What do you think about someone selling a dwarf for profit?

[mininik]

[SIZE=12pt][/SIZE]
The problem with "selling" dwarves to whoever has the most money is that the people may be able to "buy" the "special needs" pet without really knowing what is in store for them as well as the "pet" in the future. I don't know HOW many people has offered me big $$$$$ for Doll, and the after talking to me for an very extended time about this problem and that problem they STILL have no clue about what it takes to care for one. And then ask me AGAIN why I had her spayed and did not breed her. I really guess it is not as much of the idea of "selling" a dwarf , but more about WHO buys it and HOW well they know the problems and what it takes to care for them.

April

Please note that I didn't say "selling dwarves to whoever has the most money." I said, "If someone is willing to pay for a special needs pet and can handle taking care of it, I don't see a problem with it." Just because someone is selling something doesn't mean they will sell to whoever has the most money. If a responsible person is selling a dwarf, they'll no doubt only place it in an appropriate home. As I said before, I doubt if that person was the breeder they would really be "profiting" much considering the huge investment most dwarf horses take in time and money to keep them alive. Of course, a responsible person might choose to give the dwarf to an appropriate home regardless of that investment. If an irresponsible person is getting rid of a dwarf, they obviously won't care where it goes no matter if they were trying to sell it or give it away.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I didnt really mean worthless I guess that was the wrong word but I meant more towards the angle of selling and breeding they are more so worthless. I had a dwarf myself and he was the sweetest little thing and my parents did take him to a sale but we didnt really expect to get much out of him we figured maybe $25 if that but it is amazing what people will do for, as I heard one person say at a sale, "an expensive lawn ornament". I have pictures of my dwarf we had, too his name was "Woody" because we had to put a splint on his front leg to straighten it or else he would have had to be put down. Here he is:

This is before his legs straightened completely but he was still a cute little begger!

 

[frekles93]

[SIZE=18pt]RESPONSIBLITY[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]That pretty much sums it all up. You need resposible breeders, owners, sellers and buyers. So yes selling a dwarf may not be the "end of the world" , but whos to say all parties involved are doing the right thing for the dwarf. I know there is ALWAYS that one bad apple that ruins the bunch.[/SIZE]

April

 

[uwharrie]

what about someone advertising one for public stud?

http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?f...mp;share_this=Y

This came off Fugly, only more reason for her dislike of mini breeders ( no she does not dislike them all but examples like this sure add fuel to the fire)

 

[uwharrie]

what about someone standing one at public stud?

http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?f...mp;share_this=Y

This came off Fugly Horse of the Day. Ads like this is what gives her fuel against mini breeders. ( She does know there are responsible ones out there)

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

what about someone standing one at public stud?
http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?f...mp;share_this=Y

This came off Fugly Horse of the Day. Ads like this is what gives her fuel against mini breeders. ( She does know there are responsible ones out there)

Sadly I have seen many more just like this and some even asking more money than that

 

[rabbitsfizz]

And that, and the flipping "calynches" (who said no-one deliberately breeds dwarfs????) is exactly what I mean.

If you charge an adoption fee that reflects some of what you have paid out, that is a WHOLE world away form getting as much as you can by disclosing no more than you have to!!!

If you could only hear some of the absolute TWADDLE I am told by people who do, actually, know better!!!

His legs will straighten

He'll never be taller than 20" (So what???)

They are really tough.

Etc etc etc.......

 

[Littleum]

I have no problem with someone asking a token amount ($500ish) for a dwarf.

I see that as a screening mechanism. If I had a dwarf to place, and someone came to me and said "I can't afford $500 to buy it" how on EARTH do I know they can afford vet bills? We all know how easy it is to rack up $500 in costs for routine vet and farrier care, much less the special care a dwarf will almost surely require.

Anyway, you guys are also assuming that the $500 actually exchanges hands. I know plenty of cases where a dwarf is ADVERTISED with a price tag, but in the end exchanges hands for nothing.

