Falabella Horse – A miniature horse

Small, furry animals have always aroused a lot of tenderness. Many of these have become the favorites to fulfill the role of pets. That is why today we will talk about the most tender breed in the equine world, the Falabella horse.

When we see a Falabella horse we can think that it is a pony. Some of us may also think that a Falabella horse is a horse with a developmental problem. None of these presumptions is further from the truth.

The Falabella horse is a miniature horse. Many will wonder why nature could challenge such a breed of horses. But we must remember that, for many years, horse breeds do not form naturally. On the contrary, the human being has used techniques and preferences to conduct the formation of horse breeds in a direction of their presence.

The process of guiding the reproduction of horses in a specific direction has been called horse breeding. The goal of horse breeding is to obtain “horse breeds” with specific characteristics according to the specimens being crossed. In this way fast horses are crossed to have faster horses or strong horses to have draft horses.

The truth is that the Falabella horse is the product of putting into practice “natural selection” artificially. This is how the desire of a man was motorized to give way to the selection and breeding of horses that would give birth to the most tender horse in the world, the Falabella horse.

In this article you will be able to know the history of the Falabella horse, its characteristics and what is its importance in today’s world. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Is the Falabella horse really a horse?

The short answer is “yes” and the long answer will be known below. The truth is that the Falabella horse at first glance looks like a horse whose development was truncated. But Falabella horses are fully capable of reproducing and going through all stages of development of any standard-sized horse.

On the other hand, some might think that it is a genetic defect. But again these horses when crossed they breed horses of equal characteristics. That is why we can talk about a breed of miniature horses. In the same way if a normal-sized horse is crossed with a Falabella horse it could give offspring.

The problem in this case is that a Stallion Falabella would have very difficult riding a Mare Falabella. And if we reversed the roles, the development of a normal-sized fetus inside a Falabella mare would cause problems because its organs are not designed to support the development of such a sized specimen.

This is the same similar in some combinations for reproduction of hinnies and mules. In which there are possibilities of reproduction, but the size of the resulting brood usually causes the birth to end in tragedy. This is the case of the Mule that, due to its small size, when ridden by a horse of standard size complicates the gestation process due to the size of the calf.

 

The Falabella Horse is a species that retains all the virtues and attributes of other equine breeds. The fixation of their genetic characteristics allows their natural reproduction, procreating beings with the same qualities and conformations.

Where does the name of the Falabella breed come from?

The name of this breed comes from the family that has done the most for the development of this breed: the Falabella family. She worked the creation of this miniature horse breed in the mid-nineteenth century in Buenos Aires.

It is considered that the breeder of the original Falabella horse was Julio Cesar Falabella. Although in the story indicated by Julio César Falabella, the first crosses were made by his grandfather Senor Newton, an Irishman who had emigrated to Argentina in the nineteenth century.

According to the account, Newton found in his lands a small, but adult horse. Seeing that he wanted to raise him to please his daughter, who would become the mother of Julio Cesar Falabella.

Thanks to this small horse owned by his mother, later Julio Cesar would take inspiration to start the breeding of a new breed that he would call falabella breed. Julio Cesar Falabella began this adventure in the summer of 1940. Using the offspring of the horse bred by his grandfather, Julio Cesar Falabella began to make his own crosses, focusing on mares.

Julio Cesar would discover that the mare is the part that most conditions the size of the horse. This conditioning occurs both genetically and by the space for the development of the foal.

This is how a work that began with Julio Cesar Falabella’s grandfather was continued by him and his descendants.

Characteristics of the Falabella Horse

Its main feature is its small size. Its standard size does not exceed 80 cm of cross. The coat of this breed also looks more like that of thoroughbred horses, being silky and less resistant than that of Shetland ponies. Its head is slightly large with respect to the body. Their tail and mane are very long. The color of its coat can be berry, thrush, black, chestnut and appalose.

Horse care

The Falabella breed is composed of very resistant horses capable of withstanding extreme climates and that do not require much care. Their diet is also nothing special: the same as that of other horses, but with smaller amounts. The longevity of these animals is remarkable, being able to live up to 45 years.

Some history

The Falabella Horse is Argentine. Its origin is intimately related to the first horses that inhabited this part of America. The Andalusian horses, which the Spaniards brought to the new world to undertake the enormous task of conquest, and chosen for being the most rustic and resistant. They were then left to fend for themselves due to the first failed settlement attempts.

Personality of horses

It is a very balanced, calm and docile breed of horses. All these characteristics can be seen in his expressive eyes, which show kindness and kindness. But despite its docility this horse can develop enormous strength. Especially if we start from its small size.

 

Sources

https://www.anipedia.net/caballos/caballos-falabella/

http://www.gustavomirabal.es/caballos/caballos-bashkir-curly/