Mini horses as therapy animals

[Kyra's Mom]

I saw a little blurb on MSN where they were using VSE's for therapy horses...in hospitals, schools, etc.
Anybody had any experience with this?

I am battling a chronic pain issue that seems to be getting worse to the point that riding is not comfortable at all .
I'm throwing a few more things at it and going to see another doctor or two but when I saw the above article/piece it got me thinking that that having a service horse would be fun and have purpose at the same time. I am not hanging it up with the 'normal' horse yet but I have been trying to work through the issue for over 10 years now. The problem was mostly manageable until October of last year until for no reason I can pin down, has escalated where it is hard to ride more than once or twice a week and some weeks when the pain isn't worth it at all...sucks all the fun out of riding for sure. Kyra is a bit on the reactive side and not something I want to get behind (as in driving). She is good most of the time but she has checked out in long reins a couple times so I'm not thinking I want to spend my time, my life and my money to go there not to mention, my butt is the source of my pain and sitting on anything isn't particularly comfortable and I'm not sure bouncing around in a cart would be any better than riding.

Anyway...ruminating on making a change. I've had a riding horse for about 45 years but I guess there comes a time that things need to change. If anybody has experience with mini service horses, info would be welcome.

Susan

[PaulaO]

Service, or therapy, cuz they are different. Therapy animals go to hospitals, schools, etc. to visit. The service animal stays with you and helps you. I'm a medical librarian--let me check around the databases and see if any literature is out there. I know there's plenty of anecdotal stores--if you type "mini therapy horses" into Google you'll get a ton of hits.

[Kyra's Mom]

Your are right PaulaO...therapy horse is what I'm interested in. I shall certainly Google.

Susan

[PaulaO]

In your original post, what does VSE stand for? Very special equine?????

[khall]

Check out Panda the mini seeing eye horse that was trained by Alexandra Kurland.
http://www.theclickercenter.com/ThePandaProject.html

[Kyra's Mom]

PaulaO--VSE = very small equine .

Khall, I will look that up. I have seen TV pieces on seeing eye horses. The mini's have increased longevity over dogs. Not common but they are out there.

Susan

[heronponie]

A service dog trainer once told me that mini horses are becoming a much better option for people with mobility issues because they can use the mini to stabilize themselves, assist with sitting down & standing up, that type of thing. Leaning weight on a service dog in that manner is apparently way worse on a dog than the minis.

Sorry, I know that's not really useful but kind of a cool piece of anec-data.

[OmegaMare]

Sorry you are dealing with this transition, though you're sounding very sensible about it.
I don't have much (if anything) to contribute, but am following the thread with interest, being in a similar position. I'm not sure it's practical for me to aim at getting back to riding, but I still enjoy having horses in the field.
I've looked into the mini option, but have been discouraged to hear about the health/medical issues, and some common behavioural challenges (barginess, escape-prone) and unsuitability for my pasture environment.
I'm leaning towards a non-mini small equine, but everything's in flux so I'm not deciding anything until there's more clarity. Like you, I'm not keen on driving, but would still like some "purpose".
Best of luck with your process.
Watching with interest.

[Kyra's Mom]

Yes, OmegaMare...I board so I am sure if I go that route, I will be buying my own fencing to redo Kyra's current pen. I have an acquaintance
that has some mini's. I will have to get with her and see what she has set up. To my knowledge, she hasn't had many health problems with them. I have thought about getting a small pony (12-13 hands) to drive but again, with my issue, I am not sure that bouncing around on the cart seat is going to be any better than riding.

I just can't seem to get any kind of concrete diagnosis on what the pain problem is, let alone how or if it can be fixed. I most certainly have a pain in the butt Sigh.

Just kind of doing some research. At this point in my life, I don't want to be too impulsive .

Susan

[clanter]

we have done some with my son's minis ... he usually is used as a subject for high school photography classes

[Kyra's Mom]

Clanter...squeeee! You can certainly get lost in that eye.

Susan