Now the case of people actually selling dwarfs for more then token amounts... or offering them at stud... please hand me a cream pie, so I might fling it at them with great force.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

[SIZE=10pt]ok my turn... I just posted an ad the other day wanting another dwarf to buddy with my remaining one.... I regretted GIVEING away my other 2 but they went to the same home and are SO loved you just have no idea how loved they are. The reason I regret it now, which if I asked the lady would give me one back, is that Doll has no one to buddy with. I how ever DID pay for Doll 6 years ago and the lady reasoning was that she fgured if someone put money into her that she would get taken care of, but in turn I could have used the money on dental work, feet ,ect. I don't think you should profit from the dwarves. Wonderful home SHOULD be sought out for them, not to the one with the deepest pockets. I can see an "adoption fee" being put in place as long as it is not too high, maybe a couple hundered. As for me I think they should be given away to knowledgable homes.[/SIZE]
Oh and I won't touch the "worthless" comment. I think that has been addressed.

I have added a pic of me dear little Doll...

April

What a little sweet-heart! I hope you find a friend for her!

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Don't even get me started on this one!

An accident is bound to happen if you breed long enough, but there are farms out there, even who advertise on this sale board, who constantly have dwarves for sale. Don't tell me they aren't doing it on purpose! Looking at their website is what got me on my last tirade regarding breeding tiny for the sake of tiny.

Just as bad, IMO, as the ones who blatantly advertise their new dwarf foal, listing the sire and dam big as day, then turn around and advertise the stallion for sale for $8500! Give me a break! :arg!

This subject really raises my blood pressure.

 

[Relic]

Oh dear...perhaps a nice hot cup of tea to relax maybe add in a little something extra

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Oh dear...perhaps a nice hot cup of tea to relax maybe add in a little something extra

This is too funny!

I'm actually drinking hot tea right now but it's not helping. Maybe I should have added the "something extra" and that would have made a difference.

 

[tagalong]

Here's Cowboy... who BTW is still a stallion at 6 1/2 and just under 26".

Only because none of the vets we use felt confident about how he would handle the anesthetic. No fears - he is not in with anyone, will never breed and could not mount anything bigger than a... ladybug.

But he thinks he is the herd sire around here... and many people prefer to visit with Cowboy instead of the fancy show horses.

In the photo he is standing next to the wheelchair of our farrier's elderly mom - who loved Cowboy. Those are her pink pants. The little snot gives me a hard time with his baths (like wrassling a greased pig) and clipping at times... but he would happily spend an hour with his head resting on Polly's knee while the other minis were being trimmed, letting her stroke his nose with her gnarled, shaky hands - his expression one of sheer bliss. Sadly, his good friend Polly is no longer with us - but I'll always remember her love for Cowboy and the sweet nothings she whispered to him.

So our herd goes like this...

Twice Reserve National Grand Champion stallion and herd sire... $$$$$$$$

Refined and lovely mares including many Supremes and National Champions.... $$$$$$$$$$$

Watching Cowboy (related to none of the above) strut his stuff on the lawn, think he is The Best and warming people's hearts.... priceless.

Selling one? Never at a sale. Never to just anyone. Never to anything other than a home I have checked out that knows the difficulties of the road ahead and and fully understands the issues involved. And if I found such a home - I would give them the dwarf. As long as we stayed in touch...

As for Cowboy - he isn't going anywhere....

