[nagdu] Comparison of miniature horses and dogs as guides, was: Re: Dogs, NFB and cane travel

[Tami Kinney]

Ann,

How long does it take the miniature horses to mature enough for the
final guide training and transition to work? 

Why is it I'm suddenly wondering what Mitzi will think in a few years if
I come home with a miniature horse foal for her to help me raise and
train instead of the puppy I've been promising for her. /lol/ Well,
practical considerations will determine if I consider switching species
at all by that time, among them being the status by then of minature
horses under the ADA and other laws, as well as their acceptance in the
world we will travel in and how much more likely I'm going to have to
take a bunch of my time to deal with access issues... Or with everybody
and their uncle and their dog wanting to get their hands on my guide!
And ask questons. Going around with a still pretty uncommon breed of dog
can be disruptive enough when I'm in a hurry. I have to plan extra
travel time for that, although I've gotten really good at tossing the
answers over my shoulder as I whiz by at poodle speed. /lol/ 

Tami

On Sun, 2011-08-14 at 16:16 -0400, Ann Edie wrote: 
> Hi, Cindy,
> 
> Horses do naturally lie down for periods of time to sleep, although they can 
> also sleep standing up.  But some of the guide horses are trained to lie 
> down on cue so that they can be put in a safe position during take off on a 
> plane, for example.  (I don't know whether lying down is actually a safer 
> position for a horse to be in for take offs and landings, or whether this is 
> just another one of those air line myths, like the one that says all service 
> animals are best placed in the bulkhead row.)  I know that when riding in 
> cars or trailers, horses never lie down, but find their balance on their 
> feet.
> 
> I pick up after Panda just as I would after a dog.
> 
> The length of the training period for a miniature horse guide depends on the 
> circumstances of the training.  If the animal is being owner-trained or is 
> being privately trained, the schedule is up to the individuals involved. 
> When the Guide Horse Foundation was training guide horses, the training 
> period for the horse was about the same as it is for guide dogs at the 
> training programs, about 3 or 4 months.  And the training period for the 
> team was about 3 weeks, I think.
> 
> Best,
> Ann
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2011 3:02 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Comparison of miniature horses and dogs as guides,was: 
> Re: Dogs, NFB and cane travel
> 
> 
> >I think all of this is interesting, Anne. Horses don't lie down. Do they 
> >train these horses to do that, which would be quite uncharacteristic? How 
> >long is the training for the horse and then for the person procuring a dog? 
> >When you relieve the horse, or the horse relieves itself, do you use 
> >diapers or do you pick up similarly.
> >
> > Once after I had a guide dog, I rode someone's horse. It was a very gentle 
> > one, and I am pretty sure it was following its owner, yet when I gave it 
> > some direction, it did as I told it to do. Much of that would be very 
> > similar I would guess.
> > Cindy
> >
> >
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