[NAGDU] A Guide Horse maybe

Cindy Ray cindyray at gmail.com
Fri May 24 19:23:53 UTC 2024 

Josh, I hope this all works out for you. It sounds very exciting.
Cindy Lou Ray
Sent from my iPhone

> On May 24, 2024, at 2:05 PM, Josh Kennedy via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Looks like all my work paid off. I found a very enthusiastic guide horse
> trainer!!
> Holly Fisher:
> "Hello Josh,
> I appreciate you reaching out to me, expressing your interest in miniature
> guide horses.
> I've had a life long infatuation with all animals, especially horses. I
> started taking riding lessons at the age of 7. The more I learned about
> horses, the more I wanted to be with them. In my teenage years I trained my
> young horse & started competing in horse shows. Then I began training
> horses locally. In 2006 I graduated from horseshoeing school & currently I
> am still working as a Farrier. I love my job. I still feel like I need to
> be more involved. But in what ways?  I have a deep desire to share my love
> of horses with like minded individuals.
> Around 2018 I stumbled upon the Guide Horse Foundation's website. I was
> blown away at the idea of using mini horses as guides.  I instantly knew I
> wanted to follow the guide horse foundations lead and I would train guide
> horses too.
> I researched different types of miniature horses. It didn't take long to
> realize bet best choice is Falabella horses. They originated in Argentina.
> Falabellas are perfect in every way for guide work. I started looking
> online in hope of purchasing a few of these Falabella's to begin clicker
> training for service work. I was shocked to find that the price range to
> buy a 1 year old, untrained Falabella is between $5,000-$12,000. Yikes! I
> was a bit discouraged about buying these mini horses, but I continued
> practicing clicker training with my full sized horses.
> Fast forward a few years, in March 2024 I was checking out the new foals
> for sale on a website named 'Toyland's Falabella International'. Since
> 2018, I have visited this website many times. During this visit I decided
> to sign the websites guestbook. I wrote a few sentences expressing my
> wishes to buy a few Falabella horses & clicker train them for guide work.
> This is the only time I wrote about my dream online, outside of my small
> circle of friends.
> So imagine my astonishment & excitement when you reached out to me about a
> guide horse.  The more I thought about it, the more I felt like this is a
> sign, from a higher power, encouraging me to get the ball rolling  pursuing
> my dream to train miniature guide horses.
> I thought it was a long shot... but I emailed the women who owns Toylands
> Falabella horses. She is one of the largest breeders in the United States &
> just happens to live in the same state as me, Illinois. It's only a 3.5
> hour drive away. In my email I explained my dream & described my
> qualifications. She sent me back an enthusiastic email. Long story short,
> she wants me to come to her place & meet me. She wants to discuss ideas &
> start training her Falabellas for service work. I'm going to visit her in
> about 1 week. I'll let you know exactly what day I go visit & how our
> meeting goes.
> Thank you so much for contacting me. Without your thoughtful action, none
> of this would be happening right now. I think you should be the 1st person
> to receive our 1st trained guide horse."
> Alexandra Kurland:
> "Hi Josh,
> This could be an exciting partnership.  You may yet get your dream guide
> horse.
> Panda’s mother was a Falabella.  I suspect she got her small size from her
> mother.
> Good luck with this.
> Alexandra"
> Holly Fisher:
> "Yes, consistency is key, especially when working with horses. I believe
> consistency is the closest thing horses have understanding of that can be
> related to honesty. Horses don't, and can't lie, but if a human or a horse
> in their herd is inconsistent it means they can't be relied on to make
> decisions for them.
> I sent an email to Alexandra Kurlin recently. I'm excited to hear what she
> has to say or any pointers she may give as we continue on our guide horse
> journey.   I'm curious with the size perimeters should be considering when
> choosing a suitable training horse prospect.
> I have a client that has some very nice miniature horses. I inquired about
> ones offered for sale. She has 1 that might be suitable  for guide work.
> She stands 32" in height, weighs about 125 pounds. She is 2 years old &
> loves people. And to describe her looks... she is almost too cute. Her coat
> is a reddish brown with a blonde main & tail. My client is supposed to get
> back with me tonight with a price. This 2 year old should be more
> affordable than a purebred Falabella miniature.
