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The Guide Horse
Foundation
A non-profit charity dedicated to providing
free guides for visually impaired individuals.
Guidehorse Newsletter!
- Home
Page
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- Our Wish List
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Clinics
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Contact Us - Make a
donation
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Events
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Web Links
- Legal Access for Service Animals
- Guide Horses in Movies
- Miniature
Horse News
- "Helping
Hooves", our story
Patricia Cornwell with Trip
Copyright © 2000 by
Lisa Carpenter
Copyright © 2001 by Cathleen MacDonald
Copyright © 2001 by Cathleen MacDonald
Copyright © 2000 by
Lisa Carpenter
Copyright © 2001 by
Erik Lesser
The worlds first horse to fly in the passenger cabin
Copyright © 2001 by
Erik Lesser
Copyright
© 2001 by
Erik Lesser
Copyright © 2001 by Wiley Miller
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The Guide Horse Foundation Mission:
Our mission is to provide
a safe, cost-effective and reliable mobility alternative for visually impaired people.
The Guide Horse Foundation is committed to delivering Guide
Horses at no cost to the blind, relying on un-paid volunteers and
charitable donations to pay all travel and housing expenses for the
blind handler's on-site training.
The Guide Horse Program:
The Guide Horse Foundation was founded in 1999 as
an experimental program to access the abilities of miniature horses as
assistance animals. There is a critical shortage of guide animals for the blind
and guide horses are an appropriate assistance animal for thousands of visually
impaired people in the USA.
In early experiments, Guide Horses have
shown great promise as a mobility option, and people who have
tried Guide Horses report that the Guide Horses perform exceptionally
well at keeping their person safe. These friendly horses provide an
experimental alternative mobility option for blind people. People who have tried
Guide Horses report that the horses demonstrate excellent
judgment and are not easily distracted by crowds
and people.
Guide horses are not for
everyone, but there is a strong demand for Guide Horses among
blind horse lovers, those who are allergic to dogs, and
those who want a guide animal with a longer
lifespan.
An international Poll by the Discovery
Channel showed that 27% of respondents would prefer a Guide Horse if
they required a guide animal.
Who is the Ideal Guide Horse
Owner?
The Guide Horse Foundation has had exceptional
interest from the following types of people:
Horse lovers - Blind
people who have grown up with horses and understand
equine behavior and care are ideal candidates.
Allergenic people - Many
people who are severely allergic to traditional guide
animals and find horses a non-allergenic alternative for
mobility.
Mature Individuals - Many
people report difficulty dealing with the grief of losing
their animals, and horses tend to live far longer
than traditional guides.
Physically Disabled folks
- Because of their docile nature, Guide Horses are
easier to handle for individuals with physical
disabilities. They are also strong enough to provide
support, helping the handler to rise from their chair.
Dog Phobia - Individuals who fear
dogs are often comfortable working with a tiny horse.
Outdoor Animal - Many individuals
prefer a guide animal that does not have to live in the house when off
duty.
Why use a mini horse as a blind
guide?
There are many compelling reasons
to use miniature
horses as guide animals. Horses are natural guide animals
and have been guiding humans for centuries. In nature, horses
have been shown to possess a natural guide instinct. When another
horse goes blind in a herd, a sighted horse accepts
responsibility for the welfare of the blind horse and guides it
with the herd. With humans, many blind people ride horses in
equestrian competitions. Some blind people ride alone on trails
for many miles, completely relying on the horse to guide them
safely to their destination. Through history, Cavalry horses have
been known to guide their injured rider to safety. The Guide
Horse Foundation finds several characteristics of horses that
make them suitable to guide the blind:
Long Lifespan - Miniature
Horse can live to be more than
50 years old, with the average lifespan being
30-40 years. According to guide dog trainers, guide dogs have a useful life
between 8-12 years.
Cost Effective
- Training a guide dog can cost up to
$60,000, according to the
Guide Dog
Users national advocacy group. According to
Lighthouse International, there are more than 1.3 million legally blind
people in the USA, yet only 7,000 guide animal users.
