Falabella
| Falabella | |
|---|---|
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| Important data | |
| Origin: | Buenos Aires |
| Main breeding area: | Argentina |
| Distribution: | low |
| Stick measure : | 30-84 cm |
| Colors : | all |
| Main application area: | Show horses and carriage horses (for small carriages) |
The Falabella is a miniature Argentine pony breed .
Background information on horse evaluation and breeding can be found under: Exterior , interior and horse breeding .
Exterior
Falabellas are the smallest breed of horses. They should have a correct, elegant exterior. The head is finely cut and of medium size with a straight or light pike profile. The ears are small and flexible. Foals usually have a strongly arched forehead. The well-set neck must not be too short; the withers are not very pronounced. The short, straight back turns into a sloping croup . The shoulders are moderately steep. The legs should be strong but slim and not too short; in some cases, however, they appear somewhat underproportionate in relation to the body. The mini pony breed reaches a maximum height of 86.4 centimeters (34 inches ); Foals sometimes measure less than 40 centimeters.
The Falabella was bred to be small in size, not color, so all colors can be found, including piebald and tiger piebald . However, rare colors are very popular, especially with ponies to be featured at shows. Falabellas in the Appaloosa colors, saddlecloth, snowflake and marble shades are particularly popular. The mane and tail are thick and bushy.
use
Due to its small size - the smallest was just 12 inches tall in 1978 - the Falabella cannot be ridden and is usually not shod. The Falabella is mainly used as a show and fashion pony, sometimes as a carriage pony for smaller carriages. In the US, falabellas are often kept as pets and petting animals; but they are full-fledged little ponies with an often decidedly unconventional character.
Guide horse
Due to their intelligence and sociability, falabellas have been trained for blind people to replace guide dogs in recent years . There are already animals that help blind people to increase their mobility on a daily basis. In the United States, horses with appropriate training have the same legal status as guide dogs.
In the past centuries, numerous missions in theaters of war and with the police have shown that horses can remain calm even in very stressful situations. These are reasons which, from the point of view of the Guide Horse Foundation, an organization that trains guide horses for the blind, make horses suitable animals; as well as the long life expectancy of over 30 years, the horse's large field of vision and possibly cheaper training. Guide horses are mainly used by blind people with dog hair allergies , but there are also blind people from the Arab culture who reject dogs and therefore prefer guide horses.
Breeding history
The Argentine ponies got their name after the first breeding family from the vicinity of Buenos Aires . Falabellas have almost exclusively Shetland blood; the small size and the more elegant appearance were achieved through systematic selection. English whole blood was crossed to a small extent for refinement. Falabella ponies are too small to be used for work. The larger specimens, however, are quite capable of pulling light carriages with up to two adults in pairs or four-in-hand . However, the breed is mainly used for shows, which also explains the extreme selection for size, which is partly at the expense of the horses' robustness and health. The vast majority of Falabella foals are born by caesarean section. Due to the low body weight, the ponies cannot be kept outdoors without hesitation, as they freeze easily.
See also
Web links
swell
- ↑ http://www.falabella.co.uk/falabella.html ( Memento of March 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Quiet, Brauner: With the miniature horse in the lecture hall. In: Spiegel Online . December 12, 2010, accessed February 8, 2017 .
- ↑ First guide horse started its service. In: bz-berlin.de. June 27, 2002, accessed February 8, 2017 .
- ↑ unknown. In: pferdplus.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012 ; accessed on February 8, 2017 .
- ^ Guide Horse Foundation - Miniature horses for the blind. In: guidehorse.com. Retrieved February 8, 2017 .