guide horse trainer found

[Josh Kennedy]

I found a guide horse trainer. Below is a summary of emails between me and her.
Holly Fisher, a Farrier from Illinois, shared her journey into training miniature guide horses, a passion stemming from her lifelong love of horses and extensive experience in horse training and farriery. Discovering the Guide Horse Foundation in 2018 sparked her interest in using miniature horses for guide work, particularly the Falabella breed, despite their high cost. In March 2024, after expressing her aspirations on a breeder's website, she was unexpectedly contacted by Josh Kennedy, which Holly saw as a sign to pursue her dream. She connected with a nearby breeder, Toyland’s Falabella International, and arranged a visit to discuss potential collaboration and training.
In her correspondence, Holly described her excitement about meeting the breeder, Laureen, and exploring the possibilities of training Falabella horses for guide work. She also mentioned reaching out to other enthusiasts like Alexandra Kurland and Mona Ramouni, who showed support and enthusiasm for her project. Additionally, Holly is considering a client's miniature horse as a more affordable training prospect. As she prepares for her visit to Toyland’s Falabella farm, she looks forward to moving forward with the guide horse training and is eager to involve Josh in the process, potentially making him the first recipient of a trained guide horse.

 

[Josh Kennedy]

She is going to meet with the breeder tomorrow. She asked me if I can come to illinois, once training progresses, to become acquainted with my new guide. I am in eastern Pennsylvania, so it looks like I'll be going to Illinois probably sometime next year.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

She is going to meet with the breeder tomorrow. She asked me if I can come to illinois, once training progresses, to become acquainted with my new guide. I am in eastern Pennsylvania, so it looks like I'll be going to Illinois probably sometime next year.

Please tell more about your background, and need for a guide horse. This sounds fascinating.

 

[Josh Kennedy]

I was born in 1982, blind from birth, with no eyesight at all except for some light perception in my left eye, from retinopathy of prematurity and glaucoma. When I was six years old, my grandparents got me a newfoundland dog as a pet. The dog would run around outside, run at me and knock me over. Nobody taught me how to feed or care for it. It did not have a good life. I participated in a therapeutic horse riding program in the early 1990s that my other grandparents took me to. I really enjoyed it and my grandmother *not the one that got me the dog, the other one* noticed I like horses more than dogs. Then my parents got dachshunds. One of them became mean and quite aggressive when it got older. I was afraid of it because of the sounds it made. I also didn't like the texture of the contrast between their cold wet nose and warm fur. I went on a field trip to a guide dog school around 25 years ago. I tried a guide dog, but i felt like the dog was dragging me down the street. I didn't really trust it to guide me. I went to college, dropped out after meeting my wife who is also blind from retinopathy of prematurity and glaucoma. I got married and had a son. I ended up getting divorced but I am very much interested in finding and re-marrying Crystal LuAnn Howe someday soon. So three years ago, I won free riding lessons as a gift card from a local lesson barn. My son was interested. I took him there. He then began to work there in exchange for free lessons. I mostly stayed in the house. Over time I got a bit more involved. A few months later, because I heard of guide horses many years ago, someone had Jazzy, the miniature horse out, because they were clipping her. So they let me see Jazzy and walk her around. Immediately I noticed how she just walked along with me. And if she did pull a bit, it was nothing like the guide dog. Jazzy's owner said I could visit her in her stall any time I wanted. So I did, a whole lot. I spent many unsupervised hours with Jazzy. I learned a lot about horse behavior and how to work safely with horses, without eyesight--even though I did get bit, stepped on, nipped and I got kicked only once. The more time I spent with Jazzy, the more I knew I wanted a guide horse. Now I take lessons and my son helps me out a bit. I can do most things on my own though. I can groom Moon, the medium size pony that I lead around the arena, and groom River, the large pony that I sometimes ride and this includes cross-ties, and picking out hooves without any help. Unfortunately, Jazzy had to be put down due to laminitis. But Moon and River really like me. They groom me back as if I were another horse. And a few weeks ago when I was petting River when she was in her stall, I kissed her nose, then she lifted her head up to my face, put her muzzle and mouth against mine and gave me what I can only describe as very forceful "pony kisses" as she sniffed at me very enthusiastically.

