Photos of my "almost dwarf filly"

[outlawridge]

ummmh the only thing he is not or ever has been a palomino. Would have been nice though

Was I looking at the wrong horse? Thought it was a blondie

sorry! OH!

 

[Marty]

OK Liz I was with your explainations and teachings until I hit this:

I do realize there are environmental issues at play,

What does that mean?

 

[runamuk]

I will add my colt again with a couple more pics.

 

[nootka]

Marty, what I meant was that sometimes there could be something environmental (such as a toxin ingested by a mare during pregnancy or as the foal grows, or even an infection or possibly a disease which caused a secondary symptom of causing dwarfism) causing the dwarfism.

Personally, I think the greatest cause is genetic, but I am not discounting that something else can cause isolated cases of dwarfism.

Liz

 

[tagalong]

It is unfortunate that so much mis-information/personal opinion is being presented as fact.

Charlotte

But where is anything being presented as fact? Everything on a message board is someone's OPINION. What I find to be unfortunate is the way some constantly assure us that the opinions and concerns of others are ridiculous or not worthy of discussion. And when it comes to this subject, I could not disagree more vehemently....

I see what Liz is talking about in her filly. The "thickness" - that can be hard to describe. The face. The overall look.

Yet so many people, including many on this forum, feel that it is their inalienable right to breed cute little mini babies...just because. Sorry, but the world is NOT crying out for more minis, especially those condemned to a life of pain and discomfort.

Well said, susanne. And thus we should all discuss, evaluate, examine, and discuss some more...

It's important to keep your mind open and TRY to learn, TRY to see where others are coming from.No, not all tiny ears are dwarf characteristics. I don't think that's the point some are trying to make.

I commend those who are explaining, providing examples, and attempting to share "their eye" to those who are still developing an eye.

I'm not saying my "eye" is perfect. I've got a pretty good one for draft horses and minis, those I am very familiar with. Now that I'm into Modern Shetlands, I have to re-train my eye for their very specific conformation and movement. I enjoy developing my eye. It IS hard. I am very interested to see WHY the ponies I have aren't that great compared to ponies who ARE great. Because I always strive to improve and learn.

Excellent post, disneyhorse... especially the part I bolded.

Marty - there is bad conformation... tending to the "old style"... and then there are dwarf influences. They may or may not overlap. Either way - bad individuals should not be bred. No need to freak out - but simply to look once, twice, three times.... and think.

Of course, some carriers show no signs whatsoever (this is assuming that it is a recessive gene and both parents are involved) ... but those who present obvious signs are easier to take note of.

I can look back now - and realize that many years ago, far from here, a different herd in a different place... some minis I thought of as "odd" or "cute" were undoubtedly minimally expressed dwarfs. It pains me to remember the wildly coloured one that was sold as a stallion - what did he pass on? I looked him up in the online studbook - and sure enough - he has/had sired a fair amount of foals.

He should have been gelded.

I also remember the little red filly that ran at her mama's side when I started working with minis... her excessively domed forehead and diminutive size made her a favourite of many visitors... but I always thought she looked "squashy". And her club feet were as bad as her dam's... who was of the old Ayers line and had a very early registration number. NOW I can look back and see that the little sorrel colt that was born to another daughter of the same mare was a dwarf - although his legs were "normal" for a newborn... and yet he was "wrong", somehow. Again - he was "thick" or "squashy". Within a week he collapsed... and died.

I also can look back and note that the smokey black silver dapple colt that was born to another mare - and who had scoliosis that made him seem as if he was a fancy sports car that zoomed off the road and got wrapped around a tree a bit - was also a dwarf. Except for his "dent" - he was "normal"... and ended up being a beloved pet..

I would post pictures of some of the above horses - but I can tell by the online studbook who owns them now and thus it would not be my place to post photos of them. The colt who died - I can post his pic - and will try to find it. And the silver dapple sports car - well, he ended up being mine before I found him his forever home... and as soon as I find his pictures - I will share them.

Thank you for the pictures, everyone.

 

[nootka]

Yes, tagalong, there are SO MANY that I know for a fact are dwarfs. Their owners call them "old style" but to me, that is not old style, just another word to give PR to something that should not be hidden.

This wildly colored stallion that was of very famous Eastern lines (now out of business) produced many babies. I saw some of those, and there were admitted dwarfs in there, but noone really thought to blame and stop breeding this amazingly marked black pinto stallion whose legs were quite twisted and short, and who obviously was suffering from dwarfism.

Not all dwarfs die young, and in going through my Historical Miniatures photo files, I look them up in the studbook and see just how many babies horses like Soats Lil Peanuts had....wow...many with farm names noone would associate with dwarfs.

The filly above, for example, carries my farm name. That is because I wanted her to have an identity and be traceable no matter what.

There are ways to explain away everything, especially mares like my filly. I did not turn down $4000 for nothing. She had a pretty severe underbite and no matter the price, I was not willing to let that go as an example of the horses I wanted to breed, nor to lie to anyone nor even sell her under the assumption that she would self-correct as her dam did.

Yes, the bite came from her dam, as did the bad proportions. She was a worse example than her dam. I felt like I was playing with fire in breeding either one ever again.

Liz