Almost any baby is adorable. Okay, there are some that only a mother could love, but then beauty is in the eye of the beholder. How could anyone not fall in love with ponies? They have such a charm, children are attracted to them, children's books are written about them, and horse blankets are made for them.

Yes, that's right. There are horse blankets made for ponies! Some ponies do live in the wild and are without the luxury of a warm blanket for the winter. It is unfortunate, for only the strong survive, whereas struggling weaklings in captivity are given a chance to become stronger. These do tend to get pampered and loved and have their warm blankets to help them through their shaky developmental stages.

The National Park Service helps to protect the wild ponies. There is a small island near Virginia where the wild ponies are herded across the waters to another island once a year. This is a popular event, and the island is called Chincoteague (pronounced CHIN-ko-teeg).

An hour after they are born, ponies have the ability to walk. They may stumble and struggle at first, but they learn fast. The baby is called a foal and isn't considered full-grown until age 5 or 6. Most people who have horses will try to have the mare give birth in their barn, in a stall, and a warm horse blanket is provided for them after the birth. If the mother has trouble with the birth, it is easier to monitor and provide care in a barn.

Many people, who think it will be a good idea to give their child a pony, do not realize the special care a horse needs as it grows and develops. It is always good to sit down with your child and make a list of all the things any animal new to the family will need before purchasing. Horses especially will need plenty of room to graze and grow and will need their exercise and good medical care if a problem were to develop.

You may want to start with a small horse, such as a mini, if you do not plan to have your child ride a horse. The mini horse comes in a child-sized package! Don't forget the accessories that come with owning the minis. There are horse blankets made just for this size horse.

Miniature Horses were created from breeding small horses that were used for work in coal mines to the small Shetland Ponies. The babies were then bred to make even smaller horses. The miniature breed is not actually considered ponies just because of their size. Ponies are 14 hands high, compared to the 8 hand size of a mini. But the baby minis are called ponies until they are grown, just as other horse babies.

You shouldn't need as much horse tack for these mini horses because they are not used in the same ways as what is considered normal sized horses. There are places that sell tack just for the smaller breeds.