Photos: Guide Horses

guidehorse ^

[JoeProBono]

Guide Horses have shown great promise as a mobility option, and people who have tried Guide Horses report that the Guide Horses perform exceptionally well at keeping their person safe. These friendly horses provide an experimental alternative mobility option for blind people. People who have tried Guide Horses report that the horses demonstrate excellent judgment and are not easily distracted by crowds and people.

[JoeProBono]

"There are many compelling reasons to use miniature horses as guide animals. Horses are natural guide animals and have been guiding humans for centuries. In nature, horses have been shown to possess a natural guide instinct. When another horse goes blind in a herd, a sighted horse accepts responsibility for the welfare of the blind horse and guides it with the herd. With humans, many blind people ride horses in equestrian competitions. Some blind people ride alone on trails for many miles, completely relying on the horse to guide them safely to their destination. Through history, Cavalry horses have been known to guide their injured rider to safety. The Guide Horse Foundation finds several characteristics of horses that make them suitable to guide the blind"

[SolidWood]

My head exploded at this much cuteness!

[nmh]

“My head exploded at this much cuteness!”

Same here!

They look like stuffed animals.

They are adorable!

[BOATSNM8]

I can’t wait for the comments to roll in:)

[nmh]

I’d bet these guide horses are smarter than Obama voters!

[nuconvert]

I like his sneakers
:~ D

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[Jemian]

ping for extraordinary cuteness

[Dysart]

What’s the monthly billing allowable on those puppies?

[Radagast the Fool]

What a great idea! I know the little mini-horses are often used in hospitals as therapy animals to provide comfort to sick people, so why not use them as guides also??

And I also agree the cuteness factor is undeniable!!!

[BOATSNM8]

Too cute. Can you potty train a horse?

[Mercat]

OK, I’ll be the first to ask - can they be potty trained? In my experience with horses which is somewhat limited, they have no concern about pooping at any time and just let it fall. Dogs on the other hand seem to have a sense of shame about it. I’ve only seen one dog poop during a dog show and she was sick. Horses however, poop at horse shows all the time.

[yorkie]

They also have dress shoes and cowboy boots for Guide horses:

Shoes and boots for Guide horses

[jwparkerjr]

I occasionally do the photos with the Clydesdale horses at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Talk about a pile! We always have one horse that’s on display that people can touch and pet and pose with for pictures up close. When he poops we send someone back to the tack area to tell one of the workers there, “Clean up on aisle 8.” We also have a code for when the horse on display is showing his manhood. The handler simply uses a spray bottle of water and squirts it a couple of times.

Ah yes, life of the photographer in the theme park!

[LiberConservative]

“I’ll have the ham and eggs special, coffe, and an apple.”

[JoeProBono]

“All Guide Horses regularly work indoors, leading their handler to restaurants, shopping malls and offices. When they are off-duty, Guide Horses greatly prefer to stay outdoors. All Guide Horses have a small outdoor barn and corral to relax , graze and play. In the summer, they get a thin coat that allows them to be comfortable in hot and humid areas. In the winder, they get a wooly coat that keeps them warm, even in sub-zero temperatures.”

[JoeProBono]

[yazoo]

Yeah, but think of the expense of changing all the post office signs to “no horses allowed, except seeing eye horses.”

[potlatch]

Ping, you’ve got to see this!

They are darling. I never heard of guide horses before!

[JoeProBono]

Do you suppose there are guide dogs that can read these signs?

[JoeProBono]

"“I’ll have the ham and eggs special, coffe, and an apple.”

Cheesecake & salad?

[JoeProBono]

"Too cute. Can you potty train a horse?"

Relief

[JoeProBono]

[potlatch]

Thanks Joe, they are just so cute! I never heard of this before reading this article. One thing that amazes me is that horses are NOT very smart compared to dogs.

[mad_as_he$$]

Having once had a barn full of minis I have some mixed emotions. One of the bad things about minis is that many of them do not know how small they are. I had one stud who routinely tried to mix it up with my gelding that was 17 hands. The gelding would just look at him like yea right. The good thing is that they are very smart and easy to train. Many of them are a lot smarter than the average horse.

[martin_fierro]

"Yeah, walk around all day behind a horse. Great idea."

