Meet Thumbelina, the world's smallest horse

Thumbelina, a 5-year-old mare which is 43 cm (17 inches) tall and weighs 27.2 kg (60 pounds) is officially recognized as the world's smallest horse. At birth, she weighed only 8 pounds. Adult horses of the same breed usually weigh about 113.4 kg (250 pounds) and reach a height of 86.4 cm (34 inches) when fully grown. However, Thumbelina stopped growing one year ago.

Thumbelina survives on a cup of grain and handful of hay, served twice-a-day.

Normal horses lives for about 35 years, but she is only likely to live up to the age of 17 because of her size.

She has the ability to become pregnant and give birth to foals, but her owners have decided not to allow this to happen.

Mr. Goessling, 39, said: 'There could be complications during the pregnancy, so we think it is better to avoid the risks.