Mini Horses Big Hit At Nursing Homes

2013 - Volume #37, Issue #1, Page #24

[ Sample Stories From This Issue | List of All Stories In This Issue | Print this story | Read this issue]

The veterinarian said odds were against Romie the miniature horse surviving past his first day, but 3 1/2 years later, the tiny horse happily hobbles into area nursing homes to lift spirits of the residents.
  Jeanne Murphy first took Romie to the local nursing home when he was just 2 weeks old and fit easily in her arms. He’s not much bigger now at 22 in. tall and 112 lbs. He climbs into the back of her minivan for trips. Born a dwarf with arthritis, a twisted spine, misaligned teeth, and very crippled legs, Murphy knows Romie is on borrowed time. But he loves the nursing home visits as much as the residents appreciate him.
  “He wanders in and starts the loving. He’s very intuitive about which people need attention,” she says. “It’s a good outlet for the residents – to touch warm creatures seems to lighten their moods.”
  Romie has a few favorites, including a 101-year-old lady who knows the right place to scratch behind his ears. He makes his rounds from person to person, passing by one lady who doesn’t like any animals, and pushing the wheelchair of another resident who is busy talking and doesn’t notice Romie right away. The residents comment about his tail dragging on the floor – by at least a foot – and talk about their own horse experiences.
  Murphy also takes other horses that are smaller than the standard 34-in. height of miniatures. If they fit in the minivan they can go, she says.
  Recently Derri, a 7-month-old silver buckskin pinto, visited a palliative care unit. She put her chin on one lady’s pillow so she could pet Derri, and was impervious to the sounds of the machines in the room.
  “Miniature horses are so mild tempered and different than other horses. They can be nervous, but they don’t take it out on their handlers,” Murphy says.
  She says miniatures must be treated and trained like any other horse, though they need less feed and never need to be shod. They are perfect for young children who can play with and ride on them.
  Murphy lives in rural Glenwood City, Wis., with her husband and 22 miniature horses. She encourages other miniature horse enthusiasts to volunteer with their horses at local nursing homes, daycares and other institutions.
  Make sure they are healthy with updated Coggins testing and health certificates, she advises. Clean and brush the horses thoroughly. Protect them from slipping on floors with available shoes for horses. Because she can’t find shoes to fit Romie’s misshapen hooves, Murphy wraps his in vet wrap.
   She also takes them outside when she sees they need to urinate. There have been only a couple of occasions when a horse left a “gift” inside on the tile floor, Murphy says, and nursing home staff graciously took care of it.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Joanne Murphy, Pinata Miniatures, 1669 State Rd. 128, Glenwood City, Wis. 54013 (ph 715 265-7008; www.freewebs.com/pinataminis).

Click here to download page story appeared in.

Click here to read entire issue

Mini Horses Big Hit At Nursing Homes AG WORLD The veterinarian said odds were against Romie the miniature horse surviving past his first day but 3 1/2 years later the tiny horse happily hobbles into area nursing homes to lift spirits of the residents Jeanne Murphy first took Romie to the local nursing home when he was just 2 weeks old and fit easily in her arms He’s not much bigger now at 22 in tall and 112 lbs He climbs into the back of her minivan for trips Born a dwarf with arthritis a twisted spine misaligned teeth and very crippled legs Murphy knows Romie is on borrowed time But he loves the nursing home visits as much as the residents appreciate him “He wanders in and starts the loving He’s very intuitive about which people need attention ” she says “It’s a good outlet for the residents – to touch warm creatures seems to lighten their moods ” Romie has a few favorites including a 101-year-old lady who knows the right place to scratch behind his ears He makes his rounds from person to person passing by one lady who doesn’t like any animals and pushing the wheelchair of another resident who is busy talking and doesn’t notice Romie right away The residents comment about his tail dragging on the floor – by at least a foot – and talk about their own horse experiences Murphy also takes other horses that are smaller than the standard 34-in height of miniatures If they fit in the minivan they can go she says Recently Derri a 7-month-old silver buckskin pinto visited a palliative care unit She put her chin on one lady’s pillow so she could pet Derri and was impervious to the sounds of the machines in the room “Miniature horses are so mild tempered and different than other horses They can be nervous but they don’t take it out on their handlers ” Murphy says She says miniatures must be treated and trained like any other horse though they need less feed and never need to be shod They are perfect for young children who can play with and ride on them Murphy lives in rural Glenwood City Wis with her husband and 22 miniature horses She encourages other miniature horse enthusiasts to volunteer with their horses at local nursing homes daycares and other institutions Make sure they are healthy with updated Coggins testing and health certificates she advises Clean and brush the horses thoroughly Protect them from slipping on floors with available shoes for horses Because she can’t find shoes to fit Romie’s misshapen hooves Murphy wraps his in vet wrap She also takes them outside when she sees they need to urinate There have been only a couple of occasions when a horse left a “gift” inside on the tile floor Murphy says and nursing home staff graciously took care of it Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Joanne Murphy Pinata Miniatures 1669 State Rd 128 Glenwood City Wis 54013 ph 715 265-7008; www freewebs com/pinataminis

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.

SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW NOW