Monday 18 August 2014

THE HISTORY OF THE FALABELLA

Welcome back my fellow learners, today we are going to learn about the smallest breed of horse in the world.

The Falabella is a rare breed of miniature horse from Argentine, which is kept pure by breeding only pure-bred Falabellas to other pure-breds for many generations. It is thought to be the first and original Miniature Horse breed ever, however, the size comes secondary to their pure ancestry. It is a true pure-bred thanks to their unique ancestry, which is just one of their greatest attributes. The other is the Falabella name is recognized throughout the world. Breed ancestry is kept pure by the Falabella Farm, and small groups of breeders that wish to preserve their heritage. The Falabella is an exquisite horse which has always been rare because of their limited number within the gene pool. Estimates show that only a few thousand exist in the world today. The most desirable feature of a Falabella and its value is due to its pure ancestry. Falabellas are extremely prestigious in their own right and are prized by people who have one.
Several historic facts and fables are told about the famous Falabella in books and equine articles. It is said that the original Argentine horses were direct descendants of the Andalusian and Spanish Barb horses first introduced to Argentina by the Spaniards when they arrived in the 15th century. These Spaniards however, were defeated and their horses were left to run free. Over the centuries the environment and inbreeding created a reduction in size and produced small horses. In the 1840s, these equines were seen in herds close to the southern Buenos Aires region by Patrick Newell, and he began to build a herd with the smallest horses he could locate. It was from here that selective breeding began to develop a natural small horse .This started over 150 years ago, with Patrick and he passed his knowledge to his son-in-law, Juan Falabella, who then in turn shared his knowledge with Emilio his son Emilio, who then in turn passed it on to his son, Julio.




















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