In Britain, ponies have become popular medicine animals.
They began working in hospitals, schools and nursing homes, reports Fox News.
Small horses bring psychological comfort to people. During the sessions they can be kissed and squeezed. Sarah Woodland from Britain has been looking after two therapy ponies named Poppy and Tinks for two years.
Both ponies are Shetland and live in Oxfordshire. They help people who have difficulty speaking to deal with loneliness. According to Woodland, Poppy and Tinks make patients move and love them.
The woman had previously offered therapeutic pony rides to clients, but demand for riding lessons was low during the winter season. Then Sarah thought she could take the ponies to people who needed companionship.
“You see people talking about how animals have been their best friends. They feel who needs comfort. That’s one of the reasons I decided to organize this,” said Woodland.
The owner of the ponies told how she met a man in a nursing home who was skeptical about the animals. He even put a table in front of his bed to prevent the horses from coming.
However, when he met Poppy, his distrust of ponies disappeared. “It was very enjoyable to watch from start to finish. That’s the effect animals have on people,” said Woodland.
Sarah said that not only Poppy and Tinks live with her, but five other ponies – 13-year-old Abby, 12-year-old Georgie, 5-year-old Gracie, 12-year-old Charm and 15-year-old. Evie. They are all therapists.
The ponies only work once a week, so the attention doesn’t overwhelm them. The ponies learn not to be afraid of elevators and participate in different activities. “I want to keep doing this as long as I can,” Woodland said.
2024-09-26 23:02:07
#Therapy #ponies #ponies #therapy #animals #nursing #homes
