The Falabella is a rare Argentinean breed of Miniature Horse that has been kept pure by breeding only pure Falabellas to other pure Falabellas for countless generations. It is known as the first and original Miniature Horse breed, yet the miniature size is secondary to their pure heritage. It is a true purebred due to their unique and historic ancestry, which is one of its greatest attributes. The other is the fact that the Falabella name is known and recognized all over the world. Breed ancestry has been kept pure by the Falabella Farm and by small groups of dedicated breeders who want to preserve their precious heritage. The Falabella is an exquisitely unique horse that has always been rare due to the limited number within its pure ancestry gene pool. Estimates indicate that only a few thousand Falabellas exist in the entire world. The most desirable feature of the Falabella and its primary value is that of its rarity and pure Falabella ancestry. Falabellas are very prestigious to own and are highly prized by those who have them.
Many historic facts and fables have been told of the famous Falabella in books, magazines and equine articles. It was said that the original Argentine little horses were descendants of Andalusian and Spanish Barb horses brought to Argentina by the Spaniards when they first arrived in the 15th century with the intent to conquer Argentina. They were defeated and the horses were left to roam free.
Over several more centuries the harsh environment and inbreeding caused a reduction in size and produced naturally small horses. Back in the 1840s, these small equines were seen within herds near the southern Buenos Aires area by Patrick Newell and he started to build his herd with the smallest he could find. It was from this point that selective breeding was started to develop a true small horse. This was over 150 years ago. Patrick Newell worked with the small horses and his knowledge was passed to his son-in-law, Juan Falabella. Juan shared his knowledge with his son Emilio, who passed it on to his son, Julio Falabella. As Julio worked with his father through his younger years, he gained all the knowledge his father had learned throughout his lifetime. Over many years they used a variety of equines. This included the native Argentine Criollo horse and equines with Pinto and Appaloosa markings to breed down in size, continually keeping the smallest and best quality in each generation.
By the 1950s, Julio took over his fathers Falabella Farm. He had created tiny sized Falabellas in every color including Pintos and some very rare and colorful Appaloosas which were his favorites. The greatest development and perfection of the Falabella breed was done by Julio when he created his tiny horses in many colors. With his dedication and knowledge, he was able to produce perfect little horses that were some of the smallest in the world. Once the tiny sizes in all the colors were attained, a century of natural heritage and breed development was completed. Julio set out to show his Falabella Miniature Horses to the world ! In the 1960s, Julio Falabella sent his Falabella Miniature Horses to the USA and other Countries. Several articles about the Falabella Miniature Horse were written in Western Horseman Magazine and National Geographic Magazine, as well as other equine magazines. The news spread like wildfire about this little Miniature Horse breed that was Centuries in the making from natural and selective breeding over many generations. Julio and his Falabella Miniature Horses became famous as he continued to export them to all parts of the world. Some of the richest and most famous people bought them. Among them were kings, princes, presidents and movie stars. It was not unusual to pay astronomical prices for some of Julio's smallest and best Falabellas. Through the 1970's the Falabellas were being imported in small groups. By this time, Julio had a large number of Falabellas on his huge Ranch in sizes as small as 28 inches with perfect conformation in all colors. In 1973 the Falabella Miniature Horse became a registered breed through the Falabella Miniature Horse Association (FMHA)
When Julio passed away in 1980, the Falabella Farm, and his life's work was continued in Argentina by his wife, Maria Luisa de Falabella, their son Julio, and daughter, Maria Angelica Falabella. In 1995 Angelica then later moved to South Carolna in the United States and brought her very best Falabellas with her, including her smallest and most colorful Pintos and Appaloosas. Both Falabella Farms continued to be a primary producer, and exporter, of Falabella Miniature Horses all over the world until Maria Angelica Falabellas retirement in 2006.
Upon Angelica Falabellas’s retirement in 2006, Laurie Stevens of Toyland Miniature Horses, acquired Angelica’s entire herd. Most were the special picks which Angelica kept for herself and imported to the USA. Some were very small Falabellas, size 26 inches to 30 inches. Their bloodlines go directly to the Falabella horses of Argentina. These are the last of the Angelica Falabella herd from her South Carolina Ranch.
Currently Falabellas are still at the Falabella Farm in Argentina and others are located in the United States, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom and a number of other countries all over the world.
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Credits
Laurie Stevens of Toyland Miniature Horses
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