| No bigger than a large dog, the American Miniature | | | | Miniature Horse. To ensure the accuracy of |
| Horse is less then 34" tall at the withers and | | | | pedigrees, all foals born after December 31, 1995 |
| weighs between 150 to 250 pounds. This tiny | | | | must be blood-typed and/or DNA-tested before |
| equine is popular in many countries and is known | | | | any of their offspring can be registered. |
| by several names such as the American Miniature | | | | Practically anything you can do with a regular size |
| Horse, Miniature Toy Horse, Miniature Pony, | | | | horse can be done with a Miniature, except for |
| Falabella or Falabella Miniature Horse, Guide Horse, | | | | riding. Minis should not be ridden by anyone over |
| Minis and Dwarf Horse. They have been bred for | | | | 60 pounds. They can be shown in classes at |
| centuries by selectively breeding horses and | | | | halter, in-hand hunter/jumper, obstacle courses, |
| ponies of diminutive size. In prehistoric times, tiny | | | | showmanship, single pleasure driving, country |
| horses were likely the products of having to | | | | pleasure driving, roadster, multi-hitch driving, fine |
| survive harsh climates with limited food. Today, | | | | viceroy, liberty, costume conformation, and |
| genetics has made it possible to breed specifically | | | | games. Outside the show world, many owners |
| for size. | | | | drive their Minis hitched to carts, wagons, or |
| In 1879, the Falabella family of Argentina bred | | | | sleighs singly or in teams. A trained Miniature |
| small horses found on the Pampas south of | | | | driving horse can pull two adults for ten miles with |
| Buenos Aires, where these undersized horses | | | | no difficulty. Children 3 to 4 years old and up |
| have since been known as Falabellas. But long | | | | routinely drive at home, in parades and in shows. |
| before that, many breeders in different countries | | | | People even let them come into the house to |
| were trying to create miniaturized horses. | | | | watch TV with them. |
| As early as the 1600s, they were being bred as | | | | Miniature Horses are very good for visiting |
| pampered pets for European kings and queens. | | | | shut-ins; senior citizens in retirement homes that |
| Later they were used in the coal mines in the | | | | have pet visitation hours; and many have been |
| English Midlands, northern Europe. The first | | | | trained as guide animals to assist the blind or the |
| mention of a small horse being imported into the | | | | hearing impaired. They are also good for people |
| United States was in 1888. Some of these mine | | | | with health problems or physical disabilities that |
| horses were brought in from Holland, West | | | | can make it impossible to handle or ride a full-sized |
| Germany, Belgium, and England in the 19th | | | | horse, but they can learn to drive a cart and |
| century and used in some Appalachian coal mines | | | | enjoy their horses. |
| as recently as 1950 since the tunnels were small | | | | The natural gaits of the Miniature Horse are the |
| and full-sized horses were just too big to fit. | | | | walk, trot, canter, and gallop, but other gaits are |
| Small horses, European minis, ponies, and Falabella | | | | easily taught, especially when the horses are used |
| miniatures, all went into the breeding of the | | | | for driving carts. For example, the Collected Trot |
| American Miniature Horse to produce a | | | | is rhythmic and the horse should look like it could |
| well-proportioned animal. However, depending on | | | | keep this gait up all day; and The Working Trot is |
| parentage, they may have characteristics of | | | | brisk and snappy without excessive speed. This |
| Shetland Ponies, Arabians, Hackney Ponies, | | | | gait should be animated and showy with a long |
| Thoroughbreds, and others. This has resulted in a | | | | stride that makes the horse appear to float off |
| wide range of body types and every color and | | | | the ground when all 4 feet actually are off the |
| pattern in the equine palette. In fact, any color or | | | | ground. |
| marking pattern with any eye color is equally | | | | A Miniature Horse enjoys human company and |
| acceptable. | | | | does not fear strangers, in fact, they are quite |
| But over the past 100 years there has been | | | | eager to please their handlers possibly because |
| disagreement regarding the origins of the genetic | | | | they get handled so much. A newborn weighs |
| characteristics of Miniature Horses. Some tiny | | | | about 20 pounds and is between 16 and 21 inches |
| breeds, such as the Falabella horses of Argentina, | | | | tall, and it is easy to pick one up and carry it |
| were developed in a totally separate environment | | | | around. It is hard to resist hugging a fluffy foal as |
| from the tiny European horses of the eighteenth | | | | if it were a teddy bear. A small child may be |
