Dwarf advert

[BSharpRanch]

My cousin many years ago, raiding the ice box with Sparky!

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

banner in the house

 

[Magic Marker Minis]

We've brought our minis in the house a few times. We've even put them in a Ford Explorer and Focus.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

I'm so tempted to put my mini in my mini (Car)....

 

[horsehug]

I have hauled lots of different ways but this was the tiniest vehicle I took this little one in

And it was just about 20 miles

 

[Kim P]

This is our Peanut. We were told that he was raised inside with a German shepherd. The man we bought him from had him outside and I have never brought him inside. I think he would come in if I wanted him to.

 

[paintponylvr]

We raised our first shetland foal as an orphan due to her dam not accepting her. When she came home from the vet clinic after her 1st 48 hours of life, she wasn't regulating her temperature well and weather was projected to be bad for a while (MT blizzard in late May). We took her right into the house and she rode back and forth to "day care" with my kids. For 20 days, until she wouldn't stay laying down in the front passenger floor of the mini truck I had then.

Pic dad brought to me @ work w/ my 3 daughters the day Stuffy was born. They had named her... Chicka Chicka Boom Boom... after a toddler's alphabet song/book that was popular then...I had both the cassette tape (played a lot for the girls - they could sing the whole thing and recite the alphabet after) and the book.

By that afternoon when I got off work, it was pretty obvious that the foal may not have ever nursed - the mare kept knocking her down by pawing/striking whenever she got up, her bag was full & dripping. The foals' gums were pink but capillary refill time was sluggish, her eyes were "glued shut" w/ mucous from the wind where the mare kept knocking her down out in the paddock instead of letting her into the shelter, she was dehydrated (skin on neck stayed up/stuck together when pinched). I milked the mare into my hands (squalling, kicking when I did that, LOL) and carefully put it into the babies mouth and she swallowed. I did the back and forth thing for a while (dad & the girls weren't home & house was a LONG ways away from where I was in the pen w/ the mare/foal). It was obvious the foal had a will to live, so down to the neighbors I went. He allowed me to call the vet clinic (I didn't know the number yet) while hooking up his trailer, then we got the mare in and I held the foal on my lap in the trailer and bounced around with the pair... The vet gave her a 25% chance of living and I said, well, if you can do a couple of payments, Lets see what we can do. It wasn't cheap - but was much cheaper then than now. AND she did have a strong will to live. We did start out by milking out the mare - the vet said that she had nursed the foal at least once but that the immune transfer was really low. We did a blood transfusion on the foal & not sure what all else - since she stayed at the clinic and I didn't.

Of course, it helped that we'd just moved into the house and still didn't have our household goods (hubby was also overseas or it probably wouldn't have happened) that had a large enough kitchen/laundry room w/ linoleum w/ small entry ways into the hallway and the living room. That meant baby/dog gates worked to keep her in the kitchen! She slept on a baby mattress from one of the girls' cribs that I still had at the time. And we bottle/bowl fed her literally every 2-4 hours!! OMG, I got tired!!

Her sire and her dam were pastured out on my parents place and she was born there - 32 miles from the town I lived in. When she went to "day care" - she went back to parents place but she stayed in the camping trailer (an old one w/ lots of linoleum, too) on a bed of horse blankets and saddle pads. While the bad weather was "blowing" and the temps well below freezing, she wore not 1 but 2 of the toddler sweat shirts. The neck opening and arms worn "normal" on the 1st (pic of that) & then a 2nd w/ her tail thru the neck hole and hind legs thru the arms - w/ the 2 sweat shirts safety pinned together at the bottom hems. At 20+ days of age, when the bad weather had cleared and we couldn't easily transport her back and forth any more, she was moved back out to the pen she was born in - next to her sire. She got a big mineral lick tub (she often curled up in it - yuck), and got fed several times a day - feed soaked in mares milk replacer. She had free access to good quality alfalfa and grass hay (she nibbled) and her little bucket of milk were kept full - all the time... Other than being handled more than any other foal - she was treated like a horse and got halter trained after she went out to the pen. She thrived...

