Thumbelina of Goose Creek Farms, St Louis, Missouri, USA was certified in 2006 in the Guiness Book of Records as the world's smallest horse. She stands at only 17 ½ inches tall (44.5 cms) and weighs only 57 pounds, smaller than many dogs.
Thumbelina 's extraordinary dimutive size is due to dwarfism, her parents were normal sized miniature horses standing at about 29 inches but Thumelina weighed only 8 ½ pounds at birth. Michael Goessling, son of breeders Kay and Paul, said in an interview with the Daily Mail
'When she was born, she was so small we thought she wasn't going to make it, She weighed eight pounds when she came out and she looked very ill. We feared the worst. Because her legs are proportionally smaller than her body and her head, she has to wear orthopaedic fittings to straighten them a lot of the time. But we love her and wouldn't want her any other way.'
But Thumbelina thrived and as the tiny chesnut mare became famous the Goessling's decided to create the 'Thumbelina Charitable Foundation' in an attempt to direct all of the attention and affection that she was receiving from around the world toward needy children. Thumbelina travels around the USA promoting the charity in her own stable on wheels the ThumbyMobile. It's a 30 ft RV converted into a horsebox with air conditioner and a side-loading ramp. It also carries her food, bedding, grooming supplies, and even the dog house that she sleeps in at home.
Thumbelina travels thousands of miles a year to raise funds for the following charitie, for more information visit Thumbelina's own website
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Hospitals St. Jude Children's Hospital Shriners Hospitals for Children St. John's Mercy Kentucky Children's Hospital Children's Specialize Hospital Scheider Children's Hospital Cabell Huntington Hospital WVU Children's Hospital Hasbro Children's Hospital Children's Hospital of Buffalo Lutheran Children's Hospital Children's Mercy Hospital Children's Care Hospital & School MeritCare Children's Hospital |
National Foundation for Children with Cancer Ronald McDonald House Tiger Woods Foundation Catholic Charities March of Dimes Big Brothers Big Sisters Special Olympics Girls and Boys Town Toys for Tots Variety Easter Seals Autism Society of America Therapeutic Fieldstone Farm Therspeutic Riding Center Equestrian Therapy Program Camp Casey The Painted Turtle |
Children's Homes, Schools and Shelters: Edgewood Children's Center St. Joseph Children's Center Youth Villages Klingberg Family Centers Nokomis Child Care Centers Pendleton Academies Hays Shelter Home Marygrove Others Little People of America Big Apple Circus Circus Flora Shriners Circus Local-Regional KidsSmart The Tomorrow Fund |
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