Rhinestone Miniatures & Shetlands

History of the Miniature Horse

Way back in Ireland in the early 1600s, Leprechauns wandered the earth. They walked every where and to no eval, could not find a way to get around. They rode large horses, but it was a long way down for them. So they always had to carry a stool with them to mount their steeds. Plus, they would be spotted by humans when they were hiding their gold. Dogs were untrainable to ride. Then one of them said, let’s breed a tinier version of the large horse. That way we can still ride, but we can mount easier and not be spotted as easily. So the miniature horse was first bred by the Leprechauns. It was perfect for them. They were able to mount their steeds and ride off into the sunset. But the first ones had wings. And Leprechauns were deathly afraid of heights. So something had to be done. They perfected the breed even more by breeding the wings out of them. Now they could put a saddle on their horses or a harness without the wings being in the way. This was a much more usable animal for them and they are the modern, wingless variety we see today. But some of the winged ones were still born. They were called “filly fairies.” They fly around to pastures each foaling season and watch over the mares giving birth.

The Leprechauns used their horses just as royalty used theirs. At any given time, they would have to mount their steeds and ride off into the rainbow to hide their pot of gold. So their horses had to be good minded and willing to go at any time. They would cross the rainbow bridge and hide their gold in other places so not to be stolen by thieves. Oats were hard to come by for these little guys. They enjoyed a hearty breakfast of Lucky Charms and loved the marshmallow treats the best. They were gentle around children. One day, the large men found the minis in a pasture and gave them to the children to play with. That was how the minis got introduced into our world.

This is why when we love and cherish our miniature horses and develop a special relationship with them, that you truly feel like you’ve found a pot of gold. Have you found your pot of gold under the rainbow yet?

Want to see more? Visit these websites

AMHA
AMHR
Lilbeginnings
Snake River Miniature Horse Club
Mountain West Miniature Horse Club
Intermountain Miniature Horse Club
Super Geldings

Keri Kinghorn
rhinestoneminiatures@yahoo.com
1-435-225-5275