ClickMini
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Dan came home yesterday afternoon. He looks fantastic, they have taken the BEST care of him! It was a great experiment, but there are some reasons why using a mini as a mobility assistant isn't always the perfect situation. The main reason being for the horse.
The number one and real showstopper reason is because people with mobility issues need to have their assistant in the house all night. They need their assistant to be able to help them get out of bed, pick up the phone in an emergency, get them undressed for bed, and dressed in the morning. Well, as it happens Dan COULD do all that! The thing that is NOT healthy for him is to not go to the bathroom all night. It just isn't workable to have a horse in the house for an 8-12 hour stretch.
If a person needs an assistant for daytime use, as a stabilizer for walking, helping retrieve dropped items, get the phone, turn a light on or off, etc. a horse could definitely be used, and actually Dan EXCELLED in his training. The trainer said he was the quickest study she had ever trained, she was amazed at how he caught on to things. And she did say he ended up being a really perfect size to be used for stability. Horses do not seem to have a lot of the issues that dogs have, and Dan was a very stable, steady personality to work with.
So Dan is home. Today I put he and Alladdin out together in the arena. They greeted each other and immediately put their noses together and started sharing a snack. They haven't seen each other in nearly a year, but it was completely apparent they recognized each other and were happy to be re-united. When they started out together they were both stallions, although Danny was only a yearling. Now Dan is a gelding, and Alladdin is a very, very gentle and sweet stallion. I will definitely be keeping Dan as a companion for Alladdin, Laddie deserves to have a best friend. I hope to also teach Dan to drive, and to use him as a nursing home visitor.
This is one of my first pics of Alladdin and Dan together, back when I first got Dan. It is still one of my favorite pictures ever.
The number one and real showstopper reason is because people with mobility issues need to have their assistant in the house all night. They need their assistant to be able to help them get out of bed, pick up the phone in an emergency, get them undressed for bed, and dressed in the morning. Well, as it happens Dan COULD do all that! The thing that is NOT healthy for him is to not go to the bathroom all night. It just isn't workable to have a horse in the house for an 8-12 hour stretch.
If a person needs an assistant for daytime use, as a stabilizer for walking, helping retrieve dropped items, get the phone, turn a light on or off, etc. a horse could definitely be used, and actually Dan EXCELLED in his training. The trainer said he was the quickest study she had ever trained, she was amazed at how he caught on to things. And she did say he ended up being a really perfect size to be used for stability. Horses do not seem to have a lot of the issues that dogs have, and Dan was a very stable, steady personality to work with.
So Dan is home. Today I put he and Alladdin out together in the arena. They greeted each other and immediately put their noses together and started sharing a snack. They haven't seen each other in nearly a year, but it was completely apparent they recognized each other and were happy to be re-united. When they started out together they were both stallions, although Danny was only a yearling. Now Dan is a gelding, and Alladdin is a very, very gentle and sweet stallion. I will definitely be keeping Dan as a companion for Alladdin, Laddie deserves to have a best friend. I hope to also teach Dan to drive, and to use him as a nursing home visitor.
This is one of my first pics of Alladdin and Dan together, back when I first got Dan. It is still one of my favorite pictures ever.
