© Brendan Beckett / Barcroft Media

Koda may be the smallest horse in Australia but he’s got a personality
the size of a continent. Koda is smaller than a dog.

For full story and pictures:

Standing at 59 cm and weighing just 5.5 stone Koda loves to travel on
the passenger seat of his owner’s car.

Koda is so small that first-time visitors to the Yarrambat Veterinary
Hospital where he lives often mistake him for a battery-operated soft
toy.

The cheeky ‘American miniature’ horse was always meant to be small but
at birth vets soon realised he was dinky even for his breed.

“He was no bigger than a cat,” said his vet Andy Lynch.

“He was diagnosed as a dwarf soon after birth,” he added.

© Brendan Beckett / Barcroft Media

Koda’s condition is rare and Lynch is amazed that he’s still alive and
kicking at 13-months-old despite a torrent of health problems.

Brave Koda has had lots of surgery to correct his stumpy, buckled legs
but that hasn’t helped his peculiar face. His lower jaw juts out and
he has bulging eyes, upturned nostrils and a wrinkled nose.

“He had a punky look, a fuzzy forelock and his mane stuck up like a
mohawk,” Dr Lynch said.

Koda’s poor health prognosis left Dr Lynch with little doubt he should
be put down.

But veterinary nurse Karen Stephenson, 23, was astounded by the
resilience and spirit of the pint-sized pony.

“I’d never seen a miniature horse and I just thought him amazing,” she
said.

“I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him and thought he deserved
a go at some good quality life, so I took him on.”

© Brendan Beckett / Barcroft Media

Dr Lynch has performed about £5,000 worth of leg surgery on Koda, but
his total vet’s bill is expected to top £15,000.

The next step is extensive dentistry to remove protruding adult teeth
that wont fit in his little mouth.

He has recovered well from every operation so far.

“He’s very brave and takes his medicine like a little man,” said Dr
Lynch.

“He’s everyone’s friend but he’s also got a very naughty streak and
he’ll chew just about anything,” he added.

Words by Isla Harvey

Related posts:

• Meet The Real Socceroos As World Cup fever sweeps the globe these Down Under...
• The Swimming Cat A pet moggy who likes getting soggy is making a...
• Could This Be The Next World’s Tallest Horse? Standing 20.2 hands tall at the shoulder and 10...
• Lion Nearly Eats Tourists For Lunch At Oz Zoo A new mane attraction at a zoo is proving...
• The Horse Harry Potter – And Transformer, Batman and Robin, Pink Panther, Leprachaun… These horses bring new meaning to the word dressage, as...
• Is Remington the World’s tallest horse? VIDEO A North Texas horse is going for a world...
• The Cow That Thinks It’s A Horse She milks, grazes and moos but you won’t see...
• New Meaning Of “Old Skool” Hip-Hop Amazing 91-year-old George Burley is the world’s oldest HIP-HOP dancer....