Therapy dogs are a common sight in many hospitals, offering comfort, affection, and perhaps a distraction to patients.
But a new program is using a very different type of therapy animal: Miniature horses. They are being used as therapy animals for the first time at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Two miniature horses, Lunar and Mystery, paid a visit to the pediatric unit at the hospital recently. Kids who were able to walk came into the hallways and the little horses made bedside stops for those who could not get out of bed.
The two horses were trained by an animal-assisted therapy group called Mane in Heaven, based in a suburb of Chicago. Lunar and Mystery have visited nursing homes and centers for the disabled, but this November visit was their first to a hospital. More equine visits to Rush are planned.
Animal therapy--just having a visit with a pet--is believed to benefit health, and perhaps even speed healing and recovery. Many hospitals have dog therapy programs with specially trained and very calm canines. There is some evidence that animal-assisted therapy may be able to reduce pain and lower blood pressure. They also can help ease the unease and stress that hospitalized people can experience. However, the benefits of animals at the hospital bedside are most often based on patients saying how much they enjoyed the visits.
Visits with therapy animals in the hospital have been shown to be safe, according to a review of 10 years of studies of therapy dogs in hospitals. The U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention has issued guidelines on animal therapy in hospitals.
Miniature horses are about the size of a large dog. Although they are similar to Shetland ponies, they are more horse-like in their appearance. Miniature horses have been used as guide dogs for the blind and as therapy animals for people with special needs.
