Miniature Horses?

I brought this subject up just a bit in another thread, but didn't want to take that thread off topic (bad habit of mine). So, I thought that I would start another thread to ask a few questions I have about mini horses.

I have back problems that have plagued me for years, so I don't know that I'd ever be able to ride. I love ALL animals and plan on someday having enough property to have at least a small farm that I can fill with all the animals my DH will allow me to bring home (all that we can afford), lol. I know I would really enjoy having a horse, but I don't know that I could care for a horse because of the back problems, so that got me to thinking of the mini horses. A girl in town here has one also, and it is adorable. She walks it all the time in the summer...just like you would walk a dog.

My first question is about their breeding. Are they on the up-and-up? I know that many miniature dogs are not supposed to be minis, but have been bred down...and all that leads to is major health problems. I wouldn't want involved in anything like that, and I wouldn't want to support anything like that either. I know when we got our last Sheltie I saw tea-cup Shelties for sale on the net...they would only reach maybe 10 lbs at adult weight...that's not normal! If that's what mini horses are I'd really like to know.

If that's not what mini horses are, then is the regular care for them just like a regular horse? This may sound stupid, but are they sturdy enough to live in a barn through a cold winter? I just wonder because they are only as big as a dog, and I can't imagine leaving my dog in a barn through the winter.

Another thing I wonder about is how these little guys do on their own? There would be plenty of other animals around, and of course, s/he would be my little buddy...but I wonder if s/he would get lonely without another little horse? Maybe that depends on the individual horse?

It will be a few years before I'd be able to do any of this, I just wonder about these things and it's never too early to start doing homework...maybe some of you can point me in the right direction as far as doing some research and reading. I'd really appreciate that. I know as I research more I'll have more questions.

Thanks for reading all of this!
Heather