Service horses to be allowed in Restaurants

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

check this out: New law in Washington that Miniature horses that are service animals will be allowed to assist owners.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/04/08/new-law-let-the-horses-in-the-restaurants/

 

[redhen]

I NEED one of them little guys...

Wonder if they can be potty trained?

 

[shadowpaints]

while mini horses are cute, and fun i do not agree with their use for service animals. so the fact that they are allowed to be a service animal makes me sad. they are livestock. just as a dog is a dog, and must have 'dog' time, dogs are loyal, and most live to be by their owners side. horses (big and mini alike) are horses, they would not be happy in a stall or in a house. minis are smart yes, but i dont think that its a good idea at all to have them as a service animal. i think its just as creul to do this as it is to keep a wild animal in a home setting. horses NEED room to run, eat and be a horse. even my best horses that i show or have shown arent in a stall 24/7/365 they get to be horses, with a mix of pasture time, training etc. horses are herd animals and strive to be with their own kind. just my own opinion

yes horses can be potty trained. i have 3 minis that are trained to 'go' on comand lol we have been in nursing homes and schools. most of my minis have been in my house too LOL

 

[welsummerchicks]

I feel the same way. I'm not comfortable with mini equine service animals. They are kept isolated from other horses. Despite 'special shoes' I'm not comfortable with a hoofed animal being on a lot of the surfaces they have to work on. The feeding routine also, I have problems with. The use of dwarf animals too, to get the size down to the minimum, I feel has its risks. Dwarf mini/horses have some serious health issues and issues with their joints. The most critical thing is they can't go for long periods of time without eating or they may get fat embolisms.

When I see most of them working, to me they look rather disspirited and not in good condition.

There are some interesting books and articles surfacing about the ethics of service animals, but a good many of these materials aren't that new and some people who care about animals have urged caution for a long time. I don't hold, though, with the extremes if this point of view, that we should not have any companion or working animals.

I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but I have an increasingly uncomfortable feeling about service animals. I feel enough of the people involved don't have a realistic understanding of the animal's needs or the effect on the animal of doing service for disabled people. I was extremely surprised to see this problem in higher-ups and certified people from a national organization.

I was very impressed with one riding for the disabled stable I volunteered at, they felt doing service work was very stressful for the horses, so they had six week long lesson sessions, and between those times, the horses are turned out in a herd.

So I feel caution and concern for service animals is very important. I think with the right approach it can be done respectfully and with the animal's needs in mind.

But using minis as service animals in buildings in the city, that, I can't endorse under any circumstances.

 

[shadowpaints]

i agree.

we have carefully selected our mares, and stallions. we researched every line of every horse... 99 percent of our minis have no dwarfs in the first 10 generations of their pedigree. i am proud to say that the mares and stallions that i have never have produced a dwarf. *knock on wood*

i really wish that people would focus more on the quality of the mini and not the size. our smallest mare is 32 inches(lacey) our tallest mare is 37 inches(missy) our stallions are 31 inches tall, this is cash who it took me 10 years to find. i wanted the best. no my mares arent perfect, my stallion isnt eaither. BUT non are dwarfy. and i dont breed for tiny tiny, just to many risks.

i love my minis, and am sooo sad when i see people who deliberatly breed dwarfs