A horse guide is an alternative mobility option for the blind who does not want or can not use guide dogs. They are provided by The Guide Horse Foundation, established in 1999 to provide miniature horses as a relief animal for blind users living in rural environments. There are several benefits that are felt to use a horse rather than a dog. Miniature horses, with an average lifespan of thirty years, live longer than dogs, and for those who are allergic or afraid of dogs, horses can be a good alternative. However, while dogs can adapt to many different house situations, a horse must stay outdoors, need shelter and space to move when not on duty.
Users of horse guides may also have difficulty in transporting miniature horses on public transport with limited distances, such as on buses or taxis. Some individuals are also concerned that strong horse-fighting or horse-riding instinct can cause it to have less predictable behavior compared to guide dogs.
Video Guide horse
History
In 1998, while riding a horse in New York City, Janet and Don Burleson from Kittrell, North Carolina, saw how their horses could sense themselves when crossing the street. Janet recalled watching a blind rider competing in a horse show where "the woman gave hints to the horse, and that took her around obstacles and other horses in the classroom that served as her guide and that is something I have never forgotten." He wondered if miniature horses could be trained as guiding animals for the blind. Janet has been training the Arabian show horses for 30 years and is familiar with horse behavior. But his urban experience changed his view of the behavior shown by one of their pet miniature horses, "Twinkie", on their farm at home. The animals often follow the Burleson around like dogs, and ride behind their minivans. From these experiences, they began to train miniature horses to see the horses' eyes.
Their first training participant was Twinkie. From that beginning, Burlesons developed a rigorous training program for miniature horses similar to guide dogs, adding systematic desensitization training, similar to those given horses used for riot control. There is a setback; the first time they took a miniature horse to the grocery store, he took a Snicker bar off the shelf. The goal is to train these little horses to meet all the requirements to be a guiding animal for the blind.
One of the first guys to use horse guides was Dan Shaw. At the age of 17, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable eye disease that aggravated vision all the time. In 1998 he attended a school for the blind to learn basic skills, such as how to read Braille. However, he states, "... I was surprised at how little choice I had, I did not want to fight with a white stick, and I could not bear the idea of ​​having a guide dog because of the grief I had experienced when my beloved dog died 10 years I knew I would feel the loss of animals I rely on for my independence even more acutely. "He heard about Burleson's experimental program and was very interested when he discovered that horses lived thirty to forty years. So he applies to being the first person in the world to use horse guides. The Burlesons began training "Cuddles" for Shaw. On March 6, 2002, he flew to Raleigh, North Carolina, and met Cuddles for the first time. After some preliminary work, Janet Burleson sent Shaw and Cuddles to a crowded store where the alleys filled with merchandise, and they managed to explore the store. Shaw states, "I will be the first user in the world of horse guides.I know that there will be skeptics - people who do not trust horses have the right temperament to be a servant animal.Moreover, in the 1920s, when Dorothy Eustis started train German shepherds to lead the blind, many people scoff at the idea, but I know that getting my independence back will surpass any criticism. "
Maps Guide horse
Training
The horse training process is very strict and takes about eight months for each horse. Initially, horses are trained in the main work, where horses are taught to move at the speed that the handler instructs and navigates the common obstacles. Furthermore, horses are trained in the introduction of voice commands, and are taught to respond to 23 voice commands. The horse is then taught to maneuver around both stationary and moving obstacles. After this, the horse is trained to signal the handler when there is a step or ramp. Finally, the horse was lulled, generally an easy process due to the natural reluctance of horses to keep dirt in the room. Intelligent disobedience is an important part of training horse guides, because horses must be able to ignore any unsafe commands for horses and handlers.
Conformity
- Horses usually live up to 25-35 years old. This is much longer than the age of a dog (8-16 years, depending on the breed).
- On average, miniature horses can live more than one-third of large horses.
- The miniature horses selected for horse training aid weigh about 55-100 pounds.
- Vision is essential for guide animals for blind users. Horses generally have excellent eyesight. With eyes placed on the sides of their heads, they have nearly 350 degrees of vision, are sensitive to movement in their field of vision, and often detect potential dangers before their visible coaches. Horses also have excellent night vision and can see clearly in total darkness.
- Miniature horses are generally unsuitable to help deaf or hearing people. Most dog breeds have a natural "natural guarding" that is important for hearing-loss animals; horses do not have this instinct.
References
External links
- Burleson, Janet. "Horse Training Guide." 1998-2005. Horse Foundation Guide. Web. http://www.guidehorse.com/training.htm
- "The Guide Horse Foundation: Joke or Jeopardy?"
- Help Hooves
- on "Panda and Edie, 58, a special-education teacher in Bethlehem, NY .The Seattle Times . Retrieved 2007-01-29 .
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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