offer is refused. No interest on short terms. Pay through Paypal, email for further information.

Want to learn more about showing and the standard of the miniature horse, just visit the two websites below:

AMHA - American Miniature Horse Association
AMHR – American Miniature Horse Registry

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. WE ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO TALK MINIS.

Care of the American Miniature Horse

Taking care of miniature horses is much like taking care of their bigger cousins, just on a much smaller scale. A little back yard will do with a small shelter.

Miniature horses need yearly dental care, yearling shots, and hoof trimming every 6-8 weeks.

Miniature horses need a fraction of the feed as the bigger equine. An 8oz cup of feed twice a day with free choice good horse hay or green fertilized grass is a perfect meal for the little ones. Just be sure you have a safe place to put them until the fertilizer melts or soaks in the ground. A good worming every 2-3 months is a must, alternating wormers such as Equimectrin and Safeguard. A good worming program is the best way to insure the best health for your horse. A daily wormer is also available on the market today, but again, different wormer kills different types of worms. Your local veterinarian can help you maintain a good worming program. A mini needs a good 12% grain or pellet feed to keep them at their best. If you notice they are getting a little on the heavy side it is good to cut back on the grass and hay. Miniature horses, just like their bigger friends do need plenty of roughage in their diet.

If you notice your mini rolling, getting up and rolling again or rolling over on their back it is a good idea to notify your veterinarian. Minis do not seem to have a problem with colic as their bigger equine friends, but every precaution should be taken. If they roll, get up, shake and return to their grazing they are probably just rubbing a fly off their back

The biggest favor you can do your mini is to know their regular habits. If they act differently and you are not sure as to there behavior the safest thing to do is call you local veterinarian and heed their advice.

Miniatures also seem to lay out more their bigger equine friends. They seem to enjoy sunning and laying out in their stalls at night when they rest. If, however, you suspect any unfamiliar behavior, do not hesitate to contact you local veterinarian.
Showing the American Miniature Horse

The American Miniature Horse Association (association for the American Miniature Horse) and The American Miniature Horse Registry (association for the Miniature Horse and Modern/Classic Shetland Ponies), offer sanctioned shows across this country as well as in other counties such as Canada, England, Australia, to name a few. The show schedule is designed to include everyone. There are Open classes for the Professionals and Amateurs. There are Amateur classes for the new and old less experienced exhibitors. There are Youth classes divided by the age of the youth as well as the sex of the horse in halter classes. There are driving classes, showmanship classes, obstacle classes and jumping classes for each group of exhibitors. At the end of the year is the Nationals/World Show held by each association. This is why exhibitors work all year, to qualify their miniature horses for the Nationals/World Show. Each Association has show rules and regulations that can be viewed online.

The American Miniature Horse Associations are designed to help miniature horse owners in registration, DNA, show rules and regulations. Employees of both American Miniature Horse Association and the American Miniature Horse Registry are always courteous and ready to answer any and all of your questions.
Color of the American Miniature Horse

The miniature horse comes in all color and all colors are acceptable in the American Miniature Horse Association (AMHA) and the American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR). They come in solids, pinto (tobianos, overos, toveros, etc.), appaloosas, duns, buckskins, cremellos, and perlinos. Blue eyes are acceptable also. Foaling out a miniature is like opening a Christmas package, you never know what color you are going to see. You also never know what color they are going to become! The American Miniature Horse in nortorious for changing colors as they mature. It is absolutely amazing to watch them change.
Birthing American Miniature Horse Foals

Silverleaf Farm monitors all their mares with the Foal Alert System. They wear a halter with a transmitter attached. When the mare lays down for any length of time the transmitter is tilted and sends a signal to a small hand size beeper which we carry with us as we do our daily chores and keep by our bedside at night. A visual monitor shows whether she is foaling or just laying down for a short nap. When the mare starts the birthing process we are there immediately, silently watching in the corner, to make sure everything goes as it should. Our foals are then towel dried and imprinted immediately upon birth. After the foal is up and nursing we leave Mother and baby alone to bond. The monitor still on, we watch to make sure everything is well through the night for mare and foal. A wonderful book we have explaining the entire birthing process and explaining what do if anything goes wrong is Blessed Are The Brood Mares by M. Phyllis Lose, V.M.D. This book also takes the foals through their first few weeks.

STANDARD OF PERFECTION FOR THE MINIATURE HORSE

A small, sound, well-balanced horse, possessing the correct conformation characteristics required of most breeds. Refinement and feminity in the mare. Boldness and masculinity in the stallion – the general impression should be one of symmetry, strength, agility and alertness. Since the breed objective is the smallest horse, other characteristics being approximately equal.

The size of the miniature horse should not measure more than 34 inches at the withers, at the last hairs of the mane.

The head should be in proportion to length of neck and body. Broad forehead with large prominent eyes set wide apart. Comparatively short distance between eyes and muzzle. Profile of head slightly concave below the eyes. Large nostrils. Clean, refined, Even bite.

The ears should be medium in size, pointed. Carried alertly with tips curving slightly inward.

The throat latch should be clean and well defined allowing ample flexion at the pole.

The neck should be flexible, lengthy, in proportion to body and type and blending smoothly into the withers.

The shoulder should be long, sloping and well angulated, allowing a free-swinging stride and alert head/neck carriage, muscled forearm.

The body should be well muscled with ample bone and substance. Balanced and well proportioned. Short back in relation to length of underline. Smooth and generally level top-line. Deep girth and flank, Trim barrel.

The hindquarters should be long, well-muscled hip, thigh and gaskin. Highest point of croup to be same height. Tail set neither excessively high or low, but smoothly rounding off rump.

Legs should set straight and parallel when viewed from front or back. Straight, true and squarely set. Pasterns sloping aabout 45 dgrees and blending with no change of angle from the hooves to the ground. Hooves to be round and compact. Trimmed practicable for an unshod horse. Smooth, fluid gait in motion.

Any color or marking pattern, and any eye color, is equally acceptable. The hair should be silky.