info courtesy Falabella Family

It is here, amidst this harsh environment known as the Argentine Pampas, that a breed of horse was created. Built to not only endure the trials of this arid land but also to cater to the human fascination for all things miniature, this breed is none other than the Falabella Horse.

Early On
The Falabella Horse has its beginnings in the 16th century, when Spanish explorers and their Andalusian horses made journeyed from Europe to Argentina. The Spaniards attempted to subdue and capture the land’s native peoples, and when they failed, the Spaniards left, leaving their Andalusians on the Pampas to survive if they could.

This new land was much drier and harsher than the place where the Andalusians were born, and so only the strongest horses survived. Those that did passed down this ability to their offspring until, over several generations, the once aristocratic Spanish horse developed into a smaller, more rugged type all its own.

It was the descendants of these Andalusian horses that an Irish settler named Patrick Newell first saw on the Pampas in the mid-1800s. According to tradition, Newell encountered the horses in the herds of the Pampas Indians. He was taken with the rugged animals, especially the very smallest members of the herd.

Newell acquired a few of the smallest horses and began a breeding program aimed at producing a perfectly proportioned miniature horse. After several years, he finally achieved his goal. His little horses were less than 40 inches in height at the withers yet still maintained the proportions of a standard-size horse.

In 1879, Newell passed the miniature horse breeding program to his son-in-law, Juan Falabella, a member of the Falabella family of Buenos Aires. Juan sought to refine the miniature horse even further. To accomplish his goal, he incorporated the blood of Thoroughbreds—who were much smaller at that time than they are now—Welsh Ponies, Shetland Ponies and Criollos, an Argentine breed. He continued to breed down in size while striving to maintain refinement and proportion in the little horses.

By 1893, Juan Falabella had reduced his miniature horse to 33 inches in height at the withers. The breed’s conformation was refined even further. After Juan passed down the breeding program to his son, Emilio, the horse’s conformation became more even more fixed.

It was now the early 1900s, and the tiny breed was becoming known throughout Argentina as the Falabella Horse. Once Julio Cesar Falabella eventually took over the family breeding program, the Falabella Horse started to gain international fame. Julio promoted the horse to other countries and expanded his breeding herd to 700 horses.

With the increased number of horses in the program, Julio realized the need to keep records of his breedings. Sometime after 1940, he started keeping track of the birth and pedigree on his horses. Since records had not been kept up until now, the accuracy of the registry was dependent upon Julio’s memory and some miscellaneous data that was available through other members of the Falabella family. Using these methods, he created genealogies as far back as 20 years past. This was to become the Falabella Horse’s primary registry.

The Falabella Horse breeding program, soon known as Establecimientos Falabella, continued to be handed down through the Falabella family, where it still remains today. In 1980, Maria L.B. de Falabella took charge of the little horses. At the same time, the registry, kept by the Establecimientos Falabella at that time, was reworked to be more in keeping with traditional horse breeding methods.

The International Falabella
In the 1950s, when Julio Falabella was responsible for the Falabella Horse breeding program, word of the little horse spread throughout the world. In the early 1960s, LIFE magazine ran a story on Julio Falabella’s gift of a Falabella Horse to the Kennedy family. The article and the amazing miniature horse that it focused on caught the eye of Americans Tony Garulo and Stuart Erickson. Members of the merchant marine, Garulo and Erickson decided they wanted to pay a visit to the Falabella farm the next time their ship docked in Buenos Aires. Since the owner of the ship’s company was a friend of Julio Falabella, Garulo and Erickson got their wish and were able to see the famous Falabella Horses in the flesh. Both Americans were deeply impressed with the little horses.

Years later, when Garulo retired, he purchased a 100-acre farm outside of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He imported 25 Falabella horses to live on his farm and opened the facility to the public, creating the Gettysburg Miniature Horse Farm, the first equestrian park in the United States.

Not only did Garulo bring a large number of Falabellas to America, but he also was instrumental in the development of the breed’s American registry in 1970, called the Falabella Miniature Horse Association (FMHA).

In the late 1970s, Lord and Lady Fisher of Thetford, Norfolk, England, also imported a number of Julio Falabella’s horses to their country, creating the Kilverstone herd, part of the Kilverstone Wildlife Park. Several years later, the International Falabella Miniature Horse Society (IFMHS) was established in 1985 with the Fishers’ involvement, becoming the first British registry for the breed. The society, which still exists, registers only Falabellas that can be traced back directly to Argentina on both sides.

The Littlest Horse
The creature that has been the subject of all this attention over the past 150 years is a hardy little horse measuring an average of 30 and 32.5 inches at the withers, with some individuals standing as small as 23 inches. Coming in a wide range of colors, Falabellas can be seen in black, brown, pinto, bay, chestnut and other usual horse hues. Spotted coats, similar to those of the Appaloosa, are seen in the breed, but are not common.

