dwarf mini or mini sheland x at local carnival

Discuss horse welfare and rescue and horses in need of assistance.

Moderators: Roguelet, WaveMaster, Jessi P, Diane

User avatar
sulphurfire
Allowance Winner
Posts: 370
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 5:33 pm
Location: southwest louisiana
Contact:

dwarf mini or mini sheland x at local carnival

Postby sulphurfire » Mon May 04, 2009 4:12 pm

Okay we took a break from working on the new house(should be in no
later than the middle of next week) and took the kids to the local
festival that is going on across the lake. My seven year old asked to
go see the "world's smallest horse." I hate these kinds of
exhibitions with animals, I personally thought they has done away with
the "freak" animal shows, I was way wrong, long story short, let him
go see it. It was a young less than two year old possibly less than a
year dwarf mini or mini shetland cross, in a 4 x 8 or so pen, water
evident, laying in shavings and it tore my heart out to see it(I don't
know if it's a boy or girl) and when I told the person at the front
that she didn't look so good(not poor, just worn out and exhausted) he
got gruff and said "you'd be tired too if you just rode in from Fla."
I called the local animal services today and got really nowhere the
lady she would ask her supervisor if they NEEDED to look into it. I'm
just heartsick for this little one, this is a carnival not people who
know how to take care of an animal especially with the medical
problems that can come with the dwarfism and also when i mentioned
that maybe they needed to check the health cert or coggins on the mini
the animal services lady just kind of shrugged that hint off. I'm
sorry to fuss and ramble on this, but if anyone has any other
suggestions on what I can do for this little one please let me know. The
carnival ends this weekend and I really worry for this little cream
colored baby if he stays with them.
"The rewards, whether for winning or for losing, offer almost irresistible temptations to race a two-year-old more times than are good for them." John Hay Whitney at the annual testimonial dinner in October 1963 for the Thoroughbred Club of America

Georgerz
Breeder's Cup Contender
Posts: 1754
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 3:13 pm
Location: Maple Valley, Washington

Postby Georgerz » Mon May 04, 2009 5:16 pm

I'd say myob.

jellac
Grade I Winner
Posts: 1542
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 6:46 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Postby jellac » Tue May 05, 2009 8:32 am

I'd say that animal welfare is 'everyone's business'. On the other hand you've done everything you can legally do at this point. I would check back with the local animal services Supervisor - especially your inquiry about a current Coggins as that goes to the health/wellbeing of all equines in the immediate area. That is something they can act upon I would think within their powers. I would do this even if you have to go in person.

The mini-donkey may have 'recovered' somewhat from his/her trip by now and in my experience a lot of young equines react this way after a trip to strange environs - just check out the yearlings at a yearling sale. many are laid out or curled up in their shavings at least they are at Lone Star (Texas) in the August heat. However, the carnie show doesn't sound like a very caring set of conditions overall for this tiny creature to be in. On the other hand you must accept that the Animal Services staff are empowered within the laws that apply only to act upon or deal with inhumane, insufficient and/or cruel conditions and the threshhold is pretty darn high as to what constitutes that. It has nothing to do with assuring that animals receive the 'best of care' or the level of care that 'we' would want to provide.

nferro9925
Grade III Winner
Posts: 1244
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 12:59 am

Postby nferro9925 » Tue May 05, 2009 4:46 pm

Maybe it can "accidentally" follow you home?

User avatar
sulphurfire
Allowance Winner
Posts: 370
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 5:33 pm
Location: southwest louisiana
Contact:

Postby sulphurfire » Wed May 06, 2009 5:23 am

I wish I could take it home with me, poor little baby noise all the time in the middle of a fairground, I just feel sorry for any critter that would have to stay in that situation.
"The rewards, whether for winning or for losing, offer almost irresistible temptations to race a two-year-old more times than are good for them." John Hay Whitney at the annual testimonial dinner in October 1963 for the Thoroughbred Club of America

Fair Play
Allowance Winner
Posts: 338
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 2:52 pm

Postby Fair Play » Wed May 06, 2009 7:34 am

sulphurfire wrote:I wish I could take it home with me, poor little baby noise all the time in the middle of a fairground, I just feel sorry for any critter that would have to stay in that situation.


If that is the same one (advertised as the smallest horse in the world) who was in Canada a year or two ago, my husband gave them heck as his feet were so overgrown they were curling up. The critter was so deformed it was sickening.

Why do fairs hire these idiots? Perhaps if more people explained to management what this exhibit really is, they would stop hiring these people who in turn would stop producing and dragging these poor little things around. :(

User avatar
Diane
Moderator
Posts: 884
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 12:36 pm
Location: SoCal

Postby Diane » Wed May 06, 2009 8:07 am

Maybe contacting the group that sponsored the event and expressing your concern would generate a 2nd look?

User avatar
helen in FL
Starters Handicap
Posts: 629
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2007 6:21 am
Location: north central florida

Postby helen in FL » Wed May 06, 2009 4:07 pm

That Mini has been to FL too. Ask his breeding and the guy said, "he's by an Impressive mare." Bad feet, curled toes, loved the rubs on the rump however.

majxmom
Grade I Winner
Posts: 1539
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2006 4:12 pm
Location: Knightsen, CA

Postby majxmom » Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:46 am

There's a lot of those attractions, not just one but one for every fair circuit.

I used to share a fence with the Alameda County Fairgrounds, and we used to board the "Smallest Horse in the World" and the "Biggest Horse in the World" for a few days before the fair. They were not anywhere near the biggest or smallest horse I'd ever seen. They would arrive two or three days before the fair opened, so the horses could relax a little before they got set up in their tent on the fairgrounds. I noticed that the mini was a very unhappy little horse. You couldn't scratch him or get near him; he'd just turn and kick. The big horse was friendly but they overfed him to the max so that he'd be big, so he was definitely at risk for founder. They gave us some free tickets so I went and visited them in the fair. They seemed very bored and rather unhappy in their tent, which was hot and had fans blowing all the time. If they could have been in the same tent, it might have been better for them, but they were separate attractions for double payment. The worst part was the obnoxious people in the tent with them, yelling at them all the time: "Hey, horse, hey horse, turn around, I paid to see you, hey horse, get over here!!!" It was not a very good life for them, but I suppose that they only did that from May through September, the fair season. They haven't been there the last few years. I think animal attractions are politically incorrect these days.
"When I am on my deathbed, I imagine I will say, 'Thank God I did that'" - Arthur Hancock, on buying back Gato del Sol from Europe after Exceller was killed in a slaughterhouse in Sweden.