This page was last updated: November 14, 2009
Touchstone Farm
Quarter Horses * Miniature Horses
Manager: Kim Kulenguski
81 Jones Mountain Road
Madison, Virginia - 22727
Farm: 540-948-6085
Cell: 540-407-0298
Email: touchstonefarmva@aol.com
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Miniature Dwarf Information
As many miniature horse owners have come to realize, there are
the ups and downs to breeding horses, especially the miniature
horse breed. Becuase of their small size and genetic traits,
occasionally breeders find out their beautiful broodmare and stallion
has produced what is called a dwarf. Dwarves normally have special
needs and can be 'hidden' by breeders who are ashamed their
horses have produced a foal of such nature, or they just don't know
it. There are different levels of dwarfism, from slight and moderate to
severe. Some can live comfortably with a little help while others
soon pass on due to their severity of their condition.
Animal research indicates that there are more than 320 separate and distinct types of dwarfism, each with a unique genetic marker and characteristics. But a few common complications with miniature dwarf equines is their leg conformation: generally they have some sort of lax tendon that creates too much bend in a joint and as they grow the joints fuse into place and they are permanently walking on their ankles, heels, ect. Also common is bite problems: either too many teeth for their small mouth, overbite, underbite, molars and incisors out of line. Some even though they are smaller than the average miniature horse, may still have miniature horse size organs...too big for their body! This causes organ failure as they grow and is a common reason for deaths in miniature horses.
Specific types of dwarfism that are commonly seen: Achondroplasia, Diastrophic, and Brachiocephalia.
Achondroplasia: Specific physical characteristics such as short limbs, small ears with a normal head, neck and torso. These deformities do not adversely affect the intelligence or lifespan of the horse. Normal bone growth does not occur and often develops unevenly at the joints, causing crooked legs.
Diastrophic: Literally meaning “twisted limb”, these types of horse dwarfs are characterized by a roached-back with protruding spine, deformed leg bones, short neck, bulbous head, cow hocks and leg ligament anomalies. The brachiocephalic dwarf horse has far more observable anomalies than the achondroplastic dwarf, and this type of dwarfism is far more disabling, primarily because of the severe leg deformities and nasal constriction.
Brachiocephalia: Literally meaning “large head”, these types of horse dwarfs are characterized by small size and large domed heads. This type of dwarf may exhibit deformed limbs, severe malocclusion (monkey jaw, an "under bite with the lower teeth protruding), and a mashed-in face, similar to a Pug dog. Mini's with this condition generally have difficulty breathing and you can sometimes here a ''rattle'' or odd noise when they breath.
While some dwarves can be hard to pick out, others are bred by breeders to produce that smallest horse possible to be sold for a profit. Many vets have pointed out the obvious genetic traits that are passed down when breeding miniature horses.
When breeding miniature horses it is important to remember what your goal is before picking out who to breed. Miniature horse farms in general have a high mortality rate, as high as 1/3 depending on the breeder.
Many dwarf miniature horses suffer from contracted tendons, locking stifles, sinus infections, shoulder dysplasia, restricted breathing, and arthritis to name a few...please think of them before breeding or even caring for a dwarf. They are a *SPECIAL NEEDS* equine.
Our specific information was gathered through research, experience, and a collection of websites listed below:
Also include are websites that can be useful if you are looking to place a dwarf, help a dwarf, or adopt a dwarf:
Meet our senior dwarf....SIR WINSTON!-Came to our farm January 2008
-Came to our farm January 2008"Winston" came from a wonderful farm in Ohio that saw fit to donate him to our rescue. He will forever live out his life here. He is about 10 years old and is clearly a dwarf. He has a short back, neck and legs, but full mini size head and torso, ok bite, his hind legs bow out at the fetlock so he is pretty much walking on the side of his hooves which we give him joint supplements to help keep him comfortable and farrier work every 4 weeks. He is a fun little guy and has the best personality. We love him dearly and he will reamin on our farm forever with his blessed broodmares. He is only about 27'' tall, compare him in the photo to our 33'' mare. He is comfortable for the time being and we are lucky to have him.
Meet our dwarf colt....TOBY!-RIP: 2008 - 2009
-RIP: 2008 - 2009"Toby" came to us from a breeding farm in West Virginia. They've been breeding many years and unfortunately ran the luck of having a dwarf. It is impossible to tell as of yet which ones carry the recessive dwarf gene and if both mare and stallion are carriers they have a chance of producing a dwarf offspring. We are hoping science will find a test for dwarfism sooner than later! Toby is a very sweet little colt, a bit shy at first, but an absolute adorable little guy with quiet a personality. He hangs with the weanlings and our other dwarf Winston. They are a lot similar in the way they are built, Toby is just only a weanling still! He is one of the fortunate few who was born at a knowledgeable and responsible farm who took charge of taking aggressive car of his hooves and making sure they stayed as correct as possible while he is growing. We have his feet done every 3-4 weeks to keep them as correct as his toe wants to grow longer than it should and rotate to the outside which would cause serious lameness issues if not routinely cared for. **UPDATE: Sad news as it is, we new the chances with dwarves, Toby passed on due to heart and organ failure in April 2009. He will be greatly missed as he was a favorite around here.
CLICK HERE to see his memorial and others just like him
