Page 90 - The Mini Horse Magazine 2023 No 1

HISTORY

Interestingly, the Miniature horse history is
strongly tied together with that of the Shetland
Pony and European horses. Small and miniature
horses became popular during the late 1900s
and they have a gnarly history of being used for
coal mining as pit ponies. Enduring the hardness
of working in the rough environment of mines,
they nowadays enjoy a comfortable life as pets.

The American mini horse has their origin The Miniature horse had to endure a rollercoaster
HISTORY a miniature horse was that of a Shetland Pony ride when it comes to its part in history. First,
overseas in Europe. The first documentation of
they were used as pets for the nobility from
that was imported into the United States in
the 1600s until the early 1700s. When the
1888. We know that the first Shetland Ponies
were imported into the United States in 1861 use of children for mining has been prohibited,
the former comfortable life of many Miniature
by John Rarey. The Miniature horse origin most horses has ended and they had to endure hard
likely is located in Britain and the Netherlands. years as pit ponies in England.

Dutch and English ponies are said to be the In the late 1900s, the imported horses from
ancestors of the Miniature horse which was Europe began to be admired by many Americans
specifically bred in the United States to be even and breeding those tiny horses became popular
smaller than those first horses arriving in New again. Using pit ponies for coal mining was
England. forbidden until the mid-1990s. Since then they
are nowadays used as pets.

There are some Miniature horse legends and
myths which have been proven wrong by
modern science and others proved to be true.

90 | Miniature Horse Magazine • Issue 1/2023