Pumuckel, a Shetland Pony, Is Set to Break the Guinness World Record for the World’s Smallest Pony

Horse dwarfism results from a disturbance of the structural mechanisms in ligament and/or bone development.

Although it could happen in any horse breed, it is most common in miniature horses, Shetland ponies, and Friesians. Mustangs and donkeys have also been reported to have it.

Pumuckel the pony, the world's tiniest horse

(Photo : Soledad Lorieto/Unsplash)

According to owner Carola Weidemann, Pumuckel, a Shetland pony used for art therapy, is about to shatter the record for the tiniest pony in the world while visiting German kindergarteners and nursing homes, as per USA Today.

According to the outlet, Pumuckel is a cute three-year-old pony that resides in western Germany. He is quite adorable, according to Weidemann, and he stands on strong hooves that are about 20 inches tall.

Although Pumuckel is nearly 2 inches shorter than the current record-holder Bombel, a small Appaloosa horse born with dwarfism, Guinness World Records informed Weidemann in an email that horses younger than four are not eligible for the title. Weidemann claimed via the source that she will attempt again the following year.

Genetic Alterations Responsible for Horse Dwarfism

Genetic growth-related mutations cause dwarfism. On equine chromosome 6, the wither height geneHMGA2 has been related to proportionate dwarfism, as per The Horse.

Agroscope in Avenches and University of Bern geneticist Mirjam Frischknecht, Ph.D., made the finding of the gene's relationship to wither height in ponies in 2015.

According to John Eberth, MS, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center in Lexington, mutations or deletions in the Aggrecan (ACAN) gene on equine chromosome 1 appears to also be directly associated with disproportionate dwarfism in these animals.

His research has identified two deletions and two nucleotide alterations in the gene that, if both parents carried the mutation, would cause dwarfism.

According to him, each mutation causes a somewhat distinct type of dwarfism. However, some people end up with a combination of dwarfism traits because they have over one type of mutation.

Health Risk of Horses with Dwarfism

All recognized dwarf horse kinds are disproportional, which means that only specific aspects of their bodies, such as their heads and tails, are proportionate to the rest of their bodies. their limbs are shrunken.

Dwarfs can experience a variety of health issues, including metabolic, digestive, and respiratory ailments, as well as secondary conditions that are typically brought on by their structural deformities.

Based on their physical traits, four different kinds of horse dwarfism have been identified. However, there are many overlaps and some dwarf horses that are challenging to classify into any kind, as per The Horse Back.

The most typical type of dwarfism is achondroplasia. Horses with the condition have short limbs and a regular trunk, albeit they frequently have an extended back.

Brachycephalic dwarfs are characterized by a protruding forehead, a short, flat nasal bridge, excessively big eyes, and nostrils that are elevated above the average.

Diastrophic dwarfs can also have various limb abnormalities, twisted limbs, a domed head, a roached back, and a pot belly, among other traits.

The most severe form of dwarfism, hypochondrogenesis, is characterized by a complete lack of ossification of the bones. Normally, affected fetuses are terminated before birth.