Quick Take
- These two mini horses weren't just lucky. Neighbors say this isn't even close to their first escape, and there's a reason they keep pulling it off. Meet the repeat escapees →
- Mini horses are kept more like household pets than livestock, which makes how they broke free in the first place oddly puzzling.
- Despite standing under 3 feet tall, mini horses carry a surprisingly feisty trait that gave those officers more trouble than expected. See their stubborn streak →
- Mini horses weren't bred for the reason most people assume, and their true origin explains a lot about their personality. Discover their true origins →
A police chase occurred near Memphis, Tennessee, in June 2026, involving the most unusual suspects. The police weren’t following a runaway criminal — they were trying to catch two miniature horses on the loose! ABC News shared dash cam footage of the chase from the Bartlett Police Department on Instagram, as a brown horse and a brown-and-white spotted horse ran through neighboring lawns. In the video, the officers laugh as the horses evade them.
What Happened to the Mini Horses?
According to the Bartlett Police Department, the mini horses escaped from their owner’s property and were eventually wrangled and returned home (per People). The BPD did not give any additional details about how they escaped or how they were wrangled, but it’s a relief to know that they made it back home without anyone getting hurt.
Mini horses can be just as stubborn and cheeky as full-size horses.
©Vera Zinkova/Shutterstock.com
In a comment on ABC’s video, one person claimed to be a neighbor in the area where the mini horses were running. “These horses are escape artist[s], this is not the first [time] they have done this,” the person commented. “I live in the neighborhood and I’ve seen them running around before.” Another person agreed, writing, “Pretty sure that’s Ellendale in Bartlett, and believe me this isn’t the first time a horse has been found wandering the area.”
Mini Horses Can Be Feisty
Small horses and ponies, such as Shetland ponies, were historically used in coal mines to transport equipment, as full-sized horses were too big for this kind of work. Miniature horses (Equus ferus caballus) are a distinct breed that was primarily developed as companion animals and for show purposes. Unlike ponies, who are sturdy and have proven to be good with hard labor, mini horses are now mostly used for therapy and are considered household pets rather than livestock. This makes their escape even more surprising, as mini horses are often kept indoors like other pets.
Mini horses aren’t a separate species from their larger-bodied counterparts. Instead, the same species is selectively bred to be small, standing at about 2 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing about 200 pounds. Like all horses, they can get the “zoomies,” running around quickly, playing games with each other, and literally engaging in horseplay, which appears to be what the mini horses in the video above were doing.
And like bigger horses, mini horses can also exhibit stubbornness, defiance, and other cheeky behavior, which the police likely saw firsthand when they were chasing them.