Here "Stuffy" (chicka boom didn't "stick" - though our youngest daughter NOW has a dog w/ that name!!) is with her 4th foal and our granddaughter (Skye's oldest) in 2013 - Grace was 2 1/2 yrs then. Over the years, Stuffy has been a family riding, parading, swimming, lesson giving, driving and mama pony EXTRAORDINAIRE, and I've never regretted giving her a chance at life or all the messes we cleaned up those first 20 days!!

We still own "Stuffy" and she is now 19 1/2 years old!

All that said - here in our previous house while raising foals - it wouldn't work to bring them in. BUT we did have a carport attached to the house right outside our kitchen door with dog kennels in it and we DID use that for both foaling out some mares, keeping mares w/ new foals that actually foaled out in the pastures in for a few days & a couple of times we put in sickly foals/ponies that we were treating - easier to do when right there at the house - especially in bad weather.

Here in this new house - it would take some work to put a foal in the kitchen. Hubby probably would be UNHAPPY, shoot, i might be, too. Might be just as easy/easier to put them under the carport in a dog kennel again... Though this set up is different than the last, think I could make that work better. We'll see - you just never know what's gonna happen when you have baby animals and I have several maiden mares pregnant for next year - EARLY...

******

As to the Ad - it makes me sad to see. It took me a couple of viewings before I caught that it was an ad for a large "doggy door" - not an ad for the little horse. BUT like other things, I can see why people are upset. I agree - terrible that they are using a dwarf as a representative of miniature horses. There are so many others that may have been better... BUT then, LOOK - here's a great way for all mini/pony owners to educate newcomers to the breed about the bad things that can happen with poor breeding practices and dwarf genetics.

I was upset when a dwarf in much worse shape (stronger dwarf characteristics - a weanling/yrling that I don't know if would have continued to live) than this fellow was put on display & offered for sale privately at an auction I regularly attend at least once a year (it's held 2x - in the spring and at Thanksgiving). He was with a farm that always attends that auction (one of the big supporters, I think) PLUS has lots of stuff they do with the public in OH where their farm/produce market/bakery is located. I didn't catch if this guy had come from their breeding of if he came from another situation (he may have?). I do know that he sold and went home w/ a new owner. I was PO'd that they profited from that little guy. I could only hope that he went home w/ someone that already knew about Dwarfism and could deal with any and all health issues that he will have...

It was seeing that a couple of years ago that made me go out and start researching the info - here and elsewhere on the net. It was VERY educational for me. Still makes me mad, though.

 

[AngC]

WOW. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one; i.e., bringing a horse inside. I enjoyed the photos, especially Sparky checking out the refrigerator. But...

I guess our house is too small or maybe our horses are too boisterous. I really can't picture any of them in the house. There's too many things they could hurt themselves on. I mean if the sky was falling and some sort of dire something happened (what... I can't even imagine) well yeah, then I would bring one or all in the house, but as a routine thing or an experiment, I just can't envision it. Even when Baby was a baby, it never entered my mind to bring her in the house. Although, we did go sleep in the barn. ...hauled a couple sleeping bags out and put them on a thick bed of straw in Nicky's stall. It was pretty comfy actually... a lot softer than camping. Nicky wasn't too thrilled, but one of my best memories is waking up with Nicky's nose a foot from my face and Baby suckling in the next stall.

 

[BSharpRanch]

When we were kids we were given a sickly day old bull calf by our uncle that raised Herefords. Mom stopped at an appliance store to get a huge box, then picked up some straw and medication. That calf lived in the space in the hallway where the dryer would have been. (My mom loved hanging her clothes on a line to dry!) As Wally gained strength us kids had to walk him and since it was too cold and wet out, we walked him through the house, my brother with the lead, I was the keeper of the coffee can! Yup, I had THE most important job of all, catching solids and liquids! I don't remember how long Wally was in the house, I know it was quite a while because of the cold and damp. He was such a cool pet!

And a side to above...just because money changes hands doesn't mean there is profit. Unless it is an insane amount like tens of thousands. JMTCW

 

[Kim P]

Oh Paula, I loved Stuffy's story! Loved the pictures too!

BSharp, great story and I agree that you had the most important job!

