Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013: Miniature Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013

Saturday 20 July 2013

Miniature Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013

Miniature Horse Pictures Biography

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Creating a New Breed

Can you imagine a full-grown horse no bigger than a large dog? A baby horse small enough to pick up and carry? Today, there are thousands of such animals in the world, and they're called miniature horses.

Horses and Ponies

Miniature horses are not the same as ponies. A pony is a horse that is shorter than 58 inches at the top of the shoulders. Most ponies look different from riding horses. They have wide, strong bodies. Their necks are usually muscular, and their legs are short for their size. There are many kinds of ponies, some taller than others. The Welsh pony can be 58 inches tall. The American Shetland, on the other hand, isn't taller than 46 inches.

The miniature horse is something different. First of all, it is shorter than the smallest ponies. A mini must be no taller than 34 inches, measured at the top of the shoulders, where the mane ends. A full-grown mini weighs between 150 and 250 pounds. Although some minis resemble ponies, the goal of miniature horse breeders is to create a tiny horse, with everything about it the same as a full-sized horse, only smaller. They should not have short legs, thick necks, or big bellies.

A Wealth of Color

Miniature horses come in every possible horse color. Many horse breeds allow only certain colors, For example, an Arabian horse, Quarter Horse, or a Thoroughbred cannot have patches of color like a pinto or spots like an Appaloosa. But variety in color is encouraged in minis. They can have Appaloosa spots, pinto patches, solid colors, or they can be beautiful tan buckskins with dark legs, manes, and tails. Some colors that are rare in other breeds are common in minis, such as dark bodies with white or cream manes and tails. In miniature horse shows, there are even special competitions for the most colorful horses.

Kind of Minis

When miniature horses first became popular in the late 1970s, some looked like riding horses while others resembled draft horses. These two types were both popular, but the most important thing was small size. A horse that was small was valuable, even if its legs were too short or its belly was too big. But things have changed since then. Now, a well-proportioned body and a beautiful head are just as important as size, and there are thousands of beautiful minis.

Today, miniature horse breeders are working mainly for two riding-horse types. The first kind looks similar to a sturdy Quarter Horse, called a stock-horse type because Quarter Horses are used to work with livestock like cattle. These animals have muscular legs and broad chests.

The second type has finer bones and a slimmer body. Its head looks more like that of an Arabian horse, with a delicate muzzle and large eyes. The front of its face is "dished", meaning that it dips in below the forehead. This is called the refined type.

Miniature Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013