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DNA profile test for a falabella

In 1996 the DNA laboratory of Van Haeringen in Wageningen developed -by order of the falabella foundation- a DNA profile test for falabellas. They tested the comparison between falabellas, shetland ponies and miniature horses. The laboratory used graph and each graph show a DNA pattern on wich DNA testing is based. Each graph provides frequencies of the variation within a marker. They found the differences in markers between falabellas, shetland ponies and miniature horses.
Because the falabella has "markers" wich were not found in the other horses that made the difference clearly present.
This DNA profile test is very important to preserve the breed purity of the falabella.Meanwhile, this unique research has been published in a scientific professional journal "Animal Genetics", whereby this discovery officialy is on name from Wim van Hearingen of Van Hearingen Laboratory in Wageningen, the Netherlands.

(from: http://www.falabella-europe.com/engelse%20versie.html)

The Falabella Horse
The falabella breed is the only miniature horse breed throughout the world
The falabella is rather rare and at the moment we have 200 falabella horses registered for Europe.
On the original falabella ranch -which is owned by Maria L. de Falabella in Argentina- are approximately 500 falabella horses. The falabella foundation register only pure falabella horses and try to preserve this unique breed purity.Falabellas are very famous. But not everyone knows the value of the pedigrees or breed purity. be aware of forging the pedigree. Some people are trying to sell a miniature for a falabella. And the buyer pays a lot of money for a not 100 % pure falabella.DNA profile test for a falabella.In 1996 the DNA laboratory of Van Haeringen in Wageningen developed -by order of the falabella foundation- a DNA profile test for falabellas. They tested the comparison between falabellas, shetland ponies and miniature horses. The laboratory used graph and each graph show a DNA pattern on wich DNA testing is based. Each graph provides frequencies of the variation within a marker. They found the differences in markers between falabellas, shetland ponies and miniature horses.
Because the falabella has "markers" wich were not found in the other horses that made the difference clearly present.
This DNA profile test is very important to preserve the breed purity of the falabella.Meanwhile, this unique research has been published in a scientific professional journal "Animal Genetics", whereby this discovery officialy is on name from Wim van Hearingen of Van Hearingen Laboratory in Wageningen, the Netherlands.

The Falabella Horse
When we refer to the Falabella horse, we are referring to a special breed, the outcome of careful selection, which has been living in the Argentine countryside for over one hunderd and fifty years.
Based on the irrefutable truth that the horse is the most noble creature that man has ever dominated, the Falabella horse -amicable and intelligent- is one of the most loyal animals. Children in every latitude dream of sharing their lives with a Falabella.

Origin of the Falabella breed
Like any other breed in the world, the Falabella horse is the product of natural selection -the result of crossing a variety of the criollo horse with some occasional addition of European and Asiatic breeds- which over time led to a breed with well-defined features, invariably transmitted to the successive generations of horses.

Whenever I am asked about the origin of these horses, I need to refer back to accounts and documents of many centuries ago, when the ancestors of the Falabella horses appeared. I believe that the true origin -based on the similarity of features- dates back to some variety of naturel selection whose predecessor was the horse that arrived with the Spanisch conquerors of South America.

I would like to make a brief reference to the horses living in this region, on our continent, from which the Falabella horses descended, because they had many virtues that the present Falabellas have inherited.
At the time of discovery of America, the Spanisch horses was considered one of the most noble and strongest horse in Europe, with a mixture of Eastern blood from the Moorish horses of Northen Africa and local Spanish breeds. The Spanish horses brought to our lands were likely to have been selected because they were the strongest and most resistant, in order to endure the difficulties and deprivation they would have to face.
After they were brought to our plains "the pampas" the Spanish horses were later abandoned during the unsuccesful first phase of het Conquest, and the imponderable natural selection began. The horses that followed were a product of the struggle to survive in a difficult environment and hence were the strongest. The weakest and organically unfit animals were eliminated by nature, or they were easily captured by the indians or were prey for the puma.

The strongest and fittest animals capable of surviving became the heads of the herds, and the best of their offspring were chosen by nature to procreate. Even the same consanguinity achieved among the physiologically selected horses should have contributed -as supported by biological laws- to the improvement of the breed, emphasizing the rustic qualities of their parents, and permitting them to thrive in such an environment.
 

Falabella breed: size,rusticity and strength
Some of these horses, with the virtues of their ancestors -and for some reason isolated from the rest of the group- may have inhabited a smaller environment, perhaps in the southern hills of the current Province of Buenos Aires. The unavoidable crossbreeding, or some unknown genetic mutation, may have reduced their size steadily and proportionally, a feature transmitted to their offspring.

