Comments on: Miniature Horses as Guide Animals

By: susan

susan — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 01:25:07 +0000

Well we know that horses are empathic and easily pick up on human emotion, so they would respond to their”herd” (their handler and family) and their reaction for the flight response. Horses are trained to disregard this response all of the time, just look at police horses, horses that people hunt from, etc.
It is also NOT a new thing for a horse to take care of a handicapped or blind person at all. If they were that unpredictable, then why would we have the handicapped ride for therapy?
If you are a city dweller that uses public transportation, a dog would be best, but for someone who lives more suburban, can house the horse and needs the stability of the horse, then it may be best. My mother who is unstable due to rheumatoid Arthritis would benefit from the horse as they are more inclined to allow her to use them to lean on and can handle the load.
It just depends on the person, the place and the situation. Blanket responses are rarely a good thing! there are no cookie cutter situations.

By: Paige

Paige — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:50:46 +0000

In reply to Natalie Keller Reinert.

My main objective in writing this article was to educate people about the pros & cons of miniature horses as guides for the blind. But as I started researching I realized the cons far outweighed the pros. While it’s a cute idea, most of the hype about using them comes from the same people who breed & train them. My opinion is only voiced at the end of the article & is 100% shaped by the facts…which speak for themselves.

By: Natalie Keller Reinert

Natalie Keller Reinert — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:50:05 +0000

Having seen a mini horse cheerfully trip around theme parks in Orlando, I’d be inclined to say that like everything else involving animals, you can’t define an entire breed or species as “appropriate.” It comes down to individuals.

I mean, dogs chase squirrels. So by that definition, dogs are definitely poor choices for seeing-eye guides. Imagine, you’re just walking along Central Park West and your dog sees a squirrel on the other side and boom, you’re under a taxi.

I think it’s a bit heartless of the web site author to create something like this. Your personal opinions and disagreements should not get in the way of people who have made friendships and partnerships with their ponies OR their dogs.