Although miniature horses have a pretty long – more than 4 centuries – worth of history, little is known about these incredible tiny horses at least until the 1960s when the public appreciation for these types of horses grew into popularity and miniature horses were participated in a variety of equestrian disciplines more frequently. Let’s find out more about these adorable horses before going all “awww” over these beautiful miniature horse pictures!

Miniature horses were, in the past, seen as pets of nobility... that is until a law was passed preventing small children from working in coal mines. Since some shaft openings can be rather narrow and they need a small enough replacement, these miniature horses became an ideal choice not only because of their size, but also of the amount these horses can carry.

Eventually, the horses made it to the masses and are maintained until today. Miniature horses often make appearances at horse shows in a range of events ranging from driving to showmanship. Some are even trained as companion animals for the elderly and the handicapped as they are a lot less “scary” than a fully-grown horse.

Due to their small size, many people are split between classifying “miniature horses” as “horses” or “ponies”. To settle this debate once and for all, the animal is only considered a miniature horse if the horse phenotype is retained (which it would if it was bred from horse parents) and if it is no taller than 34 inches (as defined by the American Miniature Horse Registry). Ponies on the other hand have their own separate pony phenotype that is distinguishably different from a horse’s.

Despite the abnormality, miniature horses can live a healthy life. In fact, some owners swear that their miniature horses are hardier than some full-sized horse breeds and have longer lifespans. However, owners should be aware of unwittingly feeding miniature horses too much feed due to having owned several full-sized horses. Obesity is a very real problem among miniature horse owned by first-time owners.

Being able to live a healthy life includes the ability to procreate. Yes, you can breed two miniature horses to obtain a stable of them! However, as they are smaller in size, there are some medical complications that these horses are more predisposed to, such as eclampsia and difficult births.

There is also a chance in which the miniature foal you get might be afflicted with dwarfism – a genetic deformity that the miniature horse community is very concerned with. Dwarfism may result in a smaller-than-usual – even by miniature horses’ standards – miniature horse that is riddled with a variety of problems, the most pressing of which are physical related. So far, the smallest dwarf among miniature horses is a mare, called Thumbelina. It only comes up to a grown man’s knees and is about the size of an average household cat.

Now that you know more about miniature horses, perhaps you’re thinking of getting one for your Second Life stable? Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret... you can! It may take a bit of searching though, but if you’re handy with the in-game content creation tools, why not create a unique miniature horse for yourself?