Who Were The First Miniature Horse Breeders?
It is thought that the first ancestor of the modern horse, Equus Caballus, was no bigger than a cat. Eohippus was thought to have several toes, a curved spine like a cat, a short neck and the ability to eat and digest leaves as opposed to grass. Over millennia, the horse grew, developed longer legs and neck and switched to a diet of grass when the grasslands began to push out forests. Miniature Horse breeders argue that they are taking the horses back to their original state. But who were the first Miniature Horse breeders?
Arabian Palaces
Depending on which Miniature horse breeder you talk to, you will find many theories as to who were the first Miniature horse breeders. Some say that Miniature Horses have always been around and it was only a few people here and there throughout history that were able to appreciate their small size. Some say that Miniature Horse breeders didn't begin until the time of the filthy rich nobility in Europe that wanted unusual animals in their Royal menageries.
But one of my favorite stories is that the first Miniature Horse breeders were from Arab tribes. They bred the Miniature Horse for the delight of their sheiks and their children. Although horses were prized for horse back riding, there was also a need for horses to share the palace.
Backing up this theory is that of the rediscovery of the Caspian Horse breed, named because it was rediscovered in the area of the Caspian Sea. They were native to Iran and are considered the forefathers of the mighty Arabian horse breed. They look like smaller versions of Arabians, being the height of modern ponies but containing the slim features and bodily proportions of a horse.
Caspian Horses are depicted in ancient Middle Eastern art, where their shoulders are at the height of a man's waist. The breed was thought to have been wiped out, but a herd was found thriving in 1965 around the Caspian Sea. They have since very slowly trickled around the world.
South America
The first successful and proven Miniature Horse breeders were the Falabella family of Argentina in the 1880's. They admit, though, that they did add ponies in order to bring down the breeding stock. Most Miniature Horses in North and South America today are derived from these intelligent and charming Falabella horses. It is unknown, but theorized, that one of the breeds that made up the Falabella was the Caspian.
