Miniature horses help special riders to go great distances
The 3-foot-tall horse jumped over a branch on the path. It was a tiny jump, not much more than a high step. But to Patrick Patterson , it was a milestone because his 5-year-old son, Payden , who has cerebral palsy, stayed upright on the horse.
Eighteen months ago, he wouldn't have been able to do that. He couldn't even sit up on his own; his muscles were too weak.
Then, Payden started going to Halter Inc. to ride a miniature horse once or twice a week.
Halter is a nonprofit that helps special-needs children and teens through pet therapy. The cluttered 30-acre ranch, which has rabbits, turkeys, cats, sheep, cows, donkeys, peacocks, goats and 44 horses, is at 17410 Clay Road near Stacy Road. More than half of the horses are miniature.
It's the only local pet therapy where little children get to ride miniature horses, said Maria Pigozzi, who started Halter in 2001. Children ride through a wooded trail while being led by volunteers who spend their Saturdays helping and taking riding lessons.
Payden, who weighs 27 pounds, has stronger quads, tailbone, butt, and back muscles. "In comparison to when we started, he's so much better," Patterson said.
Pet therapy also helps children learn interaction, language and social skills, studies show.
Jorge Andres Cabrera , 7, who has cerebral palsy, also couldn't sit up when he started going to Halter for 30 minutes a week five years ago, said his mother, Miriam Cabrera . Now, he sits in his saddle and silently enjoys his ride, a smile occasionally slipping across his face.
Plenty of stimulationForty toddlers are enrolled for the toddler rides, also called lead-line riding, nearly all with some affliction - autism, cerebral palsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, dyslexia, or "just a little tick off center," Pigozzi said.
Special-needs children need stimuli, Pigozzi said, and they can get plenty at Halter. Besides the bugs and textures of nature, one-foot-tall cutouts of ladybugs, horses, letters and flowers are nailed to the trees.
Cabrera likes riding the horse, seeing the animals, and being in the shade, his mother said.
"Usually, these services are so expensive, and Medicaid will only pay for medical services, not things like this. But it's been such a benefit to him," she said.
Miniature Horse Trailer - News
Then, Payden started going to Halter Inc. to ride a miniature horse once or twice a week. Halter is a nonprofit that helps special-needs children and teens through pet therapy. The cluttered 30-acre ranch, which has rabbits, turkeys, cats, sheep, cows,
I remember the video about the miniature horse, but this takes it to a whole new level. Side note: I really thought Darth Vader would be an AOL guy. Cameron Crowe is a music legend who doesn't make music. But he loves people who do, and now 20 years
Indeed, the event also features the Double L Miniature Horse Driving Drill Team, with four drivers driving three miniature horses and a pony hitched to carts. Among additional events are a Horse Trailer Rodeo, Hunter/Jumper Schooling Show,
Afterward, Jetta proudly led her miniature horse, Princy, back to the family's trailer. “It's the most fun you could ever imagine with horses,” Kelly Watkins said. The North Pacific Regional Championships brought more than 105 competitors to the
Is Mini Horse still in your quarrel or did you have to give him back? Cyrus: The poop alone must have been heavy. Dyrdek: That thing was never cool. I acted like I loved that horse on TV, but we were not cool. Dyrdek: I'm not even kidding.
Mini Horse Trailers. I never really thought about them until this ...
You know how you know what something is, but you never really know how that something works?! For example, I certainly know a computer server when I see one. But, have I ever looked inside? No. I just know is transports information from one place to another.
Same with mini-horse trailers. I know they take mini horses from one place to another, but I’d never looked inside…
Sweet Hubby decided to kidnap me and take me on a surprise outing for Mother’s Day. Very secretly, he managed to find a horsey thing in the area that he knew I knew nothing about.
The reason he knew that I knew nothing about this horsey event was because he said that it wasn’t publicized very well and he had to really hunt for the website…
Hmmmm.
The wonderful part of this was that he tried so hard to surprise me and he succeeded!
The ironic part about this particular horsey event was that it was so obscure, we were the only car parked in front of the Livestock arena. (Hubby thought he had gotten the dates wrong.) Tumbleweeds passed us as we walked to explore further.
Upon entering the huge (HUGE) arena, we were the only people there besides a clutch of supportive relatives, the yawning concession person and a lonely ticket taker asleep on his stool.
OMG. What is cuter than a few tiny horses in a huge arena?!
I took photos (with the zoom on all the way) and found these little hellions hysterically cute. They were doing everything big horses do at shows except no one was taking them seriously.
I saw one mare rip into her handler and the handler simply swatted her off like a fly. The ittybitty mare was so frustrated!
When they brought in the studs, the entire auditorium was echoing with shrill little screams and hollers. Ha!
I was tittering with glee! We went outside and moved through the few decorated barns. I couldn’t stand it! All those tiny creatures decked out in their best sleezies- hoods and all. Loved it!
Anyway, what I wanted to speak about today was not the mini horses, but their carriers. Yup, mini-horse trailers.
As we strolled back to the car, we walked through the trailer parking. That is when I saw them… The most amazing little rigs! I took several photos because I had never noticed these things on the freeways or highways before. Or, if I did, I probably just thought they were campers or elaborate dog crates. I had no idea!