The other night I was watching a show on T.V. about miniature horses being used as seeing eye companions instead of seeing eye dogs. While training the 'little' horses it was discovered the horses were extremely smart, learned quickly, and have memories that are life long. All great for training to be a guide. But one of the most important attractions to using the little horses was the fact that they have a much longer life span than that of a dog. This is very important for the person that forms a close bond with their guide.
I found this all very interesting. I then came across this website about a wonderful organization here in Wisconsin that also trains these little horses for a very worthwhile cause.
The organization called,Touching Smiles Equine Therapy, Inc trains their horses for interaction with people in nursing homes, other health care, and educational facilities.
The following is an excerpt from their website:
In 2005, a nurse fell in love with a photo she saw on the Internet of a six week old brown and white miniature horse. The little horse had one blue eye and one brown. She and her family drove two hours to meet the horse. The breeder told her about how he would load up one of the smaller horses into his trailer and take him to area nursing homes. He did not charge for this service; he did it because he enjoyed it.
The nurse adopted the little brown and white horse. She could not stop thinking about what the man had told her and the twinkle in his eye when he described the visits. That is when the nurse decided that she would create a nonprofit organization that would bring miniature horses to facilities for the handicapped. Following the adoption of a second miniature horse from the same breeder and a third mini that was rescued, Touching Smiles Equine Therapy, Inc. was born.
Check out the website for Touching Smiles Equine Therapy, Inc.for additional information about this organization:
WEBSITE: Touching Smiles Equine Therapy, Inc. |
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