Miniature horses are elegant animals that look just like any other horse except they stand 38 inches tall or less. But they're big in Nebraska.

BY HILARY KINDSCHUH | Lincoln Journal Star

For years, Don Maas raised Quarter Horses on his farm near Firth in rural Gage County.

But when his three children grew up, there was nobody left to ride, and it didn’t make much sense to keep all those horses around.

Then, at the 1989 Nebraska State Fair, Maas made a discovery that would forever change the way he saw horses.

There, for the first time, he laid eyes on a miniature horse — a small, elegant animal that looks just like any other horse — except it stands 38 inches tall or less. Some organizations only recognize horses 34 inches or shorter as miniature.

Maas soon discovered these little horses are big in Nebraska — 369 Nebraskans either own or breed miniature horses, said Dawn Scally, assistant editor of The Journal of the American Shetland Pony Club/American Miniature Horse Registry.

This weekend, the Great Plains Small Equine Association will host the area national show for the American Shetland Pony Club and American Miniature Horse Registry.

Elli Verba, president of the Nebraska club, said she expected 250 to 300 entries from the upper Midwest states and Canada.

With miniature horses, it used to be “the smaller the better,” Verba said.

But as the horses became smaller and smaller — some are just 25 inches tall — breeders started to encounter such genetic problems as dwarfism, she said.

In the past 10 to 15 years, however, breeders have worked to refine their technique,s often mating a 30-inch stallion to a 33- or 34-inch mare, Verba said.

The results have been more evenly proportioned miniature horses, she said.

“They look like an Arabian in a 34-inch-and-under package.”

In addition to being physically distinct from ponies, which can reach up to 46 inches, miniature horses have a better disposition, Maas said.

“These are just real easy to handle.”

Some people take miniature horses to visit patients in nursing homes, Maas said.

“It does more for them than a dog,” he said.

Maas sells many miniature horses to parents who want to teach their small children to ride, as well as “retired people who had horses but can’t ride anymore,” he said.

Today, Maas has about 220 miniature horses, including nearly 50 foals.

He will show three horses at the Lincoln show, including DM Starbuck Sonny, his national champion sire from the 2005 show in Tulsa.

“I knew he was going to be good, but I didn’t know he’d win nationals,” Maas said. “If you win a national class, that’s something to be proud of.”

The last year was a good one for Maas. In addition to his national champion horse, he was named 2005 breeder of the year.

“The horses I bred at this farm got more wins at shows than any other horses from any one farm,” he said.

Those interested in miniatures soon will have an opportunity to buy one of Maas’s horses.

He’ll host his 10th annual miniature horse sale Sept. 3 at the Crete Livestock Auction.

He sells the horses for $300 to $3,500 each, he said.

“If you show them and get a record, they’re going to be worth more,” he said.

Miniatures also are easier to sell than Quarter Horses, which generally aren’t worth much anymore unless they are broken to ride, he said.

Maas himself says he doesn’t much miss riding the bigger horses, either.

“I showed quarter horses for years,” he said. “Then I got into these miniatures, and I’ve enjoyed it more than anything I’ve ever done.”

Reach Hilary Kindschuh at 473-7120 or hkindschuh@journalstar.com