by Carol Mowdy Bond | Photos by Poppyseed Photography
About eight years ago, Angelina and Shawn Coffey bought property near Blanchard, Oklahoma, and built their home. As a country boy from Pauls Valley, Shawn Coffey’s expectations included livestock. But Angelina Coffey hails from Florida, and her outdoor résumé was all about beaches. However, she has been learning through experience.
She attended a horse auction with a friend, and they noticed a truck leaving the parking lot. “A horse was on a truck to go to Mexico to become dog food,” she says. “We pulled him off the truck and rescued him. But I had no idea what we were getting into.”
The Coffey family adopted the horse and named him Kenny. A miniature albino pony, Kenny proved to be an adventure from the first day.
Getting Acquainted with Kenny
Hesitant about the little horse’s personality and demeanor, Coffey says, “We brought him home, and I told the children not to touch him because we knew nothing about him. Next thing I know, my son bursts out the door and runs down the hill and jumps on him, and Kenny didn’t even move. He loves children, and he is the sweetest love bug.”
When he arrived, Kenny was suffering from a sunburn. The family proceeded with an ongoing sunburn regimen until Kenny fully healed. “We put sunblock on him every day and an ultraviolet shield, which he ripped off,” Coffey says. “I’ve gone through hundreds of dollars’ worth of UV shields.”
Kenny is well behaved when visitors are at the family’s ranch. But left to his own devices when no one is looking, he gets into trouble.
“He paws at the gate to get attention,” she says. “He stares at me until I open the gate. He’s very proud of himself for getting attention this way.”
Describing Kenny as humanlike, she says, “If you’re in the pasture and you’re not touching him, he will come up behind you and nuzzle you. He once flipped me upside down. But he’ll only do that kind of stuff to me.”
Kenny has become a family and fan favorite because his behavior offers constant entertainment and shenanigans. He has wrecked everything on the ranch, including fences.
“He is an absolute hoot and a wreck,” Coffey says. “He even broke into the barn, and he ate huge amounts of grain and hay that would kill a pony. But he was fine.
“Kenny is a lover. Most ponies will not mesh with cattle and donkeys. He meshes with anything. He even gets along with our guineas, and he loves chickens and ducks. He doesn’t discriminate.”
Living in an Agricultural World
Living on a ranch, Kenny is part of the agricultural world. When the Coffeys began to acquire livestock eight years ago, Coffey wanted cute little cows. But that was not what their initial miniature Highland cows turned out to be.
She says, “There are a lot of people who get scammed on miniature cows because they aren’t really miniature. They are huge. I don’t want people to get burned like I got burned. There is a difference of about 12 inches to 18 inches in size between micro and mini cows and a difference of anywhere from 800 to 1,000 pounds. A lot of our buyers are purchasing them for small homesteads with small children, and they need to know.”
About two years ago, the Coffeys opened Coffey’s Mini Cattle Co. so the public can interact with the animals.
Through an educated and complex process, the Coffeys and their three children train their top-of-the-line microminiature Highlands as pets and therapy cattle. Their process begins with their unique form of halterbreaking that teaches calves to respect children and to get used to children’s antics and noises. After the calves are weaned, they follow the herd and eat from 1,500-pound bales of hay.
Their animal brood grew. So today the Coffeys have quite a few calves plus donkeys, miniature painted donkeys, miniature ponies, microminiature ponies, mid-standard Highland cows, and Silkie chickens.
Bringing Families Together
The Coffeys train and book their livestock for special appearances at events and petting zoos. The family dresses Kenny up as a unicorn as part of the entertainment.
Besides ranch tours, the Coffeys book cuddle sessions, when people spend an hour playing with the animals. In addition, they host professional photography sessions with their animals.
“This brings families together,” says Coffey. “It brings my family together. We bring joy to the community with the services we offer.
“And Kenny is friends with everyone. I don’t know who had him before us. But we’ll never get rid of him.”
