Guest Blog: Honey, The Miniature Therapy Horse
Hello, my name is Honey! I am a 7 year old tiny, miniature therapy horse in Central Florida. I am the founding horse for Honey's Mini Therapy Adventures, a local non-profit 501c3. I help kids and adults of all ages feel better just by being myself. Horses are empathetic creatures! Horses can understand and react to human facial expressions, understand moods, and can even empathize with you. Horses help kids to gain confidence, improve their social skills, and reduce stress. We hope that tiny horses like me are able to meet kids all across the world. We may be tiny, but we have a huge impact on people big and small!
Our grand adventure started in January 2018 when my handler Mary Rose Gullet, brought me to her farm. Neither of us knew just what was in store for us, but it was truly part of a bigger plan. Mary Rose had searched for me for almost two years. She was very careful to ensure I was the best fit for her kids; super, super safe. See, my handler raises horses and I was just supposed to be a pet for their family to help learn all about horses. As their family grew to love and know me, they saw that I was something even more special than they first realized. An idea was given to Mary Rose and it truly began the greatest adventure of our lives.
In June 2018, Mary Rose and I became a part of the AMTHA team (American Miniature Therapy Horse Association). We started in nursing homes and senior care communities. In the senior area we quickly realized the impact we had on people. The residents at the homes suffer from memory issues such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. I helped memories come back from childhood for these seniors that have had a hard time remembering simple everyday things.
Word quickly started to spread and soon we found ourselves visiting charter schools and working with kids with special needs. It was amazing to see the impact I had on the kids at these schools. Some kids love to touch my coat of hair, look at my eyes, or feel my mane. Some kids just love to give me a hug. Kids I meet also love to ask questions to my handler about me and other horses too. Kids are my absolute favorite because they're tiny like me!
Last year, in 2019, we went on over 275 visits. My handler Mary Rose has found me some help and added six other therapy horses to our program. There are also other horse crazy ladies like her, to bring some of the other horses out in the areas we serve. That way, I can get time to hang out on the farm and just be a plain old horse. However, Mary Rose and I still volunteer at all the AdventHealth hospitals all over the Orlando area, as well as Cornerstone Hospice. We hope we get the privilege of meeting you some time in the future. Until then check out our social media to see what I am up to!
Regards,
Honey and Mary Rose Gullet
www.minitherapy.org
813-957-3322
Facebook: Honey's Mini Therapy Adventures
Instagram: Honey’s Mini Therapy Adventures