Umdoubtedly the horses already existed by the mid-19th century in that region, when an Irish horse dealer, Newtall, discovered them among a wild herd: a group of tiny and perfectly-shaped horses, the origin of which the local Indians could not explain. They had been among the Indians workhorses for a long time.
Newtall obtained these horses and then bred them of what he once saw in his native country. Soon afterward, he gave his herd to his son-in-law J. Falabella. Since then, the Falabella family -having given its name to the breed- continued to breed the horses and increasted the herd size.

By the turn of the century, the blood from other breeds was incorporated in order to refine the proportions of the tiny animals.
The procedure utilized to crossbreed was not recorded and many never be known, but most likely it consisted of the selection of specimens of small stature and manual assistance with copulation.

From one Falabella generation to the next, the morpholigical and functional selection techniques made it possible to abtain specimens distinguished for their intelligence and small size. Moreover, controlled consanguinity was the means bu which the features were fixed and, in 1930, the breed type was achieved and has been maintained to the present.

Breeding and selection has been constant since then, and new methods have been introduced to optimize the results. Thes techniques and forms of selection are beyond the scope of this review. I should bestressed, that none of these developments could have been possible without the patient efforts of many generations of breeders, including their triumphs and failures. Their hard work has defined the patterns that distinguish the breed, and future generations of Falabella horses will certainly reflect the dedication of those pioneer breeders.

The Falabella Horse Breeders Association
The shared interests of a group of Falabella breeders pursuing common goals resulted in the creation of het Falabella Horse Breeders Association in 1990.
Association of Eguine Development -with honorary member status- and by the Argentine Undersecretary of Agriculture. Livestock and Fishing. Under my honorary Presidency, the Association has authorities of other nations and foreign horsebreeding associations.

Genealogical studies: methodology and origin
The Association mantains genelogical records of the breed , a Registry containing all Falabella horses, as well as records on the provisions and methodology which have been elaborated with the goal of promoting this breed all over the world.
As for the origin of the Registry, it may be said that from the very beginning some data was kept about the breed in order to create a chonological record of existing breeding stock. Unfortunately, much of this data desappeared, so that time and the lack of an efficient and permanent , methodology of control left us with no reliable testimony of the very first Falabella.
However, during the 1950s, my husband, Julio C. Falabella (1912-1980). One of the most prominet breeders who contributed to the Falabellas'development, compiled -based on old notes and papers held by his family- accurate data regarding some horses born prior to 1920.
The selection processes were later restructured, and services and births controlled, providing the necessary data to establish a methodical genealogical Registry of the Falabella breed.

Julio C. Falabella left an invaluable legacy: his Falabella Establishments. I continued his work with the same devotion, and focused on development of the breed pattern.
The study of documents and other background material obtained through historical research allowed us to detemine blood lines and find precise dates for a considerable amount of breed stallions and mares and Falabella ofspring, as well as establish a regular schedule of services and branding with Registry serial numbers.

Falabella Establishments also devised a programm with specific regulations, based on the morphological and phenotypic features, to register Falabella horses.
I am very grateful for the invaluable and earnest cooperations of local and foreign breeders, professionals and technicians whose contributions made it possible to have formulated specific regulations.

The Registry of the ACCF
Upon the founding of the Falabella Horse Breeders Association, and given ACCF's need to have the necessary elements for maintaining and promoting the breed, the ACCF Genealogical Registry was created based on teh Registry ceded by Falabella Establishments to the new entity. The provisions thereof, regarding the breed, authorities and operations of the Registry were drawn up and later approved at an Extraordinary Meeting in 1990.
The association has organized its activities and technical resources in order to ensure the smooth operation of the ACCF genealogical Registry for Falabella horses born in Argentina and their offspring born in this country or abroad.
 

Maria L.B. de Falabella
Buenos Aires, 1991
 
 
 

The Falabella Studbook was opened in 2002 for the registration of pure-bred Falabella's.

We are the only register in the UK to be directly linked to Argentina, ‘the home of the Falabella' With Maria L.B De Falabella as our president. We are the daughter studbook to the Argentinean registry The ACCF and sister studbook to The Dutch Stanboek,
who started registering Falabella's in 1995
We ensure that only pure Falabella's are registered by the use of pedigrees and DNA testing.

All horses on the register are DNA tested, then there progeny are tested and parent qualified so ensuring continued purity. All testing is done in the Netherlands, where the Dutch Stanboek has been DNA testing for 10 years, so building up a comprehensive database, allowing us to check DNA-profiles for those horses who can not be parent qualified.

