A guide horse is an alternative mobility option for blind people who do not wish to or cannot use a
guide dog
Guide dogs (colloquially known in the US as seeing-eye dogs) are assistance dogs trained to lead blind or visually impaired people around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are red–green colour blin ...
.
History
The idea of a guide horse for a blind person dates back to 1943 if not earlier, the film ''
The Blocked Trail
''The Blocked Trail'' is a 1943 American Western "Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by Elmer Clifton and starring Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, and Jimmie Dodd.
Cast
* Bob Steele as Tucson Smith
* Tom Tyler as Stony Brooke
* Jimmie Dodd as Lu ...
'' of that year having a dwarf horse guide a blind miner. The Burlesons though may appear to have a claim for the practical proposal of using a
miniature horse
A miniature horse is a breed or type of horse characterised by its small size. Usually it has been bred to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, but to be little over in height, or even less. Although such hor ...
as a
service animal
Various definitions exist for a service animal. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines the term as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities". Dogs are the most common service animals, havi ...
for the blind or partially sighted. In 1998, while on a horseback ride in New York City, Janet and Don Burleson of
Kittrell, North Carolina
Kittrell is a town in Vance County, North Carolina, United States.
History
Kittrell was chartered in 1885, with its first mayor David Outlaw, a merchant and bachelor. In 1860, one census district in Granville County the primary of the three p ...
, noticed how their horses were able to sense on their own when to cross the street. Janet recalled watching a blind rider compete in horse shows where "the woman gave the horse directions, and it took her around the obstacles and the other horses in the class. It was serving as her guide and that was something I'd never forgotten." She wondered if a miniature horse could be trained as a guide animal for the blind. Janet had trained
Arabian show horses for 30 years and was familiar with
equine behavior. But her urban experience changed her view of the behavior exhibited by one of their pet miniature horses, "Twinkie", on their farm back home. The animal often followed the Burlesons around like a dog, and rode in the back of their minivan. From these experiences, they began training
miniature horses
A miniature horse is a breed or type of horse characterised by its small size. Usually it has been bred to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, but to be little over in height, or even less. Although such ho ...
to be seeing eye horses.
Their first trainee was Twinkie. From that start, the Burlesons developed a rigorous training program for miniature horses that was similar to a guide dog's, adding
systematic desensitization
Systematic desensitization, or graduated exposure therapy, is a behavior therapy developed by the psychiatrist Joseph Wolpe. It is used when a phobia or anxiety disorder is maintained by classical conditioning. It shares the same elements of both c ...
training, similar to that given horses used for riot control. There were setbacks; the first time they took a miniature horse to the grocery store, it grabbed a
Snickers bar off the shelf. The goal was to train these small horses to meet all requirements to become a guide animal for the blind.
One of the first people to use a guide horse was Dan Shaw. At age 17, he was diagnosed with
retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic disorder of the eyes that causes loss of vision. Symptoms include trouble seeing at night and decreasing peripheral vision (side and upper or lower visual field). As peripheral vision worsens, people may ...
, an incurable eye disease that deteriorates vision over time. In 1998 he attended a school for the blind to learn basic skills, such as how to read
Braille
Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille disp ...
. However, he stated, "... I was shocked at how few options I had. I didn't want to struggle with a white cane, and I couldn't bear the idea of having a guide dog because of the grief I had experienced when my beloved pet dog died 10 years before. I knew I'd feel the loss of an animal I had relied on for my independence even more acutely."
In 1999 the Burlesons created The Guide Horse Foundation to provide
miniature horse
A miniature horse is a breed or type of horse characterised by its small size. Usually it has been bred to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, but to be little over in height, or even less. Although such hor ...
s as
assistance animal
Various definitions exist for a service animal. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines the term as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities". Dogs are the most common service animals, havi ...
s to blind users living in rural environments.
Shaw heard about the Burlesons' experimental program, and was particularly interested when he found out that horses live thirty to forty years. So he applied to be the first person in the world to use a guide horse. The Burlesons started training "Cuddles" for Shaw. On March 6, 2002, he flew to
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...
