Stubborn as a mule in her campaign for a mini horse

Earlier this summer, 10-year-old Natalie Linders asked her parents whether she could get a miniature horse for the back yard of their home in Arden Hills.

Her mom, Carol, who was not completely on board with the idea, told her to ask the city first. Sometimes there are regulations about these kinds of things. "We put her to work checking things out."

So Natalie asked the city, and even when she didn't like the answers, she's kept asking. Through e-mail, in a letter, even at a city meeting.

And she'll ask again on Monday night, when the people elected to the City Council by Natalie's mom and dad and all their neighbors will consider Natalie's question.

It's been asked about miniature horses and other animals across the country, with mixed results. Miniature horses are allowed in Colma, Calif., but not in Nevada, Iowa.

But based on previous cases, Natalie could have a tough case to make, says Zona Schneider of the American Miniature Horse Registry.

Anecdotal evidence tells Schneider that it's usually a no-win situation trying to get a mini horse on a residential lot because it is a horse. Neighbors don't like odors, and they don't like flies, she said.

Natalie, who goes to horse camp in the summer and hangs horse posters on her bedroom walls, really wanted a big horse. But she knows that won't happen, especially in her back yard.

"It costs a lot of money to board a regular-size horse, and I heard they have smaller ones," she said. She read up on miniature horses and saw one at the State Fair. "I love horses."

When Natalie asked the city if a miniature horse was allowed, she was told miniature horses weren't mentioned. But animals are grouped in three ways -- domestic, farm and wild. Natalie's dogs are OK, but the city said her yard, about a third of an acre, isn't big enough for farm animals.

Natalie wasn't satisfied, so on Aug. 1 she sent an e-mail to city planner James Lehnhoff asking him to clarify how mini horses fit in the zoning rules.

"This is the first request we've had like this," he said.

• Domestic: "Common household pets, such as dogs and cats, other animals kept for amusement, companionship, decoration or interest."

• Farm animals: "Animals traditionally kept or raised on a farm for the purpose of providing food or products for sale or use, such as cattle, horses, goats, sheep, swine, fowl, bees, and animals raised for fur."

Setting a precedent

Then he thought about Natalie's neighbors -- most folks don't want the smell of manure wafting through their window at breakfast.

And he thought that if he said Natalie could have a mini horse, everyone could have one.

The thing is that a domestic animal can pretty much live anywhere, but farm animals require a certain amount of space: Their shelters must be at least 200 feet from any lot line and any open area where they're held must be at least 400 feet from any lot line.

There are only a handful of properties in Natalie's hometown where a farm animal could live, Lehnhoff said.

Lehnhoff admits there's some leeway in the definitions.

He suggested to Natalie that if she didn't agree with him, she should ask the Planning Commission to make a ruling.

She did just that. On Aug. 16, she sent a letter that said why mini horses should be domestic animals.

"The impact on the property would most likely be minimal," she wrote, adding that she'd pick up all of the droppings. "Miniature horses are very quiet, calm animals."

Just to be clear, a miniature horse is exactly that - a horse, only smaller, said Ellen Aigner, co-owner of River Town Miniature Horse farm in Hastings. They have the same temperaments as full-size horses, she said, but can be more mellow.

A general rule is that three miniature horses can fit comfortably on an acre.

"A third of an acre, in my opinion, is not big enough to keep them happy," Aigner said.

Natalie's not so sure.

Making her case once more

Commission members seemed to agree that the definitions need to be reevaluated.

"It's kind of nebulous, as far as I'm concerned," commission member Andy Holewa said later. "We need to go and review this ordinance and do something more."

The Planning Commission didn't change Natalie's mind: "I still thought it was a domestic animal."

Brenda Holden, a City Council member who lives near Natalie, told her she will need to show the council how a miniature horse is different from a full-size horse.

But the real question, the one that got this whole thing started, is the one Natalie asked her parents: "Can I get a miniature horse?"In the beginning, I hoped she was going to find out it [the city] said no mini horses," Carol Linders said.

"I guess if all the chips fall into place and we can determine that the city's OK with it and that our back yard is a suitable home ...

"After all her effort, I'd be more inclined not to vote nay."