Nature has given us a great many different animals. Some of them are domesticated by man and have been his faithful companions and assistants for centuries. These animals include horses.
The size of the world fauna varies from the largest (whales and elephants) to the smallest (mice and hummingbird). However, there are giants and dwarfs among pets as well. Horses in this row are no exception. Everybody knows huge powerful heavy trucks, whose height and weight inspire sincere respect. Do you know what the smallest horse is?
In cities, there are often such miniature horses as ponies. They ride children and give them a lot of pleasure. And besides ponies? Are there other kids in this family? Let's figure this out together.
Small horses - ponies
Ponies have been known to people for several centuries, and their common ancestry is lost in the distant past.
Ponies are a common name for small horses, but they are also divided into breeds.
The most famous breeds of ponies are:
- The Shetland Pony (named after the Shetland Islands);
- American;
- Exemuristic;
- Dartmouth;
- Connemara, etc.
All ponies can be called "primitive horses". This is due to the fact that since their first appearance, they have not changed much, because their selection is not intended to improve any quality characteristics of these animals.
Many modern people mistakenly believe that ponies can only be used for entertainment (for example, children's skating or training). This is not the case. Initially, these sturdy and strong kids capable of carrying weight several times greater than their own were used as draught force. They were actively used in agricultural works (in harnessing and as pack horses), as well as in coal mines (for towing carts in cramped conditions) and in ports.
Over time, thanks to the calm temperament and good obedience, such horses were used for riding training purposes from childhood. At present, the need for these animals as a draught force has disappeared, and mainly these cute creatures are riding babies in carts and riding, causing a storm of delight and happiness in those horses. Moreover, despite their size, these are full horses, the communication with which makes us better and kinder.
Miniature horses - breeds
The smallest horse breed in the world is the Argentine Falabella. Many people consider them to be dwarf ponies, but this is a separate kind of horse. Growth in the clump of these babies ranges from forty to seventy to seventy-five centimeters, and the live weight never exceeds sixty kilograms, and then - this figure is typical only for very large Falabella.
The name of the breed owes its name to an Argentinean farm called Falabella, where these mini horses were first bred as a breed.
They are still raised on this farm, and in our country, such horses are bred in the Leningrad region. By the way, outwardly, Falabella looks very similar to horses of Arab breed, only very small.
Another miniature horse breed is Pinto.
The size of these kids is so small that even the weight of a junior schoolboy is an overwhelming burden for them. Interestingly enough, the size of these horses is gradually becoming smaller and smaller. In addition, if you cross the mare Pinto with a stallion of "normal" size - foals will still be "in my mother", that is - the same as she, miniature.
Such a miniature breed of horse as a mini-appaloosa is quite famous in the world.
These horses were artificially produced by a long and painstaking selection work, the aim of which was to minimize the size of the horses.
They are slightly larger than the previous two - the height in the withers varies from 0.7 to one meter, and the appearance fully corresponds to the horses of the upper type.
In our country, these horses are still exotic, and in European countries and in America they are very popular.
American mini-horse, as is clear from the name of the breed, was obtained in the U.S. by careful selection. These animals never grow more than eighty-six centimeters. Elegant appearance and friendly, easy-going character make them ideal pets. This tiny little horse has enough power to ride not only children but adults as well.
Which horse is the smallest in the world
The smallest horse to this day is Little Pumpkin.
It belonged to the Falabella breed and was born in 1975
This little girl weighed a little over nine kilograms, and her withers were only 35 centimeters away from the ground.
To this day, a miniature horse was not born in the world