[nagdu] minature horses as guides

[Pam]

that's really interesting. thanks for sharing. i'm not sure of the lady's name that was on the program but her horse was called callie which is the same name as my guide dog. it was amazing though.

Sent from my iPhone

> On 21 Jun 2015, at 20:13, Ann Edie via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi, Pam,
> 
> I don't know which miniature horse guide and partner was shown in the
> program you saw, but I have worked with a mini horse guide for the past 11
> years. I know of 3 or 4 other people who are long-term guide horse partners.
> Like everything else, there are advantages and disadvantages of using a
> miniature horse as a guide as compared with using a dog guide or a white
> cane. The major advantage of using a miniature horse guide is that the
> lifespan of a miniature horse averages at least twice the lifespan of a dog.
> Miniature horses live easily into their thirties and can work well into
> their twenties. The major disadvantages of the mini horse guide as compared
> with dogs is that they take up a little more space and that they need to be
> relieved more often than do dogs. I had 3 dog guides before I got my
> miniature horse guide, and in my experience, my miniature horse performs
> better and more consistently in her work than did any of my dog guides, even
> my very excellent first guide. My mini, Panda, started working when she was
> 2 years old. She is now 14, and she just keeps getting better and better,
> more confident and intuitive. As you might imagine, we communicate by tiny
> movements and shifts and she seems to read my intentions even before I can
> consciously give her a cue. And I can look forward to many more years of
> joyous travels with her. We have had almost no difficulty with access to
> public places or transportation.
> 
> I don't think many people will be switching from guide dogs to miniature
> horse guides in the near future because more people are familiar with dogs
> than with horses and because there is (as far as I know) no active guide
> horse training program in operation at this time. All the miniature horse
> guide teams I am familiar with except the first have been owner-trained or
> privately trained.
> 
> There's lots of information on the web about miniature horse guides and
> miniature horses used as service animals for people with other disabilities.
> Information about my partner Panda can be found on the website of her
> trainer which is: www.theclickercenter.com
> 
> Best,
> Ann
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Pam via nagdu
> Sent: Sunday, June 21, 2015 2:04 PM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Pam
> Subject: [nagdu] minature horses as guides
> 
> 
> 
> i was watching a program about ghide dogs the other day and there was a
> woman in the US who had a minature horse as a guide. just wondering what u
> all think of the idea? do u think it will catch on? personally i'd prefer a
> dog though :) Sent from my iPhone
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