Therapy Pony

[minihorse]

Awesome! Jasmine touching lives. What does that mean if she was being nibbly?

 

[Standards Equine]

Awesome! Jasmine touching lives. What does that mean if she was being nibbly?

She's hoping fingers are food... And a therapy horse can't be one that bites. So far she hasn't put teeth on anyone except my pocket that had cookies in it. My fault there, but I obviously need to do a little more work about being respectful in my space and what behaviors are not appropriate.

 

[Willow Flats]

She is adorable! So glad it went well. Yay Jasmine, you're good medicine! ❤

 

[Kelly]

WOW! She is AMAZING! How wonderful

 

[HersheyMint]

I love it Thanks for sharing. it boosted my morale

 

[Standards Equine]

I love it Thanks for sharing. it boosted my morale

Awe thank you!!! That's why we do the visits!

 

[minihorse]

She's hoping fingers are food... And a therapy horse can't be one that bites. So far she hasn't put teeth on anyone except my pocket that had cookies in it. My fault there, but I obviously need to do a little more work about being respectful in my space and what behaviors are not appropriate.

Wow! Isn't it too much to ask? She's been pretty awesome, a rockstar indeed.

 

[Standards Equine]

I'm glad to report that with instructions for petting her forelock, mane, neck, etc, and not stick fingers in her nose, we're finding that fingers are not food!
We had a lovely visit to one of our local lodges yesterday afternoon. Ali did a great job handling the pony and heading up the visits. It was so amazing to see all the smiles. Our tour guide told me so many times that she hadn't seen the residents smile like this - ever! So special to be able to share.
I was incredibly pleased with how well Jasmine handled the close hallways, carpeted floors and the very snug rooms. The hospital and continuing care centres are definitely more spacious!
And the Build-A-Bear shoes were a hit. Even better than that, they worked a treat! It's apparent they're not going to hold up super well, but for now they're doing what we need them to do and they fit. The residents and staff LOVED the tiny shoes!!
We're scheduled to go visit a new site next weekend. I can't wait to go see more smiles.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

What a great adventure! I notice that nice wave in her lovely tail.

 

[Standards Equine]

What a great adventure! I notice that nice wave in her lovely tail.

Ali likes to have her tail braided. She'd just taken it out before we put her in the trailer.

 

[HersheyMint]

What a wonderful experience for all. I love the pics

 

[Standards Equine]

We'd recently had some donations to help us fund our outings so we got to do back-to-back visits the last two weekends. This time, Phillippe got his very first experience at a site visit. Jasmine is such a rockstar, totally laid back with everything that goes on inside a site. Phillippe is just not that confident. My daughter had put him in the trailer, figured he could come along for an outside window visit, that would be ok. But after Jasmine was inside doing all of her pod and room visits, we went back outside, got our beloved bonkey and came in, through the building, and into the facility's courtyard and continued with window visits and met a few staff members as well. They were a treat, just a huge morale boost and a love for all the residents.
We met an old saddle bronk rider/horse trainer. When Jasmine got to him, he had no hesitation, he knew what to do. He put his arms around her neck and gave her a big hug. Jasmine stood like an angel. It was so beautiful to watch. A man whose life was horses, probably thought he would never lay a hand on one again, and we brought one right to him! That fills my whole heart.

Next visit is between Thanksgiving and Halloween. Up here in Canada, we have Thanksgiving before Halloween, so it's a great time to get out to visit and dress up some. I still don't think Phillippe will be joining us for inside site visits, but we're getting closer.

 

[HersheyMint]

That is awesome! Thanks for sharing. How exciting and proud you must feel.

 

[MerMaeve]

We met an old saddle bronk rider/horse trainer. When Jasmine got to him, he had no hesitation, he knew what to do. He put his arms around her neck and gave her a big hug. Jasmine stood like an angel. It was so beautiful to watch. A man whose life was horses, probably thought he would never lay a hand on one again, and we brought one right to him! That fills my whole heart.

This fills my heart too.

 

[Standards Equine]

Haven't had a chance to do this for a long time! We'll be back at long-term care for a visit this coming weekend (providing they're off outbreak...) but it was a lovely fall day to take miss Jasmine out for a drive. She's so wooly!! She was so happy!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Haven't had a chance to do this for a long time! We'll be back at long-term care for a visit this coming weekend (providing they're off outbreak...) but it was a lovely fall day to take miss Jasmine out for a drive. She's so wooly!! She was so happy! View attachment 48421

She is so versatile!

 

[Standards Equine]

Sunday was a nice day for a visit with a very fuzzy pony. We're hoping to be able to see our long-term care facilities once more in December and then I think we have to shut down until spring for our pony to be shed out. She did get pretty warm inside. As always, she was very well received. Lots of questions about her. The gentleman in the wheelchair is the father of one of my neighbors. I get a kick out of him. He's well into his 90's but has a lot of opinions about my pony. He's not impressed with her shoes or bells... However, he sure loves that we make him a priority for the visits.

I'm very glad to announce that Jasmine can now elevator without blindfold all by herself - as long as her Ali girl (my daughter) leads her in. Ali thought we should give it a try and I was really proud of her for being able to read the situation and the pony and know there was opportunity for success. I love it when it works out! Also, the shoes are making a big difference in Jasmine's confidence to walk on different surface textures including mats on the floor bedside.

 

[HersheyMint]

That sounds wonderful. Jasmine is doing great.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I agree about the shoes. They just feel more confident. I am not sure our places are open yet to animals. I should call and find out. Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[Standards Equine]

I agree about the shoes. They just feel more confident. I am not sure our places are open yet to animals. I should call and find out. Thanks for the inspiration!

That's so kind of you! I hope your local sites are open to animal visitors again. It's such a special thing to share. Thanks for sharing your positivity! <3