Falabella

Falabella is a breed of horses whose representatives are the smallest horses in the world. Bred in Argentina, active work on fixing the main features of the breed was carried out from the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. The breed is named after the Falabella family, which has devoted many years to breeding this breed at its ranch near Buenos Aires. The Falabella breed also contains a certain percentage of Spanish blood (Andalusian), since the initial herd from which the breeding began was originally composed of small Spanish horses, as well as creollo.

Breed history
The idea of ​​breeding a miniature breed of horses originally belonged to the Irish Patrick Newall, who also lived in Argentina. It was on the basis of his herd, which consisted of horses no more than 75 cm tall, which he spent years forming, and the selection of this breed was started by his son-in-law Juan Falabello in 1879. Initially, he crossed Shetland ponies with horses that Newall created. To keep the ponies small in size, the smallest manufacturers were selected and introduced into the breeding program.

Description
The height of the horses of the Falabella breed is from 40 to 75 cm. Weight ranges from 20-60 kg. Any color. Stacked proportionately, elegant. They have thin legs and small hooves. Body structure: a rather large head, one or two ribs less than other breeds of horses. Beautiful mane and tail, thin skin. Movement is free, energetic. Falabella has a very kind character, they are smart, good-natured. They live unusually long, often survive to forty years or more.

Application
The initial idea was to create a small horse, not a small pony, so it’s hard to say what function this breed should have performed, especially considering its small size and inbreeding. Such babies are not suitable for riding, now it is used as decorative horses and pets, they are easily trained.