 

[paintponylvr]

KIm - Hehehe, yea, that was pretty special - it was touch and go for a while. Didn't know if she'd make it or not. She got the name "stuffy" as there was a road that cut thru my parents property (it was supposed to be a development with each "lot" being 20-30 acres) and her pen was on the opposite side from the house and main barn - closest to the road. While I was there and even now - 20 yrs later- most of them are still empty/not built on - which makes it nice. There were several people that stopped by and asked about that little stuffed animal in the pen! The nick name "stuck"...

Bsharp - You are right. For one, I don't know that he sold for what he was advertised at (not a small amount at all - especially when many of the minis at that sale routinely sell for $50... or did). Two - they may have sold him less than what they advertised him at. Three - they may have had lots of dollars into him already in medical bills - I don't know. I do know that the little guy generated a HUGE amount of walk-thrus thru their area at the sale barn. They always have the same area - and always have a large group of horses for sale - some registered, most handled and/or trained to ride/drive, all fat and shiny. AHHHH - but they are sale horses and they aren't always what they seem, LOL. I've seen both good and bad from that farm and I've also seen good and bad at that sale. NOT every Amish horse owner knows how to care for and train horses, nor fit them either. I think the term is "Caveat Emptor" - buyer be -a- ware.

= AngC - I think for every animal owner, ranch/farm owner you'll find a 50/50 split. Some will have a baby animal up in the bunkhouse, a line shack or even the main ranch house. Others will draw a line and that line is simple - all livestock - indeed all animals (including dogs/cats) - live in the barn and the barn only. Sometimes that was stated by the man of the house and sometimes by the woman. It really varies. I have known of families that could do "miracles" with baby orphaned and/or injured animals. They'd nurse them back to health and they'd either return to nature or they'd be back in the barnyard. I haven't a clue how some folks can raise some animals in the house.

Our "Stuffy" wasn't in the house long or much when you really think about it (she spent almost as much time in the cab of my truck as in the house itself). I'm glad I was only in my 30's then, I can't really imagine doing now what I did then. When I was a teenager, our neighbor w/ a 15 acre farmette had a sow with piglets. She kept pushing the one away - so he gave her to us. Well, the sow, in this case, was doing the right thing. There was something wrong with the piglet - our vet said we should just care for her as long as she lived (and later I understood he didn't expect it to be long). She actually live much longer than anyone expected - got to the point where she'd recognize my voice when I got home from school and called her out (like a dog) - she'd come squealing and running and would go out to go "potty" and roll around and play. I think she lived about a month... She never came close to the growth of her siblings, let me tell you. She was teeny, tiny! But she had her box w/ daily clean shredded paper, a blankie and a warm light over it. She got fed what ever baby piglets get fed (from a bottle though). She did have an aroma, but it certainly wasn't bad. Rosy was quite endearing in her own little piggy way. When she passed, she was neither processed nor "thrown away" - but was buried in the plot of land that our favored family dogs and cats were...

I LOVE THE STORY ABOUT THE CALF!! That's awesome! Think that Chanda also has a few stories that are similar.

And yes, I treasured time spent in the straw at the feet of my horses and ponies. You learned over the years who you could safely/comfortably sleep with and who you couldn't. I remember both long COLD nights and nights that were quite toasty warm - spent out in the barn "just 'cuz" or waiting for that new baby or dealing with a sick or injured horse. I have pics of my children (mostly the youngest) sleeping with/on the ponies, and with cats/dogs. Not surprisingly - everyone in our family puts up with dogs and cats stealing the covers on any given night - and the "owned ones" will sometimes switch rooms!

 

[chandab]

)

I LOVE THE STORY ABOUT THE CALF!! That's awesome! Think that Chanda also has a few stories that are similar.

Most of our calves stay out at the barn. Shayne used to bring sickly ones into the bath tub to warm them up, still does on occasion (if they are really bad), but most do quite well in the calf warmer box that is out in the tack building by the calving barn. I'd rather trek down to the barn, then have them track into the house, if at all possible. When we only had two dogs (the two we brought into the marriage, both are gone now); the calves spent time in the fenced garden spot that is now the dog run by the house.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Just for the record the little one was never actually loose in the field with the Friesans, there was hotwire between them at all time. If you can show me a 22" fully grown mini that is not a dwarf then I guess Amazon could have used it instead of Acer (who is by and out of imported American stock, btw) Since there is not a 22" "perfect" Mini around they went with this option. He was Vetted and pronounced fit for the work,. a Vet was on location all day. The Ad has broken all records for Amazon , hit wise. The Ad has nothing to do with Miniature Horses and is in no way promoting dwarfs.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

I have to disagree. I've had loads of people post the video to my Facebook and say this is the same as your ponies or when they see me say have you seen the advert with the little pony like yours. Many people DO think he is a proper miniature horse.

