Believe it or not, there’s a new craze in town and it involves horses—miniature horses, that is. Seniors with fond memories of spending their childhood with their pet horses only to leave them behind as they go through life’s cycle and adult responsibilities, now is your chance to rekindle that fire once again and reestablish your connection with your first true love!
Daunting as it may seem, miniature horses are not too hard to keep. In reality, this is by far, the best option for visually impaired individuals with dog phobia or other dog related problems that will prevent them from using dogs as their guides. But not all miniature horses can be a guide horse; for one to be allowed as such, your horse should first undergo training with a certified, professional horse trainer but unlike dogs, only a couple of these horses get to the next level since a lot of them are disqualified at once. There are foundations for guide horses that offer these trainings; check your local listings if you are interested. Some of the existing organizations also provide the miniature horses themselves for free, if you are qualified or have met their requirements.
Miniature horses also make a great pet for seniors but it is not advisable that you ride them as you would a full sized horse. Although they are quite strong for their size, it won’t guarantee the rider safety for both species. Ideally, miniature horses as guides are used in place of guide dogs—leather harness and all.
With the booming industry of exotic farms and animals, many are quite intrigued with what these exotic animals could contribute to the way we conduct our daily lives. Guide horses for one, was an experimental program which succeeded and later on, recognized by visually impaired groups who were having problems with guide dogs as an excellent alternative. Guide horses are the perfect choice for seniors who love horses, are allergic to dogs, and are seeking stronger, more able pet. Some also find miniature horses more convenient to keep because they are self-reliant and they don’t mind sleeping outside of the house when off-duty.
Miniature horses also have longer life spans than traditional guide animals and they are relatively cost-effective as pets. They are very calm when faced in stressful situation and when properly trained, they are able to remember what to do and what not to do to prevent the person they are guiding from accidents. The best news of all is that they don’t get fleas so seniors don’t have to worry about that too!
