MANE GOAL: MAKING SMILES
Miniature horses add therapeutic ‘joy’
At Orlando’s Russell Home for Atypical Children, residents have met their share of mermaids, hula dancers and Elvis impersonators. But a 135-pound, tennis-shoe-wearing miniature horse strolling through the living room and down the hallway? That was a new one. “We are here to bring people joy,” declares Susan Nastasi, the horse’s handler. “That’s what we do.”
The horse wears a vest with his name — Shelton — and makes stops in the critical-care unit and day-care classroom, where clients with mental and physical challenges range from age 5 to 69.
Those who are bedridden turn their heads and gawk as Shelton nudges their blankets. Those in wheelchairs wave their arms until Shelton moves beside them to be stroked. The others stand in awe or skitter forward to pet him, some embracing his long neck or planting kisses atop his head.
“Pony — nice!” a 43-year-old woman with Down syndrome says.
“Oh, Shelton loves you,” Nastasi tells her.
While dogs have long dominated the nation’s pettherapy world — wagging their way into children’s hospitals and nursing homes and comforting people after trauma — miniature horses have moved into a distant second place.
There are two organizations in Winter Garden alone — Nastasi’s Soul Haven Ranch and Fuzzy Therapy Miniature Horses, Inc., a nonprofit.
Mary Margaret Callahan of Pet Partners, a national nonprofit devoted to improving human health and well-being through their bond with animals, says her organization now has 480 registered teams of miniature horses with their human handlers across the country — including Nastasi and Shelton and another of Nastasi’s miniatures. Two more at Soul Haven will be registered in May.
The teams undergo months of extensive training and an in-depth evaluation to ensure they’re suited to the interaction.
“Horses are prey animals, so they tend to pay very close attention to what’s going on around them,” Callahan says. “To work in a therapy environment, it’s critical that they have a tight bond with their handler. They have to have complete confidence that they’re going to be safe.”
Nastasi has worked with Shelton, now 2, since he was 5 months old. They’ve navigated children’s hospitals, hospices, assisted living facilities and treatment facilities. Her favorite clientele are children with special needs. It’s a big commitment. “Quite frankly, it’s easier to own a dog,” Nastasi says. “If you own a horse, you’ve got to have property. You have to transport them. And you have to spend a lot of time with them to build that relationship. But horses can create a lot of excitement because they’re not as common.”
Nastasi, 52, is a former financial-services executive whose ranch also features a Victorian guest house, horse-drawn carriage rides and visits with the miniature horses in which people can groom and walk them. Nastasi offers the therapeutic visits free of charge.
They require the help of two volunteers: one to clear a path ahead and another to follow with a bucket.
“I get the fun part,” says Jeanine Forrester of Winter Garden, holding the bucket. Though Shelton seems to know that he shouldn’t relieve himself indoors, the team wants to be prepared for accidents.
The horses must be washed and groomed no more than 24 hours before the visit. And they wear the specially made sneakers — donated by Teddy Mountain teddy-bear stores — so they don’t slip on slick floors or track in germs.
“I’ve never seen a horse wearing tennis shoes before,” says Betty Turner, the Russell Home administrator and granddaughter of its founder. “So this is a treat for me, too.”
For an hour, Shelton calmly bows his head for strokes and kisses. He nuzzles shoulders and nudges laps. He endures shrieks and gasps and loud, happy commotion without complaint.
But one woman, Jackie, stays in a corner, scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper, snatching furtive glances until everyone else has had a turn.
Jackie is in her late 30s and severely autistic. She has never liked changes in routine, and this strange creature with the turquoise tennis shoes leaves her baffled, but mesmerized.
Just before Shelton is set to leave, she races forward, touches his mane, her face suddenly beaming. Just as quickly, she darts back to her corner and continues scribbling. But the smile doesn’t fade.
“Jackie never, ever, really participates in any activities,” Turner says. “For her to get up and want to pet the pony — that was huge.”
“We are here to bring people joy. That’s what we do.” Susan Nastasi, Soul Haven Ranch owner