 

[Josh Kennedy]

The small black one is Jazzy, the other larger one is Moon.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Oh, I hope it works out for you!
When I take my horses to Head Start, or have small children over, I always ask them to smell the horses. Ah! They smell so good!
The horse I have now, Billy, likes to groom me, too. I was a little nervous about this at first because my other horse was a nipper. But Billy just rubs his teeth on me.
I'm sorry for your unhappy experiences with dogs.

 

[Josh Kennedy]

It was quite a surprise when River gave me "kisses" like that. Maybe she just wanted to explore my face more, or she smelled something interesting in my mouth that I just ate, or she just wanted to show more affection?

 

[HersheyMint]

It was quite a surprise when River gave me "kisses" like that. Maybe she just wanted to explore my face more, or she smelled something interesting in my mouth that I just ate, or she just wanted to show more affection?

I loved reading your experiences with horses. I am going with River was returning the love and affection you have shown her.

 

[Josh Kennedy]

I am always calm around them. I let ponies like River, and all of them, I let them sniff me as much as they want, all over if they want. River and Jazzy, at times, was quite enthusiastic about sniffing me. And if they sniff at my face or near my face, I sniff back. I think it seems to let them know that I understand their nonverbal ways of communication. I let them take the lead in getting to know me. Then I slowly go to their side, talk to them calmly, at their ear, almost at a whisper but not quite, and I scratch their back and sides and withers, or I gently scratch their necks, going with the direction of their coats. And then they groom me back as if I were another horse. I can become good friends with a horse in a matter of two or so hours. When walking around them, I slide my hand along their bodies while talking calmly to them, and I stay in close, so they always know where I'm at. I only got kicked by Jazzy because she got jealous of me giving attention to another pony. She got jealous and I was just in the way when she kicked out at the other pony, at Mabel.

 

[MaryFlora]

That’s wonderful news, Josh! I am sorry to read about Jazzy, she was a special little pony wasn’t she? Moon is very handsome and River also sounds really sweet. You have good teachers!

I agree with Marsha, horses smell so good! Very soothing for me, but I wonder what my horses think?

Thank you for your update!

 

[Josh Kennedy]

I don't know--but Moon was in a bity mood today. I think he either wanted out of his stall or he wanted hay and grain. He had to wait for Aaron. Someone moved the grain bucket otherwise I would have given him some grain to hold him over until Aaron brought hay for him. Then he would have eaten the grain out of my hand, and then licked my hands to taste the leftover grain dust on me.

 

[Josh Kennedy]

oh yes Jazzy was a sweet little pony!! The barn owner is having a trail ride next month and it happens to fall on my birthday. She said she doesn't have a horse for me to ride, so I said how about I just take Moon for a long walk along the trail. Then she said "I don't know he'd probably try to eat everything." I'm gunna tell her though, it'll be good practice for me for when I do get a guide horse, because I have to be able to control my horse and not let it get into stuff even if it is a well-trained guide animal. at the end of the day its still a horse.

 

[Josh Kennedy]

Today, while leading Moon around, he decided to lay down and roll in the dust. I never experienced that before. So I backed up a bit and left go of the lead rope. I wasn't sure if he would kick me or not. My son then got the lead rope as Moon got back up. Should I have let go of the lead rope? Or would it be ok for me to hold onto the end of it and stay back? He just had an itch or something but then he was dirty again after I just got done grooming him.

 

[MaryFlora]

Because you couldn’t be sure where his legs were, I think it was best that you dropped the leadline and stepped back. Horses, of all sizes, love to roll, often at the most inconvenient time, after a bath, before entering the ring (fully tacked up),
or when standing talking with someone.

You can often pick up the cues before it happens and in many cases prevent him from dropping and rolling. My horses most often lower their head, begin slowing down, usually at the walk, or pause and paw the ground. If in the saddle, I would use my legs and voice to firmly move them forward at a brisker pace and keep a good contact with the bit, so the head remained up, not exaggerated, just a normal head up position.

On the leadline, their cues are much the same, dropping their head, slowing down, and maybe pawing the ground, before dropping to roll. On the lead if you feel a difference in how your horse is moving, move forward at a nice working walk. If you are standing with your horse and have an arm over his withers, you may feel also him start to lower his back. Take the leadline firmly in hand and move forward.

