An award-winning miniature horse stud in the Eastern Cape

Don't be mistaken: the South African Miniature Horse is not a toy breed but a well-balanced, hardy animal, and if all reference to size were eliminated, would have the same conformational proportions than other full-sized light breeds. Annelie Coleman spoke to the Naudés, who run the Eduan Miniature Horse Stud.

- Annelie Coleman

Gawie Naudé runs the Eduan Miniature Horse Stud in partnership with his son Willem near Rhodes in the Eastern Cape.

The Naudés farm on Buttermead, about 5km outside Rhodes, in the Eastern Cape Highlands near the escarpment at the southernmost end of the Drakensberg mountain range in the Barkly East district. The farm is 1 832m above sea level.

The Buttermead horses are kept on the veld and they thrive on the mountainous mixed sourveld. According to Gawie, miniature horses have been purposefully bred in Europe since the 1600s from a variety of other horse and pony breeds, including the Shetland pony.

MINES AND PETS

“Apart from being used as pets in England and the US, the miniatures were used in mines after child labour was outlawed. The first miniature horse arrived in the US in 1861. Although they were initially used in mines, show events took hold in the US, resulting in the miniature horse we know today,” Gawie explains. 

In South Africa, miniature horse breeding was pioneered from 1945 onwards by Wynand de Wet from Lindley in the Free State, who practised selective breeding Shetland stock.

Willem points out that the modern local miniature horse has subsequently developed into a well-adjusted animal, regardless of size, and it is well-balanced, strong, agile and alert. The Eduan miniature breed is known to be outstandingly nimble and powerful.

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