Driving down Toolamba Rd, you might be surprised to see ponies that are not the average size at the Toolamba Park Miniature Ponies farm.
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Lyn Argaet and her husband Kim fell in love with miniature ponies after their daughter received one from a friend at age five.
Since then, they have been breeding miniature ponies for about 20 years.
“They're in foal for 11 months, every couple of years they go in with the stallion,” Mr Argaet said.
The ponies are different sizes under the height of 87 cm and the farm has a range of colours including palomino pinto, chestnut pinto and black and white pinto, which is Mrs Argaet's favourite.
Toolamba Park Miniature Ponies sells the animals to families or people who plan to enter the ponies in shows.
“Some of them are bought-in, you get a mare off a show breeder to improve the bloodline,” Mr Argaet said.
To breed a show pony, the quality of the stallion and the mare is significantly important.
“Not every foal is going to be a show horse, you have to find the right pairing and then you have to do a lot of work to prepare them for shows, like training and brushing,” Mr Argaet said.
The farm often receives visitors from aged care homes and families who are fascinated by the small creatures.
“I have aged care facilities ring and ask to have picnics on the lawn, the elderly people just love the ponies,” Mrs Argaet said.
The farm also breeds one miniature donkey per year, as it takes 12 months for the donkeys to have a foal.
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