 

[Carolyn R]

Just as bad, IMO, as the ones who blatantly advertise their new dwarf foal, listing the sire and dam big as day, then turn around and advertise the stallion for sale for $8500! Give me a break! :arg!

saw that one too, bothered me alot. I know of another that had several dwarf, dwarfy and aborted foals in one year, only to find out he was sold to someone about 500 miles away

I don't know if they were ever told,

Carolyn

 

[shane]

hi tagalong!

i have to say ...cowboys legs look in great shape, your obviously doing a fantastic job on him,

my dwarf had to have magic shoes put on for while when he was 6 months old, hes now 2, but his spine is very prominent as is his spine, so it looks awfull when hes clipped, i have to wear a lightweight rug on him , incase anyone thinks hes starving, ...

what do you feed him on???

thanks

 

[icspots]

i got my first dwarf this year after 11 years of breeding. Always thought I'd put them down or give them away ASAP should I ever get one. When she was born, I contacted a lady in another state that really specializes in helping them and placing them. She came to visit and was very surprised that little Polly had good legs and feet, and runs and bucks tail in the air. I mentioned to someone that I would be giving her away, and had petting zoos contacting me. NO WAY, she is NOT a side show attraction to be tormented by unsupervised children (go on u-tube and watch some of the "miniature horse" videos). What I discovered is that even though she really is so ugly she's cute, she has the sweetest temperament I've ever seen, and the quintessential porcelin doll eyes and I don't know how anybody could take one to a sale and let them go to an uncertain fate! Polly will eventually be placed somewhere, but I can't stomach the idea of her having a miserable life, or someone taking her and trying to profit from her handicap.

 

[Reijel's Mom]

Very touchy area.Personally I do not think they should ever be sold.

If I had one and could not give it the time it needed and a good home turned up as they often do for these maimed little things, even when there is a queue of healthy animals looking for homes, then I would place it on permanent loan.

It would remain my property.

Why do good homes turn up for these "maimed little things" and not useful horses? I bought a Shetland Pony at an auction a couple of years ago, who has bad legs and assorted other issues, and everyone else wanted to buy it as a riding pony. It would not have survived. So, I guess I understand people wanting to help the down-trotten. But it burns my britches, as I lower my prices again and again for healthy, sound animals.

Probably the same reason that in an animal shelter, the animals with REALLY hard luck stories get adopted more quickly - they tug at the heart strings.

 

[midnight star stables]

uke

Disgusting! Here is an article on the Miniature Calynche Horse scam... Just wow.

:No-Sad

 

[HGFarm]

I do not believe in selling dwarfs and feel sorry for the folks who buy one, thinking they are getting a cute chubby healthy LITTLE horse, and then find out otherwise! Many newcomers have been duped by unscrupulous people who just want it off their farm and a few bucks in their pocket.

I do agree, if it's something you desire not to keep or handle, with placing them in a loving and caring home who is ready and willing to take on the medical problems (and I mean everything from teeth to hooves and in between as dwarfs are noted for having internal problems with organs as well) and has the funds to do so and take care of them properly until it is 'time'. Also people that are prepared to handle their shorter than normal life span.

Because there is so much extra care and cost involved in providing for these special little guys, I dont think it's fair to charge someone actual money for taking on an animal that is going to require a lot medically and are unable to be shown, driven, bred or managed like a 'normal' counterpart would be- even as a simple pet for a family.

Many kudos to folks who offer homes to these guys and your time and patience to do so. I have only known one personally- a friend of mine had a TINY one. Unfortunately she only lived to see life just past her first birthday. She matured at about the height of a basketball- I still have her news video clip from a Phoenix station.

And they are the SWEETEST things. Everybody who met this little gal had their heart touched by her and we all cried when she passed away. We had many laughs watching her antics- and the first thing she would do when she met you was to come over and see if you had shoes with shoestrings, and she would untie them. Possibly because that was the only thing she could reach! She was very very smart- even seeming to possess analytical skills at times and you could sure see her brain working all the time.

She was truly precious, and it was sad because when she passed away, the kids in that family hoped they would have another one born just like her- they all loved her so much. The kids knew she was different, but didnt really know any better.

 

[Hosscrazy]

And what if the dwarf is not in a good home. And the owners decided to sell the dwarf. Would you still have a problem with that, knowing that the dwarf would have a decent chance of going to a good home if he/she were sold?

Here's my dwarf Angel:

Liz R.