All directly imported Falabella progeny can also be registered in Argentina.
A part-bred register has also been set up for people wishing to register their part-bred Falabella's and for horses that do not make it on to the pure-bred register.

A Falabella is a miniature horse.

Not all miniature horses are Falabella's. They originate in Argentina were they are still bred today they are gentle and clever,
they have an average height of 32” although they can be taller, unlike other miniature horse breeds there is no height limit for the Falabella.

They come in a wide range of colours and unlike the Shetland you can even have spotted ones. Pure Falabella's are still quite rare.

 http://www.falabellahorses.com/

What is a Falabella?

As the late J.C. Falabella was a HORSEMAN, I thought this was unlikely and this was one of my main reasons for wanting to meet Maria Falabella – to get an answer to this question and a number of others, which had puzzled Falabella enthusiasts for many years......

The Falabella is the Original miniature horse. It has been bred on the Falabella ranch in Argentina for over 150 years and it’s story began in 1845 when an Irish man named Patrick Newtall discovered that the tribes of pampas Indians had some unusually small horses along with their larger riding horses. He managed to obtain some and by 1853 he had created a herd of small, perfectly built little horses of around 102cms.In 1879 he transferred his findings, herd and knowledge to his son-in-law, Juan Falabella. Juan continued the experiment by using other breeds to develop this small horse – the smallest English thoroughbreds he could find, Shetland ponies and Criollo – the Argentine horse of the pampas.

In 1905 the herd was transferred to the next generation Emillio and in 1927 the establishment was inherited by Julio Cesar Falabella who kept careful genealogical records, introduced the blood of several other breeds including the North American Appaloosa which gave the breed it’s spotting capability and the Hackney! Some time after this he began to sell a few Falabellas to selected clients and the late John F. Kennedy was one of the first people to acquire some.

After Julio’s death in 1980 the herd was split between his wife Maria L. B. de Falabella and his only child Maria Angelica who now resides in the USA retaining a breeding herd of around seventy horses.
The Falabella is linked to the earliest modern horses in the New World. The Spanish brought over Andalusian horses when they attempted to conquer the Americas, which were forced to fend for themselves when the would-be conquerors were forced to flee. To survive they had to undergo structural changes to cope with the variable climate of the pampas. Cold winds, strong sun and fierce storms are common. The land is arid and horses have to travel long distances to find pasture and water.
The Falabella is gentle and docile around people but retains plenty of ‘fizz’ around it’s herd-mates, indulging in ‘horse-play’ They are long-lived and hardy, coping very well with cold weather although most of them would appreciate some protection from prolonged spells of rain.

There are many misconceptions about the Falabella breed, and I would like to take this opportunity to talk about a few of them. When Lord and Lady Fisher visited the Falabella ranch in the early seventies they later reported that the horses were all running together and that stallions fought for and selected their own mares. As the late J.C. Falabella was a HORSEMAN, I thought this was unlikely and this was one of my main reasons for wanting to meet Maria Falabella – to get an answer to this question and a number of others, which had puzzled Falabella enthusiasts for many years......

Maria Falabella told me (through her interpreter and daughter-in-law Anna Maria) that the Falabellas are bred in herds of ten to fifteen mares and a stallion. When the herd is established it is moved to open fields with other herds and the strong family bonds keep each herd together as a unit. Because a number of unauthorized societies/registries have taken it upon themselves to endorse the idea of ‘chaos’ on the Falabella ranch I will also take this opportunity to quote from ‘Horse Breeding’ (www.davidandcharles.co.uk) by one of the U.K.’s most respected equine fertility experts Peter Rossdale.
‘ These groups (harems) retain their integrity over many years. The young males eventually leave the group to join bachelor groups, from which individuals break away to form new harems. These are composed of young maturing fillies, as they too leave their original group. Some older mares that have become stragglers from their original harem may be incorporated into the new group. Mating occurs between the family stallion and his mares. The presence of the stallion is respected by other stallions, so there is little or no fighting.’

I feel that it is most important this be fully understood as the ‘chaos’ theory is very convenient for the unauthorized societies whose horses often have rather short pedigrees – they tell their members that it would have been impossible to know which stallion had sired a foal! They also imply that pedigrees from the Falabella ranch have been somehow ‘invented’!

