The Falabella horse
Is it a horse or a pony? - The Falabella is a very special breed, the characteristics of which have been established after many generations of selection. The name 'Falabella' actually comes from the son in law of the original man who first started to develop the breed in the nineteenth century. The breed was actually established in the 1850 by an Irishman named Patrick Newtall. He noticed a number of small horses being kept within the tribes of some Indians. After acquiring some, and after many years of breeding he passed his small herds onto his son in law Juan Falabella. Juan added some English thoroughbred blood, some Criollo and even Shetland. By 1893 the herd had become stable and the characteristics for the breed were firmly established. Since this breed has been shown to be man made it is in fact a breed of horse!
Today the numbers of pure bred animals are still few, but by maintaining DNA records we can ensure that these horses maintain the ideal standards that have been fixed through generations of breeding.
No horse can 'become' a Falabella if it is not pure bred and proven to be so by having either an offical Argentinian breeding certificate or by being DNA tested, but Falabellas can 'become' other breeds such as American Miniatures. In fact it is probable that the American Miniature horse breed owes quite a lot to this breed for many great blood lines, it being only officially established in 1971. Many registered American Miniatures are in fact Falabellas.
Falabellas are extremely tough due to their natural rearing. They are a true horse and very clever, with a bold gait and bright eye. They still retain their miniature height which is generally under 38” -and they can be very easily humanized!
What is a genuine Falabella horse?
A genuine Falabella horse is one that has a pedigree of uninterrupted bloodlines of animal stock originally bred by the Falabella family.
Any horse that does not have a bloodline solely from those originally bred by and accredited to ESTABLICIMIENTOS FALABELLA Av., quintana 494 piso 6, A1129 BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINIË is not a Falabella. It is a mixed breed, and cannot legitimately be called a Falabella.
Some breeders and traders are selling horses as Falabella when they are not. They are mixed breed, with some Falabella in their bloodlines. Buyers of these horses are being defrauded. We know that fraudulent traders are selling such horses
The UK Falabella Studbook is the only UK certification source of pedigree horses accredited to ESTABLICIMIENTOS FALABELLA Av., quintana 494 piso 6, A1129 BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINIË. The European Falabella Studbook (Stamboek) is the only European certification source of pedigree horses.
If you are interested in a horse that is not documented with a lineage solely related to stock from the Falabella ranch, and is not dna tested, be advised that its value may be inflated. Any stock bred from such a horse will not be a Falabella. Any stock sold as such is fraudulently traded. Breeding from such stock may lead to disappointment.
Many of our 'Falabella blend' horses are with us because the father was fraudulently sold to us.
