[nagdu] minature horses as guides

Thu Jun 25 15:56:38 UTC 2015

Hi everyone, 
I have found this to be a very interesting topic. I honestly love horses as my grandfather has riding horses which I have rode on. I have also had the pleasure of knowing a few minis that were pets but very sweet animals. I have always owanted to meet a mini horse guide. If I had the space and the bucfas so do so I owd probably consider a mini horse. I love my dog but I would at least consider a mini as a guide. If you think about it horses will naturally take their riders back home and it is common that if there is a blind horse in a pack one will lead the blind horse back home. When you ride a large horse you tell the horse where to go  transfering that concept to guiding makes sense. I agree that dogs are generally more convenient and practical for most people however, some people may not like dogs but prefer horses. I think you should choose the best option for you whether it be cane, human guide, guide dog or a guide horse.        

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 24, 2015, at 10:36 PM, Sheila Leigland via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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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