There is another breed of miniature horse in Argentina known as the Bergman. These horses have some Falabella blood but ARE NOT FALABELLA! One society has imported a Bergman stallion believing it to be Falabella and have bred extensively with it. These foals have ‘Falabella’ papers! Remember that in order to be certain of obtaining a genuine Falabella you can request that it be registered with the British Falabella Studbook before you go ahead with the purchase. The BFS will ‘parentage qualify’ via the DNA test. The test can also pick up ‘non Falabella’ markers in cases where it is impossible to parentage-qualify – for example if one parent has died. Be VERY suspicious if a breeder refuses to register a horse with the BFS! Remember that there are FAR more partbred Falabellas (with ‘Falabella’ papers) than genuine Falabellas. Because of the large sums of money involved breeders are loathe to admit their horses are not genuine – not of 100% Falabella bloodlines.

I would also like to draw attention to the fact that a number of unauthorized registries tell their members they can ‘breed back to pure after five generations’. This is UNTRUE - one NEVER gets back to pure after someone has cheated in the pedigree!

People regularly contact me to say they know they have a genuine Falabella because it is very tiny and/or very refined.
I try to explain that many of the partbreds (often with Falabella papers) are indistinguishable from genuine Falabellas. Only a long pedigree going back to imports from the Falabella Ranch on both sides can show that an animal is genuine, rather than (for example) 87.5% Falabella.
 

falabella@gawab.com

If you have been unable to contact us using susan@falabellahorses.com then could you please send your mail again
using the falabella@gawab.com address.

Tel : +44 (0) 1953 718548
Fax : +44 (0) 1953 718333
 
 

Susan Eckholdt – U.K. representative for Establecimientos Falabella.
 
 
 

 http://www.green-woods.net/eng/pdf/greenwoods.pdf

"Falabella Pegasus"
by "Menelek"
Kilverstone, December 1991

Memorandum

GreenWoods Falabellas, Lord and Lady Fisher’s Heritage

Since you are continuing our breeding programme of the Falabellas we would like to leave

you with some background information.

It was February 1977 when we finally arrived at the ranch of Señor Falabella in Argentina and

gazed for the first time on his legendary miniature horses.

Shortly after we set up our Wildlifepark at Kilverstone I came across a reference to the

Falabella miniature horses and my curiosity aroused I tried to find out more about them, but it

was clear that very little was known. The Falabella breed originates only from Señor

Falabella's ranch in Argentina. Unlike the Shetland breed which is a small pony, the Falabella

is a true miniature horse, the result of selective breeding from the Falabella blood line.

Personally, I think the most important aspect of the Falabellas is not so much that they are

small but that they are perfectly proportioned little horses. It is like looking at a tho-

roughbred-an Arab or a Hunter- through the wrong end of a telescope. They are a perfectly

proportioned scaled down model.

Falabella miniature horses should never be confused with Shetland ponies. Shetlands have

normal heads and bodies deep in the girth with short legs and particularly short cannon bones

in the legs.

For their size, the Shetlands are the strongest of all breeds. They have been known to carry a

man and his wife 26 kilometers and to have carried a man of 76 kilo 64 kilometers in one day.

Falabella has very fine bones in the legs in perfect proportion to their body, very small feet

and cannot be ridden. They have many unusual features and I will say more about these later.
 
 

Some tall stories about short horses

I hoped to learn from Señor Falabella the true story of the origin of this breed for I had heard

many different explanations of how these horses came to be so small. One story was that a

herd of horses had been trapped by a land slip in a large deep canyon. The only food available

was cactus plants and over several generations the horses became smaller and smaller.

According to this story they were found by the Falabella family and winched from the canyon

and taken to their ranch. This seemed possible for something similar had in fact happened to a

herd of Hereford cattle cut off in a canyon in the Rocky Mountains, for when they were found

some years later their offspring were small and stunted due to the lack of adequate food and

the right minerals in the soil. This did not of course explain how the surviving horses

continued to breed small once they were getting plentiful supplies of food.

An Argentinian told me that the chief of the Cayak Indians had passed the secret of breeding

these miniature horses to the Falabella family. Knowing the warlike nature of the Indians in

the area and their need of war horses I rather doubted it.
 
 

6

Later I heard several other versions of the isolation story. One claimed that the horses had

been found in a hidden valley in the Andes - a sort of Shangri-la - where everything including

the plants were small and different! Another claimed that the grandfather of the present Señor

Falabella had sent some thoroughbred horses to a very barren and windswept part of

Patagonia and then forgotten about them. Some years later so the story went, the

grandchildren remembered the story of the horses and went to look for them. It is said that

they found only tiny horses, apparently only the smallest had survived and found shelter and

grazing on the low growing scrub. Unlikely perhaps but was it just possible? The most

improbable came to me from an Australian who wrote to say that he had heard that at one

time the Falabella family employed a lot of Japanese on the ranch and it was they that had

somehow managed to reduce the size of the horses. Knowing that the Japanese produced the

miniature trees by growing them in small pots and pruning the roots I had visions of them

rushing round clipping the horses feet' and pushing them into tiny shoes! I do not know how

all these stories originated because the true story of their origin as told me by Señor Julio

Cesar Faballa, the grandson of the breed's founder, is even more fascinating.