Horses can be crafty creatures and rolling seems to be a universal favorite trick!

 

[Josh Kennedy]

I have an update: but first, if anyone on this forum is interested in helping with the new guide horse organization "EquineEye", in any way, contact Holly Fisher, of Fisher's Farrier Service in Illinois. She can be found on facebook.
Holly Fisher has been a horse trainer for 25 years and she has been a farrier for 17 years.
Holly Fisher wrote:
from:
Holly Fisher [email protected]
to:
Josh Kennedy <[email protected]>
date:
Jul 24, 2024, 9:26 PM
subject:
Re: miniature guide horse
You definitely have a deep & instant connection with horses. So many life long equestrians will never know the feeling of having a shared connection with a horse, or the feeling of their horse loving them. So many horses just tolerate their owner, never really liking them.

Mares & geldings can both be trained for service work absolutely. I think with Mona the draw to a mare is their ability to reproduce. It's really genius as far as training the next generation. The potential is high for the baby to be even easier to train for guide work because of early exposure & watching his mom work. They call it "Mirroring."

I had a trimming appointment yesterday evening. My client has a baby mini donkey she wants to sell when he gets weaned in a few weeks. I'm thinking about buying him & see if he enjoys being a guide. If it works out he would be the worlds 1st mini guide donkey, as far as I know.
I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a few mini horses or mini donkey in the training program that way you can be matched with the best one for you.

I'm waiting for a reply back from Laureen, owner of Toylands Falabellas. She's considering retiring a few of her breeding mares & if she does, she says she would donate them to our organization. That way they can still have a job they can perform skillfully for many years & be pampered in a loving home.

I think I mentioned to you that Laureen has a Falabella baby named Einstein for sale, but his sale is pending. If the opportunity arises, I'll try to work it out so I can pick Einstein up too.

Listen to this, I'm totally thrilled... We have a new member joining our team. Her name is Kristi Patrice Carter. She has a background in Illinois Law & has experience with starting non profits. She reached out to me because of something you posted on an online forum somewhere. Kristi happens to currently own a 1 year old Falabella named Pokey. She bought him last year from Laureen. Small world, LoL.

Also, Shelia Wheeler reached out to me, volunteering her services, after reading something you posted online. Before Shelia lost 85% of her eye sight she was a certified radio marketing specialist. Sheila has 3 mini's at her home & plans to train 2 of them to help her with her mobility. I told her that she can call me anytime she wants to discuss the training process. I'm happy to help.

Keep up the fantastic work Josh. You are really a powerful asset for our organization. You work around the clock shining light, advocating for the mini guide horses to be recognized & respected. You have a gift embedded within the way you write... you are authentic in a way that speaks to the reader on a subconscious level creating a magnetism that inspires them to get involved too. One by one they are introducing themselves & offering their support.

Thank you!

On Wed, Jul 24, 2024, 11:13 AM Josh Kennedy <[email protected]> wrote:
Moon seems to be really smart. I bet you could train either geldings or mares to be guide horses. I know Mona said she prefers mares and she has her own reasons. But if both genders of horses could be trained and do the job equally well, then there would be a much larger number of horses to choose from.


On Thu, Jul 18, 2024 at 7:01 PM Holly Fisher <[email protected]> wrote:
So it sounds like Einstein is sold... But Laureen is considering giving me a few of her mares that she'd like to retire from having babies. The horses are not super old, she just doesn't want to break them down by producing babies every year over & over. She says they need a job now. I'm thinking this could be a great opportunity to train a few mature Falabellas so we can compare trainability after we get a young Falabella. The next ones won't be born until end of July into August. Then 4 months to be weaned.

On Thu, Jul 18, 2024, 5:56 PM Holly Fisher <[email protected]> wrote:
I prefer my horses to be geldings. A gelding is a neutered stallion. In my experience with domestic horses, a herd leader can be either mare or gelding. It's more about each horses personality than it is their gender.
What Mona Ramouni said about a mare is correct. She has a beautiful way of describing a mare. Most people would just label a mare that is protective as being a "btch". LoL. One thing I would consider is that mares have heat cycles, depending on the horse, it can messy to deal with. I wonder if Mona's mare comes into heat regularly since she is mostly around people? And how she deals with heat her mares cycles?

