This just absolutely floors me !!!!

[Tab]

I hate to be the devil's advocate but clubbed feet are caused by contracted tendons and aren't genetic. Congenital yes, often permanent, but not genetic. I don't agree with the ad or the fact that they have bred her for the following year. I wouldn't breed her, you wouldn't breed her, but it is done. Using Craigslist does not make you a "backyard breeder," nor does using the paper. My grandma bred an occasional litter of show ss dachshunds and used the paper (before the internet). Back to minis, the market is so flooded that people don't generally travel to look at minis any more and if you want to have half a chance placing a horse locally using craigslist may be the only way to go. Just putting that out there. Your ad may not be seen anywhere else because the sale boards are all chock full of ads. I do find myself shaking my head saying "why" a lot too, but you can't really single out one ad when there are so many just the same. In fact, this had been done to me. I had a gorgeous colt who had a problem, I was completely honest about his problem, I put emotion in my ad because a horse isn't just a horse to me. I was very serious about finding him the perfect home. All of my horses are like family. Well, my ad was splashed across a large horse forum. They brutally attacked me and the horse I was advertising, it was really awful. Thankfully, this horse ended up in a wonderful home, he was gelded, and is being trained to drive, used in 4-H and is loved. He is a beautiful little guy, turned out tiny, and guess what? The problem corrected exactly as I suspected it would!

 

[Tab]

I actually went to look at a rescue miniature for a fun little cart horse, id say at the beginning of the year up in PA; was rescued from an amish farm, she was under weight when they got her and had lice etc. When I went to see her she looked good, bomb proof and a wonderful personality but she didnt track right at the trot so I passed on her. But then the lady mentioned she had at an "offsite farm" 20+ minis with new foals etc that were AMHR so I decided to go look at them for the heck of it while I was up there, and lets just say I was dumb founded when I got to the other place.

Its bad when someone says they dont know what foal goes to what mom because they just let them foal in the field and dont even know it. They let a herd of 30 mares run around in a huge field that had little grass and mostly woods with a stallion that was 20 years old and bones sticking out everywhere and his mane and forelock so long he couldnt see and they said he was under weight from running around breeding all the mares... The poor foals were mis-proportioned and no where could have ever been used for a show horse and honestly could of had dwarf qualities in them when I looked back on it, she had by chance a nice looking foal and of course she was keeping the filly and going to breed her later (like she needed any more in that situation she created).

All she could say was how one that she sold became an AMHR hall of famer and was a top driving horse now and should have sold it for more then she did, yeah one and thats what you are going off of and justifying the prices and how many you produce which is basically a free for all? And all she did with these poor mins was use them for pony rides at a yearly fair other then that they were never touched.

It was just horrible thing to think a horse person would do that and think what they had set up was okay

I think I've been there, or maybe 2 or 3 other farms just like it. It was the most awesome thing to go to a small farm after seeing places like that. Those big "wal-mart" type farms are a big turn off to me. BIG turn off. Give me a small farm where they treat their horses like their kids any day! You all know a person whose barn is cleaner than their house? Now THAT I like to see. Bought my senior stallion from a place like that, but their house was just as clean. Puts me to shame. The horses come first... and they put all of themselves into what they have. We could all be so lucky!

 

[Mona]

I hate to be the devil's advocate but clubbed feet are caused by contracted tendons and aren't genetic. Congenital yes, often permanent, but not genetic.

That CAN be one cause for them, but they also CAN be hereditary. http://www.weitzequine.com/equine-club-foot/

 

[Tab]

That particular article does say heredity and the next article will say not heredity, over the years it has always depended upon who you talk to. In minis it's a thing that tends to pop up in lines you have never seen it before because they don't have enough space in-utero. I do not own a mini that has club feet (nor did the colt I spoke of a few paragraphs back) but I think you are a lot more likely to find it in this breed because of space constraints and diet, like other contracted tendons and windswept legs.

When you research it in people, and studies have assuredly been done, genetics are not found to be a factor.

 

[shorthorsemom]

clubbed feet can be caused by a poor trim over time. I had decent perfect feet on my guys... bargain farrier turned their feet into cans in appearance, way too much heel and snubbing the toe. Over time with a great farrier my guys have perfect and decent feet again. One cannot always assumed a clubbed appearance on feet is a flaw or genetic issue, it can also be a trimming issue too. Many causes for odd shaped hooves. In my opinion it is way easier to make a minis hooves look odd than a full sized horse, this bargain farrier did just fine on large horses. .

 

[Amoreminiatures]

Guess they live by the motto... Aim High... So incredibly sad that uneducated people continue this practice for wait...................... $275 dollars....................... Aim High.....