History of the breed as told to us by Señor Falabella

Last century there were in parts of Chile and Argentina a number of tribes of nomadic Indians

that even the Spaniards had failed to subdue. They hated the white man and waged almost

constant war on the settlers. Periodically they would descend on the ranches burning, looting

and killing, taking prisoners and driving off the cattle which they would later sell. Their

captives were hideously treated and few, if any, survived a raid. One of these early settlers

was Señor Falabella's maternal grandfather, an Irishman called Newton, who had a deep

knowledge and understanding of horses. On the river which ran through his land Señor

Newton had built a water mill. Every night stones were placed inside the mill wheel and the

rumbling noise could be heard for miles. The Indians who were steeped in superstition

thought he must be some kind of magician and kept well clear of his ranch.

There was a ford below the house and as this was the only water for some distance horses and

other animals often came there to drink. Sometimes they still had their saddles on or were still

harnessed to a car or wagon whose blood stained seats told of attack and murder by the

Indians. That is why Newton always carefully watched wildlife around the ford. One day

there appeared at the river a small horse that was quite different to anything that Señor

Newton had ever seen. This tiny horse appeared to have what translates from the Spanish as

"the dwarf sickness" but this is really misleading. This was no dwarf but a perfectly

proportioned horse in miniature. Señor Newton was fascinated by the little stallion and he

decided to keep it and breed miniature horses for his daughter, Señor Falabella's mother. It

was the offspring of this stallion that laid the foundation of the Falabella miniature breed. No

one knows the story of that original little stallion; to whom he belonged, where he had come

from and how he came to be that size will always remain one of the great unsolved mysteries.

On the Falabella ranch there are small horses of many sizes but only a few being the true

small miniature. It may take several generations to breed down to the very smallest sizes of

all. The Falabella carries a dominant gene that has the effect of shrinking down any larger

horse that it is crossed with. The Falabella breed has within it the blood of many different

breeds and all the colour markings-bay, roan, piebald, dappled, etc.- are present though the

rarest of all are the spotted ones.
 

Senior Julio Falabella and Lady Fisher with "Menelek"
 
 

Ever since I had first heard of them I had wanted to breed Falabellas at Kilverstone. I was not

however too hopeful of achieving this as our first attempts to obtain some had gone badly

wrong. Now that we were talking with Señor Falabella things seemed more hopeful and I

could not bear the thought that we might leave the Argentine without some of these

enchanting little horses. Although there were many on the ranch, about 400 we saw at first

were far too big, and we were very disappointed that we had come all this way to find they

weren't really small. But of course it takes many generations to breed them down to the

correct small size. We were taken to see "Menelek" (the father of "Pegasus"), Señor

Falabella's prize spotted stallion. I had fallen in love with a photo of him when he was foal.

Señor Falabella said I could buy him and we went off to see him. He was with a few other

spotted ones running with the 152 cm Appaloosas he was bred down from.

This is the reason Falabellas are perfectly proportioned replicas of larger horses. They at first

of all crossed with the larger breeds of horses, but then it takes many generations of breeding

and selecting to get them fixed down to the mini size. All the different colours are bred down

in this way from their larger cousins.

So the big herd of 400 were ones at the inbetween stage. They could breed the right size very

small ones only if the right mare and stallion mated .

Falabellas are a breed still in the making though the Falabella family have been breeding them

for 130 years or more, but originally in this rather hit and miss manner with the stallions

selecting their own makes in a herd of several hundred.

Señor Falabella took us off to see three small herds. The first about 15 little mares with a very

tiny stallion, then another group of 20-30 right size little ones and a last to a group of about

20-30 very little ones. Señor Falabella said I could pick out the one I wanted. I picked out 4

stallions and a number of mares and that was the basis of our herd at Kilverstone. We had a

very careful breeding programme putting the right stallion with the right little mare and on the

whole have always bred ours smaller than their parents.
 

Señor Falabella was very loath to part with any little ones and in the past has always castrated

the stallions and even doctored the females before they were sold. In fact he rarely parted with

any and President Kennedy, whose family was fascinated by them had been able to obtain

only a mare and a gelding. Luckily for him we are told the mare was pregnant, unknown to

Señor Falabella so at least they had one foal. After visiting the many different paddocks we

told Señor Falabella of what we hoped to achieve at Kilverstone and of our wish to create a

Falabella stud that would be the first in Europe.
 