| century, and independent breeding programs have | | | | intimidated by a normal sized horse, but that |
| been established on every continent on the globe. | | | | same child will be eager to hug a Miniature foal. |
| Some have noticed that miniature horse dwarfism | | | | There seems to be a discrepancy in the |
| and congenital defects are more prevalent in the | | | | Miniature's disposition. Breeders may say they are |
| USA than in foreign countries. American breeders | | | | gentle and affectionate so that they can make |
| claim that because the horses were bred | | | | more sales, but many owners complain they have |
| exclusively for size, dwarfism traits have became | | | | been bitten by aggressive Minis. Without knowing |
| commonplace in them, while overseas breeders | | | | the circumstances of these complaints, the horse |
| have noted that the rate of dwarfism is less in | | | | may have been abused by the previous owner; |
| those countries that have rejected the breeding | | | | or. it may be simply a case of not being gelded or |
| of tiny horses or ponies with undesirable dwarf | | | | spayed. |
| characteristics, or achondroplasia, as it is called in | | | | All stallions of all breeds can be aggressive, but |
| humans. | | | | gelding is a simple, inexpensive operation that can |
| A dwarf is different from a miniature. Its teeth | | | | resolve territorial aggression and a hormone |
| often don't match up properly; the head is too big | | | | driven lack of manners. Even when no stallion is |
| for its neck; and it may have a pot belly. A horse | | | | near, a mare's estrus (heat) cycles can cause |
| with some dwarf traits may be perfectly healthy | | | | unpredictable behavior - the equine equivalent of |
| and be a good pet, but others have problems | | | | PMS. Spaying can resolve this also. |
| with bones and teeth that make life painful for | | | | Horses do not possess complex reasoning skills, |
| them. Dwarfs cannot be registered as miniature | | | | but Miniature Horses are quite intelligent and excel |
| horses, but as breeding improves, fewer dwarfs | | | | at tasks that require long-term memory skills. It |
| are born. | | | | has been shown that the more a horse learns, |
| However, it is very clear that dwarf genes have | | | | the greater their capacity for future learning, and |
| deliberately been introduced into American | | | | with proper training, a horse can be taught to do |
| Miniature horses and some "famous" miniature | | | | almost anything, such as sit, lie down, pull up a |
| stud horses has obvious equine dwarfism | | | | blanket, turn out the light and go to sleep, or |
| characteristics. Bond Tiny Tim (19" tall, AMHA | | | | even catch a Frisbee. |
| Registration number R 00015P) was said to have | | | | The Guide Horse Foundation trains Minatures as |
| many dwarfism-related issues, yet he was bred | | | | Guide Horses for the Blind and part of the basic |
| extensively, passing-on potentially crippling genetic | | | | training includes learning 23 voice commands. |
| mutations to thousands of his descendents | | | | Additionally they can be reliably housebroken and |
| throughout the USA, therefore the Dwarf gene is | | | | trained to paw at the door or make nickering |
| floating around in many bloodlines today, and it is | | | | noises. The American's with Disabilities Act |
| difficult to locate as the gene has not been | | | | guarantees the right of any service animal to use |
| identified. | | | | public transportation, so it should be not unusual to |
| Founded in 1978, in Arlington, Texas, the | | | | see a Guide Horse on an airplane, riding in a taxi, |
| American Miniature Horse Association (AMHA) has | | | | or on an escalator. |
| registered nearly 160,000 horses and has more | | | | Miniature Horses thrive in pastures, and one acre |
| than 12,000 members in 37 countries and | | | | can support as many as three Miniature Horses, |
| provinces. The AMHA's goal is to promote a | | | | but hey are prone to overeat. Ideally they should |
| standard of excellence and purity in the Miniature | | | | not share their pasture with the larger breeds |
| and to that end; they closed the stud book on | | | | since one kick or bite could significantly injure the |
| December 31, 1987, so that only horses with | | | | Mini. |
| AMHA-registered parents can be registered. | | | | Since owning a Miniature Horse can cost 1/10th |
| Additionally, a foal is eligible to be temporarily | | | | that of maintaining a large horse and they can |
| registered as soon as it is born and if it is no taller | | | | become as much a part of the family as a dog or |
| than 34 inches when it reaches the age of 5 | | | | a cat, they have become extremely popular as |
| years, it can be permanently registered as a | | | | companion animals that live 20 to 30 years. |