But it is raising awareness because for every person who asks I tell them about the condition and show them the difference. So in a way it is promoting miniatures as a whole.

 

[amysue]

While I do not believe that the ad was intended to promote or advertise dwarf minis, I do feel that the public's response to the ad does drum up interest in dwarf horses. The ad was for Amazon, implying that they ship quickly and that you can find almost anything on their site. The mini was just part of the show, meant to grab viewer's attention. It is the comments that people keep making on social media that promote intetest in dwarfs. I dont blame amazon, I dont blame anyone really but it does frustrate me when people assume all minis are dwarfs.

 

[AngC]

...If you can show me a 22" fully grown mini that is not a dwarf then I guess Amazon could have used it instead of Acer (who is by and out of imported American stock, btw)

Those darn Americans!

I thought the potential for dwarfism exists in all (most?) miniatures. Or is it just the US breeding?

 

[amysue]

Good question Ang. They are "American Miniature Horses"

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

It is found in shetlands and other breeds too, so it is not an "american" thing. Its caused by inbreeding which used to be very prevalent in miniatures - maybe still is. I blame it on the fact there is no AI available so many mini breeders simply had not got a large enough gene pool and used their best animals hoping for better animals and got dwarves. I think if it is less so in UK miniatures (as in british miniature horses, not british bred american miniatures) because of the fact it is easier to get to other breeders. UK is the size of some states.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Dwarfism I think actually came into American Minis from the imported stock, I know a lot of UK Shetlands had dwarfism at one point but it was achondroplasic not brachiocephalic. It is not relevant where it started as there is now a test and everyone should really be testing their horses now? Acer was an accident and three days after his birth his sire, who was imported not as a stallion but as a show horse/pet, was gelded and there will be no more "accidents" as there are no stallions on the place now. I am not sure that dwarfism is caused by inbreeding, in fact I am sure it is not as I am technically a dwarf myself and I can assure you I am not inbred. In dogs there are all sorts of issues that cause dwarfism. I have never heard of inbreeding being one. Of course if you breed a Min carrying dwarfism to another who happens to be a full sister, say, then by coincidence you are doubling up on the chances of a dwarf foal, but not by genetics. The situation in the UK is the same as in the States- I wonder why you would think it was different? Each breeder has their own stallion- few stallions stand at public stud, so that remark is neither helpful nor relevant. The fact remains that this ad is getting small horses noticed. Very few people are asking where they can get a dwarf as very few are aware he is one. Were they to contact Acers owner they would get the same reply you are giving" This is NOT a good representative of the breed, he is a dwarf and has many ongoing health problems that have cost me a small fortune. If you want a Miniature Horse there are many good studs around selling perfect quality animals" I repeat, this is not representing or promoting dwarfs as pets.

 

[Minimor]

Miniature horse dwarfism is caused by a mutation (or several mutations, since there are multiple forms of dwarfism in Minis)--and I don't think there is any evidence that inbreeding causes any mutation. Certainly inbreeding will cause the dwarfism to show up if you are using dwarf carriers for your program of inbreeding. Given the way horses are bought, sold and moved around the country, limited availability of different bloodlines is not an issue in the US and Canada, even if our two countries cover vast areas of land.

Given how many people have viewed this ad I have not had a single person ask me if I have "one like this" nor have I had any comments that compare my Minis to this little horse in the ad. Rabbits fizz is right--no one sees this and then starts looking for a dwarf--because unless they know minis they do not know he is a dwarf --they just see a cute little horse that is depicted in a cute situation...a house horse. The ad is about the ease of buying off amazon.com not about mini horses. Bottom line is they are not promoting the breeding and selling of dwarfs.