Gene Reed helped build this special barn, located on Worley Farm Road, for his miniature horses. It's located just before the Cherokee exit on U.S. 74. "As many peope stop and see the barn as stop and see the horses," he said. Miniature horses can't be over 34 inches from the last hair on their mane... "that's not even as tall as a yard stick," said Reed, who recently purchased four of this unique breed one stallion, Tonto pictured here, and three mares. "Right now they are real shagggy, but when the weather warms, their coats are as slick as can be," he said. |
Ever since he first heard about miniature horses and saw a picture of one, Gene Reed was hooked. He wanted one for his own.
But when you are a postmaster, like Reed was in Whittier, you don't have much spare time for raising them. When he retired, he started thinking seriously about acquiring one or two of the little horses. "They're very expensive," he said. "So I saved up my money and waited for just the right horse." Reed found him at Sweetwater Miniature Horse Farm in Greer, S.C., last September. His name is Dawgpatch Tonto, a spectacular bay pinto sired by Khemosabi Big Red and Fabiola Van Double Dutch. Along with Tonto, Reed and his wife, Mary Ann, came home with three mares, Casey Jo, UR Special and Foxy Jazz. On their Worley Farm Road property near Gateway, Reed helped build a special barn for his miniatures, which are not even as tall as a yard stick. In fact, to be registered with the American Miniature Horse Association, they can't be over 34 inches from the last hair on their mane, Reed said. "Some people think they are ponies, but they aren't. They are perfect replicas of a full-size horse," said Reed as he opened the stalls to turn them out in the pasture. "I read some where that the breed originated in Argentina where they are called 'falabellas.'" Just like people, each little horse has its own distinct personality, he said. |