 

"Menelek" left most appaloosa

9

Breeding Falabellas at Kilverstone

To our great delight he agreed that we could purchase four stallions and some mares, all of the

smallest sizes and including some of the rarest colours. Three weeks later our miniature

horses arrived in Britain and created a tremendous amount of interest.

Until recently the Falabellas were well established and breeding at Kilverstone. They were on

public show throughout the year and one could see them both in their paddocks and special

stables. Each day in the summer we had a demonstration of them and put on a jumping

display. They travelled all over the country and sometimes abroad with us to appear on

television shows and make appearances for charity. Above all though we and many others

were learning a lot from this very unusual breed.

Newmarket is not far from Kilverstone and is the world centre of Horse racing and

thoroughbred breeding. Here too is the famous Equine Research Station whose scientists have

become very interested in our miniature horses. For the first time scientists at the Station were

able to obtain X-Ray pictures of all the internal organs of a horse. Not only the large

thoroughbreds but even a small pony is too deep through for these organs to show upon an X-Ray.

The much smaller and narrower body of the Falabella miniature horse makes this

possible.

Another study involves the scientists looking at the behaviour, health and physiology of the

herd as a whole. Rarely is it possible to study such things as body temperature through the

day, every day, in a large group of horses living a varied free life. This was done at

Kilverstone and it was surprising to find just how much the internal body temperature of the

horses varied during the day and from day to day.
 
 

"Menelek"
with Lady Fisher

10

Type of care required

Falabella miniature horses require much the same care as normal large size horses, except in

much smaller quantities. Half a hectare of grazing is sufficient for two miniature horses. It is

possible to keep one in a good size back yard with supplemental feeding. A bale of hay will

usually last a miniature horse for a month and approximately half a kilo of good grade

commercial food per 50 kg of body weight is normally adequate as a daily ration for a stabled

horse. If kept in a small space they should be taken for a walk (like a dog). But if they have

enough space to run around and kick their heels up, they can get all the exercise they need.

With any large concentration of individuals there is always a risk of sickness or parasites

being passed from one to the other. Health care at Kilverstone was basically preventive so that

through careful heating and ventilation of the stables we aimed to cut down on chills and

respiratory infections. All the horses were routinely vaccinated for influenza and tetanus.

Worming was carried out every six weeks and this was supplemented by pasture

management. All droppings were cleared from the paddocks daily and grazing in the

paddocks was done on rotation. In this way we avoided the build up of parasites on the

vegetation or of any significant numbers within the animals themselves.

At Kilverstone we have crossed our stallions with the mares of larger breeds to reproduce

miniatures. Amongst the crosses attempted so far are those with an Arab and also a Shire. Our

stallions were not of course able to mate directly with these larger mares and fertilisation is

achieved by artificial insemination (A.I.). The appearance of the foal is to some extent related

to the physique of the parents so that to produce the really fine miniature horse type it is

necessary to use the finer mares. The cross is always made using the miniature stallion to a

larger mare .
 
 
 

12

The cross of a Falabella and a Shire horse was not really a success. I was longing for a mini

Shire with large feathery feet but the Falabellas have such fine boned legs and such dainty

small feet that this didn't work out as I'd hoped.

Then I bought Twin Arab mares of the best Crabet breeding. The Arab mare was 152 cm and

Chico the Falabella stallion in only 74 cm high. Nature is wonderful. The foal when born was

the same height as father, even then he could only just reach his mother's milk by standing on

tip toe. If he had been any smaller he could not have drank. But he was a stallion and to keep

on breeding down in size we would need a mare from that cross. We decided to concentrate

on breeding the Falabellas alone .

Señor Falabella told us how long the mares would take to have a foal. "Their gestation period

is nearer to 13 months as against the 11 month gestation period of most horses and ponies".

This we found was true of " Pepita " the first of our mares to foal at Kilverstone, who took 12

1/2 months to have her first foal "Evita". But we think that must have been something to do

with Argentina, perhaps climatic conditions, because after that year all the other mares have

taken the normal 11 months to have their foals. The foals when they are born are adorable,

normally they range in size between 41-52 cm in height at birth. At Kilverstone each year we

had four or five foals that are 38-41 cm at birth.

Most horses continue to grow until they are five or six years old but the Falabella makes 90%

of its growth in its first year and is fully grown by 3 years old. Most of the foals are born in

April, May and June so that early summer is an ideal time to see the very small foals at play in

the paddocks with their mothers.

Falabellas are of course too small and delicate of bone to take the weight of a rider. Their

skeleton is also different in that they have two less ribs and two less vertebrae than other

horses so Señor Falabella told us. They can however be harnessed and in a small lightweight

cart can pull an adult person or several children.

