The Dutch Miniature or is a Dutch

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. 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 may stand no taller than .

History

The

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 Dutch Miniature was begun in 1993.

Characteristics

The Nederlandse Mini Paarden Registratie Stamboek registers horses in two sections, one for miniature horses no taller than , and another for small horses standing up to .

References

{{reflist, 45em, refs= Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007)
List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources
annex t
''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture''
Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn, 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016)
''Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding''
(sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. {{isbn, 9781780647944. Breed data sheet: Minipaard / Netherlands (Horse)
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2022. Horse breeds originating in the Netherlands