The conformation of the Falabella Horse can vary somewhat, although Thoroughbred and Arabian types are most common in the breed. Admirers of the Falabella are quick to point out that when it comes to everything but size, the Falabella is a horse, not a pony. “The Falabella miniature horse has the conformation of a horse not a pony,” says Carolyn F. Fitzmaurice, registrar of the International Falabella Miniature Horse Society. “To quote Lady Fisher, ‘It is like looking through the wrong end of a telescope at a Thoroughbred.’ It is the perspective that is critical.”

One trait that sets the Falabella Horse apart from other miniature horses is its ability to breed true to size. “Falabellas reliably throw small,” says Lynn Cleare Goldman, a breeder of both Falabellas and American Miniature Horses, and the United States representative for the Establecimientos Falabella. “They are consistent in size, unlike the American Miniature Horse, which will produce throwbacks that are comparatively large.”

There are also a few physical characteristics in the Falabella that are currently being reviewed as being distinctive to the breed. “We know that Falabellas have a small hoof, a well shaped head, a long cannon bone and a narrow hip,” says Fitzmaurice. “But research is being done to determine if one less pair of ribs and one less vertebrae are definitive markers for the breed.”

When it comes to disposition, the Falabellas personality is among its most celebrated traits. This is not surprising since Falabellas are reported to be very docile, easy to train and people-oriented. “Falabellas are excellent, easily trained carters, and also do very well with lunging, jumping and simple companionship,” says Fitzmaurice.

Falabellas are commonly seen in harness, but can also be ridden by young children. Their size and easy going disposition make them a natural as a child’s first mount.

While many horse lovers have admired the Falabella over the years, many also wonder the reasoning behind creating and maintaining such a small horse. The answer lies not only in the breed’s endearing appearance, but also in its sturdiness. Because of the breed’s origins on the rugged plains of the Pampas, these small horses have maintained a strength and toughness rarely seen in other breeds.

Proof of the Falabella’s hardy constitution is evident in the 1970 story of two Falabellas that were hitched to a cart that had been filled with heavy liquor drums. The tiny team was asked to pull the load nearly 2,000 miles through varied terrain, from the southern tip of Argentina to the country’s northern region.

Falabella Registries
Unlike many breeds that have one universal registry, records on the Falabella Horse are kept in numerous places throughout the world. Each registry, no matter where it is located, strives to maintain the purity of the Falabella Horse.

The largest registry that includes the Falabella in its records is the American Miniature Horse Association (AMHA). Technically speaking, the Falabella is a miniature horse, and so qualifies to be registered with the AMHA, along with the Falabella’s cousin, the American Miniature Horse. Registration with the AMHA permits a Falabella to be shown at AMHA Miniature Horse shows, where the breed is exhibited in harness, halter and other other classes. Falabellas show alongside American Miniature Horses and receive no breed distinction in the show ring.

The original registry for the Falabella Horse is the one in Argentina, started by the Falabella family. Called the Asociación de Criadores de Caballos Falabella (the Falabella Horse Breeders Association or ACCF), this group is considered the foremost registry of the breed in the world, and is recognized by the Asociación Argentina de Fomento Equino(Argentine Equine Development Association or AAFE), the agency that oversees all matters equine in Argentina. The Asociación de Criadores de Caballos Falabella was created using the breed records originally kept by the Establecimientos Falabella.

The United States has its own registry for Falabella horses: the Falabella Miniature Horse Association. Based in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the FMHA is privately owned and closely associated with the Land of Little Horses, formerly the Gettysburg Miniature Horse Farm started by Tony Garulo. The Land of Little Horses provides the public with opportunities to view Falabella horses up close and personal.

According to Sandy Hawkins, president of the FMHA, the Falabella Miniature Horse Association was the first organization in the United States to register Falabella horses as a breed. “Requirements for registry in the FMHA is a proven ancestry tracing back to the original Falabella breeding stock in Argentina,” she says.

Europe is also home to a Falabella registry. The International Falabella Miniature Horse Association was started by Lord and Lady Fisher, the first importers of Falabella horses from Argentina to England. The IFMHS, like all other Falabella horse associations, does not sponsor shows but works specifically to preserve the pure breeding of the Falabella Horse.

These associations represent a lot of registries for such a small horse. But those who love the Falabella breed feel the need to vehemently guard its purity against those who would sell the little horse short. Because the Falabella is a miniature horse with little obvious physical distinction between itself and other miniature horses, horses that are not pure Falabellas are sometimes passed off to the public as the original Argentine breed. “Falabellas are more in demand and therefore can bring a higher price,” says one expert in the breed. “That’s why people sometimes try to represent grade miniature horses as purebred Falabellas.”

Those who wish to become involved with this tiny breed need only to be educated to avoid being taken in by this charade. Purebred Falabellas imported from Argentina are accompanied by paperwork that proves their authenticity. Falabellas bred in the United States have a registration number and certifiable pedigree. “Buy only Falabellas that are registered with a reputable Falabella association, and make sure their pedigrees go all the way back to Argentina,” says one Falabella breeder. “If a horse traces to Argentina on both sides, you can’t go wrong.”
 
 
 
 

Info Courtesy
of
Guinness Book Of Pet Records

Falabellas
 of  Florida
Palm Beach Gardens, FL USA

Barbara Sreenan

email: btsnan1@yahoo.com

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