Over the past 100 years there has been a great amount of disagreement regarding the origins and genetic characteristics of miniaturized horses. Some tiny horse breeds such as the Falabella horses of Argentina were developed in a totally separate environment from the tiny European horses of the eighteenth century, and independent breeding programs have been established on every continent. In the USA in the 1960s, these horses were called midget ponies, while in South America they were known as Falabella horses. In the 1970s a movement arose to change the name of tiny horses to miniature horses, and registries were established with standard sizes ranging from 28 inches to 38 inches. Because our Guide Horses are considerably smaller than miniature horses, we call them pigmy horses, both out of respect for the miniature horse registries and to ensure that the Guide Horses are not confused with any one of the numerous registry standards for miniature horses.
Horses possess amazing vision.
With their eyes mounted squarely on the sides of their heads, they possess nearly 350 degree vision. They are also extremely sensitive to motion in their field of vision and often detect a potential hazard before their sighted trainers. Guide Horses also have excellent night vision and can see clearly in almost total darkness. Horses are not well suited for assisting the hearing impaired. Inc. The Guide Horse Foundation is not affiliated with the Seeing Eye, but has great respect for their wonderful work with the visually impaired.