Miniature horses delight nursing home residents
Carol Lawrence
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Published: September 3, 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — There was the Alzheimer’s patient who uttered her first words in years: "She’s beautiful.”
And there was the elderly man who never said a word but managed a wide grin.
They are just two of many reasons Ginny Mills does what some might find unthinkable: She takes her miniature horse, Peanut, to visit lonely, tucked-away residents of the Pikes Peak region.
Mills, who grew up in the small town of Reading,
Ohio, was the eldest of seven children in her family. Her family didn’t have much money or many material things, but it had plenty of love to spread, she said.
"We were brought up to help out others in need. We always had room if people needed a place to stay. My mother would have me clean my elderly neighbor’s house, and I never expected to get paid.”
Still, working with horses was not a given. Family members recalled Mills’ childhood love for horses, but she didn’t.
"Being in an area conducive to owning a horse really rekindled a childhood infatuation for horses that I didn’t even know I had,” she said. Her mom’s letters to an uncle revealed the girl was horse-crazy.
Mills moved to Black Forest, outside Colorado Springs, in 1990 with her husband, Richard, and their sons.
Shortly after, Ginny got her first horse, Banda. Seven years later, Moriah, a quarter horse, came along.
When Banda died, Ginny thought Moriah needed a companion. In July 2008, she found Peanut, a miniature horse. The 12-year-old heather and gray horse was just 34 inches tall and cute as a button, she said.
After her sons moved away, Mills decided to volunteer to give back to her community. She thought she should include the horses.
Mills chose to help the elderly, disabled and housebound after talking with
Nancy Oxenhandler of Evercare Hospice and Palliative Care.
First, Peanut needed to be certified through the nationwide
Delta Society, which trains and screens people and animals to visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools and other facilities. Mills took Peanut and Moriah to Denver’s Pet Partners for the certification in May.
The horses were put through tests to see whether they would react to quick movements, loud noises and other situations that may arise during their visits. Both passed the exams.
Mills and Peanut have visited many care and assisted-living facilities. They plan on adding Moriah to outdoor visits. In mid-July, Ginny acquired Willow, another miniature horse. Willow has made a few visits.
To assist with her dream of continuing the visits, Mills has established Mello Memories, a nonprofit agency.
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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