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Sometimes size doesn’t matter.
Miniature horses, often mistaken for standard-size horses and ponies, are slowly growing in popularity. According to the American Miniature Horse Association, a miniature is a horse not exceeding 34 inches in height as measured from the last hairs of the mane. The American Miniature Horse Registry classifies horses up to 38 inches as miniatures.
“A miniature horse should look just like a regular horse you would see except they’re tinier,” said Diane Taylor, owner of Birch Tree Farms in Lancaster. “But they need to have the same muscle tones, they need to have the same conformation.”
Miniatures come in many different coat colors and patterns as well as draft and refined body types. At birth, they are usually between 15 to 20 inches, and their average life span ranges from 25 to 35 years old. Despite their unusual size, miniatures are not dwarves or a product of genetic error.
“They’re the result of selective breeding from ponies and big horses over the years,” said Libby Rosen, owner of Misty Rose Farm in Sunbury.
Rosen said miniatures offer the same uses as standard-size breeds. Although they are too small to be ridden by anyone except small children, they can be driven by hitching them to carts or be used as show horses in competitions, where physical skills such as obstacle jumping are often exhibited. They can also guide and assist those with disabilities much like Seeing Eye dogs.
Many others keep miniatures as pets because of their friendly nature. They behave the same as standard-size horses and must be allowed to live outdoors in spacious areas, Taylor said, adding that miniatures can be less intimidating to young children and more accessible to the elderly.
“They’re very loveable; it’s just a joy to have (miniatures) in your life and to be around them,” she said.
Because of their small size, more miniatures can be maintained on a farm because they eat less food and require fewer acres of space to roam. This has helped retired owners like Taylor and Gary Northup stay in the industry.
“As people get older they don’t want to have the feed expense as they would have on a large horse, and they’re easier to work with and handle,” Northup said.
Northup owns four horse farms, which have as many as 20 to 25 baby miniatures per year. In 2002 he donated 22 of his miniatures to Ohio State. Taylor’s 5-year-old farm now has 18.
As the equine-lover population ages, Rosen and Taylor both say they think miniatures will start to attract more attention. And thanks to popular shows such as “Rob & Big,” miniatures are also becoming more popular with the younger generation.
“We have more and more people who stop here; they’re just fascinated with them. This just absolutely stops traffic on our road,” Taylor said.
Regardless of what happens in the future, owners and breeders said they love their miniatures and will remain in the business for many years to come.
“I like the fact that I can sit on my back and see them run in the fields because they’re just absolutely beautiful,” Taylor said. “It has probably added 10 years my life.”
Jeffy Mai can be reached at [email protected].
