Ok this has bothered me for a long time

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Manyspots

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2004
Messages
936
Reaction score
1
Location
Le Grand, Iowa
I have heard for many years that there are people purposely breeding little dwarves. I just can't believe it whether I am just that naive or just plain stupid . When we breed our minis and can have dystocias and problems normally how can anyone purposely breed the little dwarves surely knowing full well there can be complications? Again I heard of a recent sale with little dwarf fillies bringing $3700 and $4000 each. Hopefully they went to homes that want a pet and not breeders. Please no farm names mention but I just can't understand why anyone would purposely breed them. (Yeah, I know for money but geesh!) Lavonne
 
I can not believe that anyone woud want to do this either. These little dwarfs already have so many bite and leg problems, who would even want to buy one so that they would have endless vet bills.

Makes you sort of wonder when people are looking for one all of the time on Lilbeginnings.
 
So where was "SAID DWARF" Sale? I have never heard of one.

Yeah I don't know why people would purposely do that, I have a little guy, but he is six and has most of the dwarf issues. So he's just a pet.
 
This was a regular mniature horse sale that had some very nice horses. From what I understand the two little dwarfs were the high sellers. I would rather not mention the sale. The first time I attended this sale I saw a couple little dwarfs and thought I would buy them and see that they get medical attention or have them put to sleep. I thought I would be bidding up to maybe $200 to get them. Silly me. Lavonne
 
Hi All-

I just wanted to add to this, The people that we bord for (there barn burnt) have a Dwarf he is a yearling (so sweet), and when he came to us the man that ownes him thought that it was a good thing and wanted to bread him to mares. We were like NOOOOOO!!! it's not a good thing and you don't want more!!!

I just don't think people understand about them and that they take 10x the about on care.

His name is Lucky and is so sweet but with out us I don't know if he will get the proper care just because of the lack of know how. his owner love him very much but they just don't know.

his mom is another type of dwarf and is in foal again
default_no.gif
 
Hi All-

I just wanted to add to this, The people that we bord for (there barn burnt) have a Dwarf he is a yearling (so sweet), and when he came to us the man that ownes him thought that it was a good thing and wanted to bread him to mares. We were like NOOOOOO!!! it's not a good thing and you don't want more!!!

I just don't think people understand about them and that they take 10x the about on care.

His name is Lucky and is so sweet but with out us I don't know if he will get the proper care just because of the lack of know how. his owner love him very much but they just don't know.

his mom is another type of dwarf and is in foal again
default_no.gif
What does "another type of dwarf" mean?
 
Well I have been reading on it today..... I don't know much but there different types I dont want to speak out of tearm I googled it. she is not real small and her bite is fine but she has many other characteristics.

her legs, her big head short neck ect.
 
There is actually a very old Miniature auction (which I will not name but I am sure many members are familiar with) that consistently advertises dwarfs in their catalogues. And yes, they usually bring some of the best prices.

The first time our new farrier came out to the farm, we were talking about the minis and my mare that is expecting. He asked if we'd ever had a dwarf foal, and I said no, and he actually apologized. When I asked why, he remarked that he thought that the dwarves were really desirable because they are so small and rare. Needless to say he got an earful, but it just goes to show that the misconception is still out there, even in educated horsemen.
 
I have seen dwarves at sales but I don't know anyone personally who breeds for them. They do go high at sales and I always hope they go to good non-breeding homes. I don't see any problem with selling a dwarf myself. If you can't keep it, sell it to someone who can. If it is at a sale and the buyers bid it up, well the seller can't say no sale, you bid too high. Unfortunately, most buyers don't realize the health problems that accompany a dwarf-sometimes the vet bills can be very high. I have seen some foals sell at a sale that I suspected were actually dwarves and then seen them back at the next sale for sale again and now they had grown enough to be very obviously dwarf. That could just be a buyer trying to find a home for one that he did not know he bought. In those cases, it is not different dwarf horses, just the same one over again.

If someone is actually breeding for a dwarf for a high price-shame on them. Humans never fail to amaze me at what lengths they will go to for a $.
 
I actually had someone ask me to breed my mares to a stud that was clearly a dwarf. I declined.
 
I was shocked also, but that is what the two little ones went for.
default_no.gif
Sadly, I'm not convinced that they didn't go to a breeding home and not a pet home.

Last year (as some of you may recall from my posting) someone brought a mare to me (showed up with her and others in the back of her van) to be bred to Corona. One of the mares was what I used to call a minimal dwarf. I've sinced learned it's like being "a little bit pregnant." It's either a dwarf or it's not. Anyway, I told her no way and tried to explain how important Corona is to us and can't have sub-standard babies of his running around, etc. So then she said "well, what about your other stallion?" :DOH! Ok, clearly not getting it! So, finally came out a just said no way, not ever. Guess what??? She found another "breeder" (who also advertises themselves as a trainer here on LB
default_no.gif
) to breed her little dwarf to!!!

Believe me folks, it's not just the uninformed. These people know better and just didn't give a crap!!
 
It bothers me, also.

Ignorance is one excuse, but it can't be for long.

When someone is going to breed animals, they need to educate themselves at least basically as to the possible problems of the type of animal they are going to breed.

I know accidents happen, but we owe it to the animals we breed to do so responsibly and to try and BETTER the breed, not go backwards.

There is a lot of wonderful information on the Dwarf Q&A with John Eberth board hosted here on Lil Beginnings.

Liz
 
Sad! I would have never thought they were desirable in the horse world. I already told myself if I ever had one, I would give it away to a good loving, long term home that could care for it properly as I know nothing about them.
 
I'm going to add some information here that I don't think a lot of miniature horse owners are aware of. I was searching for slaughter statistics on miniature horses (yes, they are considered a delicacy in some countries---sick but true) when I clicked on the guidehorse site. While browsing the site, I came across an

article that was so sick I cried---- the growing sexual abuse of miniature horses. The smaller they are, the easier it is to keep them in the house as a sex slave. If you breed or sell horses, please check out people before you sell. We used to fear neglect if they sold too low but you can see from this article that price will not stop this abuse. Here is the site
default_no.gif
 
Last edited by a moderator:
OMG!!! I wish I hadn't read that. That thought never crossed my mind till now. It will haunt me forever.
default_no.gif
 
While at an auction a couple of years ago, there was a little mini filly that went through the sale who was a dwarf. We informed the autioneer after the sale, then informed the buyer. She had no idea that the cute tiny filly foal that she bought was a dwarf. She had bought it as a pet for her daughter. Well, she went back to the auctioneer and backed out of buying the filly.

They resold it, but informed the audience that it was a dwarf and all of the problems that came with owning a dwarf. It went off the second time for a fraction of the money it sold for the first time.

Sometimes people at an auction have to be informed to what they are getting into. They just think that something that tiny is just so cute!!

But, have you ever seen some of the "seeing eye horses"? Some of them are also minimal dwarfs.
 
Years ago a friend and I went to a farm to look at their horses they had for sale just for something to do for the day. Well this lady talked like she knew it all and her horses where the best bloodlines and so on. We looked at the horses in this one pen and told her she had cute dwarfs. Well she got all huffy and told us that they where not dwarfs but perfect little midget horses. Well they where dwarfs and some I would of considered sever. But there was no convincing her otherwise, because she was set in her ways. I believe that farm is no longer around.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top