, and met Cuddles for the first time. After some introductory work, Janet Burleson sent Shaw and Cuddles into a crowded store where the aisles were jammed with merchandise, and they successfully navigated the store. Shaw stated, "I was about to become the world's first user of a guide horse. I knew that there would be skeptics—people who didn't believe horses had the right temperament to be service animals. After all, in the 1920s, when
Dorothy Eustis
Dorothy Leib Harrison Wood Eustis (May 30, 1886 – September 8, 1946) was an American dog breeder and philanthropist, who founded The Seeing Eye, the first dog guide school for the blind in the United States. She was inducted into the Natio ...
began training
German shepherd
The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899.
It was originally bred as a herding dog, for ...
s to lead the blind, many people scoffed at the idea. But I knew that getting my independence back would outweigh any criticism."
Another user received her horse "Panda" in 2003, and in 2007 the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
reported the owner describing her guide as "protective, alert and house-trained -- and she loves to play fetch. And at 29 inches tall and 120 pounds, she's a darn small horse."
United Kingdom
A guide horse, "Digby", claimed to be Britain's first, was introduced to a BBC journalist for training in February 2018. Unfortunately the
miniature horse
A miniature horse is a breed or type of horse characterised by its small size. Usually it has been bred to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, but to be little over in height, or even less. Although such hor ...
underwent a height growth spurt to which proved too tall for its handler's office in
Salford, Manchester
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
. It had also become "awkward", knocking items off of supermarket shelves. The horse was able to be allocated to an
Office of National Statistics
An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...
worker in London who believed it would not be too tall for her and would be suitable for her to take on the
Underground
Underground most commonly refers to:
* Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth
Underground may also refer to:
Places
* The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston
* The Underground ...
to work.
Guide horse as service animal
Official recognition
In the United States, on 15 September 2010, the
Department of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
(DOJ) clarified the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and ruled that properly trained and suitably sized miniature Guide Horses could be recognized as service animals.
Features
Miniature horses, with an average lifespan of thirty years, live much longer than dogs, and for those allergic to or
frightened of dogs, a horse could make a good alternative. However, while a dog can adapt to many different home situations, a horse must live outdoors, requiring a shelter and room to move about when not on duty.
Guide horse users may also find difficulty in transporting a miniature horse on limited-spaced public transportation, such as on buses or taxis. Some individuals also are concerned that a horse's powerful
fight-or-flight
The fight-or-flight or the fight-flight-or-freeze response (also called hyperarousal or the acute stress response) is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival. It was first des ...
instinct may lead it to have less predictable behavior than that of a
guide dog
Guide dogs (colloquially known in the US as seeing-eye dogs) are assistance dogs trained to lead blind or visually impaired people around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are red–green colour blin ...
.
The Guide Horse Foundation suggest a house-trained guide horse should typically be able to control its bladder for six hours; however for transportation purposes it is suggested a practical estimate of four hours should be used.
Training
The process of training a guide horse is rigorous and takes about eight months for each horse. The Burlesons developed a training programme which began initially with the horse trained in basic lead work, in which the horse is taught to move at the speed that the handler commands and to navigate common obstacles. Next, the horse is trained in voice command recognition, and taught to respond to 23 voice commands. The horse is then taught to maneuver around both stationary and moving obstacles. After this, the horse is trained to signal to the handler when there is a step or ramp. Finally, the horse is housebroken, generally an easy process because of horses' natural aversion to depositing fecal waste indoors.
Intelligent disobedience is a crucial part of the training of the guide horse, as the horse must be able to disregard any commands that would be unsafe to the horse and the handler.
Suitability
* Horses normally live to be 25–35 years old. This is far longer than the lifespan of a dog (8–16 years, depending upon breed).
* On average,
miniature horses
A miniature horse is a breed or type of horse characterised by its small size. Usually it has been bred to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, but to be little over in height, or even less. Although such ho ...
may live one-third longer than large horses.
* Miniature horses chosen for assistance horse training weigh approximately .
* Eyesight is vital for a guide animal for blind users. Horses generally possess excellent
vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
. With eyes placed on the sides of their heads, they possess nearly 350 degree vision, are sensitive to motion in their field of vision, and often detect a potential hazard before their sighted trainers. Horses also have excellent
night vision and can see clearly in almost total darkness.
* Miniature horses are, in general, not suited for assisting people who are
deaf
Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...
or
hearing impaired
Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken la ...
. Most dog breeds have a natural "watchdog instinct" that is important for a
hearing assistance animal; horses do not have this instinct.
References
Notes
Footnotes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Guide Horse
Blindness
Working horses