Show jumping

To me one of their most attractive features is their kindly temperament and considerable

intelligence. They are very affectionate, easily trained and enjoy human company. Those that

took part in the demonstrations in the Park, such as the miniature show jumping course, did so

with great enjoyment. For example if put to graze in the field where the jumps are they will

often just went over the jumps on their own for the fun of it.

Once the girl grooms came to me and said they wanted to jump Prudence, but her foal

Samantha was so small she could get out under the fence and was bound to follow mother. So

I said bring in mother and I'd hold Samantha in the centre of the field and she could watch

mother jump. But Samantha has a mind of her own. She wasn't going to stand and watch. She

was going to follow mother over the jumps. This she did and when she came to one or two

jumps that were too high for her she just ran around them and joined mother for the next

jump. Their jumping ability is very considerable and if allowance is made for their small size

and their performance scaled up they would out jump our leading show jumpers and cross

country eventers by a very considerable margin.
 
 
 
 

13

People often asked me what is the point of breeding such a small horse that cannot be ridden

or do useful work. To some extent such a question suggests that such people have only a

limited understanding of the pleasure that comes from keeping animals and one is tempted

perhaps to reply "They are very good for loving! " and make a lovely pet, very affectionate

and gentle, as well as being very good lawn mowers -the only sort I can start! To me they are

something quite uniquely fascinating and a part of our animal heritage that is to be cherished

and preserved along with our wildlife, great works of art and historic buildings. There are

though some practical considerations and I know of number of people who have kept riding

horses all their lives but who can no longer cope with the very considerable work involved

and now have a miniature horse. They provide just as much pleasure and companionship as

their larger cousins but are easier to handle, look after and feed. They are excellent pets,

although I must admit being the rarest hores in the world they are very expensive.

A word of warning

People were always writing to us saying "I bought a Falabella the other day..." well the

answer is they haven't. They have been told it is, or because it is small they assume it is. But

as I tell them no matter what size, a small Shetland, or whatever it is, you will get a lot of fun

from it and can love it just as much. Just as one can love a mongrel puppy as much as a pure

bred very rare breed of dog. But the sad part is these people have no doubt paid a very high

price for their so-called Falabella.

When I was first looking for Falabellas I did not know there were non in England and they

could only be obtained from Señor Falabella himself in Argentina. They are not a native breed

in Argentina like Dartmoor, Exmoor, New Forest and Shetland ponies are in the UK. The

Falabella can only come from the Falabella family in Argentina who alone have bred them

and as stated earlier, are loath to part with any breeding stock.

So when I was first looking for them all sorts of people sold me all sorts of small Shetlands

saying they were Falabellas. When I asked how and where they had come to Argentina etc.

they had all sort of wild stories; lost, stolen or smuggled. I am a trusting and a gullible person

and didn’t like to doubt them. But I hate to see other people "had" and taken for a ride as I

was at first – before we went to Argentina and bought our herd from Señor Falabella.

I believe there is a woman in Sussex who said she had Falabellas, when asked how she could

tell they were Falabellas she said "because they have pink skin round their heels"- well so

have I! There is a man in the South who said he is so pleased, every time I'm on TV with the

Falabellas he sells masses of his mini Shetlands. Whether they are called Falabellas or the

public assume they are I don't know.

A man in Surrey admitted he had registered some New Forest pony foals as Falabellas at

Gettesburg in the USA. He was not asked to send photos, give their height or explain how he

got them from Argentina. A man in the North who sells mini Shetlands for up to Pnd. Strl.

25,000 each, gives the impression they are all Falabellas so I was told by a prospective buyer.

It is just a case of people jumping on the band wagon. A man in East Anglia wanted to

advertise on TV that he had Falabellas, he was told "no-we know Lady Fisher has the only

ones in this country".
 
 

But the advise I give is if your are offered a Falabella ask to see the press cutting of when the

horses arrived in this country from the Argentine. For that is where they must have come from

if they are true Falabellas. They are so rare that there would have been some press coverage,

or ask to see the papers of transport form Argentina. If not of the ones you are offered at least

of their parents or grandparents.

To begin with I found I'd only sold our Falabellas to Princes and Princesses. But one soon

runs out of Princes! They have gone to three Royal Families and we have sent them to the

USA, Australia, the Middle East, East and West Germany, Italy and Central America.
 
 

The Rare Falabella Miniature Horse

By Tammie Cappuccio
 
 
 

The Falabella Miniature Horse is considered a breed in Argentina much as the Quarter Horse or American Miniature Horse is considered a breed in the United States. The Falabella family has selectively bred them for generations and has the one of the longest recorded history of any miniature horse association in the world.
 
