Eye On CameraWare -- community

A friend of mine has a Seeing Eye Horse.
Well, that isn't quite true. There is no such thing as a Seeing Eye Horse. "Seeing Eye" is a trademarked name, and does not apply to horses. There are, however, miniature horses for the blind. Really! I'm not kidding! The Guide Horse Foundation was founded in 1999 to answer a critical shortage of animals specially trained to assist the blind. Not only are these mini Mr. Eds useful, they are just about the cutest little critters on earth.

You may ask yourself why someone would want to use a miniature horse instead of the garden-variety guide dog. There are several reasons for using a pygmy pony rather than a pup: a horse's friendly nature, calm disposition and horse sense are only outshadowed by their charming personalities.
Miniature horses are small--most are little taller than knee-high. They are friendly little creatures, but not so addicted to human affection as to be a pest. They are easily housebroken, shed only twice a year, and do not get fleas. I wish I could say that much about some of my friends. These attributes make miniature horses a great alternative for blind folks who, for whatever reason, cannot use a dog to guide them.
Horses have evolved to be prey, not predators. This gives horses a unique advantage as guide animals. They are naturally safety conscious, and many of their instincts can be developed to ensure the human's safety as well. And it's probably a good thing miniature horses did not evolve to be predators-- no self-respecting animal would be intimidated by a two foot tall horse.
Horses also have a natural instinct to guide. When a horse goes blind in the wild, a sighted horse will take responsibility for the blind horse and guide him within the herd. (My only question is, how did the afflicted horse tell the others it couldn't see?) Cavalry horses were known to guide their injured riders to safety. Apparently, horses are well-mannered and quite considerate of the other beings around them.

Miniature horses possess a calm disposition, and, like riot-control horses, can be desensitized during training to remain mellow during stressful situations. (I do wonder how they desensitize a miniature horse... do people yell really mean things at the horse, taunting him by calling him "Shorty"? And how cruel does that guy gotta feel, demoralizing a miniature horse?)
Training a miniature horse to guide the blind is extensive and exhaustive. These short heroes must be trained to move forward at the appropriate speed, respond to 23 different verbal commands, and to avoid obstacles.
Horses must learn to not only avoid hurting themselves, but to also be aware of the safety and well-being of their humans. Like all not-stupid animals, miniature horses will naturally avoid walking into trees (or walls) or hitting their heads on branches (or doors). Guide horses are trained to consider their humans as an extension of themselves, and will learn to avoid obstacles that may harm their humans. In other words, even though a miniature horse is only a couple of feet tall, they are taught to watch for protrusions and dangers several feet over their heads, thusly not allowing the person they are guiding to be knocked unconscious. Even horses know it is easier to guide the conscious.
These miniature leaders are also trained to avoid getting themselves or their humans run over by moving objects, such as cars and trains. And, even though they are trained to respond to 23 verbal commands, they are smart enough to disregard any verbal command that might endanger themselves or their handlers. For example, if the human tells the horse to walk across the street, the horse is smart enough to disobey if there are cars coming. This talent may be why one sees dead squirrels, deer, and possums by the side of the road, but hardly ever does one see a miniature horse as roadkill. Following this same reasoning, it also explains why squirrels, deer and possums make lousy guide animals.

The concept of using horses to guide the blind is not exactly new, and has even been the subject of a few movies. In 1943, The Blocked Trail was about a miniature horse that had been the constant companion of an eccentric miner. The miner was murdered, leaving the horse as the only creature that knew the location of a secret mine. A later movie, featuring Ringo Starr, was a spaghetti western about a guy who uses his horse as a Seeing Eye dog. (Ringo Starr in a western just smacks of high quality, doesn't it?)
Despite the handful of movies about them, using horses--and especially miniature horses--is relatively new. Only a handful of horses have been trained so far, and even fewer have been matched with humans to guide. For more information on short, sighted horses, please visit the Guide Horse Foundation website at: http://www.guidehorse.com/