[nagdu] minature horses as guides

Thu Jun 25 02:36:05 UTC 2015

Thank you for the information. I have seen dogs bigger than Panda.We 
live in Montana so I've always beeninterested in them especially in 
roral areas. I respet your decision to use a guide horse.

On 6/24/2015 10:12 AM, Ann Edie via nagdu 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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