Parental Responsibilities

The Minions are very well, very happy and very enthusiastic about everything and everyone.

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But……. they need to be castrated for a number of reasons:-

1.  Their growth has been stunted and they are of no use for breeding.

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2.  I would hate them to fall into the wrong hands and someone to think they were small and therefore perfect to use as stallions in the miniature Shetland pony market.  Both Waffle and Silver are standard Shetland ponies.

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3.  There are far too many Shetland pony stallions, licensed, vetted or registered out there who should or should not be used for breeding.

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4.  They will have a much easier life as geldings and can be incorporated into any herd we want.

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5.  I could do with a peaceful life.

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So I have  arranged for them all to be castrated on 18th June at Sandness, where there are stables and a small paddock they can go into afterwards.   The Minions will be moved over the night before and Daisy and I will scrub out the stable with Fam 30 (Multi-Purpose Iodophor Disinfectant).  They will remain in Sandness for a few days to recover and then return to Thordale.

For those that have asked about their heights (they are all one year old btw):-

Silver – is 31.5″ tall

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Waffle is 32″.

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And Storm is 29″. (I’ve owned bigger dogs).

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While The Minions are being castrated, we will take some scissors/clippers to them and get the rest of the tats off.  They will get a good going over ready for summer so they don’t think that all we do is pull fur off them.  I can see them beginning to resent us for doing this.

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So that is what I intend, as a responsible owner of 3 rescued but under-developed/stunted little boys.  They can live their lives out having fun without any hormones getting in their way.

I hope that all makes sense. I want to be a responsible parent.

 

6 thoughts on “Parental Responsibilities

  1. Mairead

    Makes perfect sense to me – they can then live their lives as happy ponies. Well done for stating your reasons so clearly and concisely.

    Reply
  2. bigears

    I never see the point of people keeping ‘mediocre’ horses entire – they just curtail their freedom. I am not saying your boys are sub-standard but if you wanted to breed shetlands, they wouldn’t be your first pick given Mr Ping Pong’s credentials.

    They are adorable, and once done, they can have a much wider life, I hate seeing colts being kept banged up when there is no commercial reason not to remove their castanettes!

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  3. Michelle

    You are a wonderful parent – as evidenced by your two beautiful and responsible girls! You will do no less by your animals, and that’s a very good thing.

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  4. Linda

    It makes perfect sense, and I especially like reason #4.
    Thank you for the height measurements – it puts those little guys in perspective. And yes, our malamute and Storm are about the same height. 😉

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  5. robin

    Love seeing the Minions standing next to Daisy or you or the other horses to give some scale…THEY ARE SUCH SCAMPS – THEY’RE SCAMP-A-LICIOUS!!!!!

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  6. Vicki in the grip of Grippe

    Look how handsome they are under all that hair! Reason 5 works for me. Snip snip snip.

    Reply

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