> I'm still trying to coordinate a date to go visit the Falabella farm. We
> have been chatting & will have sometime set in stone soon."
> Holly Fisher:
> "I think you are on the right track.  I'm excited to be moving forward with
> training a guide horse for you. After we find a horse & training
> progresses, would you be able to come to Illinois periodically and do some
> hands on work to get acquainted with your guide in training?"
> 
>> On Fri, May 24, 2024 at 2:49 PM Debbie Malone via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Just an FYI. The service dog denials are getting worse. I had the same
>> scenario happen just a week later.  I was also denied directly when I
>> wanted to go with my significant other to his appointment. They said I
>> couldn't go because I had a service dog. It is really bad when the transit
>> authority is perpetuating the problem and actually denying access because
>> of the service dog. Just saying...
>> 
>> *Sent with Right Inbox <https://www.rightinbox.com/?utm_source=signature>*
>> 
>> 
>> <
>> https://inboxwhenready.org/?utm_campaign=signature&utm_medium=email&utm_source=signature
>>> 
>> I'm using Inbox When Ready
>> <
>> https://inboxwhenready.org/?utm_campaign=signature&utm_medium=email&utm_source=signature
>>> 
>> to protect my focus.
>> 
>> On Sun, May 5, 2024 at 8:50 AM Diane Graves via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> I hear you Debbie. It is an outrage to have to decide whether to take a
>>> dog to your time sensitive appointment or leave them home, because you
>>> don't know what the rideshare drivers are going to try to pull. It is
>> even
>>> worse, to make this ongoing problem a consideration when deciding whether
>>> to train with a successor dog or not.
>>> 
>>> Although the rideshare companies would claim otherwise, I simply don't
>>> believe that they have a strong zero tolerance policy for violations of
>> the
>>> law when it comes to guide dogs/service animals. They would say that they
>>> are doing all they can, but I do not believe it.
>>> 
>>> For example, I was recently enrolled at a university which had a very
>>> strict progressive policy against cheating and plagiarism. If you were
>>> caught once, you would receive an F on the assignment; twice, you failed
>>> the entire course; three times and you were expelled from the
>> university. I
>>> don't think the rideshare companies have such a policy in place.
>>> 
>>> When attempting to make travel arrangements with a family member or
>>> friend, I try to be considerate. If they don't want a dog in their
>> vehicle,
>>> I can either honor that or choose not to ride with them. However, When a
>>> driver makes the decision to provide a public service and drive their
>>> personal vehicle for a rideshare company, they forfeit their right to
>> make
>>> the call, and they should be required to comply with the law. We
>> shouldn't
>>> be forced to deal with this.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Robin (Diane) Graves
>>> rdgraves2007 at gmail.com
>>> 317-238-9262
>>> 
>>> “TGIF: TODAY GOD IS FIRST.’—OS Hillman
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Debbie Malone via
>>> NAGDU
>>> Sent: Sunday, May 5, 2024 7:31 AM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Debbie Malone <dmalone510 at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Rideshare denials
>>> 
>>> I do the same thing. I report to Uber, NFB, and our RTA (MBTA/the
>>> RIDE)since many of my rides are contracted through them. I am going out
>> to
>>> the DOJ complaints in the next day or so. Any advice?
>>> 
>>> I am so outraged that even those contracted rides are denied. The other
>>> day the paratransit service didn't have enough vans to take me on my
>>> scheduled trip. The tried to get me an Uber but were refused by every
>>> driver. They were telling the drivers that I had a service dog and
>> allowed
>>> each driver to deny the ride. They had to delay a regular van driver's
>>> lunch to take me to my appointment. I am so outraged that I am looking
>> into
>>> a protest at the state house and/or media coverage. I am too through.
>>> 
>>> *Sent with Right Inbox <https://www.rightinbox.com/?utm_source=signature
>>> *
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Sat, May 4, 2024 at 4:14 PM Suzette May via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> What Lyft told me is that if you message the driver that you have a
>>>> guide dog or the driver is close enough to see that you have a guide
>>>> dog and the ride is canceled at any point after that, it is considered
>>>> a service dog denial. So I report those.  I also screenshot my text
>>>> message when it says the driver has seen the message, along with the
>>>> driver information screen as soon as possible. I also report it on the
>>>> NFB form and the DOJ form every time.  If I can, I start videoing when
>>> the driver is one minute away.
