[nagdu] minature horses as guides

Sun Jun 21 21:32:33 UTC 2015

That horse was obvighsly not safe. However, let me point out that μ people do not believe that dogs should be outdoors not inside. Obviously our guides are inside. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 21, 2015, at 4:58 PM, Cindy Ray via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Thre is, or at least has been, someone on this list who has a horse as her
> guide. I think that I wouldn't have a horse and that there seem to be
> disadvantages to it, but I also have heard this woman give very good
> accounts of how it works out for her. I don't think we ought to say that the
> things aren't safe categorically. Maybe the horse that was at the hotel was
> not, just as some dogs are not. If the horse was causing a problem, then
> that's different, and that one clearly was, but I don't think this deems the
> use of a guide horse unsafe for all people.
> Cindy
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of S L Johnson via
> nagdu
> Sent: Sunday, June 21, 2015 3:38 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: S L Johnson
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] minature horses as guides
> 
> Hello:
> 
> Oh, not this topic again.  There was a lot of talk about  mini horses as
> guides several years ago.  To me, it is stupid.  Horses are farm animals and
> not suited to being indoors.  I heard that they get very lonely so it is a
> good idea to have a second horse as a companion.  Their relieving habits
> present a serious problem.  Also food is a big issue.  You can not build a
> stable in your apartment complex or in your back yard.  I think I remember
> reading somewhere that the Department of Justice recently changed the
> description of service animal to be only dogs.  I was at an ACB  convention
> in 2004 where someone had a guide horse.  many members of the hotel staff
> complained that the horse was a problem in the restaurants because it was
> standing behind the table instead of lying quietly under chairs or tables
> out of the way like our dogs.  One afternoon I was leaving a meeting, The
> lady with the horse was in the path to the exit.  My little golden kept
> trying to guide me around the horse to reach the exit.  Suddenly my dog
> jumped back with an obvious cry of pain.  The stupid horse had kicked at me
> and my dog.  Both of us sustained severe bruises that required medical
> attention.  A  sighted man who was with this woman then shouted out to the
> crowd trying to get out the door, to be careful because the horse would kick
> if you were too close to her.  This created a serious safety risk for all
> the blind people who were not expecting to encounter a kicking horse in a
> hotel.  Convention crowds are difficult enough with canes hitting our poor
> dogs without adding to that with the presence of a dangerous horse.  I
> attempted to have the guide horse removed from the convention since it was
> clearly a danger to blind people and guide dogs.  The mini horses might be
> fine in open country settings but do not belong in public places.  They are
> not safe.  I am glad they haven't caught on because it is a very stupid
> idea.  Keep farm animals in the barnyard, not where my guide dog and I have
> to work.
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pam via nagdu
> Sent: Sunday, June 21, 2015 3:22 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Pam
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] minature horses as guides
> 
> 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 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/annedie%40nycap.rr.
>> com
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/pamyoung80%40gmail.
>> com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/sljohnson25%40comcast.net
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/cindyray%40gmail.com
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/danielleburton94%40gmail.com