[lysie]

Thanks for the ping, Jem. Cute!

[jtill]

These horses are adorable!

Thanks for the ping.

[Chickensoup]

attention seeking behaivor.

[HighlyOpinionated]

Although the Seeing Eye Horse costs more to train, they also live a lot longer than a Seeing Eye Dog and I believe I recall that dollar for dollar, the Seeing Eye Horse is a better investment.

[JoeProBono]

Long Lifespan - Miniature Horse can live to be more than 50 years old, with the average lifespan being 30-40 years. According to guide dog trainers, guide dogs have a useful life between 8-12 years.

[JoeProBono]

Long Lifespan - Miniature Horse can live to be more than 50 years old, with the average lifespan being 30-40 years. According to guide dog trainers, guide dogs have a useful life between 8-12 years.

[TheConservativeParty]

As a horse owner and student of natural horsemanship, I would prefer that horses are in a more natural environment than a guide horse would experience.

I would opt for a guide dog if I needed this service.

A dog is a predator, a horse a prey animal. The instincts between these 2 species are opposite, making the horse less desirable than the dog as a guide.

I think the predator by nature, the dog, would be more comfortable in most situations encountered as a guide, than would a horse, whose basic nature is to protect itself from being eaten by predators.

And BTW, no you cannot potty train a horse.

They ideally eat in the trickle method, grazing is best. But if pasture is not available, many small meals of good hay and clean water during the day and evening is the best way to simulate a natural grazing habit.

This trickle eating, small bits at a time, keeps the gut working properly, and keeps a frequent and steady production of fertilizer exiting the rear of the horse.

A horse goes when it wants to, #1 or #2, look out here it comes....

The dog, being a predator, has larger meals, fewer times a day and can be trained to wait until it is outside to “go”. Horses are so different from dogs, they are opposites, predator v. prey.

[Ditter]

I was just thinking that. I have known quite a few horses over the years and they are not smart in the same way that a smart dog is smart. We had a Shetland and he was so mean he was un controllable.

I agree with the cuteness.

[potlatch]

[I agree with the cuteness.]
Yeah, we all agree with that. I’m sure they are very expensive and the ones shown look well fed.

My kids had three horses. They are wonderful for riding but not especially smart. A dog supposedly has the intelligence of a two year old human child and that’s not bad if you think about it.

[kalee]

They’re from a small town close to where I live. I used to run into Janet and Cuddles frequently but the place we met has closed so I haven’t seen her (nor the horses) for a good while.

[JoeProBono]

OK. Then there's diversity

[JoeProBono]

OK. Then there's diversity

[AnAmericanMother]

I've dealt with horses all my life (including minis in more recent years), and I started training dogs about 8 years ago.

I just don't see it. I mean, they're cute and all, but given some of the horses I have known versus dogs I have known, I think I would opt for the dog if I lost my sight.

Even a SMALL panicky horse is a dangerous object. It took three of us (vet, farrier, and yours truly) to hold a very small mini for his shots. And horses are prone to panic. The best horse I ever had was the most bombproof equine ever, but when she DID panic -- look out! Probably has something to do with their being Movable Lunch on the Prairie.

They also can't really be toilet trained. When they have to go, they have to go. I've had horses that didn't like to dirty their stalls and would always go outside, but outside had to be available - if they were cut off from their paddock they would just let fly where they stood.

I just don't see it. Too bad, 'cause it's a cute idea.

[JoeProBono]

[AnAmericanMother]

Oh, yeah, I used to breed and show Siamese cats, too.

I can easily see one of my kitties deliberately leading a blind person under low branches, into manholes, etc. just for grins.

But then there are nice kitties, too:

[HungarianGypsy]

I can easily see one of my kitties deliberately leading a blind person under low branches, into manholes, etc. just for grins

This got a laugh out of my children, since they could picture our Siamese mix doing just that.

[JoeProBono]

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[JoeProBono]

[AnAmericanMother]

My big old Siamese male, Ch. Hybrasil Cormac, used to climb up onto the tops of doors in the house and lurk there very quietly. Then he would drop on the heads of unsuspecting passersby.

We had to lock him up when we had company. I think he thought he was a leopard in the forests of Africa.

[AnAmericanMother]

[JoeProBono]

Siamese Princess

[JoeProBono]