 

Photos are available from as early as 1905 showing the breeding results of the Falabella in Argentina.
The Falabella Miniature horse was the first line of miniature horses selectively bred anywhere in the world.
Records go back as far as 150 years and via word of mouth and memory may go even further.
 
 

Pedro Mendoza established the first horses, mainly Andolusian lines to South America in 1536. Many ran wild creating food and transportation for local Indians. Indians and settlers alike tended to take for their use the larger horses leaving the smaller horses to propagate. This continued for many generations and was the foundation of many of the South American breeds including the Criollo, which played a part in the development of the Falabella. Eventually horse-trading became profitable and a trader living in the Buenos Aires territory in 1845, Patrick Newtall, noticed a particular group of small horses in the wild horse herds. He obtained this group of small horses and started a selectively breeding them. Later infusions of Criollo and European Thoroughbred had also been introduced to the bloodline. Patrick Newtall and his son in law Mr. Juan Falabella joined to share knowledge to continue to improve the new evolving breed. The blood of Pur Sangs, Shetland (Dutch, English or Belgian type) were used and minis were being produced at less than 30 inches in height. Emilio and then Julio Cesar Falabella took on the responsibilities and records for the established breed called FALABELLA Miniature Horse.
 
 

Since the death of Julio Cesar Falabella his wife, Maria Louisa de Falabella has continued on at the Est. Falabella with the running and recording of the now famous miniature horses. Julio Cesar Falabella's daughter, Maria Angelica Falabella also continues to breed the Falabella miniature horses. Maria Angelica resides in the United States with a small group on her US farm of pure Falabella's and has a remaining herd in Argentina. The Est. Falabella handles the horse operations much as we do in the United states with the exception that they have yearly "inspections" of the young stock to establish which horses meet their breed standard and those not meeting it are sold. Once a Falabella has passed it's three-year-old year and meets all the requirements of inspection they are branded identifying them as approved breeding stock (they do not show their horses). The horses are divided on ten-acre parcels in-groups of mares with one stallion each. They remain outside without a barn or shelter year round. They are checked for health periodically and foaling season is kept busy recording the year's foals. The farm totals 600 individuals at last record. Only the existing genetic pool is used. Outside bloodlines are no longer used.
 
 

The only registry recognized by the Est. Falabella is the Asn. de Criadores de Cabballos Falabella (Assn. Of Falabella Breeders-ACCF).  For the Imported Falabella horse will need to be hardshipped for entry into any of the registries (except the FMHA). The Falabella Registry (FMHA) was established in the United States (One of THE FIRST registries in the United States for miniature horses) to keep record of imported Falabellas coming in to the United States. The numbers of purebred Falabellas is still small due to their rarity but much sought after due to the improvement influence they can offer.

Years of selective breeding for specific traits (not just size) has produced a hearty strong bloodline which consistently reproduces small and passes on a long legacy of a small, vigorous and flashy individuals. Falabella horses tend to average 28.5 although smaller and larger are found. Appaloosa and striking pinto are much sought after and a rarity. Their muscle and bone structure resembles a Quarter Horse and has a lively alert personality without lack of vigor. Pure Falabellas should have a registration from either the ACCF or the Falabella Miniature Horse Registry (FMHA). AMHA and AMHR will register them as "miniature horses" but pedigrees are not acknowledged and horses must be "hardshipped" in to receive registration from those registries. WCMHR is an open registry and will allow registration with minimal fee.
 
 

Sellers of pure Falabella's should be able to supply a registration from ACCF, IMFHS or FMHA to prove the authenticity of a Falabella pedigree.
 
 

There are a few farms that specialize in the Falabella bloodline. Very limited numbers of horses are imported directly from the Est. Falabella.  The Regina Winery (click "Regina Winery" for articles and photos of the Winery) in CA was one of the first to import Falabella's. The prices to directly purchase one horse and import from Est. Falabella starts at $8,000 and approved breeding stock can run up to $20,000. Prices are considerably lower in the United States.
 
 

You'll see famous names in modern pedigrees such as "Chianti" and "Grosshill's Comofin" as well in the show rings of yesterday and today. Consider this oldest breed of miniature horse for your breeding or show program.
 
 

Facts from Est. Falabella.

http://cspotsminiaturehorses.homestead.com/files/winerychiantipix.JPG

A Young  "REGINA" and "CHIANTI" 1965
 

"CHIANTI" left front lead horse (above)
 

"HNFs Senior" left most lead horse and "Chianti" middle right
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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