Many children were smiling and having fun on Tuesday at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh after a surprise visit by Thumbelina, the world's tiniest horse.

Thumbelina stands at less than 18 inches tall and is the holder of a title in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Thumbelina's handler, Richard Goessling, said the horse loves the attention.

"Just visiting with kids, she loves coming to the hospitals," said Goessling. "She goes up elevators and goes room to room, and she really has fun doing it."

Smaller than many dogs, Thumbelina weighs in at 57 pounds.

Her breed is miniature, but because she was born with dwarfism, she's a fraction of the size of most miniature horses.

"One of the traits of dwarfism has been that her legs are a little bit crooked," said Goessling. "Not too bad, but we do apply little special shoes for her that help give her lift and support so she can play with the other horses. Fortunately, that doesn't slow her down a bit."

Thumbelina and her handler visit hospitals all over the country, meeting about 20,000 boys and girls every year.

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