Just 17 1/2 inches tall, Thumbelina is one horse who’s more inclined to walk under fences than jump them.
The little mare, which turned 6 on Tuesday, is the world’s smallest living horse, according to Guinness World Records. But the 57-pound Missouri miniature has a big mission: raising $1 million this year for children’s charities.
Her handler, Michael Goessling, says that Thumbelina is the perfect children’s helper.
“When kids meet her in person, they want to talk to her and know what she likes and dislikes,” he said. “It’s amazing because she is so loving with people. She craves attention.”
Thumbelina, who is named for the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of a woman the size of a thumb, has been getting plenty of attention since claiming the Guinness title last summer.
She’s been showered with praise on TV talk shows. She travels in a stable on wheels: a specially equipped recreational vehicle called the Thumbymobile. And when she’s home at Goose Creek Farms, near St. Louis, the flow of schoolchildren who visit her is constant.
“I’ll have her out for hours,” said Goessling. “She’s so mild-mannered, everything just seems to brush off her shoulders. There have been 100 kids around petting her — and she’ll take a nap.”
Enjoying her new fame, Thumbelina is making her first national tour, a months-long charity event that includes a stop in Northern Virginia this month. As she travels the country, she is visiting children’s hospitals, schools, summer camps, fairs and horse shows to raise money for good causes.
Goessling and his parents breed miniature horses for sale and competitions. They have won numerous ribbons over the years. But Thumbelina is extra-special. “There will never be another Thumbelina,” he said.
The Goesslings call Thumbelina a “miniature miniature.” Genetically, she’s a dwarf, which makes her extra tiny.
“She’s perfectly healthy,” Goessling told KidsPost, and whinnies and bucks like any other horse. She does wear special shoes to help support her short legs.
On the farm, Thumbelina usually avoids the 40 or so other miniature horses, most of whom are more than a foot taller than she is. Instead, she spends most of her waking hours playing with the farm dogs, who are about her size. She sleeps in a doghouse.
Last year Thumbelina had her photo taken with the world’s largest living horse, Radar, a 6-foot-7 Belgian Draft horse. Although Radar was about 40 times bigger, Thumbelina wasn’t intimidated in the least.
The photo will appear this fall in the 2008 World Records book.
© 2007 The Washington Post Company
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