IS HE A DWARF??? WHATS YOUR OPINION

[shane]

hi guys , listen i see a lot of you onhere as my friends, so i need your help,

i have in my opinion a dwarf,

i wasnt sure at first, his bite was perfect at birth, he was 16 inches to the withers

the firstthing i noticed was a domed head at birth, its now straightened out

then his bite went off at about six months old, it too is coming back ok

then his legs needed help with magic shoes, nows hes back on his feet ok

he is now 1 year old, 23 inches {withers}he has a pot belly, and prominent backbone

his head is too big for his body,and his neck is too short,his hips are very weak,

his coat wont grow back, his skin is like tissue paper

i have already asked some very trusted friends on here who have said hes minimal,

yet on another forum, im getting feedback that hes not a dwarf?

so is he or isnt he?

thanks for your opinion

im slowly adding pictures from birth, this is when he was one week old

6 months old

and now i only tied him inside to take these pictures......sire is gelded

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[Songcatcher]

I agree with your assessment. While he certainly is not the worst case I have ever seen, he does look dwarfy to me.

 

[Marty]

He looked ok in the first top 2 pictures and then after that he took on some dwarf characteristics that I can see.

 

[disneyhorse]

It seems that many dwarfs are born looking fairly normal but as they get older, do not develop normally.

I would say your little guy is definitely a dwarf, but kudos to you for taking such excellent care of him!

Andrea

 

[Mona]

WOW, if I had to go only by the first pic you posted, I would never have thought him to be a dwARF, BUT YES, IN EVERY OTHER PHOTO aftERWARDS IT BECAME MORE AND MORE APPARENT. yES, i DO BELIEVE HE IS A DWARF. (oops, sorry for the caps lock)

 

[mininik]

I would say yes, this little one is a dwarf. Even if he isn't, he should be gelded (if possible and if he isn't already) to prevent him from being able to pass on his poor build even by accident.

Regarding his condition, I have seen quite a few Miniatures who had very poor coats that would not grow back over papery skin. I've also seen the same Minis blossom over a year or so with deworming and an excellent feed program. It's possible that this little one's condition may be genetic, but I'm curious what he's getting to eat and how often he is dewormed?

 

[zoey829]

He looks so sweet, but def dwarfy charecteristics. In my opinion

 

[nootka]

I feel that he is a dwarf.

I am glad he has a good home and proud of you for being open-minded...it is the only hope for our breed that we all keep open minds.

This incidence is not beneath even the largest, most prestigious of farms to happen...how we handle it is up to us.

Good luck....

Liz

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I feel that he is a dwarf. I am glad he has a good home and proud of you for being open-minded...it is the only hope for our breed that we all keep open minds.

This incidence is not beneath even the largest, most prestigious of farms to happen...how we handle it is up to us.

Good luck....

Liz

Well, I think Liz said everything that needed said and she said it well.

Best of luck to you in caring for this special little guy.h

 

[Margo_C-T]

I am not sure he is a dwarf, by the 'usual' definitions; if so, I'd consider him of a 'less common' type that the two types most widely recognized.

In the first photo, I was struck by how 'extremely' butt-high he appears; also, by how VERY 'heavy' his hocks and lower leg structure appear (and yes, I know he is 'fuzzy', but as I see the pic, this is my distinct impression.) To me, this might have been a 'signal' that there were conformational issues that would become more evident as he got older.

The 'roach' or 'hog' back is certainly one sign seen in dwarfism. I also notice, in his photos as he gets older, an overall 'narrowness'--his head/face is narrow, his front end is narrow, and in the 'rear end' shot, he's unusually 'narrow' all the way 'up and down', it appears....this I find unusual, and not necessarily a 'common' factor in the dwarves I've seen/seen photos of...though it certainly *could* be that.

He does have the other poor conformational features you've mentioned, yet I'm not sure whether he just has generally poor conformation, or whether he would/should truly warrant a description of 'dwarf'. It could even be that he has congenital issues that just 'are', and aren't really dwarfism, per se??

I do believe it sounds as if you've done your best to help and 'fix' some physical problems. I very much agree with having him gelded, so as to never risk that his issues might be passed on. I admire your forthrightness in bringing him here for discussion and opinions, and your care and concern for him!

The best of wishes to you and to the little guy !

Margo

 

[Miniv]

Shane,

If a person were to go by just the first baby picture, people would probably say - no, he wasn't a dwarf. But as he's matured he is showing some obvious dwarf characteristics, in my opinion.

I just want to applaud you for posting this as it is a wonderful learning tool for many people. Something tells me this little guy was born into the best home possible. Thank you!

 

[shane]

this was the day i KNEW something was wrong for sure,

i took him to a fun young handlers thinking ok hes got bad conformation but ihe can still have fun...wrong

then i noticed how tiny he was compared to all the other yearlings.

i will never take him to another show,

i do not ever want people to think this is the example of a true miniature horse

im appreciating each and every view on him, thank you so much

oh by the way, he is regularly wormer, hes just after a five day panacur,plus ivermectin 10 days later

any advice on feeding ect?

hes on ablib 24/7 haylage and two cups of feed balancer x2 a day with beet soaked,and alfphala

 

[HGFarm]

I agree also with your summary on this little guy. I have known a couple of people who had foals that looked pretty normal, to me anyhow, and as time went on, more and more characteristics came out showing more dwarfism.

He may not be show worthy in the ring, but these little guys are still so smart and cute and can make great therapy horses, and other things.

Your pics and story here is very educational and I also applaud you for sharing it. He is cute, none the less! And obviously well taken care of!!! You are a good mommy!

 

[Westwood Farms]

you know, I have really learned a lot from this post. It is the very small things pointed out in the first picture that gets me. I would have never seen that unless someone pointed it out to me. Then the progression pictures certainly point to dwarfism, but you never know...

He is a precious guy, and should make a great therapy type horse.

 

[Boinky]

I would say he's dwarfy (but i'm no expert). I do know there is a type of dwarfism that show's up at birth as fairly "normal" then as they grow the bone structure ect just doesn't grow at the rate it should and is even stunted ect. That's probably the case with this little guy.

 

[LisaF.]

I will have to say this is one of the best and most educational, threads I have seen on here in a long time. I think Liz said it perfect. I also agree with others you should be very proud of yourself. I can tell this horse is well loved and you take very good care of him. I think he would be perfect, for nursing home visit's, etc. I think you have a very SPECIAL little guy!

 

[justjinx]

i think this horse appears to be an Achondroplasia

dwarf. they often start out looking like normal foals but later look more dwarfy. characteristically the head is large for the body.

jennifer

 

[Marty]

I've seen it happen the other way around too when a foal is born and doesn't look quite right.......then a few months later blooms into a beautiful swan...........

 

[Sandee]

I enjoy the thread and the pictures but I'd like to ask you to get a picture of him (at his level) not quite so close up - perhaps with someone in it so we can get the perspective of his size. I don't see that his head is overly large in the pictures you have posted.

JMO but his dwarf characteristics are minimal although I do agree that I would geld him.

 

[litteangels]

You have a very special little guy

and I agree he would make a great therapy horse or even a seeing eye horse he is the right size for that.