[nagdu] minature horses as guides

Sun Jun 21 23:26:32 UTC 2015

Sandra,
Your response is very inappropriate, and your claim is ill-supported.
Saying that guide horses are a stupid idea because of this one horse
you encountered during this one event was a safety risk and nuisance
is a faulty generalization. People have done the same with dogs and
people. "Well, this one dog bit me when I was a child, so all dogs are
dangerous." Or, "This one guide dog I saw at this restaurant was
barking and lunging, so it's okay for all guide dogs to behave in such
a way." Or, "This one black man robbed my family when I was young, so
all black people are criminals." Or, "This one man assaulted me, so
all men are monsters." Do you see my point?
Don't make a generalization off of one experience. Just as all dogs,
guide dogs, and people are not the same, not all horses or guide
horses are the same. Your claim makes no sense. And I think you can
phrase it more diplomatically.

I think guide horses are a great idea for people who don't like dogs,
are more fond of horses, and want a service animal with a longer
lifespan. Another upside to horses is that their field of vision is
greater than dogs because of the positioning of their eyes. Also,
horses would do great with clearing overhead obstacles because they're
prey animals, so they naturally look up. People with guide horses
might not have to deal with the distractions and problem behaviors
that people with guide dogs do. I don't want to assume, but I wonder
if guide horse handlers have as many issues with scavenging, sniffing,
animal-distracted horses.
There are some disadvantages to the horses, such as more frequent
relieving times, needing a yard for the horse, and maybe dealing with
a horse who won't lie down. But I think they can be trained to lie
down. I mean, they can get into cars and such, so I imagine they're
not standing during a car ride.
Dogs and horses are different animals, and have different abilities,
advantages, and drawbacks. But I think the people with horses
obviously view their guide horses as being less of a chore and more
advantageous, otherwise they wouldn't have one. Just as those of us
with guide dogs generally don't consider our dogs a burden or
bothersome, I imagine horse handlers are just alike. If it was such a
hassle, they wouldn't have them.
-- 
Raven
Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
www.1am-editing.com

You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you
have or what you do.

Naturally-reared guide dogs
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs

On 6/21/15, larry d keeler via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I've seen them inside! I've even heard of them playing with toys!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Pam via nagdu
> Sent: Sunday, June 21, 2015 3:30 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Pam
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] minature horses as guides
>
> i was wondering the same thing too if they would have to live outside or
> could they live indoors.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On 21 Jun 2015, at 20:18, Valerie Gibson via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> This is very interesting to me, and i have a couple questions and
> comments.
>>
>> First, I don't think the ADA recognizes guide horses.   Is this true?
>>
>> Second, is it also true that guide horses must live outside rather than
> indoors?
>>
>> Again, very interesting topic.  Thanks for sharing your experience with
> the guide horses.
>>> On Jun 21, 2015, at 1:13 PM, 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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>>
>>
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