Did you know that it's legal nowadays to take a miniature horse into a classroom, on an airplane, or a restaurant under the Americans with Disabilities Act?
Mini-horses are being used as an alternative to seeing-eye dogs as guides for the blind, helping their owners navigate busy streets while allowing them to live full and independent lives.
One famous seeing-eye horse is Cuddles, who was adopted by a man named Dan Shaw back in 2001 after going through extensive assistance animal training in North Carolina.
Cuddles even rode Atlanta's rapid transit system, MARTA, with Dan, making her the first horse ever to do so, in addition to being the first mini horse to ever be trained as a guide for the blind!
Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to watch Cuddles and Dan when they two were featured on Oprah!
Please SHARE Cuddles and her amazing story with everyone you know!
The incredible seeing-eye horse, Cuddles, aka the "miracle horse," made headlines (and the Oprah Winfrey show) back in the early '00s.
Her owner, Dan Shaw, had lost his vision due to an eye disease, and looked forward to the freedom of being able to walk down the street with Cuddles' help. After extensive training, Cuddles became the first official horse for the blind!
Dan had gotten in touch with Cuddles through The Guide Horse Foundation in Kittrell, N.C. after seeing a segment about their experimental program on the TV show, "Ripley's Believe It Or Not!"
She wears tiny sneakers to keep her from slipping on hard surfaces.
"I was amazed that they had a little tiny horse that could actually lead the blind," Dan said to USA Today back in 2001.
"And it would live a long time," he added. "Horses that little could live for 35, 45 years. I thought that would be excellent to have for an animal."
While Cuddles was the first seeing-eye horse, she was certainly not the last. Today The Guide Horse Foundation works to offer the seeing-eye horse program to the blind free of charge.
Horses have a wider range of vision than dogs and a much longer lifespan, making them ideal candidates for the job. Those chosen are non-allergenic and at between 150-250 pounds, are strong enough to support their owners.
Trained guide horses also have an extremely calm nature in chaotic situations, as well as incredible memories. They can also live outside and don't require a lot of land.
Dan considers Cuddles his best friend and can't imagine life without her.
Please SHARE this incredible story with everyone you know!
