Xena sends the following message via her devoted human guardian, Sherry ...
Hi! my name is Xena “Princess Warrior”. I’m a very small horse (22 inches high) with somewhat of a big attitude. I was born a dwarf to miniature parents in September, 2015. My owners rescued me so I could have a better quality of life. They love and take care of me even with my special disabilities. They intro-duced me to June, and she has been absolutely awesome. She is very caring and patient with me while working to correct the deformation of my hoofs. |
Note from June: On the right is a before-and-after picture of Xena's forelegs. We're going to try to help her hind legs next. Xena's owners don't know if she was born with her legs like this or if it is the result of neglect before they rescued her. Could be a combination of both. Dwarf minis often have skeletal abnormalities that are very difficult, if not impossible, to correct, but so far Xena is doing well with her corrected fores, and we're hoping we might be able to help the hinds also. Some miniature horses carry genes for dwarfism while still appearing normal themselves. Before miniature horses are bred, they should be tested, and a horse carrying the genes for dwarfism should only be bred to a horse not carrying this mutation, or preferably not bred at all, as owners of future generations may not bother to test. |