OklahomaHorses Magazine September 2023

8 OklahomaHorses • September / October 2023 “W hen children see Pumpkin, they are amazed at how small she is,” said Gloria Hocker. “Little children can hug her because she’s small like they are. Many children come here who have never seen, much less touched, an animal. They see them on television or in a book. But when they see and touch an animal in person, it’s different.” Gloria and Chester Hocker own Chester’s Party Barn and Farm in Piedmont, Oklahoma. A farm of more than 25 acres, the rural location is home to 18 varieties of animals. And one of the star attractions is a miniature filly named Pumpkin. “We’re not a rescue farm,” Chester Hocker said. “But in 2021, we rehomed two retired, registered miniature show ponies, including Suzie Q, here at our farm. Suzie Q was not in foal as far as we could tell. Then we got a call from our workers who told us a baby horse had just been born in our pumpkin patch. So as it turns out, Susie Q had been pregnant.” Born in October 2021 and named for the pumpkin patch where she was born, Pumpkin is just under 23 inches tall at the withers and isn’t expected to get any taller. She weighs about 70 pounds. From research the Hockers have done, they believe Pumpkin is the world’s smallest living horse. “When she was born, I could hold Pumpkin in the palm of my hand with her legs dangling from my hand,” said the Hockers’ farm manager, Jasie Dinkel. Now Pumpkin has a stall in the barn for nighttime. During the day, she enjoys the barnyard or roaming the farm. She noshes on grain and free- grazes on grass. “We carefully monitor her intake,” Dinkel said. “She could potentially get overweight. She receives joint supplements once monthly for potential arthritis problems. Our goal is to keep her healthy.” The farm team gives Pumpkin standard vaccines for rabies, tetanus, and other diseases. Four times annually, they use a dewormer. “She is trained, but we’re working on halter and lead-rope training,” Dinkel said. “Because of her size and her joints, it’s a longer process to train her than with a regular horse.” Pumpkin takes road trips as part of the farm’s petting zoo, and she attends events. She goes to Sweetest Oklahoma Mini Might Be World’s Smallest Horse Pumpkin, born in October 2021, is a miniature filly who lives at Chester’s Party Barn and Farm in Piedmont.