Italian Miniature

[Deaming of Minis]

So I went to Italy last fall and we went to a 'zoo' there (it consisted of a seagull, a monkey, chickens, goats, a ram, geese, rabbits and I think miniatures or they were ponies.) I forgot about these pictures and I thought I would share them and if they are miniatures I also thought you guys could compare the difference between the ones in America vs. Italy.

Here is the ‘herd’; they lived in a rocky area (we were in the mountains)

This little guy was the 'friendly one' he got picked on by the sorrel pinto in the next photo

The 'Top Stud' the sorrel pinto in the corner

My little cousin feeding the 'friendly one'.

And a Cart Pony

 

[~Palomino~]

miniature horses, are miniature horses, regardless of there breed, if they are 38'' and under, they are or can be considerd a miniature horse! It must be under 38'' to be miniature horses, so if they arnt 38'' or under, then they are ponies, they cant really be compared to the minis here, cause if they are under 38'', then lots of people have 38''ers, so if they are 38'' or under, then they are the same thing as the minaiture horses here

-Gage-

 

[nootka]

Those are interesting photos!

Thanks for sharing.

Pretty hard for me to see the horses to evaluate them, but I think they look like many of the Miniatures we have here.

Wonder what their backgrounds are?

(guessing Shetland?)

Liz M.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

I'd say minis/shetlands and so pretty, thanks for sharing.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

They probably are Shetlands- proper ones not US- quite a few were sent out to Spain and Italy. Trouble is, once they are out there, nothing can come back- due to African Horse Sickness. Italy is not really that far from us- I've been on holiday there a few times. By road it takes a couple of days, with horses.

 

[Dr. Pam]

They probably are Shetlands- proper ones not US- .

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Hey--are you saying our Shetlands are improper??? Morally or ethically? or are they just rude?

I love the pictures, and the horses all look well fed. It just seems so odd to think of them as Zoo animals in a caged pen....

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

Thaks for sharing the pictures with us, the minis sure are cute ones.

but I do have to say, that I would feel very sorry for my minis if they had to live in a cage like that, but they do look well taken care of.

Corinne

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Definitely rude, Dr Pam!! I love American "Shetlands" BUT they ain't Shetlands!!!

I can't really see the difference between the area thay are in and a dry lot, myself- there is little or no grazing in a lot of areas of Italy just as in the US- it seems to be more of a "petting Zoo" than a real Zoo.

 

[user 488]

Hay.. Does anyone SEE the BUTT CRACK on the guy sitting behind the cart and pony shot? 

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GROSS!

 

[horsehug]

They are beautiful and look like minis to me!

Also if their pens have enough length for them to run and exercise if they want, I imagine they are not much different from our drylots here, like someone else said.

Thanks for sharing those pics!

Susan O.

 

[wildoak]

Where was that last picture taken? We were in Italy last summer, it's a very familiar sight.

Jan

 

[Alice]

Leave it to you MaryLou to find the BUTT CRACK (LOL)

Love your pictures. Alice

 

[_minihorses4ever_]

Hay.. Does anyone SEE the BUTT CRACK on the guy sitting behind the cart and pony in the photo? 

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LOL, eww!!

Hmm.. miniatures and goats in a zoo? I wonder what would happen if they saw the lions and hippos at our zoo.

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.

 

[susanne]

Hay.. Does anyone SEE the BUTT CRACK on the guy sitting behind the cart and pony in the photo? 

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Snork! I'm so glad I'm not the only one with a warped sense of humor!

When I read Italian minis, I wondered if the mares and fillies have hairy armpits??

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I don't think the size of their dry lot is so bad, but with that limited space and the slope, you'd think they could clear the rocks so they could run a bit. I do find it rather sad to see them so fenced off from their admirers, especially the little kids.

 

[Shari]

I really like the harness!!

 

[Aggravation Acres]

I lived in Italy for 2 1/2 years, 1979 - 1981 time frame. In the heel area of the boot while I was in the AF. A lot of the little towns looked just like the area with the horse and cart.

They have a lot of butt cracks around. You just get used to seeing them.

I think the horses look in pretty good shape. A lot of places like that have skinny animals, they figure that the people coming to see them will feed them enough.

The one little zoo we went to you had to ride a bus through the zoo and in the monkey area tried to strip off the wipers and anything else they could get their little hands on. You would not believe what one of the male monkies was doing on the hood of the bus.

can you say x rated.

We fed the animals through the windows. It was an experience.

Deb

 

[shminifancier]

Yes they do look nice and the pens look fairly big.. Not much bigger then most of us have for pens. Mine are 75 wide by 150 deep plenty enough room for a mini to run around in a get good exercise. They do look about that big or even bigger.. They are in wonderful shape compared to some that are kept at petting type zoos.

 

[Deaming of Minis]

The pen they were in was not very small and they could run. They were in great condition compared to some other horses you see when driving (that is if any, not very many horses around) The area we were in was the outskirts of Trapani Sicily.