The story of the Falabella horse and the Irish wolfhound [FT203: 9] reminded me of this postcard in my collection. It is from the Bostock and Wombwell travelling menagerie and probably dates to about 1909. The horse is not described other than saying it is just 2ft (60cm) high and “the smallest horse in the world”.

The dog is apparently 10in (25cm) higher than the horse and is described as a Another small horse Russian boarhound. These animals were present when the menagerie visited Plymouth in 1909. Among the other animals exhibited were African and Asiatic lions, pumas, jaguars, leopards, polar bears, elephants and camels. The menagerie ceased to exists in the 1930s, when most of the animals went to Whipsnade.

Chris Moiser, Plymouth, Devon