The patter of little hooves

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

If ever you see a blind person walking along the street, holding the handle of a guide horse, don’t question your sanity – that really is a horse!

Panda the miniature horse is working as a guide animal for a blind woman in New York. Yes, in case you were wondering, this mini-mare is housebroken – the article says when she needs to go out she rings a little bell.

One advantage a miniature horse has over a dog: it can live into its 30s and be useful for decades, unlike guide dogs, which have much shorter lives.

Panda, named for her black-and-white coat, is a miniature guide horse that has helped 58-year-old Ann Edie navigate the world of city streets and country lanes since 2003.

“Panda loves her work,” said Edie, a special education teacher. “She knows what she’s supposed to do. When I pick up the harness, I get the feeling from her of, 'I’m ready for anything. Let’s go have fun.”’

When Edie’s chocolate Labrador helper Bailey died after 10 years on the job, she tried out two other dogs before learning about guide horses in 2000.

Although she appreciates the attributes that dogs bring to guide work, Edie said she is sold on the mini-horses.

“I’ve found that horse intelligence lends itself well to guide work,” she said.

[Ice_Wolf]

If I saw a miniature guide-horse being used, I’d definitely do a double-take – but how cool!

[Least_Original_User_Name_Ever]

Can blind people get “horse envy”? Would there be a run on clydesdales?

[Ice_Wolf]

I’d hate to see them try to get a clydesdale into a restaurant.

[Least_Original_User_Name_Ever]

So would I. I’d think there’d be WD40, a razor, and many bystanders pushing.

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

I dunno about the rest of you, but there’s no way I’d try to housebreak a Clydesdale.

[wonky]

I’ve read about guide horses. From what I’ve read, the lifespan issue is huge since the initial training is so expensive.

Some of the photos on this site shows them wearing little sneakers. So adorable.

http://www.guidehorse.org/photo_page.htm

[Elza_B]

Okay, this is the cutest freakin’ thing I’ve ever read.

We had a miniature horse at the stable in Brooklyn where I used to ride. He was the smartest, sweetest horse I’ve ever met - loved him (except when he stood on my foot once…he was trying to love on me, and didn’t realize that stepping on my foot HURT…). I don’t know if that’s breed-standard, but I can see why they’d try to use them as guide animals.

E.