[duxuser] Re: O/T: Miniature Guide Horses
- From: "Ann Edie" <annedie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 15:02:21 -0400
Hi, Kathy,
I am replying to your message on the list, because I do not have your private
e-mail address. I hope the list members and administrators will forgive this
off topic message. If you or anyone else wishes to continue the conversation
about guide horses, please contact me off-list at annedie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
I am one of about half a dozen miniature horse guide handlers that I know of in
the USA. There is one non-profit organization, the Guide Horse Foundation,
located in North Carolina, which trains and places miniature horse guides with
blind people. Don and Janet Burleson are the people who established the GHF.
They trained the first mini horse guide team in 2001. That was Dan Shaw of
Maine and his guide horse Cuddles. As far as I know, the GHF has one other
working team, Donna Grahman of Texas with her guide horse Pal. The website of
the GHF is www.guidehorse.org.
I know of three other guide horse partnerships, either privately trained or
owner trained. My own guide horse, Panda, was privately purchased by me and
trained by my friend and horse training professional, Alexandra Kurland. Alex
has described Panda's training process in the Panda Reports on her website,
www.theclickercenter.com. Panda has been working as my guide for about two
years now, since the spring of 2003. The two other mini horse guide teams that
I know of are one in Florida and one in Pennsylvania.
There is no such thing as certification for guide horses in the USA, just as
there is no such thing as certification of guide dogs in this country. People
with disabilities who work with privately trained or owner trained guide and
service animals have the same access rights as do people who obtain their guide
and service animals from a large organization. This being said, it is very
important for people interested in training or partnering with a guide horse to
get as much information as possible before making their decision. The two
websites memtioned above will get you started on that path of obtaining
information.
The use of miniature horses as guides for blind people is still very new and
somewhat experimental. While there are many advantages of using horses as
guides, there are also some considerations which must be weighed. I have been
delighted with Panda's guide work, and she is a wonderful companion as well.
And, since horses can live and work for more than 25 years, I have many more
happy years of this great relationship to look forward to. The other guide
horse handlers with whom I have spoken have had similarly good experiences.
But miniature horses are a little bigger than most guide dogs, and it is
definitely harder to fit them into a crowded restaurant or into an airplane
cabin. Horses have a different digestive system from dogs, and although they
can be just as effectively house trained, they do need to eat a bit more often
than dogs, and they need to be taken out for relief breaks more often than
dogs. Horses more than make up for these disadvantages by their excellent
trainability and focus on their work. They are less distractable than dogs,
they don't chase cats, squirrels, birds, or dogs, and they are instinctively
excellent at travelling through crowds and among other moving beings. Horses
are naturally aware of and careful about the footing conditions and changes of
elevation, such as steps, curbs, drop-offs, and holes. Due to their wide field
of vision and their keen hearing, they are very aware of traffic moving up from
behind and to the sides. And horses truly seem to enjoy the work and the
partnership with their people.
Of course, I would argue that my Panda is the absolute best of all the
miniature horse guides, because besides all the great features of guide horses
in general, Panda is the only entirely Clicker Trained guide horse. Clicker
Training is a training method based on behavioral science, which uses a marker
signal to tell the animal when it has done something the trainer wants, and
uses only positive reinforcement, (treats, pats, praise), and no punishment or
"corrections", in the training process. Because of this training method, Panda
is relaxed and confident in her work. She works to earn rewards and because
she truly understands what is desired, rather than to avoid punishment. She
works without the stress which causes working problems and behavior problems
and the early retirement of so many guide dogs trained with traditional,
"correction-based" training methods.
Anyway, feel free to pass this information on to the person who made the
inquiry. Also feel free to write to me at annedie@xxxxxxxxxxxx if you have any
further questions. We also have an e-mail list, (usually very quiet), for
guide horse users and anyone interested in the use of miniature horse guides.
To subscribe, send a blank message to
Guide-Horse-Users-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx That would be a good place to ask
questions of the community of guide horse users.
Ann
----- Original Message -----
From: Taylor-Hallick, Kathy (NonCityStaff)
To: duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 10:52 AM
Subject: [duxuser] Miniature Guide Horses
May 3, 2005
Hello
I am a Duxbury Braille Printer user. This email has nothing to do with my
printer. However, I am wondering if someone out there can help me. I have
received an email from a gentleman up here in Winnipeg, Manitoba inquiring
about the certification of miniature guide horses. I know I saw something on TV
a long time ago about this. Can anyone help with this request? I am also
curious as where I might find more information.
Thanks very much.
Kathy Taylor-Hallick, Coordinator
Access Advisory Committee
City of Winnipeg
Council Building - Lower Level
510 Main Street
Winnipeg Manitoba MB R3B 1B9
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