My clothes horse

Four-legged helper and pony who will aid blind

MONET the miniature horse can empty the washing machine but he’s no one-trick pony for para dressage rider Jane Lishman. Owner Katy Smith has trained Monet and other horses, to perform several chores. She said: “They can empty a bag of bread to get a slice out and push it towards the toaster.” It is hoped Monet’s equine pal Digby will become Britain’s first recognised guide horse for the visually impaired. Katy said: “They stick their heads in the washing machine and pull clothes out. I’d just need to give them more training. Monet, though I don’t think he knows what he has done, will get the dishcloth out of the washing-up bowl, put it in his mouth and slosh it around the work surfaces. It makes a bit of a mess but he’s got the right idea.” The horses can make care visits for up to two hours. But while Monet helps double amputee Jane with tasks such as the laundry and cleaning the kitchen, Digby would help people in a similar way to a guide dog. The six-week-old colt, who had his first public outing on Saturday, will grow no bigger than a large dog and Katy, of Northallerton, North Yorks, said he can be house-trained “up to a point”. Guide horses are already popular in the US. The Guide Horse Foundation had to close its books there earlier this year because demand outstripped supply. Miniature horses have become popular as guide animals because they can live for up to 35 years – around three times as long as dogs. Monet began helping Jane, from Darlington, Co Durham, following a horrific accident in 2006 in which she was dragged underneath a horse. Doctors told her she could have died from her catastrophic injuries. Jane, who had both legs amputated and uses a wheelchair, thought she would never ride again, but now competes in dressage competitions. The first horse trained as a guide was Twinkie, raised in New York in 1998, but the first known person to use one was American Dan Shaw, with horse Cuddles. In 2009 a blind woman from Detroit, Michigan, hit headlines for choosing a guide horse as her strict Muslim parents would not have a dog in the house.

CARE VISITS Monet empties the machine Jane Lishman & Monet The para dressage rider out with helper Monet MANEJOB WALKIES

TRAINING Katy & Digby