Hence, a Guide Horse could be more cost-effective and ensure that more blind
people receive a guide animal.
Better
acceptance - Many guide dog users report problems getting access to public
places because their dog is perceived as a pet. Most people do not
associate a horse as a pet, and Guide Horse users report that they are
immediately recognized as a working service animal.
Calm Nature -
Trained horses are extremely calm in chaotic situations.
Cavalry horses have proven that horses can remain calm
even in the extreme heat of battle. Police horses are an excellent
example of well trained horses that deal with stressful situations. Guide Horses undergo
the same systematic desensitization training that is
given to riot-control horses.
Great Memory
- Horses possess phenomenal memories. A horse will
naturally remember a dangerous situation decades after
the occurrence.
Excellent Vision
- Because horses have eyes on the sides of their heads,
they have a very wide range of vision, with a range of
nearly 350 degrees. Horses are the only guide animals capable of
independent eye movement and they can track potential danger with each eye.
Horses can see clearly in almost total darkness.
Focused Demeanor - Trained horses are very focused on their work and are not easily
distracted. Horses are not addicted to human attention
and normally do not get excited when petted or groomed.
Safety Conscious -
Naturally safety oriented, horses are constantly on the
lookout for danger. All horses have a natural propensity
to guide their master along the safest most efficient route, and
demonstrate excellent judgment in obstacle avoidance
training.
High Stamina -
Hearty and robust, a properly conditioned Guide Horse can
easily travel many miles in a single outing.
Good Manners -
Guide Horses are very clean and can be housebroken. Horses
do not get fleas and only shed twice per year.
Horses are not addicted to human affection and will stand
quietly when on duty.
Who can train a Guide Horse?
Training any guide animal requires many years of
full-time training experience. Because the blind people entrust their
lives to their horses, only professional horse trainers with at least ten years
of full-time riding and horse training experience should attempt guide training.
Janet Burleson, the first person in the world to
train a Guide Horse, is a retired professional horse trainer with more than 30
years of full-time horse training experience. During her professional
career, Janet trained thousands of horses including national top ten champion
performance horses. Noted as one of the world's pioneering horse trainers
by Practical
Horseman Magazine, Janet Burleson is considered a leading authority on horse
training techniques.
While the Guide Horse Foundation publishes
details of the Guide Horse Training Program, we
strongly discourage any attempts at Guide animal training by those who are not
qualified.
The book "Helping Hooves"
is now available for those who would like to learn more about training Guide
Horses. We also have a new newsletter.
The Guide Horse Foundation relies
on volunteers to donate, train and deliver trained Guide Horses
free-of-charge to visually impaired individuals. Visit our
cooperative efforts,
sponsors or
mini sales pages.
The Guide Horse Foundation has the utmost respect for The
Seeing Eye® and their seventy-two years of outstanding work with
assistance animals for the blind. Please note that The Guide
Horse Foundation is not affiliated with or sanctioned by the Seeing-Eye® or any of the Guide Dog training organizations.
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Got a Question? Click Here for Answers!
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Helping Hooves
Training Miniature Horses as Guide Animals for the Blind
Janet Burleson
Contains over
100 all-color photo's!
Retail
Price $27.95
/ £20.75
- Help the Guide Horse
Foundation give free Guides
- Author royalties benefit the Guide Horse Foundation
Only $19.95
Copyright © 1998 - 2005 by the Guide Horse
Foundation Inc.
Guide Horse ® Guidehorse ® and Helping
Hooves ® are registered trademarks.
The Guide Horse Foundation has the utmost respect for The
Seeing Eye® and their seventy-two years of outstanding work with
assistance animals for the blind. Even though the press often calls our horses
"seeing eye horses", please note that The Guide
Horse Foundation is not affiliated with or sanctioned by the Seeing-Eye® or any of the Guide Dog training organizations.
Seeing-Eye® is a registered trademark of the Seeing-Eye, Inc.
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