The American Miniature is a “height” breed; they must measure no more than 34 inches in height at maturity.  This measurement is the vertical distance from the last hairs at the base of the mane to the ground.  These tiny equine are replicas of their larger breed cousins and will look like Quarter Horse, Arabs, Thoroughbreds, and Draft Horses.

The American Miniature Horse Association’s Standard of Perfection calls for a small, sound, well-balanced horse, possessing correct conformation characteristics.  These horses are not dwarves, runts, or “genetic” errors, but are produced by selectively breeding down in size yet maintaining as near-perfect conformation as possible.

The American Miniature Horse extracted from many sources in the creation of the breed.  Undeniably, it utilized the blood of the English and Dutch horses that were brought to this country in the 19th century and were used in some Appalachian coal mines as late as 1950.  It also drew upon the blood of the Shetland pony, several of which appeal in the pedigrees of some miniatures today.  In the past decade, several breeders have imported miniature horses from England, Holland, Belgium, and West Germany while others have selectively bred miniatures from the larger breed of horses.

Some miniature horse breeds such as the Falabella horses of Argentina were developed in a totally separate environment from the tiny European miniature horses of the 18th century, and independent breeding programs have been established on every continent.  In the United States in the 1960s, these horses were called midget ponies, while in South America they were known as Falabella horses.  In the 1970s a movement arose to change the name of tiny horses to miniature horses, and many registries were established with standard sizes ranging from 28 inches to 38 inches.