>>>> I'm averaging about 1 in 3 guide dog denials.  I've had several that
>>>> were blatant, to my face denials. That was before I started videoing.
>>>> 
>>>> *Suzette May*
>>>> *PS139.13 at gmail.com <PS139.13 at gmail.com>*
>>>> *512-564-0152*
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Thu, May 2, 2024 at 12:34 PM Raul Gallegos - NAGDU via NAGDU <
>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Hello Vanessa. While there is no direct evidence that you have been
>>>>> denied, I personally would still report it as such, especially if
>>>>> you
>>>> have
>>>>> voluntarily sent the driver a text that identifies you as a blind
>>>>> person traveling with a guide dog.
>>>>> I hope this helps.
>>>>> 
>>>>> --
>>>>> Raul Gallegos, President
>>>>> National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>>> (346) 439-7444 • rgallegos at nagdu.org www.nfb.org • www.nagdu.org
>>>>> Subscribe to the NAGDU public calendar Facebook Group • Email list •
>>>>> Mastodon “You can live the life you want. Blindness is not what
>>>>> holds you back.”
>>>>> 
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Vanessa Lowery
>>>>> via NAGDU
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, May 2, 2024 12:22 PM
>>>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>>> < nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Cc: Vanessa Lowery <val4dogs at gmail.com>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Rideshare denials
>>>>> 
>>>>> I have a question. To give an example, let's say that I have
>>>>> selected
>>>> Uber
>>>>> and have messaged the driver stating that I will be traveling with a
>>>>> service dog and will be placing a towel on the floor of the vehicle
>>>> before
>>>>> the dog enters. You continue to wait as the countdown for the
>>>>> drivers arrival continues. The driver gets two or three minutes out,
>>>>> and then the next thing you know, You've been switched to another
>>>>> ride. But before
>>>> that
>>>>> happens, you've gotten a text response back from the driver that
>>>>> just
>>>> says,
>>>>> "OK.". You assume that the OK means that the driver has no issues
>>>>> with
>>>> the
>>>>> presence of the service dog. But then, you are suddenly switched to
>>>> another
>>>>> driver. Is that considered a denial? And if not, at a minimum,
>>>>> should we
>>>> go
>>>>> to the tracking link that the NFB has and report that. And if so,
>>>>> what is it categorized to be? I have had that happen a few times
>>> lately.
>>>>> Vanessa and the zoo
>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On May 2, 2024, at 7:21 AM, Debbie Malone via NAGDU
>>>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>> Is NFB still collecting data regarding Uber andLyft service animal
>>>>> denials?
>>>>>> If so where do we report the incidents? Thanks.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> *Debbie Malone*
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> *National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts*
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> *Affiliate Second Vice President*
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> *At-Large Chapter President*
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> *National Federation of the Blind, National Writers Division Vice
>>>>>> President* *InclusionEducation.com
>>>>>> <https://inclusioneducation.com/>*
>>>>>> Amazon Author Page <https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B07RVCRR5R>
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> *Sent with Right Inbox
>>>>>> <https://www.rightinbox.com/?utm_source=signature>*
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> 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/val4dogs%40gmai
>>>>>> l.co
>>>>>> m
>>>>> 
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> 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/rgallegos%40nagdu
>>>>> .org
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> 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/ps139.13%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/dmalone510%40gmail.
>>>> com
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> *Debbie Malone*
>>> 
>>> *National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts*
>>> 
>>> *Affiliate Second Vice President*
>>> 
>>> *At-Large Chapter President*
>>> 
>>> *National Federation of the Blind, National Writers Division Vice
>>> President* *InclusionEducation.com <https://inclusioneducation.com/>*
>>> Amazon Author Page <https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B07RVCRR5R>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> 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/rdgraves2007%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/dmalone510%40gmail.com
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> *Debbie Malone*
>> 
>> *National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts*
>> 
>> *Affiliate Second Vice President*
>> 
>> *At-Large Chapter President*
>> 
>> *National Federation of the Blind, National Writers Division Vice
>> President*
>> *InclusionEducation.com <https://inclusioneducation.com/>*
>> Amazon Author Page <https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B07RVCRR5R>
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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/joshknnd1982%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.orgd/cindyray%40gmail.com

More information about the NAGDU mailing list