We are just about ready to offer the Miniature dwarfism panel, which is made up of test for four different forms of dwarfism: D1, D2, D3 and D4.

Here are some points about dwarfism in Miniatures:

• A horse can be a carrier even if it’s never had a dwarf foal, it’s just a matter of luck
• Both parents of a dwarf foal are carriers (though they could carry different types of dwarfism)
• Some dwarf foals are lost in utero or shortly after birth, while others survive to become adults
• Malformations such as a hunched back often get worse with age
• D2 and D1 are the most common forms of Dwarfism found in Miniatures while D3 and D4 are relatively rare
• Carriers should only be mated to horses that are clear for all four known forms of dwarfism

This picture is a D1/D2 dwarf (this means one parent was a D1 carrier and one was a D2 carrier). Characteristics of this combination are an extremely short neck, domed forehead with ears at the back of the skull, underdeveloped top jaw, protruding tongue and in some cases deformed legs (this example is not too bad). Other combinations can cause abortion or have a different physical appearance.