There is no one breed of horses that are called miniature-this is just a term that is used to describe a horse that meets certain height requirements. Most breeds are measured in hands-where one hand equals four inches. However, minis are measured in inches or centimeters. They are measured from the ground to the base of the hairs on their mane.
Miniature horses are less than half the size of a regular horse and breeders select the smallest stallions and mares for breeding. This way, they hope to ensure that they have even smaller foals the following spring. A new foal weights about 18-22 pounds and stands 16 to 21 inches at birth-making it about the same size as a medium-sized dog.
They are basically the same as their larger relatives in their shape, appearance and personality. They come in every color a horse can be-black, bay, sorrel, palomino, solid colors, mixed or pintos. They have very long manes and tails and some of them even have tails that can touch the ground.
Miniature horses have been around for over 400 years; however, their origin is unknown. In olden days, they were pets in the palaces and revered by nobility. Throughout the decades, their popularity grew among the rich mostly because they were not useful as a worker-they were too small to carry a rider or a heavy load.
Eventually, the miniature horse found a job. They were used to pull loads of coal from mines since they were small enough to move safely through the tunnels where they gained the nickname of pit ponies. All was not lost on them because when they too old to work, they were often taken home as pets by the miners.
Breeders became interested in the miniature horses in the mid-1900s and several different herds were cultivated and the breed increased in size, popularity and value. The first registry was called the American Miniature Horse Registry and was created in 1972. They helped develop and document pedigrees for the miniature horses, some of them going back to the early 1940's.
Today, they are maintained as the result of careful breeding. Their gentle personalities make them good pets for children, elderly people and even for people with disabilities. In several communities, they are taken directly into schools rooms, nursing homes and hospital wards to help cheer up patients and to educate the children.
How often can children today spend a day on a farm and interact with the animals? There are miniature horse farms around the country that open their doors to visitors as one way to help finance their hobby of breeding these animals. Many of them even have special barns with a show rink where the miniature horses can demonstrate their skills to the public.
Think about spending a day visiting one of these farms and give your children an opportunity to see and interact with these beautiful animals. You may start a love affair with your children wanting to breed these lovely creatures when they grow up.
For more information on horses, try visiting [http://www.interestinghorses.com] - a website that specializes in providing horse related tips, advice and resources including information on the miniature horse [http://www.interestinghorses.com/miniaturehorse.html].
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