{"id":85,"date":"2018-11-30T19:49:44","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T19:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usserviceanimals.org\/new-blog\/miniature-horses-as-service-animals"},"modified":"2025-05-12T21:32:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T02:32:11","slug":"miniature-horses-as-service-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usserviceanimals.org\/blog\/miniature-horses-as-service-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Miniature Horses as Service Animals | What Can They Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although the majority of service animals are dogs, miniature horses can also work as a service animal. The Americans with Disability Act<\/a> (2010) revised regulations and allows miniature horses to be individually trained to work and perform tasks for a person with disabilities.<\/p>\n

What Is a Service Animal?<\/h2>\n

A service animal is defined as an animal that \u2018is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.\u2019 In 2011, the only animal recognized as a service animal was a dog. However, recently, the laws have changed to allow miniature horses to be trained to work and perform tasks for someone with a disability. These are new and separate provisions from the ADA which allows both service dogs and service miniature horses to be recognized as service animals that support a disabled person.<\/p>\n

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the new regulations state that places and policies that are already in place must now permit miniature horses, where reasonable, to be treated the same as service dogs.<\/p>\n

What Can a Miniature Horse Service Animal Do?<\/h2>\n

Service horses will be trained and work just like service dogs. Miniature horses are best known for providing a service as a guide animal where they help guide someone who is blind or has visual impairments. They also work well as an emotional support animal<\/a>. They are less common as a service animal but it has recently become law that both dogs and horses only can be working service animals.<\/p>\n

All service animals must be trained to a high level but they should also possess very good behavior and the ability to be under excellent control before they are considered. They have to meet the needs of their individual owner, working to their individual needs and disability. Just like all service animals, service horses will respond to their user, pick up dropped items and medication and support them in public places, helping them live a more independent life.<\/p>\n

A miniature horse can perform multiple service animals tasks, including (but not limited to):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Leading their handler to an exit in an unfamiliar building or location<\/li>\n
  2. Providing support and stability during a dizzy episode<\/li>\n
  3. Retrieving medication or other coping tools<\/li>\n
  4. Offering distraction and grounding during a flashback or panic attack<\/li>\n
  5. Guiding their handler if they have a visual disability<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How Can You Train a Miniature Horse to Be a Service Animal?<\/h3>\n

    Training a miniature horse is very extensive and more intense than training a service dog because horses are often easily spooked. They need to become desensitized to these situations by working calming through distractions. This is to ensure they will not become spooked in a social situation and become unsupportive to their owner.<\/p>\n

    Because of this, a lot of hours are needed to help train horses and adapt them to the house, tasks, and environment for the owner to be comfortable. You’ll likely want to enlist the help of a professional trainer unless you are experienced in training horses yourself.<\/p>\n

    Benefits of a Miniature Horse Over a Service Dog<\/h2>\n

    There are many benefits of having a service horse and some often prefer a service horse over a service dog.<\/p>\n

    Miniature Horses Have a Longer Lifespan<\/h3>\n

    Firstly, horses live a long time (up to 35) and can work for 20 or so years which provides support to their owner for a long time.<\/p>\n

    They’re a Good Size for Many Mobility Assistance Tasks<\/h3>\n

    Miniature horses are a great size to support someone with a disability that impairs their mobility. Because they are at the hip height and have a strong, well-built body, service horses are an ideal size for someone who is struggling with their mobility and often loses their balance.<\/p>\n

    Miniature Horses Are More Hypoallergenic<\/h3>\n

    Miniature horses are very easy to groom and don\u2019t shed or trigger allergies like dogs often do. They also can\u2019t get fleas like dogs, a great benefit of having a service horse over a service dog. This means a service horse would be more suited to someone who is very sensitive to hair and has severe allergies or hay fever.<\/p>\n

    They Are Calmer Due to a Lower Social Drive<\/h3>\n

    Dogs are very social and hyper animals and although they are trained extensively so that they are calm when working, they still have a big social drive. Miniature horses, however, do not have the social drive which means they will happily stand quietly for a long time whilst working and out in public, without making a sound.<\/p>\n

    Miniature Horses Are Easy to House Train<\/h3>\n

    Mini horses are also house trained very easily and only require a small amount of outdoor space so adapting them to the owner\u2019s home should not be a problem.<\/p>\n

    When Can a Miniature Horse Accompany You In Public?<\/h2>\n

    There are four regulations provided by the ADA which work as assessment factors to determine where a miniature horse can enter a facility:<\/p>\n