Pura Vida - About Us

About Us

We breed and raise horses with outstanding bloodlines, temperaments and lots of spunky attitude for both performance and halter.

At the ranch or at local activities our horses work with people of all ages and abilities to provide wonderful learning experiences.

Our priority is to provide the best quality of life for our horses through outstanding care and lots of loving attention. Pura Vida means "The Good Life" which is what our wonderful little mini's give us,

and our goal is to give them "the good life", here at Pura Vida Ranch.

Pura Vida Ranch features:

Many Acres with Multiple Barns and Pastures
Experienced and Knowledgeable Staff
High Standard Quality of Care

Our minis receive lots of hugs, love and attention. They provide hours of fun for us, our children, grandchildren and all of our visitors.

What is a miniature horse?

Miniature Horses are found all over the world and come in various colors and coat patterns. The miniature horse is a "height" breed.

There are two classes recognized by registries:

A for horses 34 inches (82 cm) and under

B for horses between 34 and 38 inches (82 - 91 cm) in height.

Miniatures are separated from the rest of the horse show world. They compete in their own horse shows which include categories: conformation, in hand hunter, jumper and obstacle; driving, endurance, and obstacle or "trail" classes.

Miniature horses are also kept as domestic pets.

The average life span of miniature horses is 30 years. The oldest living horse on record was a dwarf named Angel who lived with the Horse Protection Society of North Carolina, who lived to be over 50. She was just under 2 feet (60 cm) tall.

History of Minis

Miniature horses were bred as pets for Europe's nobility in the 1600's. Paintings and articles featured the miniature horse by 1765. Lady Estella Hope and her sisters carried on the original English lines into the mid-nineteen hundreds. Not all early miniatures were pampered pets of kings and queens. Some were used to work in the English Midlands and Northern European coal mines as pit ponies.

The Falabella miniature horse was originally started in Argentina in 1868 by Patrick Newell. When Newell died, the herd and Falabella breeding methods were passed to Newell's son-in-law, Juan Falabella. Juan added European breeds including: the Welsh Pony, Shetland pony, and small thoroughbreds. With considerable inbreeding he was able to gain consistently small size within the herd.

In the United States, the Miniature horse added additional lines from new sources including the Hackney Pony and the Pony of the Americas.