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Aww, he sounds so scared, poor little man. Do you have other horses as well? Letting him see you interact with a calm horse would be a good first step, even better if he could also live with a calm horse to help him feel safe. When you do spend time with him, I'd start in protective contact, that is, on the other side of the fence, so he feels safer. Just start by waiting for him to look at you, and toss a treat where he can reach it and then back away until he eats it. Stick at that stage for as long as you need to, until he is much less fearful of you on the outside of the fence (maybe even sitting on the ground to give him confidence) and give him a chance to associate you with the treats. Make sure he always has hay to much on as well - we don't want him to feel like he HAS to take the treats, but that he's comfortable enough (and they're yummy enough!) that he WANTS to. Once he gets more confident interacting with you through the fence, you can start having him take the treat from your hand, still with the fence between you, and start teaching the same leading position, so that he already has the basics of communication with you before you ever step into the pen with him, which will go a long way towards giving him confidence.

@@MiniatureHorsemanship Yes, I've been using another Mini as my "ambassador horse" LOL I've been letting him (Prince) watch me and the other horse (Shorty) interact for a while, giving him treats, pets and smooches. I've also recently turned them out in the pasture together and they are buddies now. Prince has finally started taking treats from me, but is still so very skittish. I'll just have to be patient with him. I think he's gotten more confidence from being around Shorty <3

I use Masterfeeds Krunch

Seems to be working now!

Just look for a miniature foal halter - they usually have quite a bit of adjustment for them as they grow. There are lots of online tack shops that specialize in Miniature Horse tack that should be able to help you out. At his age, instead of trying to catch him, it's a great time to just spend time sitting in his space until he gets curious enough to come over, and start teaching him that humans are great at scratching babies - scratch your way to friendship! It's beneficial for him to see his mom handled - catch her and give her a nice grooming, or take her for a walk and let him follow along so he knows human interaction is no big deal. He also probably needs his feet trimmed by four weeks (I usually trim mine for the first time by 2 weeks at the latest), which can be done at this age with him held gently over your lap while the farrier works.

It's a Jerald!

@@MiniatureHorsemanship thanks 🙏

It's a good idea yes, a safety feature in case on trace came loose, keeping it more stable and preventing it from being able to touch the horse. Some carts don't come with the keeper straps, but small dog collars work well!

@@MiniatureHorsemanship thank you! Makes sense. I am a new member of the Nova Scotia Miniature Horse society. Are you by any chance a member?

@@sassy6292 No, I'm in Alberta! I think that's a pretty active club though, I hope you have lots of fun!

@@MiniatureHorsemanship oh! Lolol. I thought you were in NS! Sorry about that.

We're in Alberta - these ones have seen -50 plenty of times. I just feed LOTS of extra hay (They eat about 4 times as much in those extreme temps to keep warm) make sure they have warm water at all times, and shelter from the wind. If they tell me they need a blanket, then I blanket as well, but most don't need one. Stay warm!

Every horse on the farm has access to shelters. Just because they don't happen to be visible in this short video doesn't mean they don't exist. And I assure you that 28 year old Pride, with his private pen and shelter, free choice hay, warm mash twice a day, daily meds to control his Cushings, hoof trims every 4 weeks, and cozy blanket when he needs it, is not by any stretch of the imagination a "sad old fella".