 

[HersheyMint]

I have an update: but first, if anyone on this forum is interested in helping with the new guide horse organization "EquineEye", in any way, contact Holly Fisher, of Fisher's Farrier Service in Illinois. She can be found on facebook.
Holly Fisher has been a horse trainer for 25 years and she has been a farrier for 17 years.
Holly Fisher wrote:
from:
Holly Fisher [email protected]
to:
Josh Kennedy <[email protected]>
date:
Jul 24, 2024, 9:26 PM
subject:
Re: miniature guide horse
You definitely have a deep & instant connection with horses. So many life long equestrians will never know the feeling of having a shared connection with a horse, or the feeling of their horse loving them. So many horses just tolerate their owner, never really liking them.

Mares & geldings can both be trained for service work absolutely. I think with Mona the draw to a mare is their ability to reproduce. It's really genius as far as training the next generation. The potential is high for the baby to be even easier to train for guide work because of early exposure & watching his mom work. They call it "Mirroring."

I had a trimming appointment yesterday evening. My client has a baby mini donkey she wants to sell when he gets weaned in a few weeks. I'm thinking about buying him & see if he enjoys being a guide. If it works out he would be the worlds 1st mini guide donkey, as far as I know.
I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a few mini horses or mini donkey in the training program that way you can be matched with the best one for you.

I'm waiting for a reply back from Laureen, owner of Toylands Falabellas. She's considering retiring a few of her breeding mares & if she does, she says she would donate them to our organization. That way they can still have a job they can perform skillfully for many years & be pampered in a loving home.

I think I mentioned to you that Laureen has a Falabella baby named Einstein for sale, but his sale is pending. If the opportunity arises, I'll try to work it out so I can pick Einstein up too.

Listen to this, I'm totally thrilled... We have a new member joining our team. Her name is Kristi Patrice Carter. She has a background in Illinois Law & has experience with starting non profits. She reached out to me because of something you posted on an online forum somewhere. Kristi happens to currently own a 1 year old Falabella named Pokey. She bought him last year from Laureen. Small world, LoL.

Also, Shelia Wheeler reached out to me, volunteering her services, after reading something you posted online. Before Shelia lost 85% of her eye sight she was a certified radio marketing specialist. Sheila has 3 mini's at her home & plans to train 2 of them to help her with her mobility. I told her that she can call me anytime she wants to discuss the training process. I'm happy to help.

Keep up the fantastic work Josh. You are really a powerful asset for our organization. You work around the clock shining light, advocating for the mini guide horses to be recognized & respected. You have a gift embedded within the way you write... you are authentic in a way that speaks to the reader on a subconscious level creating a magnetism that inspires them to get involved too. One by one they are introducing themselves & offering their support.

Thank you!

On Wed, Jul 24, 2024, 11:13 AM Josh Kennedy <[email protected]> wrote:
Moon seems to be really smart. I bet you could train either geldings or mares to be guide horses. I know Mona said she prefers mares and she has her own reasons. But if both genders of horses could be trained and do the job equally well, then there would be a much larger number of horses to choose from.


On Thu, Jul 18, 2024 at 7:01 PM Holly Fisher <[email protected]> wrote:
So it sounds like Einstein is sold... But Laureen is considering giving me a few of her mares that she'd like to retire from having babies. The horses are not super old, she just doesn't want to break them down by producing babies every year over & over. She says they need a job now. I'm thinking this could be a great opportunity to train a few mature Falabellas so we can compare trainability after we get a young Falabella. The next ones won't be born until end of July into August. Then 4 months to be weaned.

On Thu, Jul 18, 2024, 5:56 PM Holly Fisher <[email protected]> wrote:
I prefer my horses to be geldings. A gelding is a neutered stallion. In my experience with domestic horses, a herd leader can be either mare or gelding. It's more about each horses personality than it is their gender.
What Mona Ramouni said about a mare is correct. She has a beautiful way of describing a mare. Most people would just label a mare that is protective as being a "btch". LoL. One thing I would consider is that mares have heat cycles, depending on the horse, it can messy to deal with. I wonder if Mona's mare comes into heat regularly since she is mostly around people? And how she deals with heat her mares cycles?

Josh, what a wonderful complement to you!