[nagdu] minature horses as guides

Wed Jun 24 17:03:24 UTC 2015

Hello,

Have you flown with Panda?  What was that experience like?

Thanks.

On Wed, Jun 24, 2015 at 11:12 AM, Ann Edie via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> Hi, Sheila,
>
> Panda is 29 inches tall at the withers (shoulders) and weighs 125 pounds,
> so
> she is bigger than most guide dogs, but not as big as some large breed
> dogs,
> such as great Danes and mastiffs, which are allowable as service dogs. (A
> friend of mine has mastiffs that weigh over 150 pounds, and they're not
> even
> overweight. I also know of Great Danes that are 36 inches tall--for
> comparison.) My brother has a German shepherd guide dog which is 27 inches
> tall, and I have heard of a few guide dogs that weighed 110 pounds, so
> Panda
> isn't that much larger than those dogs. Horses do not curl up as readily as
> do dogs, though, so they do take up more floor space.
>
> I won't be coming to convention this year, although I'd love to. I'll be
> teaching blind kids summer session at that time.
>
> Best,
> Ann
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sheila Leigland
> via nagdu
> Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 1:44 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Sheila Leigland
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] minature horses as guides
>
> I'm curious how much does panda weigh and in comparison how tall is she to
> say a golden or lab dog? Are you coming to the nfb convention? It would be
> fun to meet you.
>
> On 6/23/2015 11:38 AM, Ann Edie via nagdu wrote:
> > Hi, Valerie,
> >
> > I'm happy to answer your questions about guide horses to the best of
> > my ability.
> >
> > The ADA and the Department of Justice regulations do recognize
> > miniature horses as service animals. The only difference between the
> > regulations concerning service minis and service dogs is that a
> > business owner can ask a couple extra questions in the case of a
> > service mini. They may ask if the mini horse is housetrained and if
> > the animal is under the control of the handler--although these things
> > are certainly also expected of any other service animal team--and they
> > may consider whether the size and weight of the service mini can be
> > accommodated within the business--although there are some service dogs
> > which may be of similar size and weight to the miniature horse.
> >
> > As to where miniature horse guides can live, they can live either in
> > the home or in a small shed or barn outside of the home. My mini horse
> > stays in a little shed--we call it the Panda cottage--just next to our
> > deck. Her house has electric lights and is heated in winter. She stays
> > there at night and when I go out without her. But she also spends time
> > inside the house when I'm home, and she spends time inside of other
> > buildings when we're working, of course. Just like the dogs, I relieve
> > her on a schedule, and she can also indicate to me if she needs to go
> > out to relieve at other times. In my house, I have a bell hanging on
> > the doorknob and Panda goes to the bell and rings it when she wants to
> > go out. We live in Upstate New York, where the weather really doesn't
> > permit  having a "doggy door" that she could operate by herself to go
> > in and out. But I do know of another miniature horse guide which lives
> > in Florida and whose owner lives in a ranch-style house, so the mini
> > horse can come and go from the house at will. That horse lives in the
> > house and sleeps at night in the walk-in closet, from what I
> > understand. She even gets bathed in the family shower--very
> > convenient. I live in the suburbs and have a yard, so Panda also gets
> some
> grazing time in the backyard.
> >
> > Best,
> > Ann
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Valerie
> > Gibson via nagdu
> > Sent: Sunday, June 21, 2015 3:18 PM
> > To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> > Cc: Valerie Gibson
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] minature horses as guides
> >
> > 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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