What kind of animal was Li'l Sebastian in "Parks and Recreation"?

Li’l Sebastian in Parks and Recreation was a mini-horse, more precisely a miniature horse who became a beloved civic symbol of Pawnee, Indiana. The character first appears in the third-season episode “Harvest Festival,” where the town celebrates his return after he has been missing.

Li’l Sebastian is treated with extraordinary importance by Pawnee’s residents, especially Leslie Knope. His popularity becomes one of the show’s running jokes: the townspeople regard him as a legendary figure even when visitors from outside Pawnee cannot understand the excitement. His small size is part of the comedy, but the character also represents the town’s affectionate, over-the-top civic pride.

The horse’s death in the season-five episode “Li’l Sebastian” leads to the emotional tribute song “5,000 Candles in the Wind,” performed by Andy Dwyer’s band Mouse Rat. The song and the memorial help turn the fictional animal into one of the sitcom’s most recognizable recurring jokes.

“Mini-horse” is the quiz’s intended answer. The more formal term is “miniature horse”; it should not be confused with a pony, which is a different classification based primarily on horse height and build.