[nagdu] Miniature Horse Article

Tue Apr 24 12:25:46 UTC 2012

The Idea of a guide horse is awesome, but think about it.  There are more
things that a guide horse has to carry.  I don't think you can train a horse
to only pea or poop in the grass.  Unlike a horse, a dog can tuck itself in
under a table, or on a bus, a car or a boat, I am sure you all know where I
am going with this.  Also, with a horse, you have to have at least two of
them one to keep the other company as they are herd animals.  I know dogs
are pack animals, but its different.  Not sure how to explain it, but it
just is.  Don't get me wrong, like I said it would be awesome to have
another animal other than a dog as a guide, and I am sure horses could do
the job as they are very, very intelligent.  There are so many more things I
could say, but we'll leave this email short.

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Julie J.
Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 8:06 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Minature Horse Article

Lyn,

Is the Woman's Day article  available on the internet anywhere?  I'd love to
read it.  I know your friend in the article and admire her a lot.  I hope
the article does her justice.

Julie

On 4/23/2012 7:28 PM, Lyn Gwizdak wrote:
> Hi Rebecca,
> I would imagine there was similar things said about dogs back in the 
> early days of guide dogs that we see today about the guide horses.
>
> Back in Morris Frank's time (1920s) people didn't bring dogs around 
> with them like people do today.  Our society is much more dog-friendly 
> now than it was then.  The society wasn't even disable-friendly as it 
> is today.  Back in Morris's time, blind people didn't get out and 
> around like now because they didn't even have the long white cane to 
> enable folks to travel independently.
>
> I think one of the problems that guide horses will have over guide 
> dogs is that dogs do live indoors - our homes -  and horses do not.
> Horses are considered barn animals.  But, like guide dogs in Morris 
> Frank's time, guide horses will gain acceptance as people get familiar 
> with them.
>
> If anyone reads Woman's Day Magazine, the current issue - May 2012 - 
> there is an article about a good friend of mine who is training her 
> miniature horse, Angel, to be a guide.  My friend is in contact with 
> several guide horse users.  Read it if you can.
>
> Like guide dogs, I think the horses will have to prove themselves.
>
> Lyn and Landon
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)" 
> <REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog 
> Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 30, 2012 8:34 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Minature Horse Article
>
>
>>        Anybody know if the critisism raised about guide horses was 
>> also raised about guide dogs back in the day? I.E. Dogs live outside, 
>> they aren't house-broken, that sort of thing.
>> I don't recall seeing critisism of that flavor in my reading of the 
>> Seeing Eye.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf Of Steven Johnson
>> Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2012 8:26 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog 
>> Users'; wagdu at nfbwis.org
>> Subject: [nagdu] Minature Horse Article
>>
>> A horse is a horse, of course.
>>
>> That's why business owners are getting nervous about a new federal 
>> regulation requiring a particular breed of horse to be allowed into 
>> shops and restaurants across the country.
>>
>> The Justice Department regulations were tailored for so-called "service"
>> horses -- miniature horses that, like service dogs, accompany the 
>> blind and others with disabilities to help them get around.
>>
>> But the rules were a lawsuit waiting to happen, according to critics. 
>> And
>> sure enough, a suit was filed earlier this month in Los Angeles, by a 
>> man who uses a wheelchair and keeps a miniature horse named Princess 
>> -- and who claims a local GameStop and Marshalls refused him and his 
>> horse service.
>>
>>
>>
>> Related Slideshow
>>
>>
>>
>> Miniature horses -- pet, livestock or service animal?
>>
>>
>> Heard of seeing-eye dogs? There's an alternative. Miniature horses, 
>> while commonly kept on farms, can also be used as "service" animals 
>> -- to help the blind and disabled get around. A federal rule 
>> requiring businesses to let them inside has stirred concern of 
>> lawsuits. The dispute doesn't distract from their cuteness, though.
>>
>>
>>
>> The case, as well as the regulation, has drawn concern from at least 
>> one lawmaker on Capitol Hill, as well as the National Restaurant 
>> Association.
>>
>> "I like horses. My daughter likes horses. But even in the Wild West, 
>> they put them outside," said Angelo Amador, vice president of the 
>> restaurant association.
>>
>> The organization has a few gripes. First, many business owners just 
>> don't know about the rule, and are only familiar with dogs being a 
>> traditional service animal. Amador said those that do know have 
>> concerns the animals aren't housebroken.
>>
>> "You cannot train a horse ... housebreak them like you would do with 
>> a dog,"
>> he said.
>>
>> The owner could claim the horse is housebroken, but if that turns out 
>> not to be the case then the business has a sanitation problem on its 
>> hands -- rather, its floor.
>>
>> "After the deed is done, you have a number of other issues in the 
>> restaurant," Amador said. "It's kind of like damned if you do, and 
>> damned if you don't."
>>
>> Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, cast the rule as a case of Washington 
>> overreach
>> -- hardly one to resist a pun, he accused the Justice Department of 
>> "making more hay" for trial attorneys.
>>
>> "Do we really need to saddle businesses with more regulation? I say, 
>> 'Naaayyy.' Every scenario in life does not need a rule or 
>> regulation," he said in a statement to FoxNews.com.
>>
>> The regulations on service animals were first put out in September 
>> 2010, as part of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
>>
>> The rules, which went into effect later, actually narrowed down what 
>> used to be a broad definition for service animals. For most purposes, 
>> the Justice Department decided to recognize only dogs -- but the 
>> department added an exception for miniature horses after being 
>> "persuaded" regarding their benefits to the disabled.
>>
>> The guidelines noted that the horses can be "viable alternatives" for 
>> people who are allergic to dogs or whose religious beliefs do not 
>> allow them to be around dogs.
>>
>> "Another consideration mentioned in favor of the use of miniature 
>> horses is the longer life span," the guidelines said. They can 
>> provide "service" to the disabled for more than 25 years, as opposed 
>> to roughly seven working years for the typical dog. Plus the horses, 
>> despite their petite size, can be stronger.
>>
>> That was the case for Jose Estrada, the plaintiff in the case filed 
>> this month in Los Angeles court.
>>
>> His attorney, Morse Mehrban, told FoxNews.com that a dog "doesn't 
>> have the sufficient strength to pull him in his wheelchair."
>>
>> So Estrada, a paraplegic, uses a 29-inch-high miniature horse named 
>> Princess. According to the complaint, the two retail stores being 
>> sued "refused to permit said animal" inside along with Estrada last
month.
>> The
>> suit says Princess "is housebroken" and would not "compromise" the 
>> safety of those two stores.
>>
>> "Apparently, they don't understand that a miniature horse can be a 
>> service animal," Mehrban said.
>>
>> Estrada is suing for "no less than" $4,000 in damages.
>>
>> The federal rules state that businesses should allow in the horses as 
>> long as they're trained, considering such factors as the size of the 
>> horse, whether it's under control, whether it's "housebroken," and 
>> whether its presence would compromise "legitimate safety 
>> requirements."
>>
>> Amador says the horses cannot be housebroken.
>>
>> The Guide Horse Foundation, though, says on its website that the 
>> horses "learn exactly the same behaviors as a guide dog," and that 
>> they "never bite or kick except when attacked."
>>
>> The organization could not be reached for comment.
>>
>> The use of miniature horses as service animals, though, has created a 
>> bit of a rift in the miniature horse community.
>>
>> The American Miniature Horse Association does not condone the use of 
>> miniature horses for that purpose. Association President Harry Elder 
>> applauded those who have received "ADA certification" to train 
>> animals but questioned the use of miniature horses.
>>
>> "Although the American Miniature Horse is bred to be intelligent, 
>> curious, gentle, sensible, willing to cooperate and easy to train, it 
>> remains in all respects physically and instinctively a true horse. 
>> The American Miniature Horse can be readily trained to be lead or 
>> driven but, in most cases, it would not make a suitable replacement 
>> for an animal such as a guide dog," he said in a statement.
>>
>> According to the group, there are 200,000 miniature horses registered 
>> with the organization around the world, though it's unclear how many 
>> are used as service animals in the U.S.
>>
>> Other retail groups are taking the Justice Department rule in stride 
>> and say they're trying to follow it. Mallory Duncan, senior vice 
>> president with the National Retail Federation, said the group is 
>> continuing to hold talks on "how best to comply."
>>
>> "Retailers are sensitive to the many challenges confronting our 
>> customers and work to reasonably accommodate all shoppers when and 
>> where appropriate,"
>> Duncan said. "Retailers must remain cognizant of the unique 
>> challenges service animals present in the retail setting in order to 
>> best protect and serve the general public."
>>
>>
>>
>>
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