Do horses really belong on a pet web site? Yes, if they are miniature horses, which are frequently kept as pets. A miniature horse must not exceed 34" at the withers when it is four years old (considered maturity). Many are under 29", thus about the size of a large dog.

Among miniature horses one particular breed is most interesting: the Falabella. In the mid-nineteenth century an Irishman named Patrick Newtall obtained some unusually small horses from tribes of Pampas Indians residing south of Buenos Aires on the Argentine meadowlands. After years of selective breeding he developed a perfectly built miniature horse. In 1879 he transferred his findings to his son-in-law Juan Falabella.

Through continued successive crossings with small English Thoroughbreds and Shetland ponies and careful selection Juan Falabella achieved a harmonious conformation and average height under 33 inches. The Falabella family maintained careful genealogical records, and in 1927 Julio Cesar Falabella began to spread the breed internationally.

The Falabella is a horse, not a pony, and the fixed genetic characteristics allow natural reproduction to yield offspring true to type and size. The breed is sturdy, and can survive under the most severe weather conditions. With proper care Falabellas may often live to be forty years old. Their strength is legendary: in the 1970s a team of 25" tall Falabellas pulled a cart loaded with liqueur drums a distance of over 1800 miles across the plains, mountains, and valleys of Argentina. However, Falabellas like other miniature horses, cannot be ridden by any but the smallest of children.

Quiet, yet spirited and intelligent in temperament, a Falabella can make a wonderful pet, requiring a 6 to 8 foot stall and as little as 1/8 of an acre of land. Falabellas come in all the colors and combinations of colors occurring in horses. The Falabella has fine silky hair, with a flowing mane and tail.

The Falabella Miniature Horse Association was the first miniature horse registry in the United States and the first to register Falabella horses as a breed. The requirement for the registry is that the horse has an ancestry that can be traced back to the original Falabella breeding stock. In 1996 there were approximately 456 Falabella horses registered with the FMHA.

The AMHA (American Miniature Horse Association) was formed in 1978. Their web site can provide answers for most questions regarding the selection and care of miniature horses as well as the numerous activities to engage in with these delightful animals.

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