Villagers are used to seeing dog walkers at the corner of Canal Street and Old Mill Run, near Johnny Rockets. But this week some were startled by a young lady walking her horse.
Make that a miniature horse. Regardless, as the old song says: “A horse is a horse/Of course, of course…”
“I’m just taking him out for some air and getting a chance to be around people,” Danielle Cerna said. “It’s part of training.”
The horse’s name is Tango and he is part of “Honey’s Mini Therapy Adventures.”
“He is a therapy horse,” Cerna said. “We take him to places where people need emotional support.”
Tango is still in training and part of the reason for his appearance was to get him used to “being with the public,” Cerna said. “He’s still fearful of people.”
“Honey Mini Therapy Adventures” is a charitable organization. It uses miniature horses to enhance the quality of life for people “of all ages and limitations with physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral disabilities.”
The group’s website is at www.minitherapy.org
It states the goal is to: “find comfort, empowerment, self-esteem, unconditional love, strength, therapeutic interaction and value while working with the miniature horses. “Also, to train and provide mini horses as service animals to persons with disabilities and to educate the general public on the mental health benefits of visiting miniature horse pet therapy.”
The group has two other miniature horses, besides Tango, who is 4 ½ years old.
“They can really help people,” Cerna said.
Tony Violanti covers arts and music for Villages-News.com. He was inducted into the Buffalo NY Music Hall of Fame as a music journalist
