Haworth couple Marilyn and Tony Connor are hoping the latest addition to their family of animals may be a record breaker.

A foal born to their toy horse Princess Peppy is just 16 inches to the withers and its aunt is the smallest horse in the world. Princess Peppy is only 29 inches tall. Her foal's father Jaffa Lad, from the international Tikki Adorian stud,is slightly smaller. His record breaking sister Countess Natushka is 27 inches tall.

The Connors have named the new female, which Marilyn delivered last Wednesday after a difficult birth, Marton Charlotte Bronte. She thought the new baby was dead and was thrilled when it moved.

The new baby, whose pedigree name includes the Marton prefix after Marilyn and Tony, was the second miniature animal born at their Ebor Farm, in Lees Lane, in two days. Pygmy goat Tilly produced a nanny kid no bigger than a rabbit.

Marilyn says Princess Peppy's infant had a traumatic start in life, coming under attack from one of their other miniature horses within hours of her birth, and later collapsing as Tony hand fed her. After the birth her mother was not producing sufficient milk and the couple had to bottle feed her every two hours.

Thankfully both mother and baby are now fully recovered and nature has taken over.

"It's like a maternity ward here," jokes Marilyn."We've both been midwives!"

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