The American Miniature Horse is an American

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of small or

miniature horse A miniature horse is a breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In liter ...

. It has been

selectively bred Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant mal ...

to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, and usually stands no taller than about . It frequently has the appearance of either a small

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

or a small

draft horse A draft horse (US), draught horse (UK) or dray horse (from the Old English ''dragan'' meaning "to draw or haul"; compare Dutch ''dragen'' and German ''tragen'' meaning "to carry" and Danish ''drage'' meaning "to draw" or "to fare"), less often ...

; genetically it is no different to

pony A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...

breeds such as the

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

History

The American Miniature Horse was developed in the twentieth century. It appears to derive at least in part from animals brought to the USA from the United Kingdom. These may have included British and Dutch

pit ponies A pit pony, otherwise known as a mining horse, was a horse, pony or mule commonly used underground in mines from the mid-18th until the mid-20th century. The term "pony" was sometimes broadly applied to any equine working underground.English ...

imported in the late nineteenth century and used until the mid-twentieth century in the coal mines of the eastern and central United States, and some descendants of small horses bred in England in the first half of the twentieth century by Lady Estella Mary Hope and her sister Lady Dorothea. In 1972 the

American Shetland Pony Club The American Shetland Pony is an American breed of pony. It derives from the traditional Shetland Pony from the Shetland Isles of Scotland, but as a result of cross-breeding with other horse and pony breeds, is taller and more elegant. It do ...

started a separate

stud-book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders ...

for the American Miniature, the American Miniature Horse Registry. A second

breed association Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members o ...

, the American Miniature Horse Association, was formed in 1978. In 2005 almost horses were registered in the American Shetland Pony Club stud-book, and the American Miniature Horse Association register held over . The American Miniature is widely distributed in the United States, and is also present in Germany and the United Kingdom.

Characteristics

The American Miniature has been

to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse. It frequently has the appearance of either a small

or a small

. Although its appearance is horse-like, it is genetically no different to

breeds such as the

. The American Shetland Pony Club registers horses in two sections: section A is for horses no taller than , and section B for those standing up to . The American Miniature Horse Association does not register any horse standing over . Height is not measured to the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle ar ...

, as is usual in horses, but to the root of the last hair of the mane. All coat colors, eye colors, coat patterns and markings are equally acceptable for registration. Some colors that are rare in full-sized American horses are seen in the breed, such as bay silver dapple – light

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

with white mane and tail and black legs.

References

{{Horse breeds of Canada and the United States Horse breeds originating in the United States