Responsibilities of Owning a Dwarf

   I am a member of a wonderful forum called SevenAcres Farm Forum which is an open discussion of equine.  One person posted that she would love to have a dwarf.  I was impressed with the advise that Barbara one of the members gave the group and  I thought that I should share it with you.

"There is probably a forum for discussion of dwarf minis - maybe someone can direct you there.

What I learned by reading the one that was hosted here for a while was that the dwarf minis are a tremendous responsibility. Taking one is similar to adopting a special needs child - they need much more medical attention and care than regular minis, many have extensive health problems, and they aren't easy to care for.

They're not just pets, they're major responsibility and very expensive to keep alive.

In terms of the intensity of their needs - one of the things that impressed me about Little Bit's care is that Janell got a sitter for him when she and her husband went out (New Years?).

This is a major commitment to an animal with a limited life expectancy, and keeping these little ones alive -- and able to eat, with their dental problems, and to walk, with their leg and hoof problems -- is a not an easy job.

There's so much more, though. One of the big shockers for me came when someone (possibly Janell, who did so much to educate us) explained that the dwarf has normal-size organs inside that small frame, and there simply isn't room in there for normal-size heart and lungs to function as they need to. It's sort of like their normal-size teeth and tongues in their small mouths - but you can see that these don't fit, and you can't see the internal parts that are too big for them too.

Barbara in Arkansas - who has great admiration for the dedicated dwarf owners, and also thought at first that I'd love to have a dwarf mini, until I read about all that was involved, and felt the heartbreak when our little friends from the board didn't keep living, even with excellent care -"

I thank Barbara for allowing me to share it with you.  You can see Little Bit on the "In Memory Page".  I am fortunate that Primo is a minimal dwarf and has not had the problems that so many dwarfs have.  If you have a dwarf, you love it and care for it....but it is not something that you breed for just to have a tiny horse.