Three members of the tiniest and cutest horse breed in the world are up for adoption at the Animal Rescue League of Boston's Cape Cod branch.

Less than a yardstick high with eyelashes so lush they'd fill Barbie with envy, Seamus, Charlotte and Lickety Split are miniature horses — bred down to be the equine equivalent of a pocketbook dog.

"These guys are sweet. They are lovable," said Sandra Luppi, manager of the ARL Brewster branch, where the three minis are housed in a barn with a paddock. Seamus, the tan gelding, followed her around like a dog, nuzzling to be petted.

The mini-horses have been living in legal limbo in Brewster for more than a year while a court case involving their former owner was adjudicated.

Rescued from a shed outside a Boxford home in February 2008, the neglected, emaciated animals were sent to the Dedham ARL office for an intensive course of "refeeding." The process involved giving them small meals around the clock so they wouldn't get colic, shelter officials explained.

Within days, the horses and three geese also seized from Boxford were sent to the Brewster branch for more rehabilitation.

It took months to get the mini-horses as plump and healthy as they are today, but the legal case involving their custody lasted for a year and a half and cost the league more than $30,000.

"It's very unusual" to see miniature horses neglected and underfed, said Alan Borgal, director of the ARL's Center for Animal Protection. He said the little horses are more likely to be overweight than skin and bones.

Based on anonymous tips and regular inspections, ARL officials determined that Seamus, Charlotte and Lickety Split were not being fed regularly during the frigid winter of 2008. Their skinny bodies were covered with heavy, matted winter coats caked with manure.

The league officially won custody of the horses and geese in Haverhill District Court July 24 after the animals' owner's case was continued without a finding on animal cruelty charges, officials said. The owner must refrain from owning farm animals during his 18-month probation, they said.

During their sojourn at the Brewster branch, Seamus and his milky friends, Charlotte and Lickety Split, have been delighting visitors who expected to see dogs and cats there, not miniature horses.

"They're really loving and friendly and they always come right up to you," said Nick Goodman, 10, of Westford, who is visiting Brewster.

The horses range in age from 15 to 19 years old — middle-age for miniatures — and one is being treated for Cushing's disease.

While they may weigh as much as a large dog, the miniature horses have special equine needs, such as regular hoof care and a box stall.

League officials would like to keep the three horses together, but if that's not possible, they'd like to see Charlotte and Lickety Split adopted as a pair and Seamus placed with a companion animal such as a horse, donkey or goat.

Anyone interested in adopting Charlotte, Lickety Split, Seamus or the geese should contact Luppi at 508-255-1030